La Côte d’Azur en Camping-Car : advice, areas, routes

How to visit the Côte d’Azur on a motorhome or a furnished van? Here’s everything you need to know before you leave.

Visiting the Côte d’Azur by camping-car is probably one of the most beautiful ideas of road-trip in France. More need to check the availability of hotels and their rates! The travelling journey offers great freedom of movement and allows you to park wherever you want. We travel at its own pace, with the desires.

Located between Toulon and Menton, the French Riviera is the eastern part of the French Mediterranean coast. The Côte d’Azur is world-famous, stretched between the departments of Var and the Alpes-Maritimes. Between sea and mountains, it is a contrasting land that has multiple facets.

The estivants flock there by millions for the beauty of its beaches, to taste the luxury of its seaside cities or to relax in the Provencal nature. Between music, heritage, dream climate and idyllic setting, the Côte d’Azur is in fact an irresistible desire. You want to discover this region, both frenetic, ostentatious, natural, sumptuous, luminescent and scented? Here’s our guide to visit the Côte d’Azur by camping-car.

Ideas of itineraries in Côte d’Azur

The name of Côte d’Azur is an expression invented by writer Stéphen Liégeard (1830-1925) in 1887. It is a metaphor describing the coastline made of azur, Cannes Menton. By extension, we often read that the French Riviera starts in the Var, to the beaches east of Toulon. There are of course many entry points in the French Riviera. Several routes are therefore possible as you come from the north, from the west from Provence or from the north Italy by the east.

The Côte d’Azur has more than 650 kilometres of coastline. So you’re not going to visit the Côte d’Azur by camping-car only in a weekend. On the contrary, you will need to adapt your itineraries according to the duration of your journey. Between the beaches, the Massif des Maures and Estérel, the backcountry niçois or Saint-Tropez , the region has many must-sees. Here are our ideas of itineraries to be made in French Riviera.

• Visit to the west of the French Riviera: Toulon, Bandol, the Provencal villages of the hinterland, Hyères, the Porquerolles Islands, Port-Cros, Cap Bénat, the cornice of the Maures, the Rayol-Canadel, Saint-Tropez,
• The east of the French Riviera: the massif of the Estérel, Fréjus and Saint-Raphaël, the village of the country of Fayence, Cannes, Grasse, Antibes and Juan-les-Pins, Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Nice, Monaco, Menton,
• Visit the French Riviera in 30 days or more: The same steps, plus the Parc Naturel de la Sainte-Baume, Hyères, Le Lavandou, the Parc Naturel des Préalpes d’Azur, the bay of Villefranche-sur-Mer, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat.

These steps logically depend on what you want to do. They are also depending on the time of your road trip. It goes without saying that in three days, you cannot do all this. Conversely, in a month or more, you will have more time to spend in each place.

Driving in French Riviera in motorhome : the traffic rules to know

Of course, the French Riviera is governed by the same rules of the Highway Code as elsewhere in France. Your motorhome is therefore considered a car under the law. Below a weight of 3.5 tons, permit B allows to drive the motorhome. Each passenger must fasten its seat belt as soon as the vehicle moves.

Speed limitations are the same as for cars:

• 50 km/h in agglomeration,
• 80 km/h out of town,
• 110 km/h on fast lanes,
• and 130 km/h On the highways.

If the law has a national scope, some municipalities have jurisdiction to tighten speed limits. This is the case, for example, for portions limited to 30 km/h or 70 km/h out of town. Or for access to the parking lot.

As for alcohol consumption in France, it is 0.5 g/l , about two glasses of alcohol. Go to the water if you are thirsty! Another important detail to visit the Côte d’Azur in motorhome: the PACA region is inherited from mountains and mountains. As a result, repeat caution in corners and heights.

Motorists sometimes take the road for a race circuit, and roll "open tomb". Take a step or klaxon in the corners to prevent your arrival in a pin turn, camouflaged by the rock.

Motorway pass in Côte d’Azur: what price for your camper category?

The French Riviera is crossed by several highways, and the tolls are numerous. Unfortunately, you will have to pay to visit the Côte d’Azur on a camping-car or in a furnished van. The highways A8, A50, A57 and A500 , are managed by the private concessions ESCOTA and VINCI.

On motorhome, you will have to pay the amount of class 2. If you come to visit the French Riviera in a furnished van, it is then the class 1 of the cars that concerns you. Here are some indications of rates (class 2) on the Provencal motorways on February 1, 2019:

• A7-A8, Lyon/Marseille/Aix-en-Provence: 40,10€,
• A8, Aix-en-Provence/Nice: 27,40€,
• A51, Sisteron Nord/Aix-en-Provence : 18,80€,
• A8, Antibes/Aix-en-Provence: 25,10€.

Coming and crossing the Côte d’Azur via the highway, it costs relatively expensive!

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 Azurean roads, sign the state of the return places and the tower is played!

How to rent a motorhome on the French Riviera?

The PACA region is very touristic. Therefore, there is no concern to have to find camper rentals. 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 motorhome for the Côte d’Azur, online, before leaving.

Camping-car areas in French Riviera: where to park?

Parking

The French law prohibits the wild camping. In essence, it is forbidden to park on the public road to spend the night. And brave this legal provision exposes you to a fine. On the day, motorhomes are allowed to park on the same pitches as cars. But parking lots are often paid, especially in the seaside towns of the French Riviera. Finding parking spaces in French Riviera can be complicated in the summer. This is due to the fact that more than 10 million nights in the hotel industry are recorded each year.

If you come to visit the Côte d’Azur in a furnished van, you will pass more unnoticed than on a motorhome. But you're exposed to police controls. Between Toulon and Menton, the coast is very urbanized. So, isolate yourself in the hinterland to find a spot where to spend the night. If you decide to brave the law, come soon preferably. And leave the place as soon as possible. Especially, don't make fire in nature because with the wind, vegetation quickly turns into a brazier!

Camper en Côte d’Azur

How to park and sleep serenely in his motorhome? The PACA region is equipped with campgrounds, camper areas and parking lots. Here is a very useful application to find where to sleep: Park4night. It is a tool for sharing spots: places in the middle of nature, campsites, service areas for camping-car, parking (free and paid).

What is the best time to travel by camping-car in French Riviera?

The French Riviera enjoys a Mediterranean climate , with winters soft and summers hot and dry . Summer seems to be the best time to visit the Côte d’Azur by camping-car. Temperatures oscillate between 30 °C and 35 °C and one can swim in a warm sea. On the other hand, tourist surfing increases rates. Mass tourism can also disrupt the tranquility of a travelling journey.

Therefore, it is best to prefer spring and fall to visit the Côte d’Azur by camping-car or furnished van. The temperatures are mild, but the mornings can be fresh. Above all, you will not suffer the tourist affluence, at its peak in the summer. In the hinterland, on the other hand, the climate becomes more mountainous: the temperature decreases as you take altitude.