Sleeping on a GR: refuges, gîtes, camping and bivouacking

Accommodation along the GR trails

Most GR trails are dotted with accommodation that lets you string stages together without carrying a tent. How much there is varies greatly from one route to another: in remote massifs, the length of a stage is often dictated by where the next roof is. Before you fix your plan, locate the accommodation in the topoguide or on the map, then build the stages around it.

Staffed refuges

In the mountains, the staffed refuge is the standard accommodation. A warden welcomes hikers, prepares the meals and manages the beds, usually in dormitories. The most common option is half board: dinner, bed and breakfast. Each refuge sets its staffed season and publishes it on its listing or website: check the dates before you set off, because a closed refuge completely changes the shape of a stage.

Unstaffed refuges

Outside the staffed season, some refuges remain accessible without a warden. The facilities available vary from place to place: find out what you will find there and take enough to be self-sufficient for the night and for meals. The night is still charged even when there is no warden.

Since autumn 2024, booking online has become compulsory outside the staffed season in a number of refuges belonging to the French Federation of Alpine and Mountain Clubs (FFCAM), including the Col de la Vanoise, La Pra and Vénasque refuges. The stated aim is to know visitor numbers better, prevent overcrowding and guarantee payment for the night, which funds the upkeep of the building. The list of refuges concerned is on the FFCAM website.

Gîtes

The gîte is the typical accommodation on GR trails in mid-altitude mountains and the countryside. You sleep in a dormitory or a small room, often with the option of having dinner and breakfast, or cooking for yourself. What is provided (sheets, meals, packed lunch) varies from one establishment to another: ask when you book.

Pilgrim accommodation

On the Ways of St James, accommodation reserved for pilgrims adds to what is available. Run by public or private bodies, associations or religious organisations, it is open to those who show their credencial (or créanciale), the pilgrim's passport. The guide devoted to the Way of St James in France explains how it works.

B&Bs, hotels and campsites

In the villages along the way, B&Bs and hotels offer more comfort, at a higher cost. Campsites, for their part, let you sleep in a tent while making use of washing facilities and sometimes a small shop. Check their opening dates before relying on them.

Booking: when and how

In summer, on the busiest GR trails, beds in refuges and gîtes go fast. A few good habits limit unpleasant surprises:

• Book early for stages where there is only one place to stay: with no alternative, a fully booked night forces you to lengthen or shorten the stage.
• Let your host know if you cancel or will arrive late: in the mountains, an expected hiker who does not turn up can worry the warden.
• Read the cancellation terms, which differ between establishments and networks.
• Keep a fallback option (accommodation in the valley, a shuttle, a tent) for the tricky stages.

Bivouacking and wild camping: what the law says

French law refers to “isolated camping”, that is, camping outside a designated site. Articles R111-32 to R111-35 of the Town Planning Code set out the general framework.

The principle: consent from whoever occupies the land

Isolated camping is in principle allowed with the consent of the person who has the use of the land, unless the owner objects. In other words, pitching your tent on private land requires permission, even for one night.

Places where it is banned

Unless an exemption applies, Article R111-33 of the same code bans isolated camping:

• on the seashore;
• in registered sites and in classified sites or sites in the process of being classified;
• in designated outstanding heritage sites and near historic monuments;
• within a 200-metre radius of water sources tapped for drinking water.

The mayor may also ban camping outside designated sites on grounds of public health, safety, public peace or the protection of landscapes, natural habitats and farming and forestry activities. These bans must be made known to the public, by notices at the town hall and by signs at the usual access points to the areas concerned.

National parks and nature reserves

In the core areas of national parks, camping is banned and bivouacking is only possible in certain places and under certain conditions. FFRandonnée describes bivouacking as a single night, under the stars or in a small tent you cannot stand up in, pitched in the evening and taken down in the morning. The permitted times and areas change from one park to another. Bivouacking is banned in the Calanques and Port-Cros national parks; in the Vanoise, it may require a booking.

Nature reserves each have their own regulations. Before planning a night under canvas in a protected area, check the website of the park or of the body that manages the reserve: it is the only authoritative source.

Good bivouacking habits

• Avoid passes, ridges, windswept spots and areas prone to flooding.
• Do not light fires and do not pollute streams or water troughs.
• Leave without a trace: no rubbish, no food scraps, no abandoned gear.
• Do not stay several nights in the same place and do not set up an extensive camp (large tent, table, awning): that is no longer bivouacking.