Provence end of July - need to book?

Swiss Cheese · Jul 13, 2019

Hi all, been lurking a few months having decided to take the plunge with a Beach 204PS 4Motion earlier this year. We've done enough camping so we have plenty of 'stuff' that has carried over. And we've been away several nights already and feel confident we can manage 2 weeks on the road with our teenage girls.

Due to unforeseen circumstances our original long-haul summer holiday plans have fallen through so we are thinking to head down to Provence with the van instead. We live outside Zurich, so it's not a huge treck and we'll likely stop an hour or so south of Geneva first, then maybe decide where to go after.

The question is should we book up sites, or chance it? I guess it's busy down that way this time of year. We are not headed to the coast, but rather stay inland. Having searched here for 'Provence' I see lots of advice about spring and autumn, but less about the summer. I just checked out the CamperContact app/site so it looks like we can locate places quite easily.

We don't mind being on quiet sites, but a shower is going to be a good idea from time to time, and we'll need to hit the laundromat at some point. Are these sites going to be booked out?

Thanks for any advice or recommendations!

Swiss Cheese · Aug 1, 2019

OK so we make it there and back. It was not as challenging as I feared with my OCD planfulness where I like to be organised well in advance.

We managed to find some really nice campsites, and a couple of not-so-great sites. I used the CamperContact app, and Google Maps. 10 nights away in total, and only about 1,600km in the end. Made it to the coast, but hated it, so spent one night at a huge site a bit like Butlin's. Best place was Moustiers Ste Marie, around the Lac du Ste Croix and the Verdon Gorge. Much less crowded and beautiful scenery and a great lake for swimming.

For the record, we stopped over at the following places;
Sévrier, just south of Annecy
Rochetaillée, not far north of Huez
Salignac, a few km south of Sisteron
Moustiers Ste Marie (we loved this site, did 4 nights, then 1 more on the return journey)
Frejus down on the coast (hated it)
Yenne, which is west of Aix les Bains (a very basic site)

It was 38.5C for the first week, and totally baking. I was so thankful for the Dolmetic compressor fridge we bought before the trip as the thermoelectric one we had before would have done about nothing in that weather. It kept stuff down at 4 - 5C no problem.

One night it threatened heavy storms so the wife insisted we put up the Cali-topper. What a pain to a) put on, then b) to dry out the next day. I'm sure it will have its day, but it was a faff. The kids who were upstairs complained no end about how hot it was with that thing on too.

TripleBee · Aug 1, 2019

Swiss Cheese said:
OK so we make it there and back. It was not as challenging as I feared with my OCD planfulness where I like to be organised well in advance.

We managed to find some really nice campsites, and a couple of not-so-great sites. I used the CamperContact app, and Google Maps. 10 nights away in total, and only about 1,600km in the end. Made it to the coast, but hated it, so spent one night at a huge site a bit like Butlin's. Best place was Moustiers Ste Marie, around the Lac du Ste Croix and the Verdon Gorge. Much less crowded and beautiful scenery and a great lake for swimming.

For the record, we stopped over at the following places;
Sévrier, just south of Annecy
Rochetaillée, not far north of Huez
Salignac, a few km south of Sisteron
Moustiers Ste Marie (we loved this site, did 4 nights, then 1 more on the return journey)
Frejus down on the coast (hated it)
Yenne, which is west of Aix les Bains (a very basic site)

It was 38.5C for the first week, and totally baking. I was so thankful for the Dolmetic compressor fridge we bought before the trip as the thermoelectric one we had before would have done about nothing in that weather. It kept stuff down at 4 - 5C no problem.

One night it threatened heavy storms so the wife insisted we put up the Cali-topper. What a pain to a) put on, then b) to dry out the next day. I'm sure it will have its day, but it was a faff. The kids who were upstairs complained no end about how hot it was with that thing on too.

Glad to hear you had a good vacation without too much worries.
Have been around the Verdon in spring this year. I stayed at Forcalquier, but took the N 85 Route Napoléon from Grenoble to Gap, through to Sisteron, and then to Forcalquier.
I visisted Moustiers, and all the things to see in the surroundings, including the Dalle a ammonites and the site of the Ichtyosaure around Digne les Bains.

What Cali topper do you have? As mine from the Spanish Thais sl is very easy to put on and off, and in 10 minutes in dry weather, it is dry already.