Les Alpes en camping-car : conseils, aires, routes

How do I visit the Alps by camping-car or van? You will find the answer in our dedicated article!

Want to visit the Alps on a camper or in a furnished van? This is an idea to visit freely the most imposing mountainous mountains in Europe. Sleeping in his vehicle is indeed a way to travel very fashionable. You do not need to book any hotel room. Especially, you can stop at the top of a pass in a valley, even if there is no hotel infrastructure.

The Alps are a massive stretch on a large part of Europe, notably the south of France, Italy , Switzerland , Slovenia , Austria and Germany . The Alps extend over 190,959 km2, with a total of 82 summits between the Mediterranean Sea and the Danube. Coming to the Alps by camping-car, you will thus cross many high mountain road passes. Their altitude sometimes reaches 3,000 meters.

Do you know how to make this trip? Here are our tips to visit the Alps by camping-car.

Ideas of itineraries in the Alps by camping-car

Entrance points in the Alps are multiple, even if you leave from France. Indeed, your itineraries will vary as you leave Nice , Lyon , Milan , Munich or Ljubljana .

For example, you can choose to explore the French Alps. This trip can even represent several. From Haute-Savoie To Vercors and the Mercantour National Park, there are already countless things to see and do. If in addition to this, your route includes Italy and Switzerland, then you will have to leave several weeks.

Here are some ideas of steps to be taken during your alpine getaways. On the programme, sports (hiking, skiing), local products, historical monuments, remote villages and historic cities:

The Alps in 5 days

• Annecy,
• Chamonix-Mont-Blanc,
• Tignes and Val d’Isère,
• Modane,
• Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne,
• Chambéry,
• Grenoble.

The Route des Grandes Alpes in 15 days

• Thonon-les-Bains,
• Morzine,
• Grand-Bornand,
• The collar of Iseran,
• Annecy,
• The Aravis chain,
• Sallanches and Chamonix-Mont-Blanc,
• Bourg-Saint-Maurice,
• Albertville,
• Chambéry,
• Grenoble and the massif of the Chartreuse,
• Vanoise Park with Val d’Isère,
• Tignes and Modane,
• Briançon,
• The pass of Galibier,
• The Meije massif,
• Bar of Writers,
• Gap,
• Sisteron,
• Digne-les-Bains,
• Saint-Véran,
• Vars pass,
• Barcelona,
• The Bonnette road,
• Mercantour National Park,
• Menton.

The Alps in a month

• The Route des Grandes Alpes and Aosta,
• Italian lakes,
• Trente,
• Bolzano,
• The Dolomites,
• Innsbruck,
• Lucerne,
• Interlaken,
• Bern,
• Fribourg,
• Montreux,
• Sion,
• Val d’Hérens,
• Zermatt,
• Airolo and Tessin,
• Locarno,
• Saint-Moritz,
• Klosters,
• Major Swiss cities (Zurich, Bern, Geneva).

These many steps are only indicative. There are so many ways to explore the whole area of the Alps that one could not be established. You can also go through many other villages.

Adapt your road trip to the duration of the trip and what you want to do: nature, cities, hiking or car, etc. Therefore, restore an area if you come to visit the Alps by camping-car in a short time. For a month, you can easily stay longer in such an alpine village.

Driving in the Alps by camping-car : the traffic rules to know

If we must of course respect the code of the road, driving in camping-car implies a repetition of caution. Especially in the Alps, where roads can be snowed from autumn and spring. You are not advised to drive in the Alps by camping-car in snowy weather.

But the caprices of the weather do not always anticipate. Here are some tips if you come to visit the Alps by camping-car in hive :

• On the one hand, consider the template, weight and height of the camper. The weight and speed increase the braking distance. Drive less quickly when visibility in the mountains is less good, especially on the snow.
• On the other hand, think about equip you with snow tires or chains. To avoid taking too much speed in the descents, use the engine brake instead of conventional brakes. At altitude and during the cold seasons, the ice is your worst enemy. Adapt your driving depending on the risk of slips. If you lose control on the front of the motorhome, decide to regain grip. If the rear drives, do not brake.

All this concerns driving in the Alps in winter. In all seasons, the same rules as those for all vehicles must be respected. The speed limits in camping-car are therefore similar to the cars:

• 50 km/h in agglomeration,
• 70 to 80 km/h on secondary roads,
• 90 km/h overtaking,
• 110 km/h on separate pavements,
• 130 km/h On the highway.

Always keep at least 50 meters away with a vehicle ahead of you. Also note that in camping-car, you have to stay on the right line in the roundabouts.

