This site uses cookies - see our privacy policy. Ads & links in bold may give us a small payment from the seller, at no cost to the buyer. However, this never affects our views - if we like it, we recommend it.
France's 5 Best Holiday Park Swimming Pools and Waterparks
A good swimming pool or waterpark is essential for us when we stay at a holiday park in France. The waterparks at French holiday parks tend to be bigger and better than those found in the UK, mostly because France's summer is hotter. It's certainly less likely to be interrupted by the dreary days that you might suffer in Skegness in August.
Holiday parks in France are often referred to as 'campsites' or 'camping' resorts. Don't be put off by this - we've only included resorts with proper holiday homes. You'll get accommodation that is is similar to what you'd expect at a Haven or Parkdean holiday park in the UK (or better in the case of the Center Parcs we've included).
Here's our top five French resorts with waterparks and big swimming pools, based on value for money, proximity to a beach, swimming facilities, customer reviews, climate and travel time from the UK.
Holiday parks in France are often referred to as 'campsites' or 'camping' resorts. Don't be put off by this - we've only included resorts with proper holiday homes. You'll get accommodation that is is similar to what you'd expect at a Haven or Parkdean holiday park in the UK (or better in the case of the Center Parcs we've included).
Here's our top five French resorts with waterparks and big swimming pools, based on value for money, proximity to a beach, swimming facilities, customer reviews, climate and travel time from the UK.
1. Center Parcs Le Bois Aux Daims - 7 flumes, rapids, lazy river, wave pool
There are seven Center Parcs in France but the one with the best swimming pool and best overall is Le Bois Aux Daims.
I should point out that I'm not making these claims willy-nilly but have compared all the review scores with the investigative skills of a detective on an ITV crime drama.
Overall, Le Bois Aux Daims scores 80% from customers, based on 4/5 on TripAdvisor and Google Reviews. Reviews for its Aqua Mundo (water world) are currently 88% overall, slightly ahead of Center Parcs Villages Nature Paris near Disneyland Paris.
Le Bois Aux Daims is a particularly good choice outside of the peak summer season, as quite a bit of the waterpark is indoors.
As with Center Parcs in the UK, the swimming pool is included in the price of your holiday. Most other activities are charged separately, although they are much cheaper at the European Center Parcs, which are run by a different company to the UK resorts.
The Aqua Mundo has got four main flumes, as well as smaller water slides for younger children. There's a 'wild water river', which is generally known as the rapids in the UK. You also get a lazy river, hot tubs, a wave machine and a pool where you can dive down and peer into a fish tank.
Besides the Aqua Mundo, you also get a big range of other activities including things like high ropes courses, archery and zip wires.
The accommodation is pretty similar to Center Parcs in the UK. The standard holiday homes are known as 'cottages' at Center Parcs Europe and come in three grades of poshness. Le Bois Aux Daims also has some quirky alternatives including treehouses and some extra large properties that sleep up to 12 people.
I should point out that I'm not making these claims willy-nilly but have compared all the review scores with the investigative skills of a detective on an ITV crime drama.
Overall, Le Bois Aux Daims scores 80% from customers, based on 4/5 on TripAdvisor and Google Reviews. Reviews for its Aqua Mundo (water world) are currently 88% overall, slightly ahead of Center Parcs Villages Nature Paris near Disneyland Paris.
Le Bois Aux Daims is a particularly good choice outside of the peak summer season, as quite a bit of the waterpark is indoors.
As with Center Parcs in the UK, the swimming pool is included in the price of your holiday. Most other activities are charged separately, although they are much cheaper at the European Center Parcs, which are run by a different company to the UK resorts.
The Aqua Mundo has got four main flumes, as well as smaller water slides for younger children. There's a 'wild water river', which is generally known as the rapids in the UK. You also get a lazy river, hot tubs, a wave machine and a pool where you can dive down and peer into a fish tank.
Besides the Aqua Mundo, you also get a big range of other activities including things like high ropes courses, archery and zip wires.
The accommodation is pretty similar to Center Parcs in the UK. The standard holiday homes are known as 'cottages' at Center Parcs Europe and come in three grades of poshness. Le Bois Aux Daims also has some quirky alternatives including treehouses and some extra large properties that sleep up to 12 people.
Location and price of holidays at Le Bois Aux Daims
Le Bois Aux Daims isn't the quickest Center Parcs to reach in France from the UK, but it's closer than a lot of the resorts in this top five. (See our guide to the closest Center Parcs Europe from the UK if stress-free travel is your priority).
If you're bringing your own car, then you'll need to drive for about 5 1/2 hours from the Eurotunnel/Le Shuttle at Calais or about 3 - 4 hours from ferry ports at Cherbourg, St Malo or Le Havre. Personally, I like the Eurotunnel/Le Shuttle from Folkestone as it only takes about 35 minutes and is onboard a big train rather than a ferry.
