When we set off for Brittany in September, we had a ferry booked, a rough route in our heads and not a single campsite booked before we got to France. Seventeen days later we’d slept at ten different motorhome stops in Brittany and Normandy, booked only a couple of them ahead, and never once ended the day without somewhere to park Benny, our motorhome.
If you like the idea of travelling this way but worry about where you’ll sleep, this post is for you. Here’s how we found our stops a day or two ahead, the different kinds of places you can stay in Brittany (with our own examples and what we paid), and the things that can catch you out.
You can follow the whole trip in our YouTube series, Brittany by Motorhome. Episode 1 is above, and the rest are linked at the end, along with all our other motorhome trips.
Quick answers
- Booked ahead: only a couple of our ten stops in 17 days, in September
- Camping-Car Park sites: around €14 to €17 a night. You need their Pass’Étapes card for the barrier which costs a one off €5.
- Aires: Aire de la Falaise at Locmariaquer was €15.70 per 24 hours for two, with electric
- Campsites: around €22 to €25 a night
- Free: A farm stay at Kiwi du Golfe (you buy a cake) and parking behind the dunes at Pentrez-Plage
How We Did It
Our approach was simple. We had a plan of heading to the Gulf of Morbihan as our starting point. We then wanted to work our way North and see what happened. We usually didn’t figure out where to stay until the day before. Sometimes that meant reading reviews and choosing carefully: we picked Camping du Menguen near Sarzeau for its fantastic reviews. Sometimes it meant a plan B when the day didn’t go to plan. And once it meant simply pulling up by a beach on the off chance and deciding to stay. We even found the Roman Temple of Mars at Corseul when we looked at the map for somewhere to stop on a rainy morning.
Three things made it easy:
- Camping-Car Park. A network of motorhome sites with a barrier at the entrance. You need their App and card (the Pass’Étapes) to get in and pay. It’s a one off €5 to join – that gets you access to their app to be able to pay. Our advice – don’t use the app the first time. Got to the site you want to stay at and use the machine at the entrance and get a physical card. It is waaaay easier to get through the barrier than having to type a code every time. We used three of their sites: Villedieu-les-Poêles, Guerlédan and Fréhel. We have used them previously all over France.
- Park4Night. The app and website where motorhome owners list places to stay and park. Our farm stay at Kiwi du Golfe and our lunch stop on the oyster coast at Le Badel are both on it. It has an annual fee of €10 if you want to use their filtering options, otherwise you see the whole list each time. It’s 100% worth paying the fee. Filter by rating (over 4), then add in the height of your van or motorhome.
- Qipeo. The company that runs the Aire de la Falaise at Locmariaquer, where you pay at a card machine on the barrier. They have a website and app which is similar but less functional than Camping-Car Park options. The sites are usually a little cheaper.
The Kinds of Motorhome Stops in Brittany, and What Each Is Like
Camping-Car Park sites (around €14 to €17 a night). These were our easy option for a single night. You arrive, use the card or use your code at the barrier, find a pitch and plug in. Villedieu-les-Poêles was €15.18, a very quiet, peaceful night with an easy walk into town. Guerlédan was €13.80 with electric, right by the lake. Fréhel was just under €17, a few minutes’ walk from the Anse du Croc beach, with a bar at the municipal campsite next door that opens at 6:30.
Aires (from Free upwards.). An aire is a motorhome area, often run by the local council or a company. The Aire de la Falaise at Locmariaquer cost €15.70 per 24 hours for two, with electric on every pitch, flat paved pitches, and the beach and the coast path a few minutes away. We stayed two nights.
Campsites (around €22 to €25 a night). Every few days we wanted a little more: a laundry, a pool, somewhere to stay put. Camping du Menguen near Sarzeau is a farm campsite, adults only and a short walk from the beach at Saint-Jacques, at €22 a night with electric. Camping Les Sables Blancs in Concarneau was €76 for three nights, right above the bay and about fifteen minutes’ walk from the old town, with a pool, a hot tub, a bar and a restaurant. The laundry there is €6 a wash and €4 to dry, with tokens from reception. Near Dinan we stayed at Camping de la Hallerais in Taden, a four-star site on the Rance with a riverside walk into town.
