Le Guide officiel Aires de service camping-car - Edition 2022

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Some aire de services are free but there’s often a small charge of a few euros. Euro relais is a common type of machine where you drop in coins or use a bank card (these are becoming more common now) and get a certain amount of fresh water and/or electricity in exchange. Disposal is almost always free unless there’s a barrier to get at the service point. Aire de repos

Often this comes at an additional charge and you will need change to use these facilities- we carry a pot in the motorhome and put all our spare Euros in there for moments just like this! An ‘aire de service’ is an ‘area of service’ or a service area, normally found on French motorways and often have waste facilities and approved parking bays for motorhomes. Most aires in France will have a shop/ bar/ cafe within easy walking distance. Walking to get fresh French bread in the morning is one of our favourite things about motorhoming around France. Motorhome aires can be run by the local municipality or a commercial company and every aire is different! From gated aires with designated places to a patch of grass or gravel on the outskirts of a village, you’ll find something to suit your needs wherever you go in France. We would say that using aires in France is safe. After three years living in a motorhome in Europe, and much of that time spent in France, we have stayed in hundreds of aires without incident or concern.The Aire de Service area as service stations will usually have some basic facilities for a motorhome and can include a grey wastewater dump, fresh water and some provide toilet cassette emptying. Other than that, these are not places you would usually use as a destination. They are best used for a break on your journey, but not recommended for staying overnight. At some Aire’s, you will need a token. The information board will tell you where to buy a token, which could be from a cafe, bar, or a nearby shop.

Luneville – A lovely aire with pitches separated by hedges and your own picnic table. Ideal for a visit to the very splendid chateau and gardens. An Aires de Service means an area of service. They are areas that have been set aside for motorhome, caravan and campervan travellers to either use the services (water, electricity and waste disposal), for motorhome parking or to stay overnight. Not all French aires allow overnight stopovers, but quite a few do. The word ‘aire’ is short for the French term ‘aire de service’, which is essentially a free or low-cost motorhome camping area where some basic services – such as water, waste disposal and perhaps toilets/showers and electricity – are provided. The term is commonly used throughout Europe, although you may see local words too, such as ‘parking para autocaravanas’ in Spain or ‘aree di sosta’ in Italy.

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Note: not all aires in France have all of these facilities and not all will be free, but if there is a charge it is usually a reasonably low cost. Some aires in France have electric points you can connect to, others don’t and you need to be self-sufficient for the duration of your stay. Most of the aires we’ve used in France use the same electric connectors as we use in the UK. These areas are the traditional aires; large enough to fit quite a few motorhomes, dedicated overnight parking areas for vehicles and most often free. You will find a mix of these types of aires that do and don’t have services.

Put it this way, some aires we have a great feeling about and happily leave our motorhome for a few hours while we go and ride our motorbikes. These are the aires where we spend a day or two to unwind and relax between driving (if it’s allowed). The French love motorhoming, and aires have been developed over the years to encourage motorhomes and campervans to visit rural parts of France where tourism wouldn’t normally be found. This brings money into the area and encourages local commerce, as motorhomers stop for a drink in the local bar and spend money in the shops. Some aires also have rubbish facilities. Be mindful not to leave rubbish in allocated bins if they are overflowing as this adds to the problem someone else has created. You must only use one space (if they are designated). If you’re towing, your van and trailer must fit in the designated space. A classic French aire; room to pull in on the flat with space alongside for table and chairs How to find aires in FranceIf we want to charge/ empty toilets or find somewhere to park for a few days so we can ride our bikes, we head for a French Aire. Just remember, it’s a motorway service station, so it’s not the nicest of places to stop. Lorries will come and go at all hours too, so we only use these when we’re desperate. To some extent, it depends on what time you arrive. The later you arrive, the less likely there will be a space. The best time to arrive is late morning to noon when those who were there last night have or are just about to move on. Aires de CampingCar locations close to towns are the true motorhome Aires in France and they number into the early thousands. We use and recommend Park4Night and CamperConnect apps for finding aires in France and Europe. Internet