Travelling without a car is no longer a challenge — it’s an accessible luxury. For the 2026 season, we’ve updated our selection of the campsites best served by rail. Whether you’re setting off from Lyon, Paris or Marseille, pitching a tent or renting a chalet right by the station is the guarantee of a relaxed holiday, free from traffic jams and with a minimal carbon footprint. From Lake Aiguebelette to the shores of the Mediterranean, here are 10 gems within a train whistle’s reach.
Huttopia Bourg-Saint-Maurice
At 1,000 metres altitude, Huttopia Bourg-Saint-Maurice is a 20-minute walk from the station. Surrounded by mountains, it sits right on a cycle path and at the foot of some of the great mountain passes: the Cormet de Roselend, Col de l’Iseran and Col du Petit-Saint-Bernard. As well as valley walks, you can also head up to altitude at Les Arcs, thanks to the funicular and the resort’s lifts, which stay open all summer. Huttopia campsites are nature-focused, environmentally committed sites set in exceptional surroundings. Alongside pitches, they offer chalet rentals and equipped tents, some with their own bathroom.
🚉 Nearest station: Bourg-Saint-Maurice – Les Arcs
🚶Walking time: 18 min (1,300m)
Camping du Sierroz in Aix-les-Bains
A spa town well known to English visitors in the Belle Époque era, Aix-les-Bains is a lively mid-sized town on the shores of Lake Bourget. The historic spa quarter sits inland, around 2km from the lakeside. Over time, though, the town has grown out towards the water, taking on more of a seaside-resort feel. Here, you can swim, stroll, take to the water for watersports, and tuck into crêpes — even moules-frites. Between Grand-Port and Petit-Port, Camping du Sierroz is the town’s municipal campsite: a simple site with 104 pitches and around forty rental units.
🚉 Nearest station: Aix-les-Bains – Le Revard
🚶Walking time: 40 min (2,900m)
Huttopia Domaine du Lac (Savoie) – the 2026 Relaunch
This is the big news of the year. Located at Lépin-le-Lac, this landmark site (formerly Le Curtelet) reopens on 18 June 2026 under the Huttopia banner.
- Services: an on-site shop and a food truck, ideal for travellers arriving with just a backpack.
- Train access: unbeatable. Lépin-le-Lac – La Bauche station is just a 5-minute walk from the campsite entrance.
- The highlight: an exclusive private beach and the chance to sleep in the “Maison Ronde”, a historic building. It’s the ideal base for those coming from Lyon (a direct 1hr 15min journey) looking for a total switch-off without ever touching the wheel.
🚉 Nearest station: Lépin-le-Lac – La Bauche
🚶Walking time: 20 min (1,400m)
Camping les Marmottes in Chamonix
At the foot of the mountains, facing the Mont-Blanc glaciers and just a short walk from town, Camping les Marmottes is ideal for anyone travelling by train who loves the mountains. It’s under 10 minutes’ walk from Les Bossons station. This 3-star campsite has 70 pitches and 15 rental units. Here, you can soak up the view, go for a stroll, hike, or explore the Chamonix valley.
🚉 Nearest station: Les Bossons
🚶Walking time: 10 min (800m)
Camping du Glacier d’Argentière
A little further up the valley, Camping du Glacier d’Argentière overlooks the village of the same name, at 1,250m altitude. It’s a simple 2-star campsite with around 80 pitches looking out onto the mountains. Here, you can enjoy the fresh air, hiking trails, the view, the peace and quiet, and easy proximity to Chamonix.
🚉 Nearest station: Argentière
🚶Walking time: 15 min (1,000m)
Les Grands Cols in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne
The Maurienne is known for its great mountain passes — the Galibier, Croix de Fer, Madeleine, Iseran and Glandon among them. It’s also an unspoilt valley, rich in both natural landscapes and heritage. In Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, the valley’s main town, Camping des Grands Cols is an ideal base for cyclists chasing after climbs. This 3-star campsite has around 80 green, shaded pitches. It’s 1km from the station, around a 10-minute walk.
🚉 Nearest station: Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne – Arvan
🚶Walking time: 15 min (1,000m)
Camping Eliana in La Léchère
At the foot of the mountains, with free access to a huge aquatic centre, Camping Eliana has around fifty pitches and a handful of rental units. It’s located next to the La Léchère spa baths, overlooked by high peaks, and around 20 minutes from La Léchère station. Nearby, you can cycle up the Col de la Madeleine, or hop on the train to reach Moûtiers, Aime or Bourg-Saint-Maurice.
🚉 Nearest station: La Léchère les Bains Petit Cœur
🚶Walking time: 25 min (2,000m)
Les Foulons in Luc-en-Diois
Between the Northern and Southern Alps, the Diois is a beautiful valley on the edge of the Vercors, linked to the Rhône valley by train. We’re right in the heart of the Alps here, in the upper Drôme valley, on the Valence–Briançon line. Under 10 minutes from the station, Camping les Foulons is a 3-star site with around a hundred pitches. Here, you can enjoy the sunshine, the village of Luc, and swimming in the River Drôme.
🚉 Nearest station: Luc-en-Diois
🚶Walking time: 18 min (1,100m)
Les Écrins in L’Argentière-la-Bessée
In the upper Durance valley, L’Argentière-la-Bessée is a former industrial town now specialising in white-water activities. It’s home to a swimming lake, a white-water stadium, a greenway, a leisure park and several hiking trailheads. Just a few kilometres from Briançon, it’s one of the gateways to the Écrins. Near the leisure area, and around 20 minutes from the station, Camping des Écrins has 70 shaded pitches from which to enjoy the mountains.
🚉 Nearest station: L’Argentière – Les Écrins
🚶Walking time: 25 min (1,700m)
La Vieille Ferme in Embrun
Just 10 minutes from Lake Serre-Ponçon, Camping La Vieille Ferme sits in a former orchard in Embrun. It’s a 4-star campsite with around a hundred pitches and rental units. From the station, you’ll need to cross the town and head towards the lake to reach it — allow just under 30 minutes on foot.
🚉 Nearest station: Embrun
🚶Walking time: 30 min (2,100m)
From Lyon, Huttopia Domaine du Lac (Aiguebelette) and Camping les Peupliers are direct TER destinations. From Paris, the TGV drops you within a few hours at Grenoble, Chambéry or Chamonix, with campsites nearby for the latter.
Several sites in our selection run station shuttles (by booking), or are served by local buses timed to match train arrivals. For each listing, we’ve noted the walking time, or whether a transfer is available, to help you cover that final stretch.
Absolutely. The trend for 2026 is “ready-to-camp”. Most of the campsites listed offer already pitched, fully equipped tents, as well as on-site bike hire. It’s the ideal solution for travelling with nothing more than a backpack, while still enjoying all the pleasures of the outdoors without the hassle.