“Camping? In Paris? Why?”
This was the text message I received from my Parisian actress friend when I asked her if she’d be free to meet us for dinner during our 24-hour whirlwind trip to the city.
“We love camping! And we have the dog…” I responded enthusiastically. I needed to visit the Australian embassy to renew mine and the kids’ passports, vote in the recent federal election, and having recalled my cousin and his family had camped in Paris on a previous camping car road trip it struck me as a brilliant idea to take the whole family, including Sage the dog, by car and experience the only campground in Paris. Remy and the kids were on board and to make the trip really worth the distance we’d explore the wild Brittany coast for a few days on the way home.
On the road – 717km from Ondres, southwest France to Paris
We left home in Ondres at 5:50am, turning back only once almost immediately as we’d forgotten Sage’s dog food. Tired but excited – this would be our first real family adventure in a long time since the pandemic had gravely impacted our ability to roam – we hit the road with the car loaded with food and camping supplies. Sage and the kids slept for the first three hours, enabling Remy to get a good deal of kilometers under his belt and push past Bordeaux before having our first pit stop. This Vinci highway parking featured a backsplash of shady forest – common around Les Landes, and room enough for Sage to have a decent run around.
Passing through Tours some hours later, I Wiki-educated us all on some interesting historical facts:
“In Gallic times, Tours was an important crossing point over the river Loire. It became part of the Roman Empire during the 1st century CE, and the city was named "Caesarodunum" ("hill of Caesar"). The name evolved in the 4th century when the original Gallic name, Turones, became "Civitas Turonum", and then "Tours". It was at this time that the Tours Amphitheatre was built.
Tours became a metropolis in the Roman province of Lugdunum towards 380–388 CE, dominating Maine, Brittany, and the Loire Valley. One important figure in the city was Saint Martin of Tours, a bishop who shared his coat with a naked beggar in Amiens. The importance of Martin in the medieval Christian West made Tours, and its position on the route of pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, a major centre during the Middle Ages.” (Source:Wikipedia)
The Eiffel Tower from Pont de Bir Hakeim
Pleasant weather made the drive pass effortlessly, and before we knew it, we were descending into Paris, the Eiffel Tower and sprawling city scape coming into view just past 2pm. The road meandered downwards, along the Outer Seine. Trees lined the streets being cleaned by immigrant workers. Rolland Garros signs alerted us that the famed French Open was underway. The traffic was dense and Remy was now on edge; neither of us had driven in a big city for years.
Camping de Paris – a pet-friendly campsite along the Seine in the heart of Paris
Clean amenities, shady pitches, and well equipped for RV campers and vans, Camping de Paris is well situated along the outer Seine in the heart of Paris, but don’t expect all the frills of a natural campground. We forgot our hammer and being unable to locate one to borrow we found a solid rock as we’ve done often in the wilderness, however, were immediately greeted with rock-hard ground that bent our first tent peg beyond repair. We made do, but the kids suffered from the lack of traction and their tent leaked during multiple downpours over our two-night stay. We also shared our pitch with a family of pigeons who lived in the trees above; grateful for the shade, sure, but not for the pigeon poop.
We had lucked out of a camping stove prior to departure – they were all sold out – and had intended to pick one up at the campground’s store and I’d packed enough food to cook some of our meals. Yet the store did not sell any cooking equipment (or ice?!), nor were there cooking facilities such as a camp kitchen at all. Instead, we dined our first night in the on-site restaurant, a major let down with a few fast-food items on the menu.
Tips: Skip the dining here and just have a cold beer instead, come prepared with your own cook stove and utensils, or head into the city to eat. Don’t forget your hammer and bird poop cleaning brush! A good pair of ear plugs is also recommended unless you’re used to the sound of city traffic (we are not!).
Warning: Camping de Paris is located adjacent to the Bois de Boulogne, advertised by the campsite as lush forest gardens with extended walking tracks but known to many as a hot spot for prostitution. Thinking we’d be safe before dusk, we took the kids and dog for a stroll after setting up in the early afternoon only to discover the pathways open for business even during the day. Though the issue of prostitution and what drives people to sell their bodies for sex is one that should not be ignored, and I prefer not to judge people whom land in this situation, when traveling with kids please be aware that there may be scenes you’d prefer they do not witness.
