Aside from all of the castles, beautiful landscapes and cheese that it has to offer, France also has an amazing network of aires de service (service areas). These provide free or low-cost car camping to visitors.
We stayed at these aires de service every night on our journey across France. This left us with more money to otherwise spend on the aforementioned cheese and accompanying wine!

This article has affiliate links, which means if you purchase through them, I may receive a small commission on the total sale. I only recommend products I have personally used or would use.
What is an “aires de service”?
Aires vary hugely so it’s hard to give an exact definition. An aire is a low cost or free private camping area in France. Often, they are run by the local town council.
There are various names for this type of camping, though aire de service is by far the most common. Aires Communales are run by the local community to encourage local trade; these are often the most looked after.
The aires de service I am mainly referring to, are found either within or just outside settlements of all sizes. They are intended as a place for car campers to stop for the night.
I say ‘car campers’ as the French refer to RVs/motorhomes as ‘camping cars’ and it also helps to define who can use the aires. The standard aire de service is a car park/parking lot, so hence it is not suitable for tent campers. We did find a couple of aires that were set into a forest, but this was unusual.
This article updated 2020. Please note that our personal experience with aires relates to our own road trip across Europe in 2011. I have been advised by some readers that some aires are now subject to stricter restrictions regarding the type of vehicles that can use them.
Small or large aires?
We preferred to find and stay at the smaller aires de service; our car was dwarfed by the much larger motorhomes, and so the smaller aires had a less claustrophobic atmosphere. Some people, however, prefer the larger ones because of the community feel.


What kind of facilities do Aires de Service have?
The majority of aires de service are free, though some will ask for a fee.
Most will offer:
- An off-street parking area
- Means of waste disposal (for motorhome chemical toilets and grey water)
- A water fill point (eau potable).
Waste disposal almost always seemed to be free. Water is usually a flat fee for a specific amount or time e.g. 2 Euros for 100 litres or 10 minutes of fill.
Sometimes there is a low amperage electrical hookup available, again usually with a fee.
Travelling France in a converted car, we did not use any of these facilities, we instead looked for free aires de service with washrooms and a nice location. Our requirements (free, small, washrooms, nice location) did narrow the options down, but we still never had an issue finding a place.


How to find free Aires de Service in France
There are many different guides you can buy or download to help located aires.
- There is an official book published every year, available through Amazon
(2019 edition)
- Michelin also publishes their own aires de service guide (2019 edition)
- A couple of readers have recommended this guide (but keep in mind the maps are not great!)
- Various companies offer online listings, including Campingcar-infos
- Android apps such as the one provided by Campingcar-infos
Since we knew we would not have access to the internet for the majority of our time in France, we purchased a USB stick from Campingcar-infos with the entire database of aires de service loaded on it.
The Campingcar-infos USB stick provided us with the following information:
- Location (usually with GPS coordinates)
- Facilities
- Fees, if applicable
- Sometimes there are photos and/or reviews
This turned out to be a great buy as the database did not only feature French aires, but also campsites and service areas for the rest of Europe. The only catch is it seems to be only available in French.
If you do not have your own Francophone at hand, the book or app/website with an auto-translator may be the way to go.

How to choose your Aire de Service
Not having a set route through France, we had the flexibility of looking at the guide in the afternoon and seeing which aires we were close to.
Due to the concentration of the aires throughout France, we sometimes checked them out before heading to another one if it was too busy.
Sometimes it was just not really what we were looking for. Other travellers head for a specific aire every day or just use the one closest to where they want to be that night.
Read next: 5 Mistakes to Avoid on a Road Trip in Europe
Locating Aires
Even with the guide, aires can sometimes be tricky to find. The listings may state that the aire is ‘500 metres outside of town’ which can be a bit ambiguous. Be prepared for a few circuits to find it!
Most aires are signified with a blue sign with a motorhome on it like the picture below.
Otherwise, you could always try a bit of ‘Pardon monsieur/madame, ou est l’aire de service pour les camping-cars s’il vous plaît?‘
Discovering new places in France with free Aires de Service
Our favourite aire de service was in Ally (pop. 600), within the mountainous Cantal department (Auvergne region) of France. Like the town, it’s tiny, with just a few spots for camping cars.
There’s a washroom building with one stall (and surprisingly, not one of the squat variety), a sink and a power outlet. We were very excited to see the latter, having relied on an inverter for power so far.
The town of Ally is quaint, with wonderful views and lots of windmills (both the modern and traditional kind). The local boulangerie makes excellent macarons.
I really doubt we would ever have stumbled on Ally if there was not an aire there. Yet another reason why we love aires! I’d love to hear about your own experiences using aires de service.
Have you ever stayed at an aires de service in France?


