Now admittedly, this is a bit of a sweeping generalisation – but on the whole, you’re better off camping in France than you are in Spain. This does a terrible disservice to the many excellent campsites in Spain, of course, and there are some truly excellent facilities, but – on the whole – camping in France is better.
This is particularly the case for tourers. If you’ve pre-booked in Spain and have done your research, then fair enough. But if you’re camping and travelling on more of a whim with looser plans as to where you’re going and when etc., then France is the better option.
You’ll probably already know this to be the case if you’ve tried to move around inland Spain on an unplanned extended camping holiday. Some of Spain’s larger inland cities’ campsites pale in comparison to those available in France – where the provision of excellent camping facilities is enshrined in law and is more of a “way of life†thing.
Overall, then, the message is clear; France is absolutely ideal for touring camping in an unplanned way – Spain far less so. If you’re ever stuck for somewhere to stay for a night or two in France, then look for the “Camping municipal†signs in French towns. Almost all communes have municipal camping facilities and they’re invariably both excellent and inexpensive.
If you’re venturing further south over the Pyrenees into Spain, then it’s wiser, on the whole, to have pre-booked your camping accommodation or to have a break from your camping endeavours and book into a cheap apartment complex with good facilities such as the Don Jorge apartments, for example. These are cheap and plentiful.
Alternatively, do your research thoroughly on Spanish campsites and pre-book. There are some excellent sites in coastal areas, in particular, though they do tend to get booked up well in advance for the peak summer months.
