Ever thought of taking your motorhome to Paris? Good idea at the time eh? That is exactly what we decided to do in September.
There is a great campsite in Paris (you wouldn’t think it was that great by the reviews on Trip Advisor) but actually it is convenient and not THAT bad. Beware the mens loos that is all I will say!
So the first weekend in September on a day as hot as you can imagine we intrepidly set off to Dover in our motorhome. Gas – check, full fridge- check, full water tank (just in case the showers are as bad as reported) – check! So off we went.
Now in the UK down the M1 our motorhome looks quite an average size, not too bad, manageable and easy to drive. On the Paris peripherique in rush hour traffic it morphs into a huge unmanageable machine, too big to drive within the small lanes of the packed ring road and much too long to reverse around the small Parisien streets when a u- turn was necessary. Sat nav, I hear you cry, yes we did have one except she must have been having an off day, after confidently directing us in the wrong direction she impatiently gave up talking altogether, like it was OUR fault!
When we eventually found the campsite (right in the middle of the Bois de Bologne, and you know what that is famous for, if you don’t then tap it into Google) there was a queue to book in, lots of Italians and Dutch, probably all of them had been driving around the Paris suburbs for hours too.
We were directed to a gravel pitch without electricity so we had to go back to the end of the queue to get one with electricity and then park up. The campsite is a huge sprawling gravel area at the side of the Seine were European campers turn up in old converted delivery vans and live under their tarpaulin extensions for a week. They come in all shapes and sizes, they live, sleep and cook outside under their waterproof roofs or as you can see in the images above in a small waterproof box positioned precariously on top of some ancient BMW or simillar but they all seem to have a great time.
If you do fancy giving Paris a go in your camper I can certainly recommend it. This site is great for travelling in and out of the city. There is a shuttle bus that will take you to Porte de Maillot for a few euros and from then on Paris is your oyster. It is easy to get to Concorde, Monmatre, Sacre Couer and the Champs Elysee from this Metro station and you are assured that your motorhome is safe at the site. Travelling to Paris by road also offers the opportunity to pop in to Vimy Ridge either to or from Calais this first world war Canadian memorial certainly does leave you with a sobering thought.
I have put the link in to the campsite because I don’t think anyone should be put off by the reviews on the internet, although maybe if you are in a tent without any facilities it could be a bit tough (remember the mens loos warning) but all in all it is the best place to camp for Paris.
