Road trip in France with a camper!!

We had a chance to try Camper Van for the first time in summer 2020 due to various Corona restrictions and explore different parts of France. In the beginning we were very skeptical about it but in the end it turned out to be one of the greatest road trip experiences of my life time. We tried it out only for five nights as we did for the first time but certainly it impressed me to take longer for the next time. The flexibility to take breaks whenever you wish, the home made food at any point of time, quality family time in the midst of nature are certainly the great benefits of Camper van.

We started our trip from Basel in the evening and reached Beaune in the midnight. The camping facilities for recharging the batteries, loading water, unloading sewage water, taking bath were simply outstanding in France. Beaune is the wine capital of Burgundy in eastern France. It is located between Lyon and Dijon. It is an ancient and historic town on a plain by the hills of the Côte d'Or, with features remaining from the pre-Roman and Roman eras, through the medieval and renaissance periods. 

From Beaune we moved to Chartres which has a world famous cathedral. Mostly constructed between 1193 and 1250, this Gothic cathedral is in an exceptional state of preservation. Much of the old town, including the library associated with the School of Chartres, was destroyed by bombs in 1944. The weather was fantastic in both Beaune and Chartres. Anita did quite a lot of preparations to preserve the meat in the mini refrigerator and we had lovely food throughout the travel by choosing the best possible natural places to dine with. 

From Chartres we moved to Normandy famous for its lovely beaches. We stayed for two nights in Le Point du Jour, great camping location near the seashore. We had a chance to visit Mont Saint Michel – the tidal island in Normandy. Mont Saint-Michel and its bay are on the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites. It’s a huge lengthy walk from the parking to this cathedral, the bridge connecting the main land and the island. The connection between the Mont-Saint-Michel and the mainland has changed over the centuries. The new bridge was completely submerged on March 2015 by the highest sea level for a once in 18 years occurrence. 

While returning back, we passed via Paris. I was asking Anita whether we will visit Eiffel tower which was never in our plan. We took an immediate decision and we parked the camper just near the Eiffel, went to the top with in few minutes and enjoyed the panoramic view from the top. In a normal day, I am sure it would have taken several hours to find a parking and lot of standing times in the queue to reach the top of Eiffel. Due to pandemic situation, there were hardly any tourists from outside Europe in Paris. 

I would strongly recommend to try Camper Van for all nature enthusiasts, spend more quality time with the family, who wants homemade food even during travelling. Many Europeans try camping in Scandinavian countries eg Norway especially in Summer and it has been quite popular during the pandemic times. The road trip which will reside in my memory for very long time. 

Au revoir/Bye Bye!

Sathish Kumar S