Châteaux de la Loire in Camping-Car: rentals, tips, areas, routes

Are you planning to visit the most beautiful French royal residences? What if you're going to visit the Loire Castles on a motorhome?

What if we stay in France for the holidays? France has a rich heritage to visit. You could, for example, visit Châteaux de la Loire in camper! They offer beautiful ideas of cultural escapades. The fortresses were built to protect the royal power during the Hundred Years War. They symbolize the bitter quarrels that raged between England and France in the Middle Ages.

The castles link the Loire Valley, a natural region located in the Loiret, the Loir-et-Cher, the Indre-et-Loire and the Maine-et-Loire. Many historic cities are unmissable in the region: Orléans, Blois, Tours, Saumur, Angers, etc. Visit the Loire Castles by camping-car allows you to explore the roads, in the footsteps of the kings of France. So, ready to go! Here is our mini-guide to visit the Châteaux de la Loire in motorhome.

Ideas of itineraries around the Loire Castles in motorhome

By the road, the Loire Valley Castles region extends over 320 kilometers. From Sully-sur-Loire a few kilometers from Orleans, the Loire will lead you almost to the Loire Nantes . The Châteaux de la Loire extends mainly to three departments: the Loir-et-Cher, the Indre-et-Loire and the Maine-et-Loire. Thus, you will cross the unmissable communes of Chambord, Cheverny, Chenonceaux, Amboise, Saumur and Angers. The regional natural park of Loire-Anjou-Touraine, extended on 270,858 hectares will reveal their charms. Of course, we can travel the distance from Orleans to Nantes in a single morning. But this is not your goal. Visit the Châteaux de la Loire in camping-car will involve stops, essential steps.

You've been coming since Rennes , Nantes or Paris or east, you will not establish the same route. Also, this will be defined according to the duration of your road trip. You don't know where to go? Here are our ideas of possible routes to visit the Châteaux de la Loire by camping-car :

• Les Châteaux de la Loire in 5 days : Orleans, Chambord Castle, Blois (Cathedral Saint-Louis, Castle and Downtown), Cheverny, Chenonceaux,
• Visit the Loire Castles in 15 days: same steps, plus Chaumont-sur-Loire, Amboise, Tours, Saumur, Chinon, Langeais, Clos-Lucé, Azay-le-Rideau, Ussé,
• The Loire Valley Castles region in one month: The same steps, the more the castles of Loches, G claysse-Dampierre, Villandry, Plessy-les-Tours, Beauregard, Brissac, Montsoreau, Sully-sur-Loire.

These steps are only indicative, but in all cases you will have to make choices. Indeed, the list of castles to visit is so long that you will not be able to browse them all. This, all the more so if you only visit the Loire Valley Castles for a weekend or only a week. For a one-week road trip, you will logically have to limit your steps. For a trip of 15 days or a month, enjoy it also to discover the heritage and the terroir of the region: the vineyards of the Loire especially.

Driving around the Loire Castles: the traffic rules to know

The Loire Castles are all in the regions Centre-Val-de-Loire and Pays-de-la-Loire. Therefore, the rules governing conduct are the same as elsewhere in French territory. From the point of view of French law, a motorhome is a vehicle like others.

Here is a reminder of the basic rules of the French road code. The driving is done on the right, and overtakings by the left. The priority on the right is to be put when there is no marking on the ground, except in roundabouts. Make sure that the motorhome is equipped with a signage triangle and a reflective yellow jacket. You must have your safety belt closed when the vehicle is in circulation.

Also, you must be in possession of the vehicle's papers (grey card, technical control and pollution control and insurance) as well as your driver's license. It should be noted that there is no special permit for motorhomes whose weight does not exceed 3.5 tonnes. Often, specific signage panels complement the legal provisions that apply to motorhomes. In fact, local authorities have jurisdiction to restrict certain access or reduce speed limitations in certain locations.

As a general rule, speed limits in France are as follows:

• 50 km/h in agglomeration,
• 70 to 80 km/h on secondary roads,
• 110 km/h on four-way roads without tolls,
• 130 km/h On the highways.

Let’s remember that in France, the maximum legal rate of authorized alcohol is 0.5g/L Like cars.

Motorway pass around the Loire Castles: what price for your camper category?

