Are you planning camping in the Pyrenees with children? Here you’ll find family-friendly campsites in the Pyrenees (France, Spain & Andorra) – with pools, playgrounds, shady pitches, and honest experiences from our road trip.
You’re planning a round trip through the Pyrenees with children and are looking for family-friendly campsites? Then you’re exactly right here! During our road trip through France, Andorra, and Spain, we tested different campsites in the Pyrenees – from small nature campsites by the river to large family campsites with pools and playgrounds.
In this blog article I’m sharing our honest experiences with you: which campsites were especially child-friendly, where there were shady pitches, pools, or play opportunities, and which places are especially suitable for families. You’ll also find practical tips about booking, facilities, and campsite locations – perfect for parents who want to travel relaxed with children.
Because especially when camping with children, small details often make the biggest difference: clean sanitary facilities, short walking distances, shaded pitches, or a nice place to play and cool off.
Camping Les Grottes in France – Family Campsite with Pool & Water Slides
The first campsite on our Pyrenees road trip is “Camping Les Grottes.” A large campsite in a valley surrounded by beautiful mountains (from the campsite you can even see one of the grottos it was named after). A wonderful panorama that some of the campsites in the Pyrenees have to offer. The absolute highlight at this campsite is the heated pool with its four great slides – huge fun for the whole family!
What I especially liked was that the individual pitches were nicely shaded and separated from one another with hedges, which made it feel more private. The sanitary facilities are also clean and well maintained. In the evening we treated ourselves to dinner at the campsite restaurant, which in my opinion was only okay at best… But breakfast delighted me: we got fresh baguettes and fresh croissants from the campsite shop and they were – exactly as I hope for in France – wonderful!
Family Check: Camping Les Grottes
✔ Pool
✔ Playground
✔ Family-friendly atmosphere
✔ Lots of shady pitches
✔ Restaurant & small shop
✔ Direct access to the river
✔ Adventure activities like visiting grottos
✔ Especially beautiful with children in summer
Prado de la Hillo, 09400 Alliat, Frankreich, Telefon: +33 5 61 05 88 21
Camping Santa Creu – Canillo, Andorra
“Camping Santa Creu” was the third campsite in Andorra that we headed to and the first one where we could watch the European Championship football final at reception. The only requirement our campsite had to fulfill for that evening 😉
A small campsite located very centrally in Canillo and very well maintained. The sanitary facilities are older, but clean and well cared for. There is a small swing corner for children. The pitches are open and offer very little shade. But the mountain view is magical! There is no pool here.
Family Check: Camping Santa Creu
❌ Pool
✔ Playground
✔ Family-friendly atmosphere
❌ Lots of shady pitches
✔ Restaurant & small shop
❌ Direct access to the river
❌ Adventure activities like rafting
❌ Especially beautiful with children in summer
Ctra. de Prats, AD100 Canillo, Andorra, Telefon: +376 851 462
Camping Los Vives – Our Favorite Campsite in the Spanish Pyrenees
“Camping Los Vives” is probably one of our favorite campsites on our road trip. A fairly large campsite with a fantastic location by the river and direct views of a steep cliff where goats sometimes roam around – simply beautiful! Besides the river, you can also cool off wonderfully in the campsite’s own small pool. Thanks to the many trees, the pitches get plenty of shade. There is a playground, a playroom for children, a small library, and a cute little shop. There is also a lovely bar and restaurant where you can get Wi-Fi. What makes this campsite special is that there are several long-term campers who spend every summer at “Los Vives,” creating a very family-like atmosphere.
Some of the campsites in the Pyrenees offer tours and activities like rafting, etc. “Los Vives” does as well: for adventure lovers there are canyoning tours and similar activities offered directly at the campsite.
