La Croix du Vieux Pont – Eurocamp Family Holiday Review

Overview

We had a fantastic May half-term at La Croix Du Vieux Pont, thanks to a Eurocamp press trip (#ad). Travelling with a 6 year old and nearly 4 year old, we found this parc to be the perfect location to combine with a visit to Disneyland Paris, as well as Paris to see the sights, and a chateau.

The parc itself is set arounds beautiful lakes and offers a wide range of on-site activities for families. Activities include pedalos, trampolines, soft play, adventure play area, canoeing, fishing, multiple swimming pools, a lagoon (works currently being undertaken on this), bowling, laser tag, archery, zip wire, and more! There is an on-site bakery and shop, restaurants and takeaway.

We would recommend a car for this parc. We drove from Bristol, taking the ferry from Dover – Calais. It was a very straightforward journey both ways.

La Croix Du Vieux Pont is a wonderful, family-friendly parc that offers a perfect mix of relaxation and fun on-site activities. Combined with the magic of Disneyland, and the sights of Paris, this was an amazing holiday! Read more about it below.

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Travelling to La Croix Du Vieux Pont

We drove from Bristol to Dover (3 hrs 30 mins), took the ferry from Dover to Calais (1 hr 30 mins), then drove from Calais to La Croix Du Vieux Pont (2 hrs 45 mins). We drove to Dover after school and stayed at a Premier Inn overnight to break the journey up. This was £47 and meant we were ready to get on the ferry early the next day. I would recommend this, as whilst you could do the whole journey in a day, it is more manageable to break it up! When we’ve previously driven to a ferry the morning of, we always end up waking up and leaving very early as I worry about missing it, so I like being there the night before.

We took the ferry with P&O and they had an excellent kids play room which kept them entertained the whole time. It was a really short crossing and we had a great experience! The ticket we had gave a 4 hour leeway so if you were early or late (and there is space) you could get a different ferry from your original booked time. I checked on their messenger service that they had space the day before, and we did end up getting an earlier ferry which was straightforward.

Alternatively, you could take the Eurotunnel, or fly to Paris Charles De Gaulle and hire a car. I do recommend a car for this parc given its countryside location.

Accommodation

La Croix du Vieux Pont is a parc with a number of accommodation options, holiday accommodation providers, and camping/touring options. We stayed with Eurocamp, and out of the holidays we’ve been on the past few years, our Eurocamp accommodation has been our favourite. They are a trusted UK based company, you can book the ferry with them, and the customer service I have always found super helpful.

We stayed in a 3 bedroom Premium Azure and it was perfect having a sofa and a set of tables and chairs on the deck! We mainly sat outside whilst here so it was really nice having a cosy sofa in the evenings especially. Check out our Domaine Les Ormes post to see other Eurocamp accommodation we’ve previously stayed in. I liked both, but I would choose the Azure again for the outdoor sofa. It comes with a barbecue, which is one of our favourite things to do on a Eurocamp holiday! Our holiday home felt very private with large hedgerows between neighbours, and we had a lovely private green space area which was a great play space for our children.

Check out accommodation options at La Croix du Vieux Pont (affiliate link). Prices vary per week depending on the time of year and if it is school holidays. Even in school holidays I find Eurocamp to be great value family holidays. This holiday home was for 6 people so it’s great for larger families. TIP: Check when French and Belgian holidays are as well as the UK’s to avoid busier periods! Also, be sure to utilise holidays outside of school holidays before the age 5 when you can’t get fined.

If you arrive on site early, it might be worth looking around to see if you like any areas more than others. When you check in you can express a preference on where you are going to be located. This is entirely dependent on availability at the time, but sometimes possible to express a preference with Eurocamp as they often have a good amount of holiday homes at the parcs. We sometimes ask for sunny accommodation on the original booking (especially for evening sun so we can have a drink on the terrace!). At La Croix du Vieux Pont we stayed near the fishing lake with the adventure play area next to it. We didn’t request any location this time, but it was great for us as we liked being near a lake, and it was central within the parc.

Site Map

What to expect at La Croix du Vieux Pont?

Swimming Pools

There are three pools – one outdoor, and two indoor – one of which is a kids pool! There is a small slide in the kids pool, some flumes and a large wavy slide. The pools were great and the kids pool had a lot of sunbeds around it so it was a nice easy pool where a family member could watch if they didn’t want to go in.

