The Dordogne, down in South West France, is one of our favourite bits of the country for camping with kids. We’ve stayed at four different parcs here over the years, from a classic tent costing just £8 a night to a lakeside pitch in 40°C heat, and we keep going back for the caves, the honey-coloured villages and the fact you can genuinely fill a week or two without getting bored. If you haven’t already, have a read of our top things to do in the Dordogne too, it pairs with whichever campsite you pick.
We first camped in the Dordogne back in May 2019 at Saint Avit Loisirs, went back there again during a June heatwave, then added Huttopia Sarlat, Sandaya Le Grand Dague and Pomport Beach on separate trips over the years. So this guide leads with the four parcs we’ve actually stayed at, plus a short section at the end on a few others in the area that are on our list but we haven’t tried yet, so you know exactly which claims are first hand and which aren’t.
Quick picks for the Dordogne
- Best for toddlers: Sandaya Le Grand Dague, our baby loved the main heated pool and the little pirate ship slide kept our 3 year old busy for hours.
- Best for pools and slides: Saint Avit Loisirs, there are two crazy river slides, one gentle and one really fast, plus an indoor pool for a quieter swim.
- Best for a quiet stay: Huttopia Sarlat, we had the pool to ourselves most days and the only evening noise was cicadas.
- Best for your own tent or pitch: Pomport Beach, we pitched our own tent there and the campsite is set up well for caravans, campers and tents rather than just mobile homes.
- Best on a budget: Saint Avit Loisirs again, we booked a pre-erected Classic Tent for just £8 a night.
- Best for lake days: Pomport Beach, the lake has a cordoned swimming area, pedalos, paddleboards and even a water ski cable.
Not sure which one actually suits your family? Our find your campsite quiz will point you in the right direction in a couple of minutes.
Saint Avit Loisirs, Le Bugue
This is still our favourite in the Dordogne. We first visited in low season, mid May, when the whole pool complex was basically empty, splash park, slides, paddling pool, indoor pool, all to ourselves. There are two crazy river slides, a slow easy one and a fast one. I was pregnant so took the slow lane while Mike went for the quick one. We came back again in June during the school holidays and the whole place livens up, be ready to queue for the crazy river and pack headphones if that’s not your thing.
Our one real complaint was a hornet that moved into the shower block during our stay, which I flagged to our Eurocamp rep (hornets are the one bug I’m really scared of, don’t judge me). Otherwise the showers were spotless, the fishing lake is a lovely spot to watch the sun go down, and we booked a pre-erected Classic Tent for just £8 a night, which is hard to beat. It’s hilly in patches so if that matters to you, ask for a pitch nearer the main flat area by reception.
Read our full Saint Avit Loisirs review, including which Eurocamp accommodation we’d pick.
Pomport Beach
We checked in here on one of the hottest days of the year, 40°C on the car dashboard, and still had a tent to put up. The lake was the big draw for us, cordoned swimming area, fishing spots, pedalos and even a water ski cable we had no idea existed before we arrived. Our eldest loved jumping in the outdoor lagoon pool and our 2 year old went straight for the slides, though the lifeguard did ask her to go down with an adult. The pedal go karts were a hit too, our 5 year old and Mike spent an afternoon chasing each other around pretending to be F1 drivers.
It’s a genuinely relaxed site, the kids’ disco was the earliest we’ve ever seen at 5.30pm and the whole place was quiet by 10.30pm. The lake water was the odd one out. It’s a funny luminous green you can’t see into, and our girls both lost toys in it. We paid just over 300 euros for our own tent pitch over 5 nights, which, annoyingly, worked out pricier than a Eurocamp mobile home would have been that same week, so it’s worth comparing both before you book.
Read our full Pomport Beach review.
Huttopia Sarlat
Huttopia Sarlat is the quiet one. We were pregnant and out of season when we stayed in a pre-erected classic tent, and for most of the day we were the only ones at the pool, which has an indoor heated pool, an outdoor pool and a toddler pool. The evenings were genuinely peaceful, just cicadas and the bar area decorated with stone walls, very Dordogne. It’s a ten minute walk into Sarlat itself, which is one of the prettiest towns in the region, so you don’t even need a car for an evening out, just for the chateaus and caves further afield.
The hills are no joke though. It’s an authentic, natural site and I struggled with them at six months pregnant, so I wouldn’t recommend it if anyone in your group uses a wheelchair or finds walking tough. There’s no restaurant on site outside summer either, just a small shop and bread pre-ordered from the bar in the mornings, so we mostly ate in town.
Read our full Huttopia Sarlat review, including our separate review of the Huttopia Classic 4 tent we stayed in there.
Sandaya Le Grand Dague
We loved the pool complex here, it’s tiered across different levels with a warm main pool, a fun pool with a pirate ship slide our 3 year old lived on, and four waterslides including a lazy river you ride down on a rubber ring (bring your own, we had to buy one on site). Our baby loved crawling around the soft pool floor near the pirate ship. We had car trouble and arrived late, and the staff upgraded us to a safari tent with its own bathroom, which turned out to have the best shower of our whole trip.
