Lake Paladru with kids - a week on a campsite with friends and the Saint-Christophe caves

Lake Paladru is in the Isère department in France, between Lyon and Grenoble. It has turquoise water, beaches with lifeguards and campsites right by the water. We spent almost a week here at the turn of July and August 2024, in the middle of our campervan holiday through the Alps.

Through Switzerland to France

On 1 August we left Breisgau-Camping am Silbersee, where we spent the night after the Technik Museum in Sinsheim. We had almost 300 km to the lake, partly through Switzerland.

We already had the Swiss vignette, because it is valid for a year, so the drive on the motorway was very quick. On the French side the motorway has tolls. Beza is higher than 2 metres, so it pays in a more expensive class than a normal car.

The Détente et Clapotis campsite with friends

We stayed at the Détente et Clapotis campsite in Montferrat. We planned this part of the trip to spend a week with friends: four families on four pitches next to each other. For some it was the start of their holiday, for others the end, and for others the middle.

We really liked it. The kids played together in every free moment, the parents had a bit more time for themselves, and in the evening there was always someone to sit with.

On 2 and 5 August we stayed on the campsite. It has an indoor pool and its own beach on the lake, so there was no need to go anywhere.

A walk to Villages du Lac de Paladru

On 3 August we walked to the nearby village of Villages du Lac de Paladru. By the waterfront there are wooden decks with a telescope, from where you can see almost the whole lake, and the water near the shore is turquoise.

Fun fact: villages at the bottom of the lake

At the bottom of Lake Paladru archaeologists found two villages under water: the Neolithic Les Baigneurs from about 4,700 years ago and the medieval Colletière from the 11th century. The results of more than 40 years of underwater research are shown in the Musée archéologique du lac de Paladru (MALP) in Charavines. We did not visit it, but we would like to go next time.

The Saint-Christophe caves in the Chartreuse mountains

On 4 August we drove into the Chartreuse mountains, to the Saint-Christophe caves near Les Échelles. These are two caves in a rock above a gorge, and you can only visit them with a guide. Next to them runs the Voie Sarde, an old road cut into the rock on the orders of Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy.

On the way back we stopped for ice cream and fresh baguettes. We paid 1.10 € for a baguette. The whole day was only 75 km of driving, and in the evening we were back on the campsite.

On 6 August we said goodbye to the lake and drove via the Gorges du Fier towards Mont Blanc.

Practical info

We checked this in November 2026.

Swimming in the lake

In summer, from June to the end of August, there are four beaches with lifeguards: Charavines (free), Paladru, Le Pin and Montferrat.

Détente et Clapotis campsite

• A four-star campsite in Montferrat, open from mid-April to mid-September.
• It has an indoor pool, a beach on the lake and a kids' club for ages 4-12.

Saint-Christophe caves

• Guided tours only, about 1 hour 20 minutes.
• Tickets: adults 11 €, teenagers 15-17 9 €, children 5-14 7.50 €, children under 5 free.
• In 2024 we paid 38.50 € for our tickets.
• Open from April to early November, every day in summer.
• You can walk the Voie Sarde on your own, about 1.5 hours there and back.

MALP archaeological museum

Tickets 5 €, young people aged 10-18 2 €, children under 10 free. On the first Sunday of the month entry is free for everyone.