Farm stays (free, but buy something). At Kiwi du Golfe, on the Gulf of Morbihan, we spent a free night on a working farm. The one catch is that you buy one of their homemade cakes: our kouign-amann was €13. They also sell beef, butter and kiwi fruit, grown under white tents, and the cows eat baguettes from the local bakery. It’s a lovely way to stay somewhere you’d never find otherwise. Park4night has a lot of farm stops, just use the filters and look for the Tractors on the map. We have previously stayed at a Vineyard which was free, with a free wine tasting too. The farmer wins when you like their wine and buy.
Free parking by the beach (free). After Concarneau we moved on with nothing booked and parked on the little road behind the dunes at Pentrez-Plage, on the off chance. We watched the sand yachts in the afternoon, walked the beach at high tide, and got the best sunset of the trip. It cost nothing, but there are rules: vans aren’t allowed in the car park at the south end between 10am and 7pm, so we read the signs carefully.
Two Days That Didn’t Go to Plan (and Still Worked)
On day four we headed for the oyster coast of the Gulf of Morbihan, parked for lunch at Le Badel in Séné, and found an oyster place with no oysters. So we went to plan B: on to Kiwi du Golfe, where we ended up with a free night, a homemade kouign-amann and a field of hungry cows. Not bad for a day that started with no oysters. (The full story is in episode 2.)
Later, in the middle of Brittany, we picked the Camping-Car Park at Guerlédan for its spot by the lake. When we got there, the lake was very low due to the current droughts. It wasn’t what we expected, but we still walked along the side paths ways and went to see the dam instead, and the site was still €13.80 with electric, with short walk to the water’s edge.
Our Tips for Travelling With Nothing Booked
- Get the Camping-Car Park card. We used three of their sites on this trip, and you can’t get through the barrier without the Pass’Étapes card or the code from the app.
- Look a day or two ahead, not a week. It keeps you flexible. We planned two nights near Dinan and stayed three, which would have been harder with everything booked.
- Mix it up. A few cheap one-night stops, then a proper campsite for laundry, a pool and a rest. Concarneau was perfect for that.
- Read the signs at free spots. At Pentrez-Plage, vans weren’t allowed in the south car park during the day.
- Always have a plan B. Parkup rules can change, places might be closed or full. Have a second stop in mind before you set off.
- Check the market days. Concarneau has a covered market every morning and a bigger one on Monday and Friday mornings; Dinan’s is every Thursday morning until 1pm.
- Know where to park in town. Dinan has free motorhome parking down by the port, next to the bridge.
What Can Go Wrong
Not much went wrong for us, but a few things are worth knowing:
- The thing you came for isn’t there. The oyster lunch at Le Badel caught us out. No oysters, so have a back up alternative.
- Free spots might have rules. Some car parks don’t allow vans at certain times, so look for the signs before you settle in.
- The weather changes your plans. We woke up to rain at Fréhel. On the drive to Dinan we made a random stop at the Temple of Mars at Corseul, and by coffee time the sun was out.
- Busier months are different. We travelled in September. In July and August we’d expect more competition for pitches and would book a few more nights ahead. If you pay the Premium fee to Camping-Car Park (€29 a year) you can prebook sites.
Where We Stayed, in Short
- Villedieu-les-Poêles, Camping-Car Park: €15.18 (1 night)
- Camping du Menguen, Sarzeau, campsite: €22 a night with electric (2 nights)
- Kiwi du Golfe, farm stay: free, plus a €13 cake (1 night)
- Aire de la Falaise, Locmariaquer, aire: €15.70 per 24 hours (2 nights)
- Camping Les Sables Blancs, Concarneau, campsite: €76 (3 nights)
- Pentrez-Plage, free parking by the beach (1 night)
- Guerlédan, Camping-Car Park: €13.80 (1 night)
- Fréhel, Camping-Car Park: just under €17 (1 night)
- Camping de la Hallerais, Taden, near Dinan: €26 a night (3 nights)
- Villers-Bocage, Camping-Car Park: €14.11 (1 night)
For the full night-by-night breakdown and what the whole trip cost, see our guide Brittany by motorhome: our 17-day route and what each night cost.
Watch the Series
- Episode 1: Ferry to Brittany
- Episode 2: Oysters, kiwis and menhirs
- Episode 3: Staying put, then chancing it
- Episode 4: Across Brittany
- The ferry home: a tour of the Guillaume de Normandie
Would you travel with nothing booked, or do you like everything sorted before you leave? Tell us in the comments, and if you’ve found a great stop in Brittany, we’d love to hear about it.