La Bastide-de-Sérou. Thierry's Custom Adventure in a Camper Van

French law distinguishes between caravans (trailers) and mobile homes (motorhomes) when placed on private property. A caravan can be stored without permission for up to 3 months per year if not used as accommodation; exceeding this period or using it as an annex requires a prior declaration. A mobile home with wheels is prohibited in a private garden, while one without wheels is treated as a building and requires a declaration (up to 20 sq m) or a building permit (above 20 sq m), subject to local zoning rules.

On May 26 around 4:00 PM on the A61 near Castelnaudary, a boat being towed by a motorhome detached and ended up on the central reservation. No injuries were reported, but the incident caused traffic jams. Recovery services removed the obstacle.

The Esterel Caravaning campsite in Agay-Saint-Raphaël (Var) has won the ACSI Award for best campsite in France 2026, based on votes from campers across 24 European countries. Founded in 1974 on 12 hectares of rocky terrain, the site now covers 19 hectares and hosted 22,478 guests in 2025, generating 168,500 overnight stays and €7.4 million in revenue.

In two French communes — Knutange (Moselle) and Vouneuil-sur-Vienne — groups of travelers illegally parked caravans on football pitches. Municipalities have asked prefectures to restore order.

Noise from a caravan air conditioner can be classified as abnormal neighborhood disturbance. The French Public Health Code categorizes such noise as behavioral, with maximum permissible exceedance of background noise of 5 dB(A) during the day and 3 dB(A) at night. At distances under 10 meters, exceeding the nighttime threshold is almost automatic. First step is dialogue with the neighbor, then contacting the campsite manager, who is contractually obligated to enforce nighttime quiet. Repeated violations can lead to police intervention with fines up to €450 and possible confiscation of the device.

A camping site in Dordogne, France, has been dedicated to vintage-style holidays. It features old caravans, Volkswagen Combis, and floral deck chairs. The event attracted enthusiasts seeking to recreate the simple, joyful ambiance of summer vacations from past decades.