Eurocamp Holiday Review: Chateau de Galaure Campsite, The Alps, France

If you’re looking for a fun family holiday to France on a budget – this Eurocamp Holiday Review is all about Chateau de Galaure Campsite – a Homair campsite (formerly Marvilla Parks) in The Alps, France. I’ve included our experiences, photos, details about the Eurocamp accommodation, what there is nearby, driving time from Calais, the closest airport and everything else that you need to know about this campsite. We always try to travel on a small budget, so if you’re looking to explore the UK and Europe with the kids (in an affordable way!) then have a browse around my blog for loads of money saving tips and budget holiday reviews. And if you have any recommendations, please let me know – I’m always planning our next trip! (You can follow our travels on Instagram too!)

Holiday: June 2024

 

Chateau de Galaure Campsite Review

In June 2024, we embarked on another budget European road trip using Eurocamp campsites to hop between as usual. We drove from Calais to Luxembourg to spend five nights at hu Birkelt Village Campsite, before having at short stop off at Chateau de Galaure Campsite on our way to the South of France, where we stayed at Domaine des Naiades for a week. We only had a couple of days at Chateau de Galaure Campsite as we used it to break up the journey. We booked it after finding that the hotels en-route were charging more per night for just a room than we paid for 2 nights with Eurocamp – so here’s my review and everything that you need to know about Chateau de Galaure Campsite in France.

 

What was Chateau de Galaure like?

Chateau de Galaure Campsite, in the French Alps, was a lovely holiday park – and it was insanely quiet when we visited! It was starting to fill up for the weekend when we were leaving, but during our stay there were only a handful of people staying there. I imagine during peak soon it must get far busier as it’s a big campsite with lots of pitches and holiday homes available. They also had a full entertainment programme, a restaurant, a shop, a bar, take-out food, a soft play, and a big pool complex with waterslides and several swimming pools. Hilariously, the kids had the whole pool area to themselves and it’s a good one – they loved it!

We didn’t try the food in the restaurant but the ice-creams from the bar area were around €3-€4. We did shell out for this on one of the days as the kids didn’t want to leave the pool and we hadn’t yet shopped – but after that we got some for Lidl where you could get a whole box for the same price!

 

What was the swimming pool like?

The swimming pool complex at Chateau de Galaure Campsite was the real star of the show! There were several pools, waterslides, a large flume, a pool for younger children and a big beach style lagoon pool. Finn and Lola absolutely loved it and had a blast using the pools. There were tons of sun beds too so they must be expecting more people at some point but they were definitely set up to cater for it.

There was also plenty of sand around the lagoon style pool for popping down a towel and sunbathing, with parasols there for shade too. The lagoon pool went surprisingly deep – for proper swimming – and got deeper as they waded towards the middle. The other pools all varied in depth to cater for children of all ages. There was no lifeguard when we visited, but it may have been because there was no-one else there 😂 but keep a close watch on the kids just in case.

 

Local Area: What is there to do near Chateau de Galaure?

Usually I have lots to say in this part of my travel review, as we love to explore and don’t sit still for long on holiday, but our visit was so brief here that we didn’t have time for that side of things. Instead I’ve done a bit of research and, though I can’t give you my opinion on these days out, hopefully it’ll help you to plan an interesting itinerary for your visit.

Nearby

Firstly the area around the campsite was very rural, once we came off the main roads we drove through countryside and a small village. It was about 25 minutes away from a busier area where there was a Lidl, Burger King, shops and other food places. The shop on-site was very small so you’d need to venture out to stock up, and given the location this is definitely one you’d need a car for. Around 6km away is the Palais Ideals monument – which looks quite quirky. And, if you like to hike there’s a pretty 7km circular route through the country lanes and wooded areas starting from the little village of Saint-Restitut with mountain views. Also bringing your own bikes (or hiring them from the campsite) would be perfect for the location, as the countryside around it is so pretty and the roads are quiet for cycling.

 

City visits

Lyon is about an hour’s drive from Chateau de Galaure if you wanted to have a day out and do a bit of city exploring. The smaller city of Grenoble is also just over an hour away with a cable car. And it’s around 40 minutes from the city of Valence.

 

Other places to visit

Saint-Antoine-l’Abbaye is medieval village around 30 minutes away that looks really interesting, they also have a musical festival in August if you’re visiting over the school holidays. And, saving the best for last, Safari de Peaugres zoo has excellent reviews online and is only around a 30 minute drive from Chateau de Galaure campsite. So that looks like a must do day out with the kids if you’re staying for long enough to explore. It has both a walking and driving-safari – we’d have definitely visited had we had enough time!

 

Was the accommodation good?

We booked our accommodation from Eurocamp’s Comfort range and, although it was a bit dated compared to some of the other holiday homes that we’ve stayed in, it was immaculately clean. It had 3 bedrooms, a central living and kitchen area, a shower room and a separate loo. The kitchen area was well equipped but the comfort range often comes with a hob kettle – just to give you a heads up – so we always bring a plastic travel kettle for ease. The kitchen also only had a hob rather than a full oven (this seems to be becoming more common) which is less convenient – though we manage by cooking things like curry and pasta. It also had a BBQ in front of the decking – so that would probably be a good option for cooking dinner too – we just weren’t there long enough to use it.