Plus: The playground was a winner.
Viewing the Eiffel Tower from Pont de Bir Hakeim
Rain greeted our day of exploration in the city, but we would not be deterred. Finding parking using the handy Parclick app (not sponsored, but this is a great app for driving in major European cities) near the Australian embassy where I was due to submit our passport renewals, we traversed the Seine at Pont de Bir Hakeim and paused to take in the Eiffel Tower standing tall in the cloudy background. Chinese tourists posing for professional photographs in selected fashions as the rain began. We sprinted into Lolanda, a typical no-frills Parisian brasserie, and the kids got their crepes as it bucketed down.
Paris Saint Germain
We had planned to meet my actress friend in the evening and as she lived in Saint Germain we moved the car to a new parking lot closer to her house and spent the afternoon strolling about this tourist hot spot. Typically, I visit my favorite bookstore Shakespeare and Company whenever I am in Paris, but the lineup was so long (covid social distancing policy I suspect?) that we decided to skip it. We bought art and postcards from the Bouquinistes of Paris: traditional booksellers on the Seine and dined for lunch at Ristorante Luigi, an Italian restaurant boasting a good lunch menu including beef carpaccio salad, mushroom risotto (creamier than I prefer), Bolognese, and wood-fire oven pizzas.
The Louvre
Though France is incredibly dog-friendly, unfortunately Sage couldn’t join us in the Louvre, but thankfully the lush Jardin du Carrousel is just opposite and a hotspot for Parisian dogs. Remy drew the dog straw and I took the kids into their first Louvre visit. Dodging fraudlent ticket sellers lurking outside the entrance gates, we descended the escalators into the museum and bought our tickets from the official sales desk: 15 euros for adults and kids were free (if you’re prepared you can skip this step and purchase online). We had just over an hour before closing and as it was my second visit, I let the kids set the schedule: we made a bee-line to the Mona Lisa, passing the famed Italian paintings, Hunter particularly awed by the impressive art. Mona Lisa was busy as always, and luckily today was not the day a man would dress as a woman in a wheelchair before throwing a cake at Da Vinci’s famous piece (this would happen a few days later, the painting of course protected by its casing). Ryder was keen for Egyptian caskets, hoping to see a mummy – there are none at the Lourve. I missed my opportunity to visit the Islamic art as we ran out of time. Do not plan to see much in an hour; it felt so out of character for us to be rushing around and though the kids were happy to experience it at all, I’d certainly allocate half a day next time.
Sundowners at Le Nemours Palais-Royal with Safia
My other Parisian friend, Safia, texted me to say she’d knocked off work at the hospital for the day and was nearby. Exhausted, and due for dinner at my actress friend’s house in Saint Germain in just over an hour, Remy and I found the closest spot for a drink and I pinged Safia with our location.
“We are at Le Nemours” I texted.
“Fancy!” she replied.
Sure, we’d accidentally picked one of the more expensive drink spots in Paris but honestly, the terrace is gorgeous. I later read a review about the quiche being fab and made a note to try it next time. On this occasion, a glass of Prosecco went down a treat, a gin and tonic for Remy and a pot of tea for Safia. As usual, dogs are welcome and Sage, having not had her habitual daily nap due to all the sightseeing, fell asleep at our feet as we shared our Parisian day’s highlights with Safia.
Following dinner at my other friends’ house, we hopped back in the car and drove the 30-ish minutes across the city back to the campground, past the illuminated Eiffel Tower – it sure is a spectacular site at night. The kids didn’t even notice their tent had leaked nor did Remy, Sage or I complain about the hard ground that night. We were absolutely cooked. Rushed travel is not our typical cup of tea, and I think for our next family trip to Paris we might hunt down a pet-friendly hotel (if you know any, please share in the comments!). The kids had a fantastic day, though, with Hunter’s only complaint being that he didn’t bump into Kylian Mbappe!
