Kanopée Village de Trévoux

Kanopée Village sits on the left bank of the Saône in Trévoux, a small town in the Ain département of about 7,000 inhabitants and the former capital of the principality of the Dombes. Lyon is about 30 km away, Villefranche-sur-Saône 11 km and Mâcon 50 km; the A6 motorway passes nearby, which also makes it a handy stopover on the way to your holiday destination.

The site is rated 3 stars and holds the Clé Verte and Qualité Tourisme labels. It has 183 pitches of 80 to 200 m², separated by hedges, as well as a rental fleet of about twenty mobile homes of 34 to 40 m² (4 to 8 people, including one model adapted for visitors with reduced mobility) and ten 35 m² Douglas fir chalets on stilts, with a terrace hanging over the water, designed for 9 to 11 people. The management stresses a calm atmosphere, with no noisy entertainment.

As for opening, the rule is simple: the rental accommodation can be booked from 1 January to 31 December, while the area for tents, caravans, motorhomes and boats operates from 1 April to 30 September. Mobile homes and chalets are insulated and heated, which makes it possible to stay in the depths of winter. The campsite promotes off-season weekends, the Festival of Lights in Lyon, the arrival of the Beaujolais nouveau, and monthly packages for sales reps and people working away from home.

Trévoux is listed among the Plus Beaux Détours de France and is a Pays d’Art et d’Histoire, Station Verte and Village Fleuri: the old town, its castle and the Parlement des Dombes can be visited on foot or by bike from the campsite.

From October to March: traditional pond draining in the Dombes, Beaujolais nouveau in November and the Festival of Lights in Lyon, 30 km away, in December.

The campsite does not present itself as a large-scale holiday village: what it offers is simple, well-kept comfort geared towards peace and quiet. Three recent washroom blocks are spread around the grounds, with spacious hot showers, toilets accessible to visitors with reduced mobility and areas for dishwashing and hand laundry. Each pitch has a 10-amp hookup, water points are close by, and a disposal point and wide manoeuvring areas make life easier for motorhome owners.

The mobile homes and chalets are fitted with a full kitchen (induction hob, large fridge, microwave, coffee machine, crockery), a bathroom with separate toilet and garden furniture on the terrace. The 6 to 8-person models add a dishwasher. All the rental accommodation is heated and well insulated, an asset for autumn and winter stays, whereas the pitch area only operates from April to September.

For swimming, the campsite relies on nearby facilities rather than an on-site pool. La Bulle, an area with water games, inflatable structures and a mini farm, is two minutes away and free for campers from 10am to 7pm, from 8 July to 31 August. The municipal Gabriel Mercier swimming pool, 1.75 km away, is free for guests in July and August, with discounted rates the rest of the year. The Aquapark Beluga (Colombier lake) and the Calade WaterPark in Villefranche-sur-Saône are open from 1 July to 31 August. Finally, the river mooring in front of the campsite welcomes boaters.

People come here first for the water and the trails. The Saône runs alongside the site: you can canoe, kayak, paddleboard and row with nearby operators, and fishing is done from the banks, notably for catfish, carp at night or pikeperch. From the river mooring, an operator offers commentated trips or licence-free boat hire from April to October, from half an hour to two hours, for up to 7 passengers, sometimes with a water taxi to the riverside guinguettes on the opposite bank.

The Voie Bleue, a cycle route that follows the Saône from Mâcon to Lyon, passes at the foot of the campsite; the towpaths suit Nordic walking and jogging. Eighteen waymarked routes link the banks of the Saône to the Dombes plateau, the land of a thousand ponds, and Lake Genin, nicknamed little Canada, can be explored on foot. In Trévoux, you can visit the medieval castle, the Parlement des Dombes and the museum, or try a tour on a Segway.

Off-season, the programme remains rich: from October to late March, commentated traditional pond draining takes place in the Dombes, Lyon hosts the Festival of Lights and the Beaujolais nouveau arrives in autumn. In winter, the nearby ski resorts take over. The Colombier and Bordelan leisure areas, for summer, are also less than 15 minutes away. Children have a play area near the pitches; no noisy entertainment is organised on site.