Top 5 campsites handy for Paris

With good budget accommodation options for families scarce in the French capital, it can make sense to make your base outside Paris and make day-trips into the city, says Rhonda Carrier.

Though few people immediately associate big cities with camping, there are a surprising number of excellent sites within striking distance of Paris, meaning you can combine the pleasures of a city break with great leisure facilities and activities, and a feeling of space that no hotel room or bijou apartment can afford.

Taking the ferry to France is the most convenient way to transport your brood and all your kit - and if you take your own car, the region's famous theme parks are also within easy reach.

Here are my top five campsites, all of which are fantastic for kids:

Huttopia, ÃŽle-de-France

Sister sites in the Parisian suburbs, Huttopia Rambouillet and Huttopia Versailles both boast glorious forest settings yet are just 20 minutes or so from the Eiffel Tower.

As well as camping pitches, each offers a variety of quirky rustic wooden accommodation, from Canadian-style tents to wooden cabins and roulettes (Gypsy caravans).

You can also hire bikes and take part in all kinds of activities, most with an eco-friendly bent, and there are on-site swimming pools for the warmer months.

Camping International de Maisons-Laffitte, ÃŽle-de-France

Only 22km west of central Paris on a small island in the Seine, and well-served by RER overland train, Camping International de Maisons-Laffitte is a cheap and cheerful option for those who plan to do a lot of sightseeing - although facilities are minimal (no pool).

The noise (express trains, barges, and local birdlife!) also make it an option best suited to those with older kids.

Eurocamp offers mobile homes here; Keycamp offers both mobile homes and 'super tents' with four bedrooms for up to six people, plus electricity and full-size fridges.

Les Etangs Fleuris, Ile de France

Just under 60km east of Paris, Les Etangs Fleuris is a low-key campsite within easy reach of both the capital and Disneyland Paris (25 minutes' drive away).

Nestled in pretty countryside best known for its Brie production, it provides a peaceful haven for those with tents or motorhomes and also offers cheerfully outfitted mobile homes for up to five.

On-site facilities and activities include an outdoor pool, a playground, a boules pitch, mini golf, and trout and carp fishing on a small lake.

Camping La Pont du Vieux Croix , Picardy

Offered by a variety of camping operators, including Eurocamp, Keycamp and Canvas Holidays, this site camps out in idyllic countryside 120km north of Paris.

Camping La Pont du Vieux Croix makes a great base for trips into the capital (by car or by train from nearby Soissons), as well as being just 110km from Disneyland Paris, about 85km from the Gallic-themed Parc Astérix, and only 260km from the Channel port of Dover.

Based around three pretty lakes, one with a beach, it's calm, spacious and particularly well suited to families with young kids.

Accommodation options range from mobile homes to safari tents and treehouses, or you're free to just bring your own tent or mobile home and bag a quiet corner.

Camping Campix, Picardy

This site feels surprisingly wild given its location just 60km north of Paris, 20km northwest of Parc Astérix and a few minutes from France's chic horse-racing capital, Chantilly and its surrounding forest.

This is due to Campix's setting in an old landscaped stone quarry, and to the fact that guests are free to make campfires.

For those who don't bring their own tents or motorhomes, there are cabins and bungalows for rent. And in summer, you and the kids can splash around in the outdoor pool.

By Rhonda Carrier

P&O Ferries' family travel expert, Rhonda Carrier, is author of the Frommer's guides 'Normandy with Your Family' and 'Brittany with Your Family'. Visit the P&O Ferries website for more of her advice aboutfamily holidays in France.

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