L’Aude en Camping-Car : advice, areas, routes

Have you chosen to spend your next holiday in the Occitania region? What if you visit the Aude on a motorhome?

Visit the Aude on a motorhome? This must-have department of the region Occitania is known to house exceptional sites and monuments: the Canal du Midi, the Cité de Carcassonne and the Châteaux Cathares.

L’Aude is at the crossroads between Pyrenees the Toulouse plain and the Mediterranean Sea. Make an itinerant journey to visit the Aude in camping-car will allow you to take altitude to contemplate the history to the Cathar castles. But also to set foot in the water, or to make gliding sports on the windy beaches of Gruissan or Port-Leucate. To the west, discover an exceptional cultural heritage along the Canal du Midi.

Here’s our mini guide to find out how to visit the Aude in camping-car.

Ideas of itineraries in the Aude in camping-car

Several entry points are possible in Aude. The meaning of your course will vary as you arrive from Toulouse , Perpignan , Foix, from Haut-Languedoc nature park or Beziers .

The Aude has up to six different landscapes: the Mediterranean coastline, ponds and islets, the plains of the Narbonnaise, the Corbières and the wine basins, the Black Mountain, the Pyrenees and the Aude Valley. It is therefore a territory with natural capital and rich heritages. Visiting the Aude in camping-car promises a wide variety of routes.

Here are some non-exhaustive ideas:

• L’Aude en camping-car in one week : Castelnaudary, the Canal du Midi, City of Carcassonne and the city, Lagrasse, the Abbey of Fontfroide, Narbonne, beaches (Gruissan, the cliffs and the Clape, Leucate and the ponds, Port-la-Nouvelle);
• L’Aude en camping-car in 15 days : same course, plus Cucugnan, the Cathar castles (Monségur, Peyrepertuse, Quéribus, Puilaurens, Lastours, Saissac, Aguilar), the Abbey of Caunes-Minervois, the reservoir lake of Saint-Ferréol;
• Visit the Aude on a motorhome in a month or more: The same route, the more the villages of Tuchan, Rennes-le-Château, Quillan, Limoux, the vineyards of the Minervois, the natural park of the narbonnaise, Montolieu, the Gouffre de Cabrespine, the cave of Limousis, Alet-les-Bains, Bages, Fanjeaux, Termes.

If you have more time during your stay in Aude, enjoy it to discover the region's unmissable charms in the neighbouring departments (Pyrénées-Orientales, Ariège, Haute-Garonne, Hérault and Tarn). The longer you have time, the longer you can stay in cities and villages. In this way, you will more easily meet locals to better know their history, their terroir and their culture.

Driving in the Aude in camping-car : the traffic rules to know

L’Aude is a relatively flat department in the west and east, mountainous in the south and north. As a result, you will need to adapt your driving to the topography of the sites you visit.

In the southern part, the mountain roads can undergo strong deliveries. The main roads are rare in the south of Aude: thus, the country roads are sometimes narrow . Beware of cars and motorcycles, which could ride too fast. Will be right in the corners and klaxonize if visibility is missing.

On the Mediterranean coast, roads are very frequent, especially in the summer. It is also a region very windy . Pay attention to the winds of Autan (to the west), Cers and the sea wind (to the east). In addition, you are advised to systematically reduce your speed on small roads: it is not because the limitation indicates 80 km/h that it must be achieved!

Motorway pass in the Aude: what price for your camper category?

The department of Aude is crossed by two toll motorways: the A61 and A9 . The A61, the highway of Les Deux-Mers, connects Narbonne to Toulouse by Carcassonne. It is a big axis that serves the main sights of the Audian hinterland.

The A9 is nicknamed the Catalan highway of Narbonne in Perpignan. It is connected to the A7 and is one of the holiday highways. It serves Spain , Pyrenees-Orientales , the Hérault and the seaside resorts of the Audois coastline. It is therefore a very busy highway all year round.

On motorhome, you will have to pay the rates in class 2. In built-in vans and vans, prices are in class 1, like cars. Here are some rates (class 2):

• Toulouse (sud-est)-Narbonne (sud) : 24,40€,
• Toulouse (south-east)-Carcassonne (west): €14.90,
• From Toulouse (south-east) to Perpignan (north): 24,80€,
• Carcassonne (east)-Leucate : 10,10€,
• Narbonne (sud)-Leucate : 4€,
• Castelnaudary-Leucate : 16,30€.

Here are a few rates in class 1:

• Toulouse (sud-est)-Narbonne (sud) : €14.40,
• Toulouse (south-east)-Carcassonne (west): 9,50€,
• From Toulouse (south-east) to Perpignan (north): 16,60€,
• Carcassonne (east)-Leucate : 6€,
• Narbonne (sud)-Leucate : 2,50€,
• Castelnaudary-Leucate : 10,20€.

How and where to rent a motorhome in France?

You intend to leave in the South, but you do not have a vehicle? No worries! Now it is very simple to rent these vehicles between individuals. Many platforms allow this type of rental, online, 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. Upon your return, after silling the Aude, sign the state of the return places and the tour is played!

How and where to rent a motorhome in Aude?

Throughout the department, you can easily find a motorhome rental. On this side, there is therefore no worries to be made. On the other hand, the Aude is a popular destination for tourists. Therefore, during the summer period, it may be that dealers no longer have anything to offer to retardants, who would not have booked in advance.

Thus, prefer booking in advance in all cases. Whether it's with a dealer or online.

Camping-car areas in Aude: where to park?

Where to park in camping-car and van in the Aude? The interest of visiting the Aude in camping-car or in a furnished van is to be able to sleep in the vehicle during your stages! Well, camping wild often banned in France, there are still small isolated places to settle. For this, natural spaces are often preferred on the edge of a lake, in a forest, on a mountain path, on a start-up parking, near a beach, etc.

Camping-cars and vans often play chat and mouse with the gendarmes, the object being to sleep quietly without being dislodged. For this, it is advisable to change spot at each night, from arrive late and early . Don't let anything hang out on the ground and stay discreet. The department of Aude has a multitude of vast spaces and wild nature where to settle. If you are connected travellers, you can see on the Park4night app all the spots where to go around your location. This tool will prevent you from spending hours searching for a place, without knowing whether it is risky or not.

If the adventure of the wild bivouac does not tempt you, the Aude has many service areas for camping cars. Only on the site Aude Tourisme, there is a total of 70 on the territory of Audois. These parking spaces are often paid, but the price is not exorbitant. You can drain waste water and enjoy electricity. For a more intimate compromise between the service area and the spot in kind, opt for campsites. The same site Aude Tourisme in reference 66 throughout the department.

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

When to go to the Aude in camping-car or in fitted van? The climate of Aude is Mediterranean, characterized by warm and dry summers and mild winters. Falls are the season of Mediterranean episodes, where storms can sometimes be violent. Spring is rainy, especially in March and April.

In summer, the average maximum temperatures oscillate around 28°C, with points at 35°C or 40°C. As for the minimum average, they are around 20 °C in the summer in Narbonne. The Aude is a “country” swept by the winds all year round. The Cers to the east, the Autan to the west and the sea wind heat or cool the atmosphere 300 days a year on average. The wind blows in gusts, which can be very inconvenient, except for kitesurf and sailing enthusiasts.

So when do you leave Aude? The best time to visit the Aude is undoubtedly the one that spreads May to September . It should be noted that summer corresponds to a period of high affluence. Opt for half-season (June and September) if you can underwent tourist pressure.