Stay at a glance

Campsite	Camping Au Bois Joli
Location	Burgundy-Franche-Comté, France
Stay	2 nights
Journey to campsite	Around 6 hours from Béthune
Arrival	Late evening, after reception had closed
Swimming pool	Yes – small pool
Activities	Table tennis and outdoor chess
Food	Campsite with restaurant themed evenings
Evening entertainment	Live French music
Bread	Local bakery delivery available
Atmosphere	Small, friendly and family-oriented
Would we stay again?	Yes

Our stay

This was our first campsite in France on our 2026 campervan trip.

We’d driven for around six hours from Béthune, longer than expected, so by the time we arrived it was quite late and reception had already closed. Our first stop was therefore the campsite restaurant, where I had to put my limited French to use sooner than expected to check in.

Fortunately, we were soon helped by a very friendly member of staff who showed us to our pitch and, importantly after a long day on the road, provided us with a long electricity lead. That made getting settled much easier.

We made our own food that evening and had a quiet first night.

Camping Au Bois Joli is in the Burgundy-Franche-Comté region and has a distinctly rural feel. It’s also known for its eco-focused approach and was featured in the old Cool Camping guides, which was one of the reasons it caught our attention many years ago.

First impressions

Our first impression was of a small, friendly campsite with a relaxed family atmosphere. It’s a peaceful rural site to be used as a base for all the local attractions. 

There were quite a few Dutch families staying during our visit, giving the site a lively but easy-going feel. It felt like the sort of place where people were there to enjoy themselves rather than simply use it as somewhere to park for the night.

Although we’d arrived late and were tired from the journey, we quickly settled into the place.

Pitches & facilities

The campsite had everything we needed for a two-night stay, with pitches suitable for campervans and caravans.

There was a small swimming pool, which was particularly welcome in the warm weather. We also made good use of the table tennis and the large outdoor chess set.

A little rain on our second morning brought a welcome drop in temperature after the heat of the previous day. Once the sun returned, the pool was a good place to cool down.

There wasn’t a huge list of facilities, but we didn’t need one. There was enough to keep us occupied without the campsite feeling like a holiday resort.

Food and evening atmosphere

One of the highlights of our stay was the evening we spent at the campsite restaurant.

It happened to be quiche night, which was a bit of fun and made for an easy dinner without having to head anywhere else.

Later there was live music. The whole performance was in French, so I couldn’t tell you exactly what all the songs were about, but the singer was certainly passionate about it.

It made for a very enjoyable campsite evening – the sort of experience you don’t necessarily plan when travelling, but remember afterwards.

You can also order bread from the local bakery to be delivered to the campsite. We ordered some bread and some pain aux raisins, which was excellent.

In fact, we spent the rest of our holiday trying to find a better one.

After numerous pain aux raisins and, probably, several unnecessary kilos, I can confidently say it was the best one we had.

What worked well

For us, the combination of a friendly atmosphere, useful facilities and helpful staff made this a very easy place to stay.

We particularly liked that there was enough to keep everyone occupied without the campsite feeling overly complicated. A swim, a game of table tennis or chess, dinner at the restaurant and some live music was more than enough for our two-night stop.

The help we received when we arrived late was also appreciated. After a six-hour drive, having someone make getting onto the pitch and connecting the electricity straightforward made a difference.

And as our first campsite in France, it was a good introduction to the trip.

Things to know

This is a relatively small campsite with a young, family-oriented atmosphere. During our stay there were a lot of Dutch families, which gave the campsite a particularly lively feel.

If you’re looking for a large resort-style campsite with endless facilities, this isn’t really that.

For us, though, its smaller scale was part of the appeal. It felt friendly and relaxed, and there was enough going on without needing to leave the campsite.

The restaurant and bakery delivery were also useful touches, particularly after a long day travelling.

Would we stay again?

Yes.

We only stayed for two nights, but we had a lovely time and would happily return.

As our first stop in France, Au Bois Joli gave us a very good start to the trip – friendly, relaxed and with just enough going on to make staying for a couple of nights enjoyable.

And if nothing else, we’d probably have to return just to see if that pain aux raisins is still the best one in France!