La Paillote

View prices & book 7.5 118 reviews
Spacious pitches
Spacious pitches
Our nice plot.
Really well maintained.
Peaceful and private pitch
Great little pitch
Space was fine for van and 2 tents
Barbecue area
Shaded picnic tables
1/23
Our nice plot.
Really well maintained.
Peaceful and private pitch

  • Family-friendly site with grass pitches a 25-minute drive from Calais
  • Cap Blanc-Nez half an hour’s drive; Boulogne-sur-Mer 35 minutes
  • Brasserie/bar with live music and beer garden; pétanque on site
An excellent base for exploring the northern French department of Pas-de-Calais, La Paillote is in the village of Balinghem, about five minutes by car from the medieval market town of Ardres. And if that doesn't help you place exactly where this small well-maintained site is, it might help to know that Calais and the beaches of the Opal Coast are a 25-minute drive to the north. As well as level grass pitches and a ‘dogs are welcome’ policy, La Paillote also has an on-site brasserie/bar that serves simple meals (think croque monsieur sandwiches, that sort of thing) and local beers. The bar often comes alive with live music, and the entertainment might also spill outside into the beer garden, where there’s no shortage of picnic tables for alfresco dining and drinking. A pétanque court is available for those who want a bit of traditional outdoor competition. Keen anglers might be grateful for the proximity to the Etang d’Ardres lake (five minutes’ drive), with its stocks of carp, while hikers and birdwatchers should make a beeline to the Marais de Guînes (10 minutes), a wetland area inhabited by marsh harriers and cuckoos. If you prefer your walks with a dash of sea salt, you can head to the cliffs at Cap Blanc-Nez (half an hour) and walk the coastal trail while taking in views across the Channel to the White Cliffs of Dover (weather permitting). In addition to the toilets in the brasserie, there is an on-site toilet block, showers and a washing-up area, plus a launderette.

Campground type

RV sites 22
Tent sites 22
Camper sites 22
Open now
Opens April 15

Tourist board rating

Please note
  • The campground/park does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Breed-specific legislation (i.e. Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro) and/or any of the following: Staffordshire bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, Rottweiler, any Mastiff or Tosa.
  • At least one of the party members must be aged 18 or over.

Languages spoken

English

French

Open from Tue, Apr 15 to

No availability here for your search criteria

Reviews

7.5

Overall rating from 118 Pitchup.com customers

  • 35%
    10
  • 3%
    9
  • 25%
    8
  • 4%
    7
  • 11%
    6
  • 1%
    5
  • 8%
    4
  • 0%
    3
  • 5%
    2
  • 3%
    1
Location
 8
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 7
Facilities / Activities
 6
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 8
Cleanliness
 7
Wifi
 5
Budget/backpacker

72% would recommend this campground to a friend

74% would stay here again

What customers say

Great location for ferry/tunnel crossings! Staff are friendly & welcoming. Pitches are private & spacious. Bar/restaurant is good, some enjoy live music. Toilets/showers are dated/basic, bring your own TP. Some bar noise reported.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 12
Arrival date (latest first)

The campsite is cheap and that is what you get for your money.

Overall

1 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 1
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 2
Cleanliness
 1
Wifi
 No rating
Tiffany A.

Power optional grass and earth campsite

Liked Friendly welcome
Bar was nice to have a drink and our son had a burger which was nice
Pitch size was great for our motor home
The price was great for exactly what we needed. A over night stay before catching our boat back to the uk
This campsite is literally 20 min from Calais ferry port

Disliked Sat nav address does not take you to the campsite which was slightly annoying
Shower facilities, toilet facilities basically all the facilities onsite was not great at all.
Very very run down, very dirty, very smelly and the worse we have seen while travelling.
There was a dog onsite that barked throughout the night which again wasn’t great.
Overall we needed somewhere to park up for one night close to the port and that what we did. We definitely would not use this campsite for any other purpose

Recommend to friends Visit again

Do not book it for ferry crossing.

Overall

1 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 No rating
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 No rating
Customer service
 No rating
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 No rating
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous

Power optional grass and earth campsite

Liked Showers and toilets are clean, close to ferry port(if you’re not getting an early ferry)

Disliked We chose La Paillote as a convenient overnight stop before our early ferry, attracted by its description as a small, well-maintained and peaceful site close to Calais. Unfortunately, the reality was very different. What we experienced was extremely loud music and partying that went on until 3am, making any chance of rest impossible. For a site that markets itself as a calm base and highlights its proximity to the ferry port, this was hugely disappointing and left us feeling misled.

The pitches themselves are oddly laid out, directly behind the bar area, with the rest of the grounds largely taken up by static caravans. This means that if there is noise at the bar — and there was a lot during our stay — it carries straight across the camping area, leaving little chance of peace or privacy. While the facilities are fine and the location is good for exploring Pas-de-Calais, the setup simply does not lend itself to quiet camping.

In fairness, if you’re looking for a party atmosphere with live music and don’t mind noise into the early hours, you may well enjoy La Paillote. However, for travellers seeking a peaceful night before travelling, or families hoping for a calm stay, this is not the place. Clearer advertising about the nature of the site and the location of the pitches would go a long way to set expectations honestly.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Superfriendly, familiär, lively, good food, nice…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 7
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 8
Antje H.

