France Ferry & Campsite info (use Search function) mod warning post 1

Honesty Policy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121026506#Comment_121026506

Brillant...Thanks so much for this comprehensive information.

I emailed La Sirene to find out if the shows will be on in May and they emailed me back to say they start from April until season closing and run every night. Can anyone verify that as I've read to many different things?

I think we'll go in May regardless as I'm not built for the heat and I've priced flights and accommodation €1500 cheaper than June.

Thanks again!

Stone Deaf 4evr

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121032541#Comment_121032541

I cant remember exactly, but I'm pretty sure when we went there back in 2017, we went relatively early in june, (around the 12th), the first week we were there , there was entertainment nightly, but it was a bit more sedate, on the second week, the big productions like lion king and Chicago kicked off.

Now, its worth bearing in mind, that the whole stage / restaurant / entertainment area of the camp got a massive overhaul around covid times, completely changing the layout of it, so its highly likely that what they've (la sirene) told you is true.

ECO_Mental

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121023345#Comment_121023345

Bonne Anse Plage is a fantastic campsite and La Palmyre (and the local area) is brilliant as well. Cant recommend it enough, miles and miles of off road cycle paths and close enough to the town.

Love to go again but I don't think my 21 year old and 18 year old would be up for it next year!!!

Book it!!!

Dinkie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121032541#Comment_121032541

I might be a bit later - but we stayed in L'hippocampe a couple years ago.

Although its a completely seperate site, it is part of La Sirene, and you can use all the facilities, etc there.

However, L'Hippocampe is car free (car park at the top of the site) and much quieter. It's only a 5 min walk to get to La Sirene and its restaurants, pools,etc. Might be worth a look

Heroditas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121041176#Comment_121041176

We were discussing it with one of the families we went away with this year and are definitely leaning towards booking there next year. Thanks 😊

Fann Linn

Will be heading off next year to Normandy and planning on getting a day trip or overnight in Paris. Will be going by train, so could anyone tell me which would be the most central station for visiting most of the main sites ie Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Notre Dame etc.

Thanks.

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121045626#Comment_121045626

You'd be using connecting trains. Within Paris, you'll be using the Metro. From Normandy to Paris, you'll be using a kind of Intercity train which will probably go to Montparnasse (which doubles up as a Metro stop).

See SNCF for details @ https://www.sncf.com/en

Munsterbhoy

Hi all, looking to buy a French sim card with unlimited data to use as a hot spot for the firestick. I can't use the park WiFi with the firestick as it brings me to a sign in authentication page. Anyone get one ..

paddylonglegs

Hi folks. We will be staying in a Spanish resort next year on the French border, but may have the option to fly into a French airport (Perpignan). We would rent a car in France but spend the 2 weeks in Spain. Will rental companies allow this?

The Ging and I

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121064592#Comment_121064592

You can buy them in the phone shops in France but be prepared for a lot of form filling.

10-10-20

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121088203#Comment_121088203

I believe that's very common in Europe and I don't believe that it's an issue. Check the T's & C's and see whether there are limits to the duration in another territory though.

Gavlor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121088203#Comment_121088203

Have you seen the price of summer flights to Perpignan?!!

paddylonglegs

Nope 🙈

girona is the other option I believe. Flights not released yet however

Gavlor

Girona it is!!! We fly to Perp every year but it sickens me playing over €400 return for 5.

I looked at them for next year as soon as they were released and it was still working out at 380pp for 5 after baggage * 3

paddylonglegs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121094547#Comment_121094547

Oh god. We had a nice cheap hol last year as we went start of June. Now we’re in the thick of the season as we’re going with other family.

we’re staying in a place called cypsela in northern Spain based on a recommendation. Looks quite good and surrounding areas look nice for hiking etc. better be worth it!

sparrowcar

Looking for some recommendations for reading/info.

Hi all, first time going to France next summer by Ferry. Family with 3 kids and dog (tbc if worth bringing or not).

Haven't a clue where to start research. When to book, top tips etc.

Any links to websites relevant to ireland?

Stone Deaf 4evr

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095930#Comment_121095930

The biggest question, is how far do you fancy driving once you get off the boat?

sparrowcar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121096080#Comment_121096080

Good question, I suppose 6 hours max as first trip.

airy fairy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121096870#Comment_121096870

When are you thinking of going as that could determine if a dog can tolerate heat or not.

After 25 years of going to France/,Spain with just kids, this was our first year with a dog. We stayed in Vendée, first 2 weeks July. Some days got very hot and we centred our days around the dog and where we could go.

Some beaches don't allow dogs during peak season. Restaurants etc are fine.