Familien-Check: Camping Los Vives
✔ Pool
✔ Playground
✔ Family-friendly atmosphere
✔ Lots of shady pitches
✔ Restaurant & small shop
✔ Direct access to the river
✔ Adventure activities like rafting & canyoning
✔ Especially beautiful with children in summer
Carretera Salinas Km4, 22366 Saravillo, Huesca, Spanien, Telefon: +34 974 50 61 71
Campsite at Ordesa National Park – Ideal for Hiking with Children
This campsite in Torla offers a fantastic view of Ordesa National Park. As far as I could tell, this campsite is one of the last campsites in the Pyrenees before entering Ordesa National Park. The large campsite has large and clean sanitary facilities and offers many shaded pitches thanks to the tree-lined avenues throughout the grounds. We were there during the high season in July and I found the campsite relatively crowded, although this may also have seemed that way because there were no separations with hedges or similar barriers. The large pool was especially pleasant and we used it extensively. The playground was more suited for younger children.
What I found somewhat irritating was that the campsite organization was not very clear. It seemed that the staff did not really know whether there were still free pitches available or not. Only after an employee walked through the campsite checking could it be determined whether there were still pitches free.
Family Check: Campsite at Ordesa National Park
✔ Pool
✔ Playground
✔ Family-friendly atmosphere
✔ Lots of shady pitches
✔ Restaurant & small shop
❌ Direct access to the river
✔ Adventure activities like hiking in the national park
✔ Especially beautiful with children in summer
Av. de Ordesa, s/n, 22376 Torla-Ordesa, Huesca, Spanien, Telefon: +34 974 11 77 21
Camping Pigalo Luesia – Luesia, Spain
Camping Pigalo Luesia is the “simplest” of the campsites in the Pyrenees that we visited on our trip. It definitely stands out because of its location directly at Pozo Pigalo. Unfortunately this also attracted many mosquitoes and wasps. You definitely need something to protect yourself from insects here. The sanitary facilities are quite old and were the least maintained on our trip. The outdoor washing sinks were also quite dirty, partly because there are not always staff members on site. There is a small restaurant that is open at certain times. Officially there is no Wi-Fi on site. However, I heard that in emergencies you can ask the restaurant owners and possibly get the password – though I didn’t test it myself 😉
Very important for this campsite: reserve in advance. Most campsites in the Pyrenees that we visited did not require reservations. We had not reserved and were not allowed through the barrier at the private road to the Pozo. From the car we had to make the reservation and payment before being allowed in. So it’s better to book in advance while you still have a stable internet connection 😉
Family Check: Camping Pigalo Luesia
❌ Pool
❌ Spielplatz
✔ Family-friendly atmosphere
✔ Lots of shady pitches
✔ Restaurant & small shop
✔ Direct access to the river
✔ Adventure activities like swimming in the Pozo
✔ Especially beautiful with children in summer
50619 Luesia, Zaragoza, Spanien, Telefon: +34 629 67 52 66
Camping Castillo de Loarre – Loarre, Spain
Many campsites in the Pyrenees have breathtaking views. This one does too: the view over Loarre is fantastic and very expansive! The pitches are partly separated by rows of trees and therefore offer lots of shade. The sanitary facilities are not particularly new, but well maintained. You should definitely try the restaurant. We had lunch there and it was very, very delicious! So delicious that not only campsite guests eat there. You also have Wi-Fi in the restaurant or on the terrace. I recommend making a reservation.
There is also a small pool at this campsite – it’s more for splashing around than actual swimming, but it definitely provides cooling off 😉
Family Check: Camping Castillo de Loarre
✔ Pool
✔ Playground
✔ Family-friendly atmosphere
✔ Lots of shady pitches
✔ Restaurant & small shop
❌ Direct access to the river
❌ Adventure activities like rafting
✔ Especially beautiful with children in summer
Carretera del castillo, s/n, 22809 Loarre, Huesca, Spanien, Telefon: +34 609 66 10 58
Gran Camping Zarautz – Zarautz, Spain
Of course, in Zarautz, located in the Basque Country, we had already left the Pyrenees campsites behind. But since this campsite was part of our route, I still want to include it: “Gran Camping Zarautz” is a very large campsite, but it spreads out nicely. It is built on a cliff above the sea and the front row has a breathtaking ocean view – beautiful! To get to the sea, there is a footpath along the coast (beautiful, but because of its more than 400 steps not suitable for strollers or similar). The walk to the beach or the town of Zarautz takes about 15 minutes. Because of its proximity to the sea, there are many surfers at this campsite.