If you want to fly, you will probably go from the UK to Poitiers. That'll take 90 minutes and then it's a drive of about one hour to Center Parcs. When you stay at Center Parcs, you don't tend to leave the site very much so you might get away with a taxi rather than hiring a car.
One notable downside of Le Bois Aux Daims is that it is inland. The nearest beach is a couple of hours away.
Price: £1680 for a week's holiday for a family of four in August 2025. See our guide to Center Parcs in France to see how that compares on price. It's usually cheaper to book through CenterParcs.fr rather than through CenterParcs.eu. You get the same holiday but can often save £100+. You'll see the UK referred to as Royaume-Uni on the booking form.
If you're bringing your own car, then you'll need to drive for about 5 1/2 hours from the Eurotunnel/Le Shuttle at Calais or about 3 - 4 hours from ferry ports at Cherbourg, St Malo or Le Havre. Personally, I like the Eurotunnel/Le Shuttle from Folkestone as it only takes about 35 minutes and is onboard a big train rather than a ferry.
If you want to fly, you will probably go from the UK to Poitiers. That'll take 90 minutes and then it's a drive of about one hour to Center Parcs. When you stay at Center Parcs, you don't tend to leave the site very much so you might get away with a taxi rather than hiring a car.
One notable downside of Le Bois Aux Daims is that it is inland. The nearest beach is a couple of hours away.
Price: £1680 for a week's holiday for a family of four in August 2025. See our guide to Center Parcs in France to see how that compares on price. It's usually cheaper to book through CenterParcs.fr rather than through CenterParcs.eu. You get the same holiday but can often save £100+. You'll see the UK referred to as Royaume-Uni on the booking form.
Le Bois Aux Daims has the best waterpark of all the Center Parcs in France
|
Fun and games at the Aqua Mundo include four flumes, plus smaller slides
|
2. Eurocamp Le Serignan Plage Campsite - 4 slides, lagoon pool, beach
Reviews for Le Serignan Plage Campsite are dazzling at 91% (4.5/5 on TripAdvisor plus 4.6/5 on Google Reviews). You'll struggle to find a higher score a large French holiday park.
The downsides are that it's quite a long journey from the UK and more expensive than most French holiday parks.
The waterpark is entirely outdoors, so it's one for the summer months. You'll find it on France's southern coast so the weather averages 24 Celsius in July and August. June and September are also very pleasant at about 20 - 21 Celsius.
There's a big 'lagoon' pool, four flumes/waterslides and a splash park for younger children. The range of things to do in the waterpark isn't quite as impressive as Center Parcs Le Bois Aux Daims but you have the added bonus of being right on the beach. It's worth mentioning that the beach is the sort of place where the French like to let it all hang out, if you know what I mean...
Besides the water park, there are also a couple of places to eat out and various sports including basketball, football and boules (which is ubiquitous at French holiday parks).
The downsides are that it's quite a long journey from the UK and more expensive than most French holiday parks.
The waterpark is entirely outdoors, so it's one for the summer months. You'll find it on France's southern coast so the weather averages 24 Celsius in July and August. June and September are also very pleasant at about 20 - 21 Celsius.
There's a big 'lagoon' pool, four flumes/waterslides and a splash park for younger children. The range of things to do in the waterpark isn't quite as impressive as Center Parcs Le Bois Aux Daims but you have the added bonus of being right on the beach. It's worth mentioning that the beach is the sort of place where the French like to let it all hang out, if you know what I mean...
Besides the water park, there are also a couple of places to eat out and various sports including basketball, football and boules (which is ubiquitous at French holiday parks).
Location and price of holidays at Le Serignan Plage Campsite
Le Serignan Plage Campsite is probably a bit too far for driving from the UK. It'll take you about 10 hours of solid driving to reach the resort from Calais, or longer if you get stuck behind a convoy of tractors. You are more likely to want to fly, which takes just about two hours from the UK to Montpellier. You'll then need to drive for an hour from the airport.
Price: £2769 for a 'Comfort' holiday home for a family of four, for a week in August 2025. You can upgrade to 'Premium' accommodation (see our guide to Eurocamp's grading system or the official guide). That's a pretty high price compared to most other French resorts with swimming pools and waterparks.
Price: £2769 for a 'Comfort' holiday home for a family of four, for a week in August 2025. You can upgrade to 'Premium' accommodation (see our guide to Eurocamp's grading system or the official guide). That's a pretty high price compared to most other French resorts with swimming pools and waterparks.