Power optional grass and earth campsite

Liked Superfriendly, familiär, lively, good food, nice bar, good entertaining

Recommend to friends Visit again

Camping calme et chaleureux. J'y ai…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 7
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 7
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
Anonymous

Power optional grass and earth campsite

Liked Camping calme et chaleureux. J'y ai séjourné en tente, seule avec mes deux enfants. Je m'y suis sentie en sécurité. Les enfants se sont bien amusés. L'emplacement était spacieux et bien entretenu. Les sanitaires étaient propres, les douches chaudes. Nous avons pu faire un barbecue et profiter des aménagements. Les voisins étaient sympathiques et le patron aux petits soins. Le camping est à proximité de la mer, en voiture. C'est un bon rapport qualité-prix.

Recommend to friends Visit again

I would stay here again

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 No rating
Customer service
 7
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 No rating
Andrea W.

Power optional grass and earth campsite

Liked The location close to Calais ferry port is great. Very generous pitches, the gentleman at the reception spoke perfectly English.
I kind of like the charm of this side and although the facilities are dated they were clean. We haven't tried the food but it is good to know that it is on offer. And after all the price was great.

Disliked The noisy neighbours sharing their music with half the campsite. They had to turn it down if they needed to talk to each other. When they finally finished the bar kicked off.
But when we packed up early to catch our ferry we got the complaints, out of a tent and someone even came over! 😂

Recommend to friends Visit again

Netter kleiner Zeltplatz

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 7
Wifi
 No rating
Frank B.

Power optional grass and earth campsite

Liked Freie Platzwahl, freundlicher Empfang, ruhige Lage, ebener Boden

Disliked Kein Toilettenpapier, Straßenlärm

Recommend to friends Visit again

Not ce campsite less for a short stop over.

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 No rating
Customer service
 No rating
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous

Power optional grass and earth campsite

Liked Nice emplacement with hedge. Very quiet and clean site. Friendly and helpful owner . Good bar, but restricted food menu.
Very few toilets and showers but it was adequate as it was not a busy site. Good for cycling around to other villages. We cycled to the nearest village Ardre where we found a nice restaurant beside a lake. There are shops, bars and supermarkets.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Met het onthaal…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 6
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 6
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 6
Hendrik D.

Power optional grass and earth campsite

Liked Met het onthaal

Disliked Tuin

Recommend to friends Visit again

Passt gut

Overall

6 out of 10
Location
 6
Value for money
 7
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 6
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 5
Wifi
 No rating
Helfried F.

Power optional grass and earth campsite

Liked Einfach guter Campingplatz, gerne wieder!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Level pitch with electricity. Very close…

Overall

4 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 3
Accommodation
 5
Facilities / Activities
 5
Customer service
 4
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 2
Wifi
 No rating
Yvonne S.

Power optional grass and earth campsite

Liked Level pitch with electricity. Very close to Calais port.

Disliked Toilets and showers were grotty, below the standard of other places I visited in France

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Portable toilet

Dogs allowed

Leisure on park

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Playground Pétanque Recreation room/arcade TV room Takeout Tennis Watersports

Amenities on park

Bath available Car parking by site/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Free wifi Grocery store Ice pack freezing Internet access Laundromat Parent & baby washroom Payphone Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Restrooms Shower available Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue grills allowed Barbecue provided Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed Dogs allowed all year

Themes

Gastronomic delight Peaceful

Utilities

Charging facilities Dump station Electric car charging point(s) Propane/gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby

Type

Small (11-25 sites)

Location

La Paillote

2219

Rue du Camp du Drap d’Or

Balinghem

Pas-de-Calais

France

62610

Directions

Timezone

Europe/Paris +0200 (GMT+02:00)

GPS

50.86254°N
1.94783°E

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Local attractions

Saint Joseph Village (10 minutes’ drive) is an open-air museum/theme park where you can learn what life was like in this region at the start of the 20th century. Reconstructed buildings include a school and old-fashioned stores such a haberdasher’s and a vintage bakery. At Calais you can relax on the sandy beach while watching the ferries shuttle across the Channel; climb to the top of the lighthouse to see if you can make out the English coast; or visit the Musée des Beaux-Arts, with its collection of works by the sculptor Auguste Rodin. One of Rodin’s famed sculptures, The Burghers of Calais, sits in front of the town hall. Boulogne-sur-Mer (35 minutes) is known for Nausicaá - Centre national de la Mer, a vast aquarium housing sharks, manta rays and tropical fish, plus penguins and turtles. The aquarium sits at the western end of the sandy beach, which is flanked by a long jetty and the Phare Rouge lighthouse.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Calais Centre Plage 8.5 mi Sea GoodGoodGoodN/A
Marck La Huchette 8.6 mi Sea ExcellentExcellentGoodExcellent
Sangatte Bleriot Plage 8.8 mi Sea GoodGoodGoodGood
Oye-Plage Les Hemmes 9.4 mi Sea GoodExcellentExcellentExcellent
Sangatte Centre Plage 10.1 mi Sea GoodGoodGoodGood

Data source: European Environment Agency

Frequently asked questions

  • Does La Paillote have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is La Paillote dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near La Paillote? Saint Joseph Village (10 minutes’ drive) is an open-air museum/theme park where you can learn what life was like in this region at the start of the 20th century. Reconstructed buildings include … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of La Paillote?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    Arrive:  4 p.m. –  10 p.m.
    Depart by:  noon
    On-park accommodation
    Arrive:  4 p.m. –  10 p.m.
    Depart by:  noon
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at La Paillote? From $24.21 (for 1 night, 4 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.