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Camping is all the rage! It's a type of accommodation that offers many advantages when you decide to go away with your children, particularly close to the beach. But not all camping destinations are created equal, and here we have selected the best camping in Charente Maritime on an island or on the mainland coastline. Charente Maritime is particularly popular for a family holiday. And why is that? For many good reasons, which we're going to outline here: the beaches, the climate, the price, the seaside resorts and the standing of the campsites, most of which are Michelin-starred!
Charente Maritime has the largest number of seaside resorts and therefore many campsites
Located in the northern part of Aquitaine, Charente Maritime has two beautiful windows on the water... what on earth do two windows on the water mean? Well here's a little explanation, the Charente Maritime overlooks the Atlantic Ocean but also the Gironde estuary. This gives the Charente Maritime a major competitive advantage when it comes to tourism, because the more coastline there is... the more beaches there are... and the happier the kids are. There are plenty of campsites, residences and hotels in Charente Maritime, and many are located close to exceptional beaches. But just because there's a beach doesn't mean there isn't a heated or unheated swimming pool, or even better, a water park. Sometimes you get a bit lost between Charente, Charente Maritime, Poitou, Aquitaine or even Nouvelle Aquitaine... we understand. If you're looking for information or to book a campsite in Charente Maritime you're on the right page!
But the secret when it comes to camping in Charente-Maritime is the length of its coastline, which explodes thanks to... its islands. You may not believe it, but we sometimes talk about the Charente archipelago... there are four major islands that account for almost 50% of the 460 kilometres of coastline. For fans of geography, these are the Île de Ré, Île d'Aix, Île Madame and Île d'Oleron. In this archipelago, the islands of Ré and Oléron are the largest in terms of surface area. Oléron and Ré are clearly the two islands that face most towards the Atlantic Ocean. You'll find campsites on both sides of the Atlantic. To continue to feed the geographically curious, let's continue with a few details about the two major islands in this archipelago of the Charentes. From a geological point of view, Charente Maritime... you've got to be kidding!
L'ile de Ré is located is the most northerly. It is opposite Rochelle and therefore very close to the Vendée. It's still the fourth largest island in mainland France. It has a large number of campsites. It's a very popular island for holidays with children all year round, thanks to its scenery and sunshine. When you come from the south of France, it's hard to believe that there's so much sunshine in the north... and yet the statistics are there, the island of Ré enjoys more than 2,500 hours of sunshine a year, not far from Corsica or the south. Its villages of traditional white houses are easily recognisable. The island has a large number of campsites (most of which are Michelin-starred) spread around the 10 villages, including Ars-en-ré, Saint-Clément-des-Baleines, Sainte-Marie-de-Ré and Saint-Martin de Ré. Last but not least, for those who don't want to take a boat for a family holiday in Charente Maritime, let me reassure you: there's a bridge to get you to the island. Children may be a little disappointed. In any case, opinions are unanimous: the Ile de Ré is magnificent and remains a haven of peace for a family camping holiday.
The Ile d'Oléron is situated further south and here too there must have been a pilgrimage as many of the villages are named after saints... Saint Denis d'Oléron or Saint Georges d'Oléron in the north, Saint-Pierre d'Oléron in the centre and finally Saint-Trojan-les-Bains in the south of the island. As for Ré, don't worry if you don't like boats. The island of Oléron is linked to the mainland by a bridge... or rather a viaduct: the Viaduc de l'île d'Oléron... The Ile d'Oléron is the largest of the Charentes archipelago. To help you find your way around, it is located opposite Fouras and La Tremblade. It's famous for its oysters, of course, but also for the quality of its beachside campsites. As with Ile de Ré, you can book starred or non-starred campsites overlooking either calm beaches on the mainland side or more 'sporty' beaches on the Atlantic side. Same opinion as for Ile de Ré! It's a must-see.
Of course if you decide to book a camping in Charente Maritime, you don't have to take a campsite or accommodation on an island. In fact, the Charente has a phenomenal number of seaside resorts... so yes even if in Charente Maritime, there's Charente, we'll rather retain the maritime side here for this article. Why? Because at Familytrip we look after children and we know that they love the beach, swimming pools, water parks and clubs. The majority of campsites in Charente Maritime are located by the sea. Here's a list of some of these seaside resorts where you're sure to find the ideal accommodation or establishment for your holiday or family break: La Palmyre, Royan, La Rochelle, La Couarde sur mer, La Flotte or the beaches of Boyardville... and yes, the Charente Maritime region is home to Fort Boyard. All these towns have beautiful beaches and campsites perfectly suited to family holidays.
