When will campsites open in France?
Reader question: Will campsites also open on June 2 in France? We live in France and are keen to organise our usual camping holiday.
Yes, campsites in green departments of France – which is all of the country except for Ile-de-France, Mayotte, and French Guiana – can open on June 2.
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced last night that holiday accommodation including campsites, hotels, B&Bs and gîtes, can open from June 2 in green departments.
In orange departments, which are only in Ile-de-France (plus Mayotte and French Guiana in overseas France), they will have to wait until June 22.
Anyone coming from the UK or another EU country should be able to visit from June 15 although a voluntary 14-day quarantine is asked of all visitors from the UK as reciprocity for the UK imposing the obligatory quarantine of all visitors except for a specific list of exemptions.
Read more: Travellers UK to France: Voluntary 14-day quarantine
The reopening concerns 8,000 campsites in France. The campsites may impose conditions for access to attractions such as outdoor swimming pools and shared areas and these should be made clear to everyone at the point of booking.
Vice-president of the national federation of outdoor hotels, fédération nationale de l'Hôtellerie de Plein Air (FNHPA), Christophe Lelièvre said: “Pool water is chlorinated so there are no worries concerning the virus", but campsite managers are encouraged "to limit the number of deckchairs, or even remove off”.
The use of pools can be "limited or filtered, via coloured bracelets for example", and tape on the ground can space out the queue for water slides, suggests Mr Lelièvre.
He added that activities, restaurants, and mini markets must comply with deconfinement rules and nightclubs will stay closed, at least at the beginning of June.
Wearing a mask will not be compulsory, he said, except in “some limited collective places.”
Read more: France tourism boost as travel rules eased