The bedrooms had blackout blinds, which I’m always so excited about as it saves me from wearing an eye-mask and putting bin bags up at the kids’ windows! 😂 And, as usual, the beds were comfy – I actually really like the Eurocamp mattresses. I must also make you aware that, even though end of stay cleaning is included in all other countries, in France you can only get the cleaning service included if you book from Eurocamp’s higher level ranges of accommodation. (Or you can pay around £60 to have it included.) For us, we paid so little that it didn’t matter – plus we barely made a mess given that our visit was so brief, so it was an easy clean. But it is something to think about when you’re booking your trip – check what’s included.

For more info on the accommodation options, and to find out what to pack / what’s included, read my post: Eurocamp Holidays: Which accommodation should I choose? What’s included?

 

What facilities are on site at Chateau de Galaure?

• As I mentioned above, there was a lot going on in the main area surrounding the pool – with space for entertainment as well as the bar, restaurant and shop. There was also a really large area with pitches and safari style tents, with facilities near there for showering etc – I got the impression that it must be a popular site for camping.
• We were able to park directly in front of the holiday home that we stayed in, making it easy to load and unload the car of luggage and food shopping. Most Eurocamp accommodation doesn’t come with a TV – it’s only included with their higher ranges – so it’s handy to take a tablet or laptop with you with some movies for when you want a quiet evening if it’s not included with your holiday home type. Our seating area was really comfy so we set up the laptop and watched Glee when we wanted to chill in the evenings.
• All of the staff that we met on our trip were friendly, helpful and spoke English. There is no separate Eurocamp check in / reps at this one – Eurocamp own Homair Parcs so it’s all combined.

 

Getting to Chateau de Galaure from the UK

Chateau de Galaure is about an 8.5 hour drive from Calais if you’re taking a road trip. The roads in France are generally great and, aside from the last part of the drive through the countryside, our journey was straight forward along the French motorways. If you are opting for a road trip, check out my article: Family road trip essentials: 13 things to pack on a road trip with kids to make sure that you have everything you need for stress free travel before you set off. If you’re new to road trips, this article is a great place to start: How to road trip on a budget around Europe – the ultimate family guide! You can book your ferry / Eurotunnel travel directly through Eurocamp, or check out the Direct Ferries website to compare prices across routes and providers.

If you want to fly to avoid the drive to Chateau de Galaure then the nearest airport is Grenoble which is 39km away (just over half an hour away by road). But, there is also an airport in Lyon so it’s worth comparing flight prices. Use the Skyscanner website to find the cheapest flight prices – it’ll compare airlines, airports, dates and times for you without you having to do all of the leg work! I think if you did choose to fly rather than drive that you’d want a hire car for this trip if you’re planning on exploring outside of the campsite – Expedia is a great place to start if you plan to hire a car. Or, check out the Sun Transfers website to see prices for airport transfers.

 

How much does a Eurocamp holiday at Chateau de Galaure cost – was it good value for money?

Hopefully my review has been helpful, our 2 night stay at Chateau de Galaure campsite in France (mid June) in a Eurocamp Comfort holiday home was £93. Averaging out at less than £50 per night, we thought it was great value for money. We only really needed one night to break up our journey to the South of France, but when I saw how expensive the hotels were it was a no brainer to book two nights for less than what they were charging for one! It’s also not much fun us all sharing a room, and being cooped up in it, so having 3 bedrooms and space to spread out instead is always the best option.

On top of this, we loved having a day off from driving before we set off again, for us to reset and the kids to play in the pool. Lola wanted to stay longer – she loved the swimming pools so much! 😂 It was cheap and cheerful, and we’d definitely stay again if we were passing through – perhaps for slightly longer so we could explore a bit too. This resort tends to be really budget-friendly (even in the school holidays) so it’s a great option for a cheap break, or a stop off on your way to the South of France or Spain. For more information, and prices for your dates, click here to check out Chateau de Galaure on the Eurocamp website.

As we home-educate the kids, we are fortunate to be able travel term-time which is a great money saver, but if you’re restricted to school holiday dates then look for May half-term getaways – they’re always so much cheaper than the summer holidays! But, having said that, affordable school summer holiday travel is possible – I went hunting on the Eurocamp website and found 50 family holidays under £1k for August 2026 – with prices starting from less than £300! (There were more but I ran out of steam! 😂) You might also want to check out my article: The 25 best Eurocamp resorts in France for family holidays for more great child-friendly getaway options in France.

 

To find out more about Eurocamp, and how to save money on your holiday, check out these articles too:

The Ultimate Eurocamp Holiday Guide – and money saving tips!

 

Eurocamp Holiday Review: La Sirène, Argèles, South of France

 

Why do we use always Eurocamp to travel in Europe with the kids?

 

Eurocamp Holiday Review: Les Lacs du Verdon Campsite, Provence, South of France

 

The 25 best Eurocamp resorts in France for family holidays

 

Eurocamp Holiday Review: Domaine des Naiades, Port Grimaud, South of France

 

The 20 best Eurocamp waterpark holidays – epic pools & waterslides!

 

Family Holiday Tips: How to travel in Europe on a budget with kids

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