Highly-rated Eurocamp Le Serignan Plage Campsite​ has a good choice of waterslides
|
Guests can also use the splash park and have a beach on the edge of the resort
|
3. Le Palace - flumes, hot tubs and a beach within walking distance
**Winner: best value French holiday park with a water park**
The waterpark at Le Palace Campsite is an overwhelming collection of slides, flumes, hot tubs and a 'counter-current' river that you can attempt to swim against. There's a four lane waterslide, a pirates' ship and the beach is only about six minutes walk away.
That may explain why customers rave about it and give an average review score of 84% (we worked out this out by calculating average scores on TripAdvisor and Google Reviews).
As with other holiday parks in this guide, you can ignore the fact that it's called a 'Campsite'. The accommodation is caravan/lodge style holiday homes that won't fall over in a light breeze.
There's a large restaurant for guests, kids' clubs and several sports including football, volleyball and archery.
That may explain why customers rave about it and give an average review score of 84% (we worked out this out by calculating average scores on TripAdvisor and Google Reviews).
As with other holiday parks in this guide, you can ignore the fact that it's called a 'Campsite'. The accommodation is caravan/lodge style holiday homes that won't fall over in a light breeze.
There's a large restaurant for guests, kids' clubs and several sports including football, volleyball and archery.
Location and price of holidays at Le Palace Campsite
Le Palace Campsite is on France's west coast, so the weather will be good in summer but not quite as hot as Eurocamp Le Serignan Plage Campsite. The average in July and August is about 21 Celsius whilst June and September is more like 19 Celsius. Personally, that sounds ideal but you might prefer it hotter!
You can fly to Bordeaux airport from the UK in about 1 hour 40 minutes and then drive to Le Palace Campsite in about 1 hour 30 minutes. Alternatively, it'll take you about five or six hours from the ferry ports at Saint Malo or Le Havre. There are various ferry options, including the Portsmouth to St Malo crossing with Brittany Ferries, which takes about eight to 12 hours. If you go for the Eurotunnel/Le Shuttle then it's a 35 minute train plus an eight hour drive from Calais.
In other words, you can have a short train journey and a long drive or a long ferry and a shorter drive.
Price: £1309 for a week's holiday in a Comfort XL holiday home in August 2025. That's the price for a family of four, but they also have accommodation for families of six people for similar prices.
You can fly to Bordeaux airport from the UK in about 1 hour 40 minutes and then drive to Le Palace Campsite in about 1 hour 30 minutes. Alternatively, it'll take you about five or six hours from the ferry ports at Saint Malo or Le Havre. There are various ferry options, including the Portsmouth to St Malo crossing with Brittany Ferries, which takes about eight to 12 hours. If you go for the Eurotunnel/Le Shuttle then it's a 35 minute train plus an eight hour drive from Calais.
In other words, you can have a short train journey and a long drive or a long ferry and a shorter drive.
Price: £1309 for a week's holiday in a Comfort XL holiday home in August 2025. That's the price for a family of four, but they also have accommodation for families of six people for similar prices.
The waterpark at Le Palace Campsite has a terrific choice of slides
|
There's also an indoor pool at Le Palace as part of the waterpark
|
4. Holiday Green Campsite - flumes, pools, drive to beach
Holiday Green Campsite offers a lot for a reasonable price. I'm not exactly sure why it has such an English-sounding name, but we'll ignore that.
The water park is made up of three swimming pools, six waterslides and flumes, as well as a splash park. A lot of the pool was upgraded and added in 2022, so it's still looking modern and shiny. The park runs various activities in the waterpark including water volleyball and aqua aerobics.
It doesn't have the huge long flumes that you get at some of the other holiday parks we've featured in this guide, but the centrepiece is a big splash area with several smaller flumes and slides.
Besides the waterpark and swimming pools, you can dine in one of three restaurants, hire bikes and play sports including tennis and football. The nearest beach is a drive of about 15 minutes away.
Customer review scores average 83% for Holiday Green. That includes 4/5 on TripAdvisor and 4.3/5 on Google Reviews.
The water park is made up of three swimming pools, six waterslides and flumes, as well as a splash park. A lot of the pool was upgraded and added in 2022, so it's still looking modern and shiny. The park runs various activities in the waterpark including water volleyball and aqua aerobics.
It doesn't have the huge long flumes that you get at some of the other holiday parks we've featured in this guide, but the centrepiece is a big splash area with several smaller flumes and slides.
Besides the waterpark and swimming pools, you can dine in one of three restaurants, hire bikes and play sports including tennis and football. The nearest beach is a drive of about 15 minutes away.
Customer review scores average 83% for Holiday Green. That includes 4/5 on TripAdvisor and 4.3/5 on Google Reviews.
