If you’re dreading the thought of wearing Speedos at a Eurocamp in France, you’re not alone! The good news? Many campsites actually do allow board shorts. I’ve created this post to tell you the best Eurocamps that don’t need speedos.
But first a very important disclaimer: Whilst the campsites I am listing below currently allow you to wear your standard board/swim shorts, these rules can change at any time and unless people tell me, I am unaware. So firstly, keep me updated in my Facebook group and as far as I know while writing this based on the information available at the time, this list is correct – except, of course, it might not be, if it’s changed, got me? Gotcha!
So anyway, now that you’ve read that disclaimer, you may want to grab yourself a pair of speedos just in case (it’s more expensive on holiday). Don’t worry, you really don’t have to wear budgie smugglers, these longer style swimshorts known as “jammers” are also suitable and you can find yourself a pair cheaply at Decathlon.
Mike likes to wear these under his longer board shorts on the first day, in case he gets asked to change and then if there’s no questions asked, he’ll just wear his board shorts for the rest of the holiday.
If you can’t even fathom the idea at all, you may want to look at countries outside of France like Italy, Spain, The Netherlands and Croatia. Just in case your chosen French site changes the rules.
How to Find Eurocamp Campsites That Allow Swimming Shorts
Ok, from what I can find there are 78 campsites listed with Eurocamp in France that allow normal shorts and you can find them here:
- 1. Type in your dates, and locations
- 2. Click on filters, scroll till you get to Aquatic area
- 3. Open the box and click swim shorts allowed
- 4. Make sure you click show parks to ensure your search listing is refreshed
This will show you all the swim short friendly campsites available for your holiday dates. Below, I’m going to review the best ones and tell you what we love about them and why you should pick them for your French Eurocamp holiday.
Best Speedo-Free Eurocamp Campsites in France
Port de Plaisance
This 5* campsite is on the beautiful Brittany coast. Port de Plaisance’s pool area is fantastic for the whole family and includes slides, indoor and outdoor pools, lazy rivers and more. But it isn’t just the slides that keep holidaymakers returning year on year. The evening entertainment is legendary and the location puts you within easy reach of Benodet town centre and beach. It’s a great destination for exploring Brittany and enjoying the Summer atmosphere.
La Sirène
La Sirène is hands-down one of the best waterpark campsites in France. Set in Argelès-sur-Mer, this five-star resort has an enormous tropical-style water park that makes this one of the most recommended Eurocamp parks we know. The slides, lagoons, and splash zones are ideal for kids, while the palm trees and sunbeds are great for us adults to relax on.
The evening entertainment is a little late for the children but they still enjoy the kids clubs and play parks. The vibrant area around Argeles Sur Mer is perfect for families without a car and for those with car the opportunities to explore the med coast are endless. We loved visiting Collioure and taking a trip into northern Spain.
La Garangeoire
La Garangeoire is perfect for families who are searching for a countryside escape with the luxury of a beach nearby. The water park here isn’t massive, but it’s got everything you need: heated pools, a kids’ splash area, slides and plenty of space to unwind.
What really makes this campsite stand out is its authentic family friendliness. We love the crepe parties and wine and cheese nights on the lawn. Other families seem to enjoy fishing and horse riding. There really is something for everyone here. It’s no surprise this is another one of Eurocamps most popular campsites.
You can read our review of La Garangeoire here
Domaine des Ormes
Domaine des Ormes isn’t just a campsite, it’s a massive holiday resort in Northern France. it’s huge and packed with activities. The water park is a major highlight, with indoor and outdoor pools, lazy rivers, slides and a large wave pool.
Beyond swimming, this place has it all: horse riding, golf, zip lines, and even a wakeboarding machine. It’s set in the Brittany countryside, giving it a more authentic feel compared to coastal resort style sites.
You can read my review of Domaine Des Ormes here
Les Prairies de la Mer
This isn’t just a campsite—it’s a full-on beach resort. Last time I visited Prairies they didn’t even have a swimming pool as it’s located literally on the gorgeous golden beach. However, since then, I’m pleased to say the campsite now has a pool and it’s a good one at that.
