Camping Les Genêts d’Or: enjoy wonderful France by the river

After ten days on the always lively Costa Brava, it was time to drive back to the Netherlands last summer. Before that, we had a little over a week in which we also wanted to be somewhere quiet to celebrate my birthday. Searching for a campsite in the south of France, we ended up online at camping Les Genêts d’Or in Bagnols-sur-Cèze. While the rain was pouring down on camping Illa Mateua (see article below), we packed up our Fat Freddy. With loud cursing, of course. Once packed, it was time to set course for the department Gard, where we had already reserved our camping spot.

Change of plan

Our idea was: stay two nights at Les Genêts d’Or, then drive a few hundred kilometers and settle down somewhere for two more nights and my birthday. We immediately drew a thick line from that plan when we saw our pitch. Right on the river, in the middle of the green and with few people around us! Whoops, I immediately walked back to the reception to ask if we could stay longer. That was no problem. Great!

Morning dive in river

The river that the Les Genêts d’Or campsite is located on is the Cèze. From the campsite, you can walk down a flight of steps to one of the four pebble beaches. The river had a pleasant temperature when we were there. Children can play in it and adults can too. The gentle rapids invite you to swim or float along on a rubber ring. And what’s more, my boyfriend and I started the morning with a dip in the river. That’s the good life!

I also sat down on the pebbles several times with my chair. I enjoyed reading a book and taking a dip every now and then. Our teenage sons also loved the river.

Facilities at Les Genêts d'Or campsite

Les Genêts d’Or has a restaurant with a covered terrace. Here you can sit and eat well. The restaurant overlooks the swimming pool. At the reception you can order bread rolls for the next morning. There is also a small shop. The campsite has play facilities for children, including a table tennis table and a sports field.

The sanitary facilities at the campsite – we were at the new building – are very good and clean.

Surroundings of the campsite

The campsite is really beautiful! Nestled between the Cèze, green fields and vineyards. In the distance, Mont Ventoux looms. Active types can indulge themselves here. I went for a super nice run twice here, during which I thoroughly enjoyed the surroundings. The Dutch campsite owner could tell me exactly how to run best.

Bagnols-sur-Cèze

Bagnols-sur-Cèze is a nice town to walk through. Also nice: the large Intermarché. As a birthday present – I don’t have many wishes – I wanted to wander around here at my leisure and my men actually allowed me to do so.

Orange and Pont du Gard

So little time, so much to do! From camping Les Genêts d’Or you can really go in all directions. Avignon, for example, is 35 kilometers away. Because we went there in 2019 from camping Monplaisir in Provence, we skipped Avignon this time. We did choose to visit Orange. And what a great city that is! We bought tickets for the Roman theater, which also includes a Dutch audio tour. That is really highly recommended. We learned a lot about the history of the theater and really felt like we were in that time.

Pont du Gard

I will continue to glorify the Gard for a moment, because the next day we did something else fun. We visited the Pont du Gard, a Roman aqueduct. You can park a short distance from the bridge. Via a visitors centre, with a museum, a shop and a restaurant, you will reach the aqueduct after a walk. That is already very impressive. But the best was yet to come. From the bridge we looked out over the Gardon river where countless people were kayaking. It is one of the happiest things I have ever seen: all those colourful kayaks in the water on a summer day. At the end of the bridge we climbed up a bit, where we had an even better view. It was really a success!

Quiet period

We made the most of the few days we spent at the Les Genêts d’Or campsite. And we really enjoyed our stay. Especially the peace and quiet at the campsite and I realise that this can be different in high season or in certain periods of the low season. Even then, Les Genêts d’O is a great base to explore the Gard. We might go back again, because we haven’t seen everything yet!