Charente Maritime enjoys a climate worthy of the South of France... promise
When you decide to book a campsite for a holiday, and even more so with children, the notion of climate takes on considerable weight in the decision-making process. You can't afford to find yourself locked in a mobile home in the middle of summer with the kids running around in circles. Especially as when they're running around in circles, they often drive you crazy. What exactly is the climate like in Charente Maritime? We're neither north nor south... but we're definitely west. You couldn't be closer to the Atlantic Ocean. I'm going to go ahead and say that the Charentes enjoys a climate worthy of Nice... I'm going a bit too far, but Alain Gillot Pétré won't be turning over in his grave when he hears that statement. Basically, we get a fair amount of sunshine and moderate rainfall. In summer, the climate is even considered dry. Choosing to spend your holidays camping in Charente Maritime is therefore a good idea... it's not Brittany. The climate isn't quite the same between La Rochelle, Saint-Georges d'Oléron and La Palmyre, but if you magnify the line a little, you're not taking any great risks by choosing a camping holiday in Charente Maritime.
Campsites in charente maritime
For a family weekend away, a holiday or even a short break, you'll find what you're looking for when it comes to campsites in Charente-Maritime. As we've seen you can opt for a stay on an island (with all their villages in saint) or a stay on the coast. The campsites in Charente Maritime are well equipped for holidays. There are water parks, swimming pools, indoor pools, heated pools, children's play areas and clubs. Of course, most of the campsites are located close to the beach and offer all types of accommodation: mobile home rental or tented campsites. At Familytrip we don't offer camping pitches for hire because it's quite complex for a holiday with children, unless you already have a fairly full (and therefore expensive) set of equipment.
Camping prices in Charente Maritime
As everywhere there is something for everyone. The price for your stay will depend mainly on the period, the services provided by the campsite, the proximity to the beach and the type of accommodation booked. It's a bit like everywhere else: if you go in the middle of summer to a star-rated campsite with a water park, children's club and restaurant, as well as being by the beach, it will be more expensive than a non-star-rated campsite with just a heated swimming pool and far from the beach. Overall, the price will still be lower than a stay at a campsite in the south of France. The clientele is undoubtedly more family-oriented! I'm not talking about wifi here because it's not really an issue any more. With today's mobile phone packages, wifi isn't really a criterion for choosing a camping holiday... your phone will pick up and you can create your own wifi network. If you can't do this, let your children create the family wifi network, but do a little checking anyway (just so you don't share your wifi with the whole campsite at the risk of seeing your bandwidth reduced to nothing!
In terms of camping accommodation, at Familytrip we only offer mobile home rental or chalet or cottage rental.
What to take with you on your camping holiday in Charente Maritime
Here's a question that's... not a good one. A campsite in Charente Maritime is still a campsite. However, we can say that there is a good chance that the sun will be out (so sunglasses), the beach will be close by or at least a swimming pool or water park (so a swimming costume).... There you are!
Things to do in Charente Maritime
It's impossible to be exhaustive when talking about things to do in a region or department. But we'd still like to give you a few pointers, because even if some families are only looking for a campsite in Charente Maritime with a water park, swimming pool, club for their children or nearby beach (and that's fine) other families are looking for activities or entertainment outside the campsites. So let's get started. In our opinion, a visit to La Rochelle is a must, especially a stroll around the port and a look at the three tall towers. Royan is not to be missed. Even though, like Warsaw, Royan was razed to the ground during the Second World War, it was rebuilt with more taste than Stalin's buildings. The style is typical of the 50s. Of course, you should make the most of your camping holiday to discover the islands we mentioned earlier: Ile de Ré, Ile d'Oleron and Ile d'Aix. The latter is only accessible by boat. A word of advice: you'll need to hire bikes to make the most of your visit to these islands. For fans of nautical activities, all the seaside resorts are interesting and the most important are Royan and la Palmyre.
Of course, a holiday in Charente Maritime includes a visit to Fort Boyard... well, no, at the risk of disappointing you or your children, you can't visit it unless you're passe-partout.... But if the children aren't satisfied with the campsite's activities (club, swimming pool, water park, etc.), there's always a visit to La Palmyre zoo. If you're driving around, you won't be able to miss it - there are posters everywhere promoting this magnificent zoo. As well as the usual zoo activities, there are plenty of activities and games that can be done on site with children. It's probably best to go directly to the La Palmyre zoo website to prepare for your visit.
To conclude, we offer on this page, the best campsites in charente maritime and only mobile home rentals... no pitches! Most are starred and all have a swimming pool or even better a water park. You can check out our customer reviews, which are very real, or call us to get the opinion of our advisers!
