Camping in Eastern France

While the recession is affecting tourism globally, more affordable holiday options such as camping holidays in France are increasing their share of the market. Read below about increasingly popular destinations for camping in France along the country's eastern border.

Early in September, Associated Press reported the recent findings of France's Secretary of State for Tourism. The report describes the increasing trend for French holidaymakers to stay in France for their breaks from work, with a growing number opting to spend their holidays camping. France is the world's leading tourist destination, attracting visitors to its cities of culture and its varied, beautiful landscapes, so it's no surprise that French holiday makers are increasingly enjoying what their own country has to offer.

Jura

The first on our list is Jura in the east, a department halfway down the country, four hours' drive from Paris and six hours from Calais. The Jura Mountains are enjoyed by nature lovers, ramblers, and winter sports fans, and it is a beautiful place to visit all year round.

Jura is close to the Swiss border, with Bern only a couple of hours' drive away. As a result, the region's cuisine and architecture has a Swiss flavour so you can enjoy the best of two neighbouring cultures while camping in France.

As well as exploring the rich pine forests, visitors to Jura flock to see the Cascades du Hérrisson waterfalls. The descent of the water over the Cascades du Hérrisson is spread along two miles of beautiful countryside, during which the water drops six hundred metres into the Val-Dessous. This is a green and idyllic place, and, like the rest of the region, is perfect for hiking excursions during your camping holidays in France.

The Alps

The French Alps is undeniably a stunning mountain region of France. Camping la Serraz is a campsite well-placed to enjoy the plentiful views of snow-capped mountains and serene lakes that you can find here, including the crystal clear Annecy Lake, just ten minutes walk from the site.

The Alps is also home to the country's largest National Park, the Parc National des Ecrins. It's a must for visitors on camping holidays in France who will appreciate landscapes of rugged beauty plus the historic and interesting towns of Grenoble and Aix les Bains warrant a visit.

For those with a taste for adrenaline-fuelled fun, there are jet skis to race across the glacial lake at Lac de Bourget. If you enjoy the scale of the Alps and have a head for heights, you should visit Chamonix, which lies close to the border of Italy, Switzerland and France. At Chamonix, you will find the cable car - the highest in the world - that ascends a mountain called Aiguille du Midi (3,842 m), part of the Mont Blanc Massif.

Cote d'Azur

Two hundred and fifty miles further south is the Cote d'Azur on the south east coast of France. Camping here puts you among the delights of the French Riviera, which is a desirable stretch of coastline washed by the Mediterranean Sea.

More than just a region of beautiful beaches, the Cote D'Azur offers a mix of the traditional and the modern with sophisticated beach resorts rubbing shoulders with rustic fishing villages. Camping in France here means having access to some of the finest beaches in Europe, and being within reach of the famous cities of Cannes and Nice.