Lagoon

There is usually a large lagoon surrounded by sand for paddling in. This was undergoing maintenance whilst we were there. If you are going soon check with Eurocamp for an update. This is right next to the beach bar and looks like a great place to hang out usually. Some of the sand was still open so our children enjoyed playing there before and after dinner at the beach bar!

Activities at La Croix Du Vieux Pont

There are plenty of on-site activities to choose from! Enjoy pedalos, canoeing, bumper boats, fishing, soft play, bouncy castle, trampolining, archery, zip lining, mini-golf, boules, and a variety of sports pitches.

Head down to the cafe kiosk by the lake with pedalos, and buy an activity pass to save money – it’s great value and you get free extra credit. Activities in this area are paid for using this, and staff will hole-punch your pass as you go. The lakeside cafe kiosk also has plenty of seating, meaning it is perfect for parents to have a drink whilst children are playing.

Near the pool area, you’ll find some indoor entertainment options: bowling, laser tag, arcade games, soft play and an indoor sports pitch. Great options for rainy days or a break from the heat!

Restaurants/Food

There are a couple of on-site restaurants, bars and a takeaway! We ate at the beach bar and the restaurant near the pool and they were both good options.

The on-site bakery has an excellent selection of pastries, bread and sandwiches. There is also a decent sized food shop with all the essentials. Our holiday home came with a barbecue so we also went to the local supermarket Intermarche (5 mins drive) for barbecue food!

Entertainment

We went to the mini-disco where there was dancing and the parc mascot came out. There was a program of a few activities on during the week hosted by the parc, rather than Eurocamp specifically. We didn’t get up going to this as it was from age 4 and our youngest is still 3 years. The craft activities we did see them do looked sweet!

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Day Trips

Disneyland Paris

You can definitely visit for just a day (or two) – it’s still well worth it! If you’re planning a shorter visit, here are my top tips of things to see and do:

• Download the Disneyland Paris App – this is essential for checking timings of events and shows, ride queue times and virtual character meets.
• Stars on Parade – This amazing parade features floats and all your favourite characters. It is currently scheduled at 11.30 am, but this time can vary so check the Disneyland Paris app. We recommend finding a spot outside Bella Notte (near the start of the route) about 30-40 minutes before it starts for a front row view.
• Music Festival Finale – If you are visiting whilst the music festival is on, don’t miss the finale at 7.30pm. It is a colourful show filled with singing and dancing from lots of Disney characters (including Stitch). Aim to get a spot around the main circle in front of the castle at least 40 minutes before.
• Plan Your Rides in Advance – Take some time before you go to research which rides are your must-dos and make a plan. If it is within your budget, I would consider purchasing the Premier Access Pass if you are going for one day. It lets you skip the regular queues for rides, saving you lots of time and you will be able to get around more rides in one day this way. Alternatively, you can purchase premier access for individual rides, which is a great option if you don’t mind some queuing, but want to fast-track the most popular attractions (usually the biggest rides).
• Character Dining – If character dining is high on your list to do, you might want to consider staying at least 1 night at a Disney hotel as hotel guests get early access to character dining reservations, which can sell out before they’re available to the general public. It is worth checking though as sometimes slots become available through cancellations.
• Fireworks – The nighttime fireworks and drone show is amazing and well worth seeing. If possible, book the reserved viewing area for the view and space around you. However, unless you’re staying at a Disney hotel or it’s quiet when you visit, this may sell before you have an option to book. For seeing them anywhere else, arrive at least 45 minutes early, but some might queue even earlier than that.
• Choose Your Disney Day Wisely – If you’re flexible, check your available dates and avoid weekends, UK/French/Belgian holidays and public holidays if possible as they are typically busier days. Use a crowd calculator like this to help find the best day to visit.
• Compare Ticket Options – Sometimes it’s can be better value to book a package for one night at a Disney Hotel compared to 1 or 2 day park tickets.
• Shows – If you want to see a show, our top pick is Mickey and the Magician – a fantastic performance featuring characters from a variety of films. The Lion King: Rhythms of the Pride Lands was also brilliant. The Pixar show and Stitch are also very popular, but these weren’t running during our visit. Shows can fill up quickly, so aim to arrive 30 minutes before these start. There’s also a Frozen show but it is a smaller theatre, so unless you queue an hour I would buy the premier access for this to guarantee entry. Bear in mind shows are in a mix of French and English.
• Virtual Queues For Character Meets – Some of the most popular character meet and greets now use a virtual queue system via the Disneyland Paris app. Characters currently available include Mickey, Stitch, Spider-Man, Darth Vader and a random Marvel character. How it works:
  • You need to have scanned all your park tickets and be in one of the parks to book.
  • Bookings open at 9.45am and 2pm. Set an alarm on your phone 5 minutes before these times and be ready to click onto the virtual queue page as soon as the clockhits 9.45am and 2pm.
  • Keep an eye on your app and you will be notified when you need to be there. We think this system is great as very short queues.
  • We managed to secure bookings for all the characters we wanted this way, but it isn’t guaranteed as spots can go quickly. Stitch was especially fun and playful!