Location and price of holidays at Holiday Green Campsite
Holiday Green Campsite is in the South of France, much like a lot of holiday parks with outdoor pools. That's not a great surprise as it's notably warmer than Brittany in Northern France.
Driving from Calais or one of the ferry ports that connect with the UK would be a stress-inducing 11 hour drive. You'll also need to add on time for toilet stops, arguments about who gets to sit in the front and complaints about someone feeling sick. I think you'd struggle to do it in one day, but perhaps you are more resilient than me. The alternative is to fly for about two hours to Cannes and then drive for 45 minutes to Holiday Green Campsite.
Price: £1480 for a week in August 2025 for a family of four. The standard properties have two bedrooms and sleep up to six people.
Driving from Calais or one of the ferry ports that connect with the UK would be a stress-inducing 11 hour drive. You'll also need to add on time for toilet stops, arguments about who gets to sit in the front and complaints about someone feeling sick. I think you'd struggle to do it in one day, but perhaps you are more resilient than me. The alternative is to fly for about two hours to Cannes and then drive for 45 minutes to Holiday Green Campsite.
Price: £1480 for a week in August 2025 for a family of four. The standard properties have two bedrooms and sleep up to six people.
Holiday Green Campsite is in Southern France, despite sounding rather English
|
It's got several waterslides as well as big pools to splash around in
|
5. La Pinède Holiday Park and Waterpark - waterslides, indoor and outdoor pools, 10 mins to beach
Our final pick for the best holiday park swimming pools and waterparks in France is La Pinède on the West Coast. We reckon it's a good mix of sensible prices with an excellent collection of slides and pools. The local beach isn't on the doorstep, but it's sandy and you can reach it in ten minutes by car.
There are four open-top flume rides, as well as a four lane slide and a couple of splash parks. You can also pick from indoor and outdoor swimming pools. During the peak summer months, there's a mid-sized theme park next door to the resort called Luna Park.
Onsite, there are kids' clubs for different ages as well as several sports including basketball, archery and minigolf. The park is mid-sized rather than vast - La Pinède has got about 500 holiday homes whilst Eurocamp Le Serignan Plage Campsite has more than 1000.
Customer reviews average 84%, which puts it on a par with Le Palace Campsite. We calculated our average scores by combining reviews on TripAdvisor and Google Reviews.
There are four open-top flume rides, as well as a four lane slide and a couple of splash parks. You can also pick from indoor and outdoor swimming pools. During the peak summer months, there's a mid-sized theme park next door to the resort called Luna Park.
Onsite, there are kids' clubs for different ages as well as several sports including basketball, archery and minigolf. The park is mid-sized rather than vast - La Pinède has got about 500 holiday homes whilst Eurocamp Le Serignan Plage Campsite has more than 1000.
Customer reviews average 84%, which puts it on a par with Le Palace Campsite. We calculated our average scores by combining reviews on TripAdvisor and Google Reviews.
Location and price of holidays at La Pinède
As mentioned thirty seconds ago, La Pinède is on the West Coast of France. That means it's a bit easier to reach from the UK than Southern France holiday parks such as Holiday Green Campsite. It also means it will be a couple of degrees cooler, which is either a good thing or a bad thing depending on how likely you are to complain about being too hot.
You can drive to La Pinède Campsite in about 4 1/2 hours from St Malo or about 7 hours from Calais. Cherbourg and Le Havre are somewhere in the middle of those two. Flights from the UK to La Rochelle take about 90 minutes and then it's an hour's drive.
Price: £1285 for a two bedroom holiday home for a family of four in August 2025. That price is for a week's holiday and is in relatively basic accommodation. There are plenty of upgrade options, for only a modest increase in price.
You can drive to La Pinède Campsite in about 4 1/2 hours from St Malo or about 7 hours from Calais. Cherbourg and Le Havre are somewhere in the middle of those two. Flights from the UK to La Rochelle take about 90 minutes and then it's an hour's drive.
Price: £1285 for a two bedroom holiday home for a family of four in August 2025. That price is for a week's holiday and is in relatively basic accommodation. There are plenty of upgrade options, for only a modest increase in price.
La Pinède is less than five hours from some ferry ports from the UK
|
We've found La Pinède to be better priced than a lot of French holiday parks with waterparks
|
Price comparison of France's five best holiday parks with waterparks and swimming pools
We looked for the price of a week's holiday in August 2025. We were a little flexible with dates to try and get the lowest prices, but we aimed for a holiday in the first couple of weeks of the month, before it starts to get a bit cooler.
We then ranked them from cheapest to most expensive.
We then ranked them from cheapest to most expensive.
- La Pinède - £1285
- Le Palace - £1309
- Holiday Green - £1480
- Center Parcs Le Bois Aux Daims - £1680
- Le Serignan Plage - £2769