Check out these other posts about our adventures in Europe

One half of the Canadian/British couple behind Off Track Travel, Gemma is happiest when hiking on the trail or planning the next big travel adventure. JR and Gemma are currently based in the beautiful Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada. Consider buying us a coffee if you have find any of our guides helpful!
I see that you are currently driving an astro van, but while in France you were using a Previa/Estima. I currently drive an AWD Previa and have been considering switching to an astro van for more room but keeping the AWD. I would love to hear your thoughts on the comparison of the two vehicles.
Thanks so much.
Hi Josh,
We much prefer our Astro Van, for the main reason that it is SO much bigger, not just in width but height too. It also drives like a truck which is easier for off the beaten track driving. Would love to hear about your own travels in your Previa!
Hi, this is great information. I am heading off on a road trip in the next few weeks. We are hoping to find as many free or cheap places to park up for the night as we are planning on sleeping in our minivan (by the pictures I’m guessing that is what you did also). Did you have any hassles staying at Aires? I have heard that it is not allowed for cars to stay there only motor homes, is that the case? Do you have any other tips for places to stay in France or Germany. Thank you
Hi Rachael,
We travelled in a Toyota Estima Lucida which is an eight seater vehicle (small minivan). We didn’t have any problems at all parking in aires and did not see any signs stating we couldn’t. We slept in autobahn rest stops in Germany too with no issues. Have a great trip!
Hi Gemma,
interesting stuff, thanks!
One question, how did you determine that an aire had a washroom?
We have a small campervan that puts us in a similar situation to yourselves.
Also, I’ve heard that you are not supposed to put out a table and chairs in an aire, just sleep overnight. Is that what you found?
Thanks.
Hi Graham,
The guide we had from Camping Car Infos http://www.campingcar-infos.com/index1.htm indicates whether there was a washroom or not. Some of the aires we went to I would not have been comfortable putting any furniture out (busy, no-one else was), but most we felt fine to do so.
Looked up your aire information, we currently live in England and just bought a motorhome which we use for weekends and holidays now, will be full time campers in a year. I posted the info on our motorhome group FB page. Now to practice my French! We’ll definitely get the book or app before we leave Thanks!
Hi Sue!
Awesome to hear you found this helpful! Always great to connect with other full time campers! I hope you have a wonderful time on your adventures. Thanks so much for sharing the article.
Useful information thanks, bought the book as we are planning a few trips in our VW transporter camper van, and will need a few one night stop overs , |Cheers Ed
Hi Gemma, have been searching the map for Ally. Cannot seem to find it, nothing listed in the index of my French map. Any further info appreciated. My husband just loves Cantal cheese. Many thanks.
Hi Ceri! Ally is located just west of the D922, about 45km north of Aurillac. We loved exploring this region!
Hi
Do Aires de Services or Aires Communales allow a car and caravan?
Thanks
Avi
Hi Avi,
Each aire has individual restrictions but in general, yes, most do accept cars and caravans.
Hi Avi.
I travelled for a two year contiuous period, using the French aire system in France, quite extensively.
Unless the French have changed the rules somewhat, I found that in all cases, cars were prohibited from using these aires, specifically placed there, for \”camping cars\” (or motorhomes); I DID witness on occassion, the French Gendarmerie, (or police), \”move on\” cars, vans, and any other vehicles that didn\’t comply.
In most cases, i found caravans, had their own, separate areas in the towns, to park, where motorhomes were not allowed able to . I didn\’t once, witness any caravan using the aires at all.
If what you say is true, the French must have totally \”relaxed\” the rules, regarding the use of the Aire system.
Cheers B.
Hi what a great article – so helpful for novice newbies like me. My question is about kids.. we are hiring a VW T5 this summer and driving around France, will have 2 kids in tow as well. We are totally new to this, have no route yet and slightly nervous (!!)… Are the aires suitable for kids or should we stick to more traditional campsites? Also do u know if you can put awnings up or is it just pitch the camper only? Any and all advice very welcome.!
Hi there,
Aires aren’t super kid friendly but we did see people with children using them. For awnings, we found that it really depended on the specific aires.
Very surprised that you got away with parking a car in aires in France. The legal status is that the vehicle must be designated as a camping car on the carte gris or as a motorhome on the UK equivilent.
The vehicle must be self contained.
At our local aire the gendarmes will even move on home made van conversions where the designation is not valid. Cars have no chance.
If you want use aires then get a motorhome.
Thanks for sharing your experience Robert! No, we had no difficulties. But this was not in the last few years – I wouldn’t be surprised if things have tightened up.
Hi,
Has anyone had experience of using a car with a roof tent at an Aires de service?
Hi I owned a motorhome about 15 years ago and travelled through Normandy down to my then holiday home in Brittany. We used Aires all the time and loved it. Sometimes the Aires are at a local farm where the farmer allows people to stay overnight and will usually sell you a couple of bottles of his lovely cider made in his barn and the taste of which is great not to mention potent. Or perhaps a sample of cheese made on the farm again delicious.
Village Aires are also,generally great some with more facilities than others but all the locals seem friendly since you are bringing much needed tourist cash into the villages.
Also you can find Aires close to the ferry ports which are great if you are leaving in the morning or arriving late.
Ironically as I was selling my house my village built an Aire in the beautiful village that we called home Guillier near Pleurmel in central Brittany a lovely place if you are in the area
Happy travels everyone. All the very best Chris
Hi Gemma, are you by chance from Archie’s mill? (Parents had B&B?)
Hi Mark,
No, that is not me. Sorry!