Planning a camping trip in Europe is one of the best choices you can make this summer. It’s budget friendly, offers a lot of exciting cities and sights, as well as wonderful camping breaks in picturesque surroundings. There are too many advantages to it; not having to book a room for the night means that you save a lot of money, while your mode of transportation gives you the freedom to go where you like.
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To make it even easier on your wallet, we have looked up the most scenic camping sites you can choose in European countries, depending on which route you’d like to follow. It’s a great choice for your camping adventures as it only takes you a few hours between each country. Wander the streets of Ljubljana one day, and drive to Venice the next morning.
Tent, motorhome or caravan?
As a camper, you have probably decided on your favorite already. There are different benefits to each type of camping, and it depends on how comfortable you’d like to be. In a tent, you’re close to nature and not quite as sheltered as in a caravan or motorhome. You will need to choose the right type of tent, though, and keep the weight of it in mind if you’re backpacking. Make sure it’s big enough to fit your family if you’re traveling with children, and bring something heavy for setting the tent up in case the ground is particularly tough. Here is an excellent article if this is your first time camping abroad, by the way.
With a motorhome, you get the freedom of traveling in your home. It’s costly, though, and reserved for those who plan to use it every summer. The caravan offers the same convenience of traveling but might provide even more freedom in terms of exploring; it’s just not practical to drive around in a large motorhome when you want to explore the surroundings. Simply park your caravan where you plan to camp, and set off in your car instead.
At the end of the day, if you have invested in a caravan or motorhome, it makes sense to ditch the tent altogether; rather that than leaving a costly vehicle behind in the carport for your caravan. Have a look at this article to prepare your vehicle for the big trip and make sure it runs smoothly.
Beginning: Budapest and Ljubljana
Your camping route can be laid out however you please; it can easily be turned around so that you end up in Central Europe at the end of your trip rather than the beginning. Budapest has a lot to offer, both for those seeking a city break and those looking for beautiful nature; Ave Natura Camping is situated in the idyllic forest of Buda Hill. You can relax in a motorhome, caravan or tent, in shady and sunny spots.
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It’s not too far from the city either if you feel like mixing it up a bit. When you fall in love with Budapest, it’s because it will never bore you – stay in the center to feel its life or head to the outskirts for a bit of serenity.
When you want a change, it won’t even take you five hours to drive to Ljubljana. It’s a wonderfully scenic route, too, so the drive there will be just as pleasant as the camping itself. The city is a personal favorite of many, myself included, as it still has that quiet charm of a city not yet discovered by the masses. Its beauty is stunning; more than half of the country is forested, so you can feel confident that your wildlife adventure will be wild enough.
Camping Bled is an hour away from Ljubljana, but the view makes it worth it. It’s also the cradle of golfing in Slovenia, in addition to being located right by Lake Bled. There is another camping site in Ljubljana if an hour away from the city seems to much – but its ratings are not even close to Bled’s.
Middle: Venice and Marseille
When you’re ready for your next city, you’ll be driving down to Venice in about two and a half hour. The drive is, in all honesty, almost too short – watch how the landscape changes and see Italy open up beneath you, with all its humidity and crooked little houses. Venice is the perfect city for a romantic getaway, and it’s quiet enough for you to enjoy the time with your family in peace and serenity.
Camping Al Boschetto is a great place for children and even located by a sandy beach; with a playground and a sports ground, you can relax and enjoy the city of love together, while the youngest is having far too much fun to bother you. It will take you an hour to get there from the center of Venice, so when you feel like walking by the canals instead of the sea, it won’t take you too long to get there.
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Although you certainly should see more of Italy and even stay there for as long as possible, you probably want to get moving eventually. Where you go from here depends on whether or not you travel by caravan or public transport; as you need to get on a ferry to go to Spain, it’s probably better to head straight for France and save yourself the extra expenses.
If you do travel by public transport and would like to visit Barcelona, you should take a ferry from Livorno – it is as sandy and blue as paradise, and the best way to get there is to take a train from Venice to Florence. You’re welcome.
For the sake of order, we assume that you travel by caravan and would like to head straight to France. It’s massive, and since you’d like to save as much time as possible, the southern part should give you everything you need; proximity, the French Riviera, and all of those good summer vibes you have been dreaming of.
Make your way to Marseilles and prepare for a good 6 hour drive – it is, after all, a journey across Italy. You can always make the drive a bit easier by stopping in Genoa before driving on; it’s not the first city to come to mind when you think of Italy, but as one of it’s largest ports and with a stunning view wherever you look, you won’t regret spending a few hours here.
Camping Du Pylone is reopened after the tragic flood two years back and is still as popular as ever. You can use one of their mobile homes or just stay in your own caravan. There’s a lot to do for your kids too, with a swimming pool and offers different activities for the whole family.
End: Geneva and Enzklosterle
As the end or the beginning of your trip, a few nights of camping in Geneva is just what you need. Your caravan will take you there from Marseilles in about five and a half hours, so start early in the morning to get the most out of the day. As always, you won’t be bored while driving through shifting landscape, friendly towns, and get to enjoy the endless charm of Europe in the summer.
The view and nature are in a class of its own; you’ll be looking for long if you want something even more idyllic than what Geneva has to offer. Camping Rive-Bleu is situated by a small marina, as well as a large indoor swimming pool. The site is quiet and picturesque, with a small village ten minutes away, and you can choose to rent a tent from them if you’d like. It is camping in nature at its finest, but beware of the prices – they’re slightly higher here than in some of the other cities on the route.
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Make your final destination a forest camping in Germany. Camping Müllerwiese is a car-free camping in the middle of a small village, surrounded by the Black Forest, and with a small stream running through it. Since you need to leave your car behind, you simply load your things into the provided charts and pull it with you over a bridge and onto the site. It’s a German camping dream come true, and a perfect place for resting out after the drive. It will take you about five hours, by the way, and you’ll be pleased to know that visitors to the campsite have called it a hidden gem with a fantastic view over mountains and forest.
When you want to see as much of Europe’s nature as possible while traveling on a budget, you’re in for a great adventure. The proximity to the countries and opportunities for indulging in different architecture, history, and cuisine wherever you go will attract your camper’s instinct again and again. Luckily, you have so many exciting cities to choose from and can accommodate the route to fit your budget – stay a few days in an expensive country and balance it out by extending your stay in the less expensive ones.
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