Motorways in the Alps: what price for your camper category?

The French alpine regions, from Geneva to Nice, are crossed by toll motorways. They are granted to several private companies, including Vinci, AREA or ATMB (Autoroutes and Tunnel du Mont-Blanc). In Switzerland, Austria and Italy, highways also include toll sections.

Visit the Alps by camping-car submits to higher rates, usually calculated in class 2. To radiate in the French part of the Alps, you will take the highways A41 , A410 , A40 , A430 , A43 , A51 and A8 . Here are some toll rates to visit the Alps in motorhome (class 2):

• Aix-en-Provence in Sisteron sud : 14,30€,
• Aix-en-Provence in Menton: 33,80€,
• Bellegarde (01) in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc : 19,80€,
• Annecy in Chambéry: 7,20€,
• Annecy in Grenoble : 16,10€,
• Aix-en-Provence vers Grenoble : 42,40€,
• Grenoble in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc : 30,90€,
• Aix-en-Provence in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc : 73.30€,
• Lyon in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc : 37,80€,
• Lyon to Modane : 38€,
• Tunnel du Mont-Blanc France vers Italie : 61,30€,
• Lyon to Turin with Fréjus tunnel: 99.30€,
• Geneva to Milan : 72,30€,
• Geneva in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc : 11€,
• And from Geneva to Nice : €76.20.

You will have understood it: crossing the Alps by camping-car will cost expensive. On the one hand, we must count the price of the tolls, rather high. And on the other hand, the mountain highways will make you consume a lot of fuel.

How and where to rent a motorhome in France?

Would you like to discover the Alps on a motorhome, but you are not the owner of such a vehicle? This is no longer a problem, since 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. Just sign it, once you get back from the Alps, to settle all this.

How and where to rent a motorhome in the Alps

If you think about renting your on-site camper, at the beginning of your adventure, It won't be a problem. . Whether in Annecy, Chambéry or Grenoble, there are many rentals. Nevertheless, Meet before you leave To avoid a bad surprise. The advantage of online rental is to ensure its backs before leaving.

Finally, prefer rent in France, to avoid any disagreement. If border regions often speak French, the contract may be in another language.

Campsites in the Alps: where to park?

Parking by camping-car or van legally

Now, where do you park in the Alps on a motorhome? This question is often thorny. In theory, parking on public space must have a limited duration. It is authorized on all sites dedicated to this effect, including blue and white markings.

Outside the agglomerations, the vehicle shall not interfere with traffic or road signs. In the agglomerations, you can park by camping-car on the same pitches as those reserved for vans and cars.

Sleep in a camper or in a furnished van

Sleep in his motorhome is authorized by French law . But on the other hand, spending the night on public space is considered to be camping wild . It is therefore difficult to distinguish between short parking, bivouac and wild camping. In addition, regions Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes have many natural parks. In general, it is necessary to avoid making wild camping in a national or regional park.

In addition, the motorhome, which is not discreet, is easily recovered by the police authorities. To be able to sleep quietly during your steps, we will find many service areas for camper. The webmagazine Camping-car en recenses almost 1,000, only for the Rhône-Alpes region.

Where to stay in Savoie, Haute-Savoie, Isère, Hautes-Alpes, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence or the Alpes-Maritimes? Our flagship solution is the Park4night application. This tool is available for free, reference the best spots to sleep in camper and van. It’s about choosing from camping pitches, service areas, car parks and isolated places in the middle of nature.

Now in the Alps, large spaces can easily find a spot where to settle without disturbing anyone. The golden rule being never weld the natural environment with your waste. You don't digest plastic or cigarette butts, mountain animals either!

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

The climate of the Alps, due to relief, is mostly and mountaineering . But in the south (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Alpes-Maritimes), the climate is more Mediterranean . Climate influences are different depending on whether you are in Geneva, Nice, Gap or Grenoble.

In the Northern Alps (Savoie, Haute-Savoie), winters are cold and snowy, summers are warm and wet. The Alps of the centre (Isère, Hautes-Alpes) are marked by a more generous sunlight. It's about mountain Mediterranean climate in the south, with strong heat in the summer and a fall in winter temperatures.

So, when do you visit the Alps on a motorhome? There is no better time, we can go there all year . Everything depends on what you want to do. In winter, the Alps are a perfect destination for skiing. In summer, it is an ideal region for hiking. Be careful, however, to equip yourself: heavy winter frosts are frequent in the Alps. It will still be much more comfortable to visit the Alps in motorhome between May and September .