Thinking about a family camping holiday in France? One MyKidsTime parent shares how their two-week trip to a campsite northwest of Paris went down with two families, four adults, two teenage boys and two nine-year-old girls in tow.
Campsite “La Croix du Vieux Pont” in Berny Rivière
We flew into Beauvais for a two-week break at a campsite northwest of Paris. La Croix du Vieux Pont sits between two small villages and is the only campsite in the area, so we had none of the crowds you sometimes get at busier holiday spots. Best of all, it’s only about a one to two hour drive from the airport along A roads — no long trek on the motorway with tired kids in the back seat.
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Accommodation and Activities at the Campsite
Accommodation options include mobile homes, chalets, pitches for tents and camper vans, and even tree houses. As campsites go, it’s well equipped and spacious, with indoor and outdoor swimming pools, tennis courts, table tennis, boules, a restaurant and takeaway options, fishing lakes, playgrounds, a kids’ go-kart track, pedaloes, and something new to us — archery.
The go-kart track and pedaloes cost a little extra, but archery, including a coach on site, was included. One of the girls turned out to have a remarkably cool head and steady hand, much to the chagrin of a few teenage boys and middle-aged dads. We all had a go and thoroughly enjoyed it — a nice change from the pools and slides, even though those were used almost every day too.
Another highlight was the on-site spa. Manicures, pedicures and massages went down a treat with the hardworking, slightly stressed mums in our group. There was a gym too, though holidays aren’t really the time for that.
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Trips Nearby
The first day of the holiday was overcast and misty — not a pool day — so we took the chance to give the teenage boys a bit of a history lesson. We headed to the Forest of Compiègne, site of the signing of treaties and surrenders during both World Wars. The younger ones were a little underwhelmed, but everyone else was struck by the replica of the train carriage where the French surrender was signed in World War II, and the photographs of the trenches were incredible.
For a change of pace from pools and slides, there’s also a forest walk adventure trail nearby and an equestrian centre just outside the campsite. The campsite runs a bus service for day trips to Paris and to Disneyland Paris, so a day at Disneyland made a fun bribe for the day of culture and history.
Eating
We tried the local fare at a family-friendly restaurant serving genuinely French dishes, including escargots and frogs’ legs — much to the delight of one of the teenage boys. Most nights, though, we cooked at our mobile home, with great produce available from local markets, and enjoyed lunches and dinners outdoors. The campsite restaurant was a handy option on the days we wanted a break from cooking.
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Our Verdict
History, culture, pools, play, a good dose of sunshine, and plenty of quiet and peace — what more could you want from a family holiday? The only downside of a French campsite trip with two families is sorting out the cleaning and the crockery at the end, but you can’t have everything. French campsites make for brilliant family holidays, and this one was particularly good. We’d go back in a heartbeat.
Have you been on a family camping holiday in France? Tell us how you got on in the comments below.
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