The Verdon is a dream playground for the campervan and the motorhome — as long as you know the
rules. Overnight only at an aire or campsite (wild camping is banned in the
Park), dimensions to watch on the Route des Crêtes, service aires and prices:
here is the honest guide to sleeping legally and driving with peace of mind in the gorge.
In brief
Overnight
only at an aire or campsite — wild camping banned in the Park (€135)
Dimensions
4.30 m high, 12 m long (Crêtes tunnels: 3.60 m high at the sides)
Aires
Saint-André-les-Alpes (free according to the tourist office), Sainte-Croix, Les Salles, Moustiers, Trigance
Route des Crêtes
partly one-way — take care with a large vehicle
The golden rule: no wild overnighting in the Park
Spending the night out in the open — in a belvedere car park, on a lakeshore, at the roadside —
is banned for any fitted-out vehicle (campervan, panel van, motorhome). The Verdon
Regional Nature Park sets out the principle that wild camping and bivouacking are prohibited
“in any form whatsoever”, and explicitly targets classified sites, nature reserves,
the lakeshores and the gorge — which covers the shores of Lake Sainte-Croix and Lake
Castillon and the canyon floor. The fine is €135. Elsewhere, no land is free of all
rules: on private land you need the owner’s permission, and municipal orders also apply.
You often read that a bivouac is tolerated “between 7pm and 9am, more than an hour’s walk
from a road”. That is the rule in certain national parks — not in the Verdon, which
is a regional nature park. Do not rely on it.
The service aires
Aire
Location
Services
Indicative price
“Saint-Andréenne” motorhome aire
Saint-André-les-Alpes (Grand’rue), according to the tourist office
Waste disposal + drinking water (tap off from October to April), no electricity
Free all year according to the tourist office (read on 9 October 2026)
Panoramique Castellas (Camping-Car Park)
Sainte-Croix-du-Verdon
Full services, secure site, 24/7 access
Paid
Orapi Market
Les Salles-sur-Verdon
Waste disposal & water (€3.50), electricity (€4)
€5.50 to €10.50 / night depending on season
Moustiers aire
Moustiers-Sainte-Marie
Parking, water, electricity, waste disposal
Paid — price to be confirmed on site
Trigance aire
Trigance
Service point April to October; parking only in winter
Depending on season
Prices and opening are indicative, verified on 11 July 2026 — they vary with the season. Always confirm on the spot or with the tourist office before settling in.
Where to sleep legally
Two options, and only two: a purpose-built service aire, or one of the roughly 25 campsites dotted around the gorge. Out in the open, inside the Park, the answer is no — we spell that out just below. The aires range from the stopover at Saint-André-les-Alpes, listed as free by the tourist office, to fully equipped sites near the lakes; book in summer, they fill up fast. In Castellane, two 5-star campsites set aside dedicated motorhome pitches: Camping Terra Verdon (88 motorhome pitches) and Camping Domaine du Verdon (Sandaya), with a Flot Bleu service point.
According to the tourist office, vehicles must not exceed 4.30 m in height and 12 m in length on the canyon roads — and on the Route des Crêtes, the sides of the two vaulted tunnels drop to 3.60 m high. That road is partly one-way and closed in winter; together with the Corniche Sublime (left bank), narrow and winding, it demands genuine mountain-driving skill in a large vehicle. When in doubt, park the motorhome and do the loop by car.
Stock up on services at the equipped aires: the service point at Saint-André-les-Alpes (free according to the tourist office), Camping-Car Park at Sainte-Croix, Orapi Market at Les Salles-sur-Verdon, the Moustiers and Trigance aires. Most campsites also offer waste disposal and water refills. For fuel and electric charging, we have mapped the stations and charge points across the area.
The gorge loop is best savoured without rushing. Set off early in the morning — the belvedere car parks and the narrow Pont du Galetas fill up fast in season — favour the large village car parks, and keep a fixed base to explore from, on foot, by bike or by bus, rather than driving the motorhome everywhere.