Are you coming to visit the Loire Valley Castles in motorhome? The Loire Valley region is crossed by several highways tolls. This is the A10 , A11 , A87 , A85 and A71 . In motorhomes, you will have to pay the prices in class 2. This class corresponds to vehicles with a total height of less than or equal to 2 metres, with a weight not exceeding 3.5 tonnes.

Joining the Loire Valley Castles region can cost relatively expensive. The alternative to avoid paying too much is to borrow the network of national roads, but the route will be much longer and more accidental.

Payment of tolls is simple. It consists of removing a ticket at the entrance terminal on the highway. At the outset, you pay by credit card for the mileage travelled. There is an average of 1€ for 10 kilometers. Here are a few rates for the sections you will take:

• Paris-Orléans Nord (A10) : 16,50 €,
• Paris-Tours-Centre (A10) : 35,90 €,
• Paris-Angers-Corzé (A11): 45,40 €,
• Paris-Poitiers (A10) : 54,70 €,
• Nantes-Angers-Corzé (A11): 14,30 €,
• Angers-Corzé-Tours (A85): 15,50 €,
• Tours-Centre-Orléans-Nord (A10) : 18,50 €,
• Blois-Orléans Centre (A10) : 9,30 €,
• Bourges-Orléans Centre (A71): 18,20 €,
• Bordeaux-Tours Centre (A10) : 50,30 €.

Crossing the regions Pays-de-la-Loire, Centre-Val-de-Loire and Nouvelle-Aquitaine could therefore represent a certain budget. But since you will sleep inside the camper, you will win. You have no hotel booking fees!

How and where to rent a motorhome in France?

In France, it is now possible to book its motorhome online? How? Thanks to the various online booking platforms, such as Yescapa For example.

How does it work?

• At first, you have to choose the motorhome in your city (For example Bordeaux, Nantes, Toulouse, Paris, Montpellier or Marseille).
• Be careful choose unlimited mileage, to check the number of beds available and if travel abroad is possible.
• Do your work online rental request and share your travel information (dates, rental options, mileage, etc.) to the owner.
• If your request is accepted and after payment, you will have access to the owner's contact information to organize a First meeting.
• Day J, present your driver's license and pour bail.
• One. status of premises is executed and a lease is signed between the two parties. When you return, after running the castle roads, sign the state of the places of return and the tower is played!

How to rent a motorhome for the Châteaux de la Loire?

The Loire Castles region is very touristic. Therefore, it will be relatively simple to find camper rentals. Private, however, large cities such as Orléans, Angers, Blois etc.

On the other hand, demand is strong. Once arrived, no motorhomes are available. It is for this reason that it is more advisable to book your camper for the Châteaux de la Loire, online, before leaving.

The camper areas around the Loire Castles: where to park?

But then, where do you park to visit the Loire Castles on a motorhome? From the point of view of French law, a motorhome is a car like another. Starting, you can park anywhere where places are available. This, on locations materialized by white or blue lines.

Attention: camping-sauvage is in France, should it be recalled, strictly prohibited . If you decide to stop spending the night near a castle, never get out your camping equipment (tables, chairs), parable and socks on the public road. If you can sleep inside the motorhome on a regular parking site, install your equipment will be considered wild camping.

However, it is often possible to find a place where to sleep away from police controls and indiscrete looks. Stay away from homes. Also, avoid regional parks, regional natural reserves and the city centers of large towns. In a fitted van, you will also pass more unnoticed than in a motorhome. Regardless of your vehicle, several solutions are available to you to spend your nights: camping pitches and camper service areas.

You would still like to camp in the open air, in the countryside and near the most famous Loire Castles? This is your best asset: Park4night. It is a sharing tool between travellers, which allows you to view on an interactive map all the spots where you can install for one night or two.

What is the best time to travel by camping-car around the Loire Castles?

When do you want to visit the Loire Valley Castles in a camper or van? The issue of climate and weather is paramount when travelling by itinerant. Because of course, spending 24 hours a day in the camper is not an option! Most of the royal castles are concentrated along the Loire, in Indre-et-Loire.

In this department, the climate is type temperate with ocean influence, with an average annual temperature 12°C . Summers are soft , but they know canicular episodes. Temperatures above 35°C are several times affected between June and August. Winters are soft and rainy . After August, temperatures decline slowly. The thunderstorms and rain return, October being the second most wet month of the year.

The best times to visit the Loire Castles are logically late spring , summer and early autumn . However, the nights can be fresh from the end of August: plan a small wool!