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Hi All,

In less than 4 weeks we plan to drive through Europe on the way to Romania, and we plan on spending 2 or 3 nights camping in Belgium, Holland, Germany, Austria and maybe Hungary (depending on how tired we are ).

Does anyone have any experience camping in these countries and is there anything we should be aware of and anything you could recommed? It will be our first experience camping.

Thanks

If this trip will be your first experience camping, I would suggest trying to go away for a night or two, even nearby to home, to find out if you are happy with your set-up i.e. tent, cooking facilities, sleeping arrangements, etc

Better to check these out before you go, rather than having to find camping shops in an unfamiliar country.

We have only ever stayed at one campsite in Germany. It was in the grounds of a castle overlooking the Rhine near Koblenz. It was quite a simple site. No pool, but next door to the municipal pool complex. The castle was fascinating because it was still lived in by the family that owned it. They did tours on certain days of the week. Nice restaurant by the castle too. Here's the link:

Oops! Here's the link:

http://www.burg-lahneck.de/index.html

We too stayed at burg lahneck last summer - easy drive from calais (under 4 hours), views of rhine valley and good motorway connections in all directions.

Toilet facilities were impeccable no matter what time of day/night, staff were helpful.

Hint - wherever you go in Europe, aim to arrive before 4pm as arrivals tend to flood in after this time and popular transit sites can fill up very quickly. If you do this, there should be no need to book.

Oh, and some sites will hold on to your passports during your stay as a form of bond, unless you have a camping carnet.

If you have a particular penchant for british groceries (eg tea bags, baked beans, etc) stock up before you go! Large supermarkets tend to be less prevalent than in the uk, and the range in some shops is limited.  However, cheap beer and wine will always be in plentiful supply!

Have fun!