Why motorhomes are leaving French campsites

Experts from the Touring Club Suisse (TCS) tested 129 motorway service stations in France, Spain, and Portugal, covering 10,000 km. France ranked first due to a high density of fast charging stations and well-developed facilities for motorhomes. Portugal came second with good food and charging infrastructure, while Spain ranked third due to a lack of charging stations (only one in ten) and frequent malfunctions.

A group of caravans has set up on the grounds of the Lycée du Chesnoy in Amilly. A spokesperson stated that stopping there was not originally planned. The reasons and circumstances of the occupation are being clarified.

In Ostheim, France, Baron François de Watteville blocked a group of travelers who cut down a tree and branches to create a passage through a hedge of Schoppenwihr park to a field intended for parking at the Country Living event on June 20–21. The incident occurred on Sunday around 4:00 PM. Negotiations involving gendarmes and a representative of the Haut-Rhin prefecture lasted about two hours. The estate owner offered an alternative meadow for the caravans.

In spring 2026, the Touring Club Schweiz (TCS) evaluated 129 highway rest areas in France, Spain, and Portugal. In France, 86% of the 52 tested sites received 4 or 5 stars; in Spain, only one of 60 reached 4 stars, and nine of the ten lowest-rated sites were in Spain. In Portugal, 11 of 17 sites were rated as recommendable. The test found non-functional charging points at several Spanish locations.

About 180 caravans of an evangelical community occupied the Courlans airfield, another 170 headed to the Oraison racecourse, and a group settled on a plot in Corbas. Negotiations or evictions are underway everywhere.

On the night of June 13, 2026, an individual entered a couple's motorhome parked at the Champoux rest area on the A36 highway and stole several personal items. According to the Doubs gendarmerie, similar thefts have occurred in Côte-d'Or and Saône-et-Loire. An investigation is underway.