Wild camping in France [Legal guide]

Wild camping in France, the legal rules can be very confusion. Generally, wild camping is tolerated, but most of the time it will strictly not be legal. Also, there is a difference between pitching a tent for one night and wild camping for multiple days in the same spot. Especially when you set it up late in the evening and leave early in the morning. Most of the time, an overnighter is tolerated.

In this article, I will use the word wild camping as in: you pitch your tent in the evening and you leave in the morning. Wild camping for multiple nights on the same spot is usually illegal unless you have specific permission from the owner of the land.

Please note that this is a hiking wild camping guide (information does not necessarily apply for RV’s).

Is wild camping legal in France

The shortest answer on this question is: in some places it’s legal, in most places it’s illegal. That said, it’s tolerated most of the time, with the exception of certain regional and national parks.

In general, the laws around wild camping are meant for camping cars, gypsies, long-term wild campers, etc. They are not meant to target a hiker who doesn’t make a mess, stays discreet and only stays for one night.

Because of this, they came up with the word bivouac. This generally means pitching your tent in the evening and leaving in the morning, using a small/light tent. Note that the term bivouac can be open for interpretation (especially in other countries).

Sometimes a bivouac is only allowed with a bivy sack, or sometimes not even that. This is kind off a gray zone. However, as long as you are respectful and don’t stay too long in one place (settle down late in the evening and leave early in the morning), you should be totally fine (even when using a tent).

The law is rather vague and complicated, most people don’t really know this law exactly. Including the police. To be honest, nobody really seem to care as long as you stay discreet (unless in certain National/Regional Parks and in crowded areas).

There are a couple of things you should keep in mind however. Don’t camp close to the street, there is an unwritten rule that you should be at least one hour away from the street. Obviously, nobody will ever measure this, just know that it’s not tolerated to bivouac/camp close to a street.

To summarize, you can wild camp legal if:

• You have permission of the owned of the land.
• In certain areas (see “what does the law say”)
• With special permission (see “what does the law say”)

That said, camping for one night – especially if you pitch your tent late in the evening and be gone early in the morning – is usually tolerated.

 

What does the law say

The law is only written in French, and it can be rather confusion. I did my best to write an understandable translation.

You can find the official website about the French laws by clicking here.

 

According to the Article R111-32, the campsite is allowed, outside the right-of-way of the highways and roads, with the permission of the person who owns the land.

According to the Article R111-33, camping alone and the creation of campgrounds are prohibited. However, there are certain exceptions:

• On sea shores or registered sites
• In ranked or pending sites;
• In the protected areas, in the field of visibility of buildings classified as Historic Monuments, parks and gardens classified or registered and subject to a perimeter of protection as well as in the areas of development of architecture and heritage;
• Within a radius of 200 meters around wells captured for consumption.

According to the Article R111-34, the practice of camping outside managed terrain may be prohibited in certain areas:

• By the Local Planning Plan (LPP), or by the urban planning document taking place;
• By order of the mayor;

• Where this practice is likely to impair public safety, security or tranquility.

Finally, these bans are only to the extent that they’ve been brought to the public attention through the establishment of posters in town hall and signs on the main access roads leading to the places covered by these bans.

 

Use common sense

Nobody will be actively looking for you, but if someone does find you, you probably weren’t discreet and you might get in trouble. Making a lot of noise or making a huge fire are two things you definitely want to avoid.

If you allow yourself to get spotted, you probably made mistakes. Always stay respectful and discreet.

The only one who might find you is the forester, but if you stay discreet, chances are minimal. However, if he does find you, chances are very low that he will punish you if he sees that you respect your surroundings.

To summarize:

• Stay away from crowded places.
• Don’t camp close to the roads.
• Avoid making too much noise
• Don’t make a fire – if you have to, keep it small and stealthy
• Don’t camp if there is a sign that says not to – if they did the effort to put it there, there is probably a reason.
• Only stay one night at the same spot
• Leave no trace and always keep your surroundings clean
• Don’t carry a large tent – this might cause that people to think that you are staying more than one night.
• Pitch your tent in the evening and be gone in the morning – this way, it will be very hard for people to spot you.

Remember, most of the time you won’t get into trouble, even if people spot you. However, it would still be better not to get spotted at all.

 

National Parks

From this point, I will use the words used on the relevant websites. Therefore, there might be a different interpretation when it comes to bivouac and wild camping.

Wild camping in Vanoise National Park

Bivouac is allowed nearby a couple of shelters.

Wild camping outside any of these area is and/or for multiple nights is forbidden.

Campfires are also forbidden.

 

Wild camping in Port-Cros National Park

Wild camping and bivouac is forbidden in the entire park

 

Wild camping in Pyrénées National Park

Bivouac is allowed when more than one hour away from the borders of the park or from the road, between 7pm and 9am.

Wild camping, campers and campfires are forbidden.

 

Wild camping in Cévennes National Park

Wild camping is strictly regulated.

