Touring in a motorhome is one of the best ways to explore the world’s number one tourist destination. It is brilliantly set up for motorhome touring, and with so much to see and do, you can see why holiday makers find themselves going back again and again. Hiring a motorhome to travel round France gives you:

The freedom to travel wherever you want at the pace you want.

Follow the Romantic Route through medieval towns and fairytale castles.

Stop off at a small village, park in an Aire and eat with the locals.

We’ve put together this useful guide to help and inform you of what you need to take, how best to get there, and where to find the best places to stay.

What you need

When taking a motorhome across the Channel there are certain items that you will be required to have on you or in the vehicle by French law.

Essential items checklist:

UK sticker on motorhome
Full driving licence
Proof of vehicle ownership (V5C document) or hire
Certificate of motor insurance
Headlamp beam deflectors
Spare set of bulbs
Hazard warning triangle
High-visibility waistcoat/jacket
Breathalyser kit
Clean air stickers – you need a Crit’Air sticker displayed on your car when travelling to certain cities. These are available from LandCruise one week prior to hire for £10

Italicised points are provided for you by LandCruise

Crossing the Channel

There are a number of options to get across the Channel with ferry ports in Portsmouth, Newhaven and Dover offering services to a variety of destinations.

At just 35mins the quickest way to get to France is via the Eurotunnel (Folkstone to Calais). Ultimately your choice will come down to your own particular route/destination and budget.

For more information on routes, ferry operators and prices see our Crossing the Channel in a Motorhome Guide

Driving in France

The RAC have written a comprehensive guide to driving in France and we recommend you read this if you haven’t driven in France for a while:
https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/travel/country/france/

Refuel – you’ll find that it’s often cheaper to fill up at supermarket petrol stations. All our motorhomes are diesel, so make sure you use the pump labelled, GAZOLE OU GASOIL.

Where to stay?

There are a number of online directories to help you find somewhere to stay. We recommend:

Search For Sites App https://www.searchforsites.co.uk/
Park4night – https://park4night.com/en
CampingFrance.com https://www.campingfrance.com/uk
France Passion https://www.france-passion.com/en/
Aires – https://www.eurotunnel.com/uk/holiday-ideas/the-best-aires-in-france/

For Inspiration

If you need some inspiration on where to go there are many travel blogs that can be found on Google. We like Wandering Bird. Kat quit her job in 2018 to travel the world. Since then she has explored 19 countries and travelled over 30,000 miles in a number of different motorhomes. Her very first one she purchased from us.

In that time she has also gone on to become an award winning blogger, and her website is packed full of travel tips, ideas, inspiration, and incredible photos.

Learn More

Events

You can hire a motorhome in 2024 to go to:

Olympic Torch Relay – 8 May to 14 July.

80th Anniversary of the Normandy landings – 6 June.

24 hours of Le Mans – 12 to 16 June.

Tour de France – 29 June to 21 July. If you would like to take your own bikes, the Auto Trail Expedition C73 has a great storage garage.

Summer Olympics – 26 July to 11 August.

Summer Paralympics – 28 August to 8 September.

Travel GuideFrance