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Does anyone know of any good sites near Lake Constance where tent campers are not treated as second class citizens? We stayed on one in 2000 on the way to Austria where tent campers wre shunted to a very out of the way area and where the pitches were not by any stretch of the imagination large. Our two-man overnight tent just about covered the pitch entirely. Are tent campers treated differently abroad? We haven't experienced that here.

We stayed at a lovely site just outside Bellagio some years back, run by an English lady (Elizabeth, I think). It was rather basic (field with sanitaries) but clean and with the most wonderful views over the lake. Apparently they have more tents than caravans on the site because the access road is a nightmare for caravans. (We had to manhandle our twin axle unit round one of the corners).  They also have a private lido on the lake side which is very pleasant. We were there the last day of Aug and the first few of Sept just before the site closed for the winter, it was very quiet. Pitches did not appear to be marked out so you really took what space you needed. I don`t know how that would work if it was very busy.

Have a nice time wherever you go!

Hi Essexman

A couple years ago we stayed for a couple of nights at Camping Ruderbaum near Altnau on the way home from touring Germany and Austria.  We had not booked just phone ahead the day before.  It is listed under Kreuzlinger in Caravan Europe (the Caravan Club Guide) it is listed as having a website at www.ruderbaum.ch  

It is right on the lake's edge although trees rather obscure the view.  We walked along the lake shore on a track that runs at the bottom of the campsite.  It is a pleasant, quiet site which, if I remember rightly, takes tents.  The part that we were on, and, and some tents, sloped down to the lake - a helpful fellow caravanner got us some large pieces of firewood from the woodshed to supplement our blocks in levelling the 'van.  There was a restaurant/hotel serving food on the lakeside - turn right from the bottom of the site.  We didn't try it.  The border with Germany was just up the road in Kreuzlingen. 

The site is easily spotted from the main road only travelling from the Kreuzlingen direction, ie, look for caravans.  We were travelling in a westerly direction and missed the turn.  The correct turn is left at the railway station (Bahnhof) sign in Altnau and across the level crossing.

Thoroughly confusude we then turned off a little further along when we saw another groups of caravans.  This turned out to be a rally type and we had to turn our twin-axle van on a single track farm road.  Fortunately there was a T-junction which helped.  Some locals looked very puzzled at our antics especially as our "digression" involved  a tight turn onto a level crossing the railway line  - other traffic had to reverse to give us room to turn!!!  The site owner's English was a little weak on giving us phone directions to help us correct our digression!!  Still we got there in the end - all part of the joy of caravanning.

There are other campsites mentioned in Caravan Europe guide along the southern coast of Lake Constance but none had room for us when we were heading home in late August.  Alan Rogers Europe (2004 edition) mentions  Camping Buchorn in Arbon and has a picture showing 'vans on the lakeside.  It says that it is the town's park and has its own sandy beach and lovely views across the lake.  It takes tents but the guiays ask for a lakeside pitch if that's what you want.  We really fancied trying it but it was full.  Email info at camping-arbon-ch

We did find Lake Constance a bit flat after the spectacular mountain lakes of Austria and the Bernese oberland. 

Have a lovely time - help this helps.

Best wishes

Tim

Sorry that should be Email info at camping-arbon.ch

Regards

Tim