Bivouac is allowed only in certain areas and in a certain time periods.

Campfires are forbidden.

 

Wild camping in Ecrins National Park

Bivouac is allowed between 7pm and 9am, your tent has to be small.

Portable fires are allowed, campfires on the ground are forbidden.

The location of the bivouac must be:

• More than an hour’s walk from a road access point or the limits of the heart
• Less than an hour’s walk from an access road to the road or the borders of the heart
• Close to particularly popular shelters: in the Pré de la Chaumette, on the edge of Lake Muzelle in Venosc and in the Pré des Selles near the Lauvitel -more in Bourg d’Oisans.

 

Wild camping in Mercantour National Park

Bivouac is allowed between 7pm and 9am. You have to be at least one hour away from the borders of the Park, the entrance of the Park and the roads.

They specifically claim that tents are not allowed (the definition of a bivouac is free for interpretation sometimes, but not in this Park).

 

Wild camping in Guadeloupe National Park

Bivouac is allowed when more than one hour away from the borders of the park or from the road.

 

Wild camping in Reunion National Park

Bivouac is allowed between 6pm and 7am, your tent has to be small. There are some protected areas where bivouac is not allowed at all.

 

Wild camping in Calanques National Park

Wild camping and bivouac is forbidden in the entire park

 

Regional Parks

Not all Regional Parks have separate rules. If a regional park does not have specific rules, it will fall back to the general rules (which is rather vague, it might not be legal, but you can assume it’s tolerated).

 

Wild camping in Armorica Regional Park

There are certain areas where camping is allowed.

Campfires are prohibited from 15 March to 30 September in the forests, plantations, forests or heaths and within a radius of 200 meters around these places.

 

Wild camping in Forêt d’Orient Regional Park

Wild camping and bivouac are forbidden in the entire Park.

 

Wild camping in Landes de Gascogne Regional Park

Wild camping, bivouac and authorized fires are allowed at a distance of more than 200m of woods, forests and moors.

 

Wild camping in Vercors Regional Park

Bivouac is allowed between 5pm and 9am.

 

Wild camping in Luberon Regional Park

Wild camping is forbidden in all the forests.

Bivouac is tolerated outside the summer and – if private land – with consent of the owner of the land.

 

Wild camping in Auvergne Regional Park

Bivouac as part of a walk will be tolerated in consultation with the private or public owner.

• Between 8pm and 8am
• No campfire
• Leaves no waste
• Do not bivouac on the slopes or peaks of volcanoes

 

Wild camping in Haute-Vallée de Chevreuse Regional Park

If you want to go wild camping, you must first contact the relevant township of the regional park Haute-Vallée de Chevreuse.

 

Wild camping in Cotentin en Bessin Regional Park

Wild camping and bivouac are forbidden in the entire Park.

 

Wild camping in Vesin Regional Park

Wild camping and bivouac are forbidden in the entire Park.

 

Wild camping in Touraine Regional Park

The bivouac is forbidden in classified sites. It is allowed on the beaches.

 

Wild camping in Verdon Regional Park

Wild camping is forbidden at the edges of the lake and in the gorges.

 

Wild camping in Monts d’Ardèche Regional Park

Wild camping and bivouac are forbidden in the entire Park.

 

Wild camping in Oise-Pays Regional Park

Wild camping is forbidden.

Bivouac can be allowed if the owner/manager agrees to it.

 

Wild camping in Pyrénées catalanes Regional Park

Wild camping is forbidden.

Bivouac is allowed near shelters and alongside the gr.

 

Wild camping in Préalpes d’Azur Regional Park

Wild camping is forbidden.

Bivouac can be allowed if the owner/manager agrees to it.

 

Conclusion

Bivouac in France is usually tolerated. Technically speaking it’s illegal in a lot of places, but these laws are not really meant to target hikers. This is also the reason that there is a difference between bivouac and wild camping.

Wild camping is rarely legal and often not tolerated, while a bivouac is often legal and almost always tolerated. There is no clear definition for the term bivouac. The main idea, however, is to just spend the night somewhere, be gone early in the morning and don’t leave a trace.

In most of the country, they don’t seem to care that much about a bivouac. However, when they do take the effort to specifically forbid it, I would advise to respect that decision. There is probably a reason.

If you are going to remember anything, simply remember: Bivouac is usually legal and tolerated, wild camping is usually illegal and not tolerated.

Make sure that you are well prepared for your wild camping trick.

Proper camping and hiking gear are a must.

Probably the most important items are hiking shoes and a lightweight tent.

 

Disclaimer

All of the information in this article is found in online sources. I always try to triple check every fact, but this wasn’t always possible. You can’t be certain that all of the information is 100% correct. Online sources might be wrong, rules could change, etc. Also, when I say that something is tolerated that does not necessarily make it legal, you could still get punished.

If you have correction, additions, remarks, etc. Feel free to let me know.