This campsite is a great blend of luxury and camping. It has high-end mobile homes, bouji bars and a touch of the Côte d’Azur class. All in a campsite.
Le Ty Nadan
Nestled in a beautiful Brittany woodland Le Ty Nadan offers you a whole host of holiday activities. Kayaking, horse riding, climbing you name it – they’ve got it. Of course, the pools are pretty awesome too with slides, lazy rivers and both indoor and outdoor complexes.
The childrens kids clubs and entertainment look great and the restaurant looks delicious.
Le Ruisseau
Set in the gorgeous Basque Country town of Bidart, Le Ruisseau is a great eurocamp choice. The campsites waterpark is amazing with fast, scary slides, space bowls, toddler pools and even ziplines flying overhead. It’s one of our favourite campsites from last year and we can’t wait to return.
If you want to get off-site the area surrounding the campsite is stunning with mountain views and so much to explore. It’s so close to Biarritz, Spain, Espelette and more. It’s one of the best surf regions in France so pack your board and get booking.
Read my full review of Le Ruisseau
Les Écureuils
Les Écureuils, or “the squirrels” in English is a classic French campsite located in the Vendee. It’s got a fantastic water park, complete with slides, a lazy river, and an indoor pool.
The campsite is just a short walk away from the beach however, there’s plenty on-site to keep families entertained.
Au Lac de Biscarrosse
This lakeside campsite offers you the best of both worlds. Great pools and facilities, check, direct access to one of France’s biggest lakes that’s great for water sports, check! It is a waterlovers dream. Lac de Biscarrosse is a watersports hub with the opportunity to paddle, kayak, swim, boat and more.
When you’re bored of the lake the campsite offers a huge pool complex with slides, play areas, sports facilities and a lovely poolside restaurant.
Find out more information on what to do in Biscarosse
Les Grottes de Roffy
Tucked away in the Dordogne, Les Grottes de Roffy is a family friendly campsite with an authentic, rustic vibe. Located in the heart of Périgord, this site is perfect for exploring medieval villages, castles, and the famous Lascaux caves.
On the campsite the pool area has a relaxed, laid back atmosphere with a couple of slides and a lot of loungers for chilling. This is a really laid back, peaceful holiday setting.
Campsites Where Swimwear Rules Are Unclear (Proceed with Caution!)
These campsites have been known to allow board shorts in the past but are not on Eurocamps list of allowed sites. I would highly recommend taking Jammers or Speedos to these campsites to be on the safe side.
La Croix Du Vieux Pont
This campsite is very popular with British visitors, a bit like Butlins across the channel. We have always enjoyed it because there’s a ton of activities available, but it can get a little rowdy in the height of Summer.
The pool area is constantly being updated and this year see’s 2 brand new slides being added to an already great pool area. However, the swimwear rules are a little complicated. We have never known them to refuse entry to our family in board shorts however there are a few holiday makers who have reported it. If you are willing to take the risk, then it’s worth it.
Read my review on La Croix Du Vieux Pont
Parc De Fierbois
Parc de Fierbois is another campsite that attracts a lot of British holidaymakers, thanks to its proximity to the Loire valley chateaux and wineries. The swimwear rules were not enforced during our holiday and I haven’t seen anyone say they have been, however, they are not listed as a “short friendly” campsite on the Eurocamp website, so take your risks.
The campsite is good, it has a lot of potential and although we were disappointed with a few things on our stay, I can’t fault the activities available like tree-top climbing, lake activities, horse riding, go karts, etc.
Read our full review of Parc De Fierbois
La Vallée
La Vallee is a fantastic campsite in Normandy, very close to the port of Caen/Ouistreham. We stayed in 2022 and there was no problem with our family members wearing loose fitting swimwear, but I have seen a couple of mentions of it being a problem.
The campsite pool has been newly renovated and is one of the best French campsites for toddlers thanks to its great toddler splash area and has some amazing slides. I definitely recommend to holiday makers looking to travel close to the UK and explore somewhere different.