Paris

We visited Paris for the day to take our children to see the sights!

Getting to Paris: Transport Options from La Croix du Vieux Pont

There are several ways to travel into Paris from La Croix du Vieux Pont, which with its pros and cons depending on your priorities:

• Option 1: Drive Into Paris – Journey time approx 1.5-2 hours. Important: you need to order a Crit’Air sticker in advance to drive in Paris due to emissions regulations. Pre-book a secure parking spot in advance, and be aware that driving in the city might not be for everyone!
• Option 2: Drive to Villers-Cotterêts station & Train to Paris – Drive time is approx 25 minutes and the train is approx 55 minutes. There are about 12 trains a day to Paris, so if you are going for this one make sure to book in advance and be on time as services are limited. Free parking.
• Option 3: Drive to Compiègne station & Train to Paris – Drive time is approx 36 minutes and the train is 42 minutes – 1 hour. There are around 30 trains a day to Paris so the service is more frequent than Villers-Cotterêts. Paid parking.
• Option 4: Drive Closer to Paris & Use Metro or RER – You could drive closer to Paris, but outside of the crit air area. We ended up driving to Aulnay-sous-Bois and getting the metro from there. We wanted a bit more flexibility with how long we took in Paris. Paid parking. This worked out fine for us, but in hindsight, we might choose one of the train options next time for less driving.

Eiffel Tower

We had to see the most iconic landmark in Paris! Just an quick tip tickets are released 60 days in advance, with some additional tickets again 7 days in advance. You can choose between tickets to the second level or the top. We opted for the top, which sells out quicker, but if we were to go again I would be just as happy with the second level – I actually preferred the view from there! If you’re bringing a buggy, there is a buggy park by the southern leg which is really helpful. No need to carry it up!

Seine

From the Eiffel Tower, we got sushi (Ada’s birthday choice) and then walked along the Seine all the way to Notre Dam. This was a beautiful route, but quite a long walk (we did have our double buggy). In hindsight, one of the Seine river cruises would have been more relaxing way to get there. You can take a boat from close to the Eiffel Tower.

Notre Dame

At Notre Dam, we took a break for crêpes before visiting the stunning Notre Dame Cathedral. The queue was long but it moved very quickly. It was a great day overall, but if we’d had more time I would have loved to explore one of the parks or a visit to the Louvre!

Château de Pierrefonds

Our final day trip was to the fairytale Château de Pierrefonds which is 25 minutes drive from La Croix du Vieux Pont. This is a beautiful castle where they filmed BBC’s Merlin. The village is lovely and has a nice boulangerie, small play ares and free parking. It cost €9 per adult, and is free for under 18s.

Tips

• Join this Facebook Group to ask questions about the parc
• Check your passports are in date, and take your EHIC cards to take with you!
• Check what you need for driving in France (drivers licence, UK sticker, headlamp deflectors, high vis, hazard triangle, V5C certificate, car insurance details)
• If you are going to Disneyland Paris, check my blog post on this for what to pack!

Map

Thank you for Reading

I hope this review is helpful, and if you visit La Croix du Vieux Pont have an amazing trip! We had such a wonderful time – this has got to be our favourite Eurocamp holiday so far for the unforgettable day trips. I would really recommend in combination with a visit to Disneyland Paris.

If you are looking for other ideas, check out our other holiday itineraries! We have previously reviewed Cambrils Park in Spain, Bella Italia in Italy and Domaine Les Ormes in Brittany. If you do book a Eurocamp holiday I would really appreciate if you use my affiliate link!