Camping European Style
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| Nature becomes a luxury hotel in the Swiss Alps. "Free camping" is legal in much of Europe, allowing frugal travelers to slumber undisturbed beneath the stars. |
Relatively few Americans take advantage of Europe's 10,000-plus campgrounds. Camping is the cheapest way to see Europe and the middle-class European family way to travel. Campers give it rave reviews.
"Camping" is the international word for campground. Every town has a camping with enough ground to pitch a tent or park a caravan (trailer), good showers and washing facilities, and often a grocery store and restaurant, all for just a few dollars per person per night. In America, we think of campgrounds as being picturesque, rustic cul-de-sacs near a lake or forest. European campgrounds can range from functional (like spending the night in a park-and-ride) to a vacation extravaganza, with restaurants, mini-water parks, and discos. Campings forbid open fires, and you usually won't find a riverfront lot with a stove, table, and privacy. In general, European campgrounds are less private and secluded than the American version — basically a field with a smattering of trees, and lots of campers in close proximity. But they rarely fill up, and, if they do, the "Full" sign usually refers to trailers (most Europeans are trailer campers). A small tent can almost always be squeezed in somewhere.
Europe's campgrounds mix well with just about any mode of transportation. And very light modern camp gear makes camping without a car easier than ever. Tent and train can be a winning combination, though it can be challenging to find convenient transportation between the train station and the campground. On arrival at the train station, stop by the TI and pick up a map with campgrounds marked, local camping leaflets, and bus directions. In some cases, buses shuttle campers from station to campground with ease. Stations generally have lockers in which those with limited energy can leave unneeded baggage.
Hitchhikers find camping just right for their tender budgets. Many campgrounds are located near the major road out of town, where long rides are best snared. Any hitching camper with average social skills can find a friend driving his way with an empty seat. A note on the camp bulletin board can be very effective.
Tents and bikes also mix well. Bikers enjoy the same we-can-squeeze-one-more-in status as hikers and are very rarely turned away.
Camping by car is my favorite combination. A car carries all your camp gear and gets you to any campground quickly and easily. Good road maps always pinpoint campings, and, when you're within a few blocks, the road signs take over. In big cities, the money you save on parking alone will pay for your camping. I usually take the bus downtown, leaving my camper van at the campground.
Learning about campgrounds: Each country's national tourist office in the United States can send you information on camping in its country. Consider getting the Traveler's Guide to European Camping or RV and Car Camping Vacations in Europe, both by Mike and Terri Church (available through www.amazon.com or www.rollinghomes.com). The AA — Britain's AAA-type automobile club — publishes an annual guide called AA Caravan & Camping Europe. This excellent resource includes detailed listings for thousands of campgrounds in Western Europe, along with color maps for locating each one. Separate editions focus on France and Britain/Ireland. The Let's Go guides give good instructions on getting to and from campgrounds. Other resources include Europe by Van & Motorhome by David Shore & Patty Campbell and Camping Europe by Carol Mickelsen.
Campings are well posted, and local tourist information offices have guides and maps listing nearby campgrounds. Every country has good and bad campgrounds. Campgrounds mirror their surroundings. If the region is overcrowded, dusty, dirty, unkempt, and generally chaotic, you're unlikely to find an oasis behind the campground's gates. A sleepy Austrian valley will most likely offer a sleepy Austrian campground. "Weekend campings" are rented out on a yearly basis to local urbanites. Too often, weekend sites are full or don't allow what they call "stop-and-go" campers (you). Camping guidebooks indicate which places are the "weekend" types.
Prices: Prices vary according to facilities and style — sometimes it's by the tent, sometimes by the person. Expect to spend $7–10 per night per person.
Registration and regulations: Camp registration is easy. As with most hotels, you show your passport, fill out a short form, and learn the rules. Checkout time is usually noon. English is the second language of campings throughout Europe, and most managers will understand the monoglot American.
European campgrounds generally require you to leave your passport with the office until you pay your bill. But many campgrounds will accept instead an International Camping Card ($20, also called a Camping Carnet). These cards may get you discounts at some campgrounds. The organization Family Campers and RVers sells the card to members ($25 per family for membership plus $20 for the carnet, www.fcrv.org, tel. 800-245-9755).
Silence usually reigns in European campgrounds beginning at 10 or 11 p.m. Noisemakers are strictly dealt with. Many places close the gates to cars after 11 p.m. If you do arrive after the office closes, set up quietly and register in the morning.
Campground services: European campgrounds have great, if sometimes crowded, showers and washing facilities. Hot water, as in many hostels, is often metered, and you'll learn to carry coins and "douche" quickly. At larger campgrounds, tenters appreciate the in-camp grocery store and café. The store, while high-priced, stays open longer than most, offering latecomers a chance to picnic. The café is a likely camp hangout, and Americans enjoy mixing in this easygoing European social scene. I've scuttled many nights on the town so I wouldn't miss the fun with new friends right in the camp. Camping, like hosteling, is a great way to meet Europeans. If the campground doesn't have a place to eat, you'll find one nearby.
Camping with kids: A family sleeps in a tent a lot cheaper than in a hotel. Camping offers plenty to occupy children's attention, including playgrounds that come fully equipped with European kids. And as your kids make European friends, your campground social circle widens.
Safety: Campgrounds, unlike hostels, are remarkably theft free. Campings are full of basically honest middle-class European families, and someone's at the gate all day. Most people just leave their gear zipped inside their tents.
Camping equipment: Your camping trip deserves first-class equipment. Spend some time and money outfitting yourself before your trip. There are plenty of stores with exciting new gear and expert salespeople to get you up-to-date in a hurry.
For Europe, campers prefer a very lightweight "three-season" sleeping bag (consult the climate chart in the appendix for your probable bedroom temperature) and a closed-cell sleeping pad to insulate and soften the ground.
If you bring a stove from home, it should be the butane Gaz variety (but note that you can't take a Gaz cartridge on the plane — buy it there or lose it here). I keep meals simple, picnicking and enjoying food and fun in the campground café. I'd suggest starting without a stove. If you find out you want one, buy it there. In Europe, it's much easier to find fuel for a European camp stove than for its Yankee counterpart.
Stoves and all other camping gear are cheaper at large superstores (found in Britain, France, Germany, and Spain) than at European backpacking stores. In the US, the cheap chains (Wal-Mart, Target, and Costco) sell cheap equipment. For pricier, fancier gear, consider REI (tel. 800-426-4840), Campmor (tel. 888-226-7667), or L.L. Bean (tel. 800-441-5713). Commit yourself to a camping trip or to a no-camping trip and pack accordingly. Don't carry a sleeping bag and a tent just in case.
Free camping: Informal camping, or "camping wild," is legal in most of Europe. Low-profile, pitch-the-tent-after-dark-and-move-on-first-thing-in-the-morning free camping is usually allowed even in countries where it is technically illegal. Use common sense, and don't pitch your tent informally in carefully controlled areas such as cities and resorts. It's a good idea to ask permission when possible. In the countryside, a landowner will rarely refuse a polite request to borrow a patch of land for the night. Formal camping is safer than free camping. Never leave your gear and tent unattended without the gates of a formal campground to discourage thieves.
>Updated for 2008. For lots more tips, check out our best-selling Europe Through the Back Door travel skills guidebook.