Yes, you can go camping in Paris
Fancy a break in the French capital, but don't fancy a hotel or Airbnb? You have options - including camping
What used to be the camping municipal de Paris along the banks of the river Seine in the Bois de Boulogne has now been privatised, but still offers one of the cheapest places to stay in the capital, for those prepared to do without hotel or hostel comforts.
You can pitch your tent 10 metres from the Seine with easy access to limitless hot showers, a shuttle bus and a city bus linking you to the Metro system - and all of tourist Paris - in minutes.
The camping site in Bois de Boulogne is open all year round, although anyone with only a tent should remember Paris can be cold until May.
One person arriving on foot or on a bicycle with a tent and a sleeping bag will pay around €22.90 a night for a place in low season, which makes it one of the cheaper ways of staying in the city.
If you arrive in a car with a tent, low season prices start at €28.10, rising to €40.80, but you will need a reservation.
You can also reserve four-person tents, already in place from €95 a night in high season, a five-person tent for €108, gypsy caravans for €143, six-person mobile homes from €155 or luxury mobile homes from €165.
There are also caravan sites and mobile home sites.
Because of the mobile nature of campers, payment is in advance for two-night stays, while for longer stays, a 30% deposit is required for the reservation period.
Communal showers, sinks and toilet facilities are usually in good order and clean, although at busy times a queue might form.
Like every camp site, prices in the onsite store are higher than normal - but, it's a short walk to the suburb of Suresnes where there is a supermarket, boulangerie and cafe.
A half hourly electric campsite shuttle to the Port Maillot metro, costing €2, was halted as an anti-Covid-19 measure, but the service will resume soon.
The alternative is catching the 244 bus by turning right out of the gates, crossing the road, turning first left and then following an obvious footpath past a pond, to the stop on the main road.
Health measures in France mean all passengers have to wear a mask while travelling on the bus and in the metro.
