We are 2 adults, a 6yr old and 2yr old. Having spent many years driving around France and holland with the tent in the back and bikes on the roof having brilliant holidays we are looking at the options of inter railing this summer with the kids.
At present, we have no itinerary or countries firmed in. Two weeks in August. Eurostar from London will be the starting point and end point.
Accommodation will mostly be the decent campsites which have mobile homes or pre-erected tents (eurocamp, keycamp, Siblu, suncamp etc etc). Must have an excellent swimming pool and playground, all the usual amenities on a site.
First thoughts are based around finding nice campsites which are suitable for public transport (don't mind a taxi or bus from the train station but would like easy access to local places on foot/buses etc on a day to day basis without walking for miles). Once we have accommodation mapped out we will decide on routes and itineraries.
So, please recommend me some sites in Europe which are near to public transport. My first thoughts are based on guidance from eurocamp webpage Med coast in France,Italy lakes/Venice and Spanish med coast. Alternative routes will be Germany holland and possibly down as far as Switzerland. But, we love an adventure and exploring the unknown so feel free to deviate drastically from that!
Come join me on the adventure that is planning the holiday.
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I don't want to throw a spanner in the works, but you may find that in peak season, the sort of sites you're looking for have a minimum booking period - or a weekend arrival/departure day. It sounds as if you want to do only short periods on each site, and I really do think this may be difficult in peak season in pre-booked accommodation with only a two week period to play with. In May/June or late August and into September I think your plan would be a possibility, but in August............? It isn't that we're not adventurous, because we tour, in August, without booking but we have our own accommodation with us and aren't relying on campsites having availability for just a few days.
Sounds a lot to fit into two weeks. And as Val said, Eurocamp et al book up very quickly, for week or fortnight blocks generally, so you may find it difficult to fit in one or two night stays.
Sounds more like something to do over the course of a longer period, as your kids are teeny, can't you go off -peak for three weeks?
If you want reliable public transport you will need to be fairly near to towns and villages. The South of France should not be too much of a problem nor will be campsites near to Venice.
David
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We were looking at only 2-3 campsites over the fortnight, don't mind a bit of a journey between them. Initial was to aim for nice/beziers/Montpelier and then head to either Venice or Barcelona but just wondered if anyone had come across any gems of campsites we haed missed.
August is the only time we can go due to school holidays and work commitments.
If you Google "Inter Rail Blog" you'll find enough information and helpful advice to keep you reading throughout a wet Sunday - but mostly staying in hostels and hotels, or sleeping overnight on trains.
I won't try and put you off - it's the sort of travel we've done (old as we are) in India and Sri Lanka - but not with camp sites. Good luck.
Which comes first, the ease of travel or the decent campsite with availability? I wouldn't have a clue how to put a trip like this together, so would probably study the train services, and try and find towns along the way where I would like to stop, and then check out the campsites available within, say, a five mile radius. I don't think I would be too fussy about super pools and stuff though, that might restrict choice a lot. I look forward to following how you get on with this trip, it sounds a great adventure!
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!