This area of Normandy is great for exploring the D-Day beaches and the pretty coastal town of Houlgate.
Read our full review of La Vallee
La Baume
This French south coast campsite has a lot to offer its guests. From the luxury mobile homes to the multiple pools and play areas La Baume is a great option for holiday makers seeking the sun. The swimwear rules here state that shorts are banned. However many holiday makers have said they’ve been allowed to wear normal shorts. I personally wouldn’t take the risk, so pack some Jammers or Speedos to be on the safe side.
Saint Avit Loisirs
Saint Avit Loisirs is one of the best campsites in the Dordogne. The campsite has an incredible water park with lazy rivers and a splash zone and they’re adding to their slide collection this year with even more fun slides
We’ve stayed on Saint Avit loisirs quite a few times and love the peace and serenity of the Dordogne. Whilst we have had no issues with swim shorts we did see a man get removed from the pool for wearing a t-shirt.
Specifically, shorts and bermudas are not recommended, but there is no explicit mention of strict enforcement of the traditional French swimwear rules on anything I can find. Take the risk if you want, but I’d still pack a pair of speedos just in case.
Read our full review of Saint Avit Loisirs
Club Farret
This is my bucket list campsite. I am desperate to visit here as it’s one of the best Eurocamps for travelling without a car. The campsite actually has “swim-up” mobile homes. Ok, it’s more like a shallow stream, but still it looks cool. Then, so does the entire campsite from the pools, to the bars to the parks. It looks insane. But when it comes to the swimwear rule there’s a lot of contention. Can you, can’t you, who really knows. Some people have got away with it, others haven’t. I wouldn’t risk it. Take a pair with you just in case and hope for the best.
Why Does France Have Strict Swimwear Rules?
The French swimwear rule is in place for an important reason: Hygiene. Men, typically will wear board shorts as their everyday shorts picking up sand and dirt, all things that will get in pool filters and cause chaos. They are also less likely to hold things in…Yes, I’m talking about poop particles. Loose fitting swim shorts just let everything flap around freely and that’s not great for the water quality.
Of course there will always be a bit of pool pollution, kids wee, suncream, snot…yuk – this is almost making me never want to swim again!
Chlorine is, of course, added to the pools, but in France they use a lot less hence why they ask holiday makers to shower before entering the swimming pool. You’ll notice, because there is less chlorine, the pools don’t smell as strongly as they do in the UK. Did you know the strong smell is actually caused by the fighting of pollution which causes an acidic atmosphere and causes bloodshot eyes, among other safety concerns.
Lifeguards are often exposed to these chemicals as are regular pool users and this is why France try and run the pools at a low level of chlorine whilst obviously still ensuring there’s enough disinfectant to kill the germs. This is why many pools ask customers to do what they can like: Tight fitting swimwear and showers before entry.
But Why do Some Campsites Let Me Wear my normal shorts?
It all depends on the classification of the campsite and its pools. If the campsite pool is classified as a private pool, the campsite can make the rules themselves. If it’s classed as a public pool, they are obliged by French law to have enforced the rule. The Rule is enforced by the local health authorities (DDASS – Direction Départementale des Affaires Sanitaires et Sociales)
Private pools have a lot more flexibility which is why you’ll see a lot of the Eurocamp/Marvilla park owned campsites allowing board shorts. If a camping chain owns the site and ONLY allows access for paying guests, this is “generally” considered a private facility, unless local authorities require otherwise (if you’ve ever learnt French, you’ll know they love an exception to the rule). If a camping chain like Eurocamp, Yelloh or Sunelia manage the campsite but not own it, then it falls under the local campsite ownership rule.
Activities Beyond the Pool
There are many reasons why you might not want to wear speedos or Jammers and that’s totally your right and you shouldn’t let the rule dictate your holiday to you. WHilst having pools are great, they aren’t the be all and end all of your holiday. You may consider looking at a campsite with lake or beach access so you still have somewhere to cool off if the weathers hot.