The sanitary facilities are new and clean, there are many showers, and the organization is excellent. We were there during high season, so the campsite was busy and I found it somewhat tightly packed. The pitches are open and not separated by hedges or similar. What especially impressed me was that there is also childcare and children’s entertainment on site.
Family Check: Gran Camping Zarautz
❌ Pool
✔ Playground
✔ Family-friendly atmosphere
✔ Lots of shady pitches
✔ Restaurant & small shop
✔ Direct access to the sea
✔ Adventure activities like surfing
✔ Especially beautiful with children in summer
Calle Monte Talai Mendi, s/n, 20800 Zarautz, Gipuzkoa, Spanien, Telefon: +34 943 83 12 38
Camping des Forges – Ychoux, France
On our return trip through France we stayed overnight at “Camping des Forges.” This campsite is also not one of the campsites in the Pyrenees, but somehow we had to get back home 😉 “Camping des Forges” is located by a lake and is quite spacious. The pitches are separated from one another by trees and bushes, and each camper has their own “parking bay,” which increases the feeling of privacy. Despite being next to a lake, there was no problem with mosquitoes or other insects. The sanitary facilities are older, but well maintained. Fun fact: this campsite was the only one where we had to bring our own toilet paper to the restroom 🙂
There is even a pool. It’s an above-ground pool that you climb into with a ladder. It’s wonderful for swimming. For children who cannot swim yet and mainly want to splash around, it is not suitable. However, the pool area is beautifully covered with sand, so the little ones can play with sand toys there.
Family Check: Camping des Forges
✔ Pool
✔ Playground
✔ Family-friendly atmosphere
✔ Lots of shady pitches
✔ Restaurant & small shop
❌ Direct access to the river
❌ Adventure activities like rafting
✔ Especially beautiful with children in summer
1236 Rte de Parentis, 40160 Ychoux, Frankreich, Telefon: +33 5 58 78 20 07
Tips for Camping in the Pyrenees with Children
Our Tips for Camping in the Pyrenees with Children
After our road trip through the Pyrenees, there are a few things I especially want to recommend to families:
1. Shady pitches are worth gold
In summer it gets very hot in Spain and southern France. Fortunately many campsites in the Pyrenees offer shaded pitches under trees – I would definitely pay attention to that when choosing a campsite.
2. Pools & rivers make all the difference
After long car rides or hikes, pools, rivers, or small natural swimming spots were the absolute highlight for our minis (and for us too).
3. Not every campsite needs entertainment programs
Our experience: children often don’t need a big entertainment program at all. A playground, other children, and some nature are usually completely enough.
4. In summer it’s better to stay flexible – but prepared
We visited almost all campsites spontaneously. Surprisingly, that worked very well. In especially popular regions or at smaller nature campsites, however, I would still recommend families with children reserve at least 1–2 nights in advance during peak season.
5. Don’t forget mosquito protection
Especially campsites by rivers or lakes can be beautiful – but also very popular with mosquitoes. Good mosquito protection is therefore absolutely essential in your luggage.
My Conclusion
It was my first camping trip, so I approached the campsites in the Pyrenees without any expectations. We always drove to the campsites spontaneously without reservations and, except for one case, that worked very well. The campsites were generally well maintained and offered many shaded pitches, which is especially important for campsites in the Pyrenees during summer. What impressed me most about the campsites in the Pyrenees was how close they were to nature, with scenic highlights such as fantastic views, cool rivers, a pozo, etc. None of the campsites disappointed me – I would visit every single one again. Because of its special riverside location and family atmosphere, “Camping Los Vives” especially remains in my memory.
Now you’ve gotten to know some of the advantages of the campsites in the Pyrenees from my perspective. If you have questions about the campsites or our road trip, feel free to write them in the comments. You can of course find detailed information about the beautiful campsites in the Pyrenees on their websites, which I linked for you.
I wish you lots of fun and anticipation while planning your trip and a wonderful journey!
Yours, Lia
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