Being honest, the play park was disappointing for a site this size, the slide was scalding hot and it wasn’t suited to all ages. The advertised evening entertainment didn’t always turn up either, we headed to the bar for a mini disco that was scheduled on the board and it simply wasn’t on. The takeaway pizza was pricey and not great. It’s a good fit if the pool complex and covered soft play are what you’re after, less so if you want a lively, reliable animation programme every night.
Read our full Sandaya Le Grand Dague review.
Other Dordogne campsites worth a look
We haven’t stayed at any of these yet, so none of the below is first hand, treat it as a starting point rather than a review, and do your own digging before you book.
- Not stayed yet: Les Grottes de Roffy, near Sarlat, a small, authentic site with a heated pool and waterslides, sold by Eurocamp. Check availability.
- Not stayed yet: Camping Le Capeyrou, near Beynac et Cazenac, a small, independent site with tent and touring pitches plus its own tent rentals, in a fairly quiet, relaxed spot. Check availability.
- Not stayed yet: Sandaya Péneyrals, in Saint-Crépin-et-Carlucet, a 5 star site with a large toddler splash park, by all accounts substantial enough that you wouldn’t need to leave it. Check availability.
Getting to the Dordogne
The Dordogne is South West France, so however you get there you’re looking at a long drive once you’re off the ferry. From Saint Avit Loisirs we’d suggest the Brittany Ferries crossing to Bilbao if you fancy breaking the trip up, it’s around 509km from there, or sailing to one of the Northern France ports (Roscoff, St Malo, Cherbourg, Caen, Dieppe, Calais) and splitting the drive down over a night or two. For Sandaya Le Grand Dague, Caen is roughly 575km away and Calais around 800km, with Bergerac and Bordeaux the nearest airports if you’d rather fly and hire a car. Pomport Beach is close to Bergerac airport too, which makes transfers easy if you’re flying in. You’ll want a car at all four of these, the campsites themselves are rural and the towns, caves and chateaus are spread out. Our guide to driving in Europe and campsites near an airport page both help with planning the route.
When to go
We’ve camped the Dordogne in May, June and August and had very different trips each time. May at Saint Avit was quiet and sunny with the pool to ourselves. Our other stays, at Saint Avit again and at Huttopia Sarlat and Grand Dague, were all low to shoulder season, warm but not packed, and the pools were noticeably calmer than school holiday season. Pomport Beach in August was full-on summer, 40°C on arrival and a mix of heatwave and thunderstorms over the stay, the Dordogne’s weather has a reputation for being unpredictable even in peak summer, so pack suncream and a rain jacket whatever month you go.
If you like your pool with a splash park and big slides, have a look at our campsites with water slides guide alongside this one. And if board shorts over jammers is more your husband’s style, Huttopia Sarlat didn’t seem to enforce the strict swim trunks rule when we were there, though our campsites that allow swim shorts page covers it in detail. If you’re going in the summer holidays, it’s worth checking our summer holiday deals page before you book.
Need a pair? We love Budgy Smugglers. They’re fun, fashionable and fine for French pool rules, and they do women’s and kids’ swimwear too. Use our code FAMILYCAMPINGEUROPE for 20% off.
FAQs about camping in the Dordogne
Which Dordogne campsite is best for toddlers?
Sandaya Le Grand Dague worked well for us with a baby and a toddler, the main pool is heated and has a shallow section, and there’s a pirate ship slide and soft pool floor in the fun pool. Saint Avit Loisirs also has a splash park suited to young children.
Do I need a car to camp in the Dordogne?
Yes, at all four parcs we’ve stayed at. Huttopia Sarlat is a ten minute walk from Sarlat itself, but you’ll still need a car to reach the chateaus, caves and the campsite itself. Saint Avit, Pomport Beach and Grand Dague are all rural too.
Is the Dordogne good for a quiet camping holiday?
Yes, Huttopia Sarlat was the quietest site we stayed at, with peaceful pools and evenings you’d only hear cicadas. Pomport Beach was also relaxed, with the kids’ disco starting at 5.30pm and the site quiet by 10.30pm.
What’s the weather like camping in the Dordogne?
Changeable, even in summer. We’ve had warm, sunny low season stays in May and June, and a mix of 40°C heatwave and thunderstorms during an August stay at Pomport Beach. Pack for both.
Can you pitch your own tent in the Dordogne?
Yes, we pitched our own tent at Pomport Beach and found it well set up for caravans, campers and tents, not just mobile homes. Huttopia Sarlat and Saint Avit Loisirs both also offer pre-erected tents if you’d rather not bring your own.
Still deciding where to go in France? Our find your campsite quiz and our best campsites in France guide are both good next stops.
Planning your days out? Our things to do in the Dordogne guide has the places we’ve been from these campsites. Camping somewhere else in France? We’ve also got guides to Brittany, the Vendée, the Landes and Hossegor and the Gironde.
