L’Île d’Oléron en Camping-Car : advice, areas, routes

How to visit the beautiful Île d’Oléron in camper or van? You'll know everything in this article!

You're leaving for her. Charente-Maritime And the South West? Come and visit Oleron Island on a motorhome! Largest French island after Corse , Oleron Island is a must-see tourist destination of the Atlantic façade.

With a pleasant climate, it enjoys an abundant nature and a rate of sunshine comparable to the Mediterranean regions. The island is so sunny that the nickname Oléron the light was attributed to it. This island of Charente-Maritime is particularly popular for its beaches and wild dunes, its atypical vegetation (the mimosas grow in winter), its forests and its many must-see and to-do on site.

On the programme, from Saint-Trojan-les-Bains to Saint-Denis-d’Oléron, numerous sports and cultural activities. Are you coming to Oleron Island on a motorhome? You will quickly understand why Oleron Island is a paradise for travellers. Here is our mini-guide advice to make this journey as you wish.

Ideas of itineraries on Île d’Oléron by camping-car

Oleron Island has a relatively small area. So you will have quickly made the tour of the island by camping-car or by furnished van. Yet, it contains wonders to see and to visit. Whether to visit, relax at the beach or practice nautical activities (surfing, kitesurfing in particular), a week is a great minimum to visit Oleron Island by motorhome. This is even better if you have 15 or 20 days.

The advantage of visiting Oleron Island on a motorhome for two to three weeks? You will have all the time to stay long at each stage. And your road trip on the Atlantic facade will not look like a race! Here are some ideas of itineraries and things to do in Oleron Island:

• Oleron Island for a short stay: Saint-Trojan-les-Bains, Le-Grand-Village-Plage, the beaches of the Giraudière, Saint-Trojan and Gatseau, Dolus-d’Oléron (marais salant,pines, oyster parks), the beach of La Perroche (spot of surf), Saint-Pierre-d’Oléron, Saint-Georges d’Oléron
• L’Île d’Oléron for a longer stay: The same steps, the more La Bréé-les-Bains, with the mill of La Bréé, the salt marshes, the port of Saint-Denis-d’Oléron, the beaches of the Sables Vignier, Domino, Chaucre, the Huttes, the Pointe and the Phare de Chassiron, the beach of Boyardville (with view of Fort Boyard), the forest of the Saumonards,
• Visit Oleron Island and its surroundings: The same steps, plus the Côte Sauvage on the Presqu’Île d’Arvert (La Tremblade), Royan and the Côte de Beauté, Marennes-Oléron, Rochefort, La Rochelle,Island of Re, the fortified citadel of Brouage, Saintes, Cognac.

These steps in Oleron Island and surrounding areas will vary according to your desires. However, adapt your itineraries to the duration of the trip. To visit Oleron Island by motorhome, a week will be enough.

If, on the other hand, you plan to discover the most beautiful beaches where to surf, or to know the local terroir by heart, you will have to spend more time.

Driving on the Island of Oleron by motorhome: the traffic rules to know

Of course, Oleron Island is governed by the French road code. You will not be bored there because the island is sprinkled with small pepits and exceptional sites to be discovered. Its vast spaces of nature and its wild beaches, for example. If the island is very crowded, you can, even on a motorhome, get away from the most popular areas.

As often on the islands, an island calm is felt on Oleron Island. Then drive carefully, drive at the pace. Take into account the imposing dimensions of the motorhome: as such, respect a large safety distance between the vehicles. This includes braking time, which is higher than a van or car. The more voluminous the camper is, the more important it will be its inertia.

There is no specific driver’s license for motorhomes. If permit B is sufficient for vehicles whose weight does not exceed 3.5 tonnes, it is necessary to adapt its driving.

Motorway to Oleron Island: what price for your camper category?

Good news: unlike the Pont de l’Île de Ré, which is subject to a toll (16€), the Pont de l’Île d’Oléron is free. The introduction of a toll or ecotax has been under discussion for many years, but the advocates of the toll project have not yet been successful.

And the other good news is that there is no highway on the island. No highway, no pea ge. You can therefore visit Oleron Island by camping-car for free.

It may be necessary, however, to take the highway A837 or A10 to come to Oléron Island. These are toll-free highways. On motorhome, you will have to pay the rate in class 2. Coming to Oleron Island in a furnished van, you will pay the price in class 1. Here are some indicative rates in Class 2:

• Bordeaux-Saint-Georges-d’Oléron: 15,90€,
• Nantes-Saint-Georges-d’Oléron: 12,80€,
• Paris-Saint-Georges-d’Oléron: 73,30€.

How and where to rent a motorhome in France?

You intend to go to Oelron Island, but you do not have a vehicle? This is no longer a problem! Now it is possible to rent a vehicle 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. When you return, sign the state of the return places and it’s good!

How and where to rent a motorhome in Oleron Island?

If you want your vehicle as close as possible, you will still have to do it before arriving on the island. La Rochelle seems the best choice to find a vehicle. However, this is a tourist destination, where demand is very strong. Therefore, book in advance, online, can avoid a bad surprise.

Moreover, a platform like Yescapa offers camper rentals on the island itself, in order to meet all your expectations.

The camper areas on Oleron Island: where to park?

Parking on Oleron Island

Oleron Island is divided into eight municipalities: Saint-Denis-d’Oléron, La Brée-les-Bains, Saint-Georges-d’Oléron, Saint-Pierre-d’Oléron, Dolus-d’Oléron, Le Château-d’Oléron, Le Grand-Village-Plage and Saint-Trojan-les-Bains. These towns and villages are sprinkled with vast natural spaces where to park. There are several service areas for motorhomes, along the wide sandy beaches, pine forests and salt marshes.

It is easy to find free parking in agglomeration. But the tourists of the island can make the free places difficult to find.

Parking for the night

Visiting Oleron Island by motorhome also asks the question of bivouac. The camping wild and the bivouac on public space are prohibited by law. As a result, you may be verbalized by the authorities and field guards, especially on the parking lot on the seaside.

Parking for the night is obviously possible, on the service areas for camping cars and in the campsites. The island, however, offers many spots where to settle for free. In the heart of a pine forest, on the edge of a beach, on the margins of a village, etc. However, you will not be discreet in camping-car: you will have more risks to get rid of by the gendarmerie than in van or van.

To find the spots where to sleep in the middle of nature, the Park4night app will be your best tool. An interactive map lists many possible places, published by travellers: parking, service area, camping, roads, fields, beach or forest. It may be preferable, if possible, to request the advice of a landlord before installing you. This will allow you to bivouac quietly, without risking any fines.

What is the best time to travel by camping-car on Oleron Island?

Oleron Island enjoys a warm oceanic climate without a dry season. This means that winters are mild and warm summers, without being a canicular. The rate of sunshine is comparable to that of Carcassonne. Temperatures range from 10°C to 12°C on average in winter, and from 20°C to 23°C in summer. Rain is frequent in winter and autumn. In the spring, temperatures remain fresh, with a few points at 23-24°C in April.

Uncontestably, the best time to visit Oleron Island on a motorhome is spreading June to October . The days are sunny, and it is the season where the ocean is the hottest (22°C in August).