Shopping in France
Local Markets/Marchés
A real pleasure to visit. You can buy fresh fruit, vegetables, cheeses, eggs, meat, poultry, fish and near the coast a variety of delicious “fruits de mer” or seafood. Check with site reception for details of local markets.
Large Supermarkets/Hypermarkets
They usually operate a deposit system for the trolley, so it is a good idea to have a euro piece handy.
Gas
Camping Gaz is widely available and is sold by most large campsites or can be acquired from a local supermarket or hypermarket. Garages in the main holiday areas often sell Camping Gaz, Butagaz and Propane. Red Antargaz bottles are also widely available, but suppliers are unable to refill the standard British bottles. Also the adaptors which fit European bottles do not conform to British standards. If you are not using Camping Gaz, we advise you to take as much gas as you require for your trip or be prepared to pay hefty deposits on the French Butagaz or Primagaz bottles.
Banks
Opening times vary but are generally open from 09:30 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 17:00. Banks close early on a day before a bank holiday and are often closed on Mondays.
Credit cards Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted in most establishments, provided they are for amounts above 8 euros. There are numerous ATMs in most towns.
Post Office/PTT
Normally open from 08:00 to 12:00 and
14:00 to 18:00 Monday to Friday and until 12:00 on Saturday.
Doctors and Pharmacies
The location of the nearest surgery can be provided by the site reception. They are usually happy to make an appointment for you. In an emergency go to the Accident & Emergency Dept of the nearest hospital. There is wide network of chemists in most towns which operate the same opening hours as shops. They can easily be identified by a large green cross outside. There is always one on duty at weekends.