Hopefully, next year, we will go northern France in July with the dog due to a cooler climate. Yeah, mad.

peter4918

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121088203#Comment_121088203

There will be no problem with that. Over the years I have rented cars in Spain and travelled to France and vice versa and never had any issues with the rental companies.

loriexxx

Just back from a week in Domain de le Dragonnière outside Bezier. We fly direct from Shannon as we have two small kids driving long distances would not really suit us. It was our first campsite experience, and overall we really enjoyed it. The facilities were excellent, 3 restaurants and 3 take aways to choose from. The weather was lovely. Everything was in French and mainly French/Dutch tourists, not much English spoken but we got by fine. I would recommend the site especially for families of younger kids

sy_flembeck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095725#Comment_121095725

It's a terrific (Sandaya owned) site, we've being going there since 2008 - we're still going even though the kids don't come anymore. Plenty of Irish families (but not OTT) and the GAA is always on that's your thing. And your info re the surrounding area is also spot on, it's breath taking

Stone Deaf 4evr

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121096870#Comment_121096870

Ah, you've a good range available to you so, you could get as far south as la rochelle quite easily, or for about 3-4 hours, there is an abundance of options around the Vendee / St Jean De monts area. The one thing I'd say is, the weather gets better the further south you go, We've been to the vendee in june and got rain, so if you leave it till mid july / august, you'll fare better, but the flipside is the ferry will probably be more expensive.

Jack0125

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095930#Comment_121095930

This thread if you take the time to go back over the last 5 years posts I have found valuable info in it.

For booking ferry and accommodation we have gone with Kelair the last 2 years. Ring them up and explain what you would like and they will give some options.

After 4 campsite in 2 years I think some of the key criteria for you to consider are:

Do you want to be able to walk to a beach, or is a 15 min drive ok because you might only go to beach every 3rd day for example. Campsites nott near beach are cheaper possibly.

What age are your kids, do they need a campsite with a simple quiet pool complex (kids zero to 6 years) or are they 7 to 14 years and required an all action pool complex with slides and a deep pool.

Will you need a kids club, if so your kids might prefer an english speaking friendly one, then that would limit you to Irish/English centric campsites. Our oldest got frustrated at a kids club at a campsite where it was all in French.

Do you want to be walking distance to restaurants or will you eat at your pitch mostly.

And then of course, how far down the French cost do you go to have a better chance of better weather.

My experience - Sol a Gogo campsite, good for kids under 7, simply pool complex, walking access to beach, but small and limited other activities

Domaine des ormes, excellent pool complex, drive to a beach, very Irish/English centric/lots of onsite activities

Pin Parasol - excellent pool complex/beach 20 mins drive/shops and restuarants 15 mins drive/ beautiful tranquil location

Baybay

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095930#Comment_121095930

In relation to your dog, get him/her chipped, get a rabies vaccination & get a passport. Talk with your vet & don’t leave it too last minute. Some of the ferries have pet friendly cabins so your pet can travel with you. Some have kennels on the locked car decks to which you be allowed accompanied access at designated times. These kennels add a cost to your booking. I have no familiarity with the kennels though no doubt someone else will. Be prepared to go to a vet before travel home to have the fitness to travel bit of the passport filled in plus I think dogs still need worming before coming into ireland. Someone elsewhere in the thread said this is no longer necessary but we always bring the cat to the vet rather than risk being told to find an out of ours vet in Cherbourg! Peace of mind & cheaper all round. France in general welcomes dogs & they all seem incredibly well behaved but as someone else said, not all beaches allow them access in high summer.

josip

We've done kennels before (Stena) and they were ok. Many dogs in there howling when we went to visit, the walking deck got diarhoed on one trip and wasn't hosed for the remainder. I don't think we'd do them again on Stena. Might be different on Brittany. If we go direct to France again with a dog we'd have to have a pet-friendly cabin. We normally landbridge now, mainly due to dog.

Tapeworm treatment is still required and in some parts of France, you'll need to organise the vet appointment as soon as you arrive because they can be booked up for a week and a consultation is needed. Med must be given 5-1 days before arriving back in Ireland.

sparrowcar

Jack12t & baybay many thanks some great pointers there. I think reading back through this thread is my best course of action.

When people landbridge do they get the ferry from Dover or Eurotunnel?

munchkin_utd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121105081#Comment_121105081

did both. In favour of the ferry it is a chance for a break/ meal if you have been on the road for a few hours beforehand. It is also cheaper, but how much cheaper depends on how you book and when you travel. With stena the difference when booking a landbridge package can be minimal enough so we did the tunnel on our last couple of trips. Against the ferry, jesus, at times the schedule is all over the place, loading and unloading takes longer so overall its more than just a 90 minutes compared to 35 minutes difference.

in favour of the eurotunnel is that its super quick and is a far more reliable schedule but if booking it standalone can be very much more expensive than the ferry. Thanks to rip off ireland/ hotels full of refugees, we just did the UK last summer (from the continent) for a holiday and the difference between irish ferries (dover calais) and the eurotunnel was massive

josip

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121105081#Comment_121105081

We've always tunneled for UK-France. I've a couple of passengers who have trouble finding their sea legs so they're happy to pay a premium for the tunnel. I don't know about the ferry, but with Eurotunnel, as long as you arrive before your scheduled departure they'll stick you on the next available at no charge. So you don't need to leave any contingency in your schedule. I don't know if they'd put you on a much earlier one if you rocked up 2 hours early. I don't see why they wouldn't, but we've never arrived more than 45 mins before departure. We usually Dublin Swift @7:30 and stop for the night somewhere 3 hours from Calais. If you've got an EV, there are chargers at the departure terminal (not arrival) on either side, which helps with logistics.

sparrowcar

Great forum this, loads of helpful advice. Many thanks.