It’s every vanlifer’s dream — but the shores of Lake Sainte-Croix and Lake Castillon are closed to overnight parking. The right approach: an aire near the lake (Sainte-Croix, Les Salles), swimming by day, and the night on a legal pitch. We tell you exactly where to swim.
The Verdon is a Regional Nature Park: don’t spill out beyond the aires, don’t light fires, take your rubbish with you, respect the quiet and the flocks. That is what keeps these roads open to motorhomes — and what saves you the €135 fine. Treading lightly on nature also means travelling with peace of mind.
Frequently asked questions
Can you sleep in a motorhome in the Gorges du Verdon?
Yes, but only at a purpose-built service aire or a campsite. The Parc naturel régional du Verdon sets out the principle: “As a matter of principle, wild camping and bivouacking in any form whatsoever (tent, caravanning, motorhome…) are prohibited”, and especially in classified sites, nature reserves, on the lakeshores and in the gorge. Elsewhere, no land is free of all regulation: on private land you need the owner’s permission, and municipal orders also apply. The fine is €135. The lakeshores and the canyon floor are also dangerous in the event of a water release or a flood.
Where can you empty waste and fill up with water in the Verdon?
At the service aires: Saint-André-les-Alpes (service point free according to the tourist office, off from October to April), Sainte-Croix-du-Verdon (Camping-Car Park), Les Salles-sur-Verdon (Orapi Market), Moustiers-Sainte-Marie and Trigance. Most campsites in the area also offer grey-water disposal and drinking-water refills, sometimes for passing visitors.
What size of vehicle can take the Route des Crêtes?
According to the tourist office, vehicles must not exceed 4.30 m in height and 12 m in length on the canyon roads; on the Route des Crêtes, the sides of the two vaulted tunnels drop to 3.60 m high. That road is partly one-way and closed in winter, with tight bends: it remains open to a reasonable, careful motorhome, but with a large vehicle it is better driven by car from your base.
Is wild camping in a campervan allowed in the Verdon?
No. The Parc naturel régional du Verdon is explicit: wild camping and bivouacking are prohibited “as a matter of principle”, in any form whatsoever. Beware of a very widespread confusion: the bivouac tolerance “between 7pm and 9am, more than an hour’s walk from a road” is the rule in certain national parks (Écrins, Mercantour) — it does not exist here, the Verdon being a regional nature park. For a campervan, a panel van or a motorhome, the only legal way to spend the night is a service aire or a campsite.
Where can you park a motorhome for free in the Verdon?
According to the departmental tourist office (tourisme-alpes-haute-provence.com, read on 9 October 2026), the “Saint-Andréenne” motorhome aire, on Grand’rue in Saint-André-les-Alpes, is free all year and has a service point (drinking water and waste disposal, off from October to April), with no electricity. Elsewhere the aires are generally paid, often €5 to €20 a night depending on the season and services. Always check the prices and opening on the spot before settling in.
Check for yourself
The external sources this guide relies on, one click away. We would rather you be able to contradict us than ask you to take our word for it.
“As a matter of principle, wild camping and bivouacking in any form whatsoever (tent, caravanning, motorhome…) are prohibited”, particularly in classified sites, reserves, on the lakeshores and in the gorge. No tolerance based on time of day or walking distance is mentioned. Outside regulated zones, the owner’s permission is required.
“Wild camping, in any form whatsoever (tent, caravanning, motorhome…), is prohibited on the lakeshores and in the gorge”; punishable by a €135 fine; separate rules for land, aquatic and vertical environments.
Tourist office covering 16 villages of the left bank and the lakes, including Aiguines, Bauduen and Trigance; the beaches of Bauduen, Galetas (Aiguines) and Margaridon (Les Salles-sur-Verdon).
Quotations from French-language sources are translated by us; the original wording is on the page behind each link.
All 4 links responded during our last automated check, on 22 September 2026. A broken link is removed, never left in place.