next year i plan on touring Austria, Switzerland & Germany the main 2 places i want to visit are Eagles nest (Hitlers summer retreat and colditz) still on the lookout for good places to see while there. any suggestions welcome.
Just a quick question what are the average prices of campsites (with & without elec) and any tips on good sites to stop at and places worth stopping at?
Thanks
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Gazzno - what dates are you planning for your trip? I ask because if you're going outside peak season (mid-July to mid-August) you could think about using an ACSI card or Camping Cheques - which will bring down the cost of a pitch to between 11 and 15 euros - and that's for the pitch, two people, car and caravan (or motorhome), awning and electricity. Each sites sets its own acceptance dates, which can vary, there's no need to book, and sites are all of a high standard. With ACSI you buy the guide, which contains a detachable card which you show on arrival at any site in the guide to get the discount rate. With Camping Cheques you buy them up-front and they are then valid for up to two years. You simply state on arrival that you'll be paying with Camping Cheques, and generally pay at the end of your stay.
i plan on going anytime between 1st May 2011 & the end of September was planning on going for 6 - 8 weeks when do you think would be the best time to go? (weather & site fees)
thanks i didn't know about the card or camping cheques i'll look into them. do the camping cheques work out cheaper than cash? and any ideas if its worth getting the silver or gold cards?
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We have been to Germany several times and tend to go May/June. Weather can cover all eventualities, once had to use the heating in June on one campsite. Went 200 south and you needed air conditioning! For Germany an Austria I suspect that marginally you would find the ACSI Card, as mentioned by Val, more of an advantage. Been to many places in Germany but not the two you mention, yet. You might find this of use as it details a long trip we made in Germany in 2008 http://www.davidklyne.co.uk/germany_calling_2008.htm
David
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Personally, having got one, I'm not really sure about the Gold Card. It's supposed to give you extra 'value' - such as meals with wine in the restaurant, advance booking facilities, etc., as well as speeding up the 'paying' process at the end. We haven't really found it an advantage, apart from not having to fill out the cheques at the end of our stay - and now we've printed labels even that isn't a chore any more. We don't often manage to take advantage of any of the 'free' offers that some with it, except perhaps for free bike hire at one site we stayed at!
I've no experience of the Silver Card - so wouldn't like to give advice one way or the other.
For the most part you will make a small to medium saving on site fees using either ACSI or Camping Cheques, and on some sites, on some dates, you can make a very large saving indeed - up to 25 euros per night at one site we stayed at.
In Austria we've stayed in Salzburg, Campingplatz Nord-Sam. Salzburg is lovely, and from the site there is bus stop close by to get into the town. We've also been to Vienna a couple of times, Camping Wien-Sud, which is on the outskirts of the town, and Camping Tulln, which is well outside of Vienna. Vienna is lovely too, bigger than Salzburg, lots to see. Camping Tulln is in the Camping Cheque scheme,or was in 2005 when we were there, but you'd have to check that. Wien-Sud cost, in 2005, just under 20 Euros per night. Personally I thought that was the better site as far as getting into Vienna is concerned, but it is situated in a built-up area, no free lunch of course!!
One day we actually took the train from Vienna to Bratislave, it is a short-ish trip and really enjoyed the experience. Of course a trip on the Donau is a must, you can actually go by boat to Bratislava too, but of course it takes a while.
We've also stayed at Zell am See, Campsite Woferlgut, that was a Camping Cheque site, but I'm pretty sure it is now in ACSI. Review HERE (not mine!). Beware of agreeing to cable TV there though, in 2005 that cost no less than 2 Euros per day. We were asked if we wanted it but didn't realise that, they never told us.
We've stayed at a few more sites in Austria, by a couple of lakes, if you're interested I'll give you the details, but as I don't know whether that's your thing, I've left them out.
In Switzerland we've stayed at Lazy Rancho, reviews HERE (one of them is mine!), the Freedom scheme no longer exists, and AFAIK the site is not in any other scheme, but it really is well worth it, believe me. The views are stunning.
As you have plenty of time at your disposal you might like to consider visiting the former East Germany. Dresden (Camping Luxe Oase) and Berlin/Potsdam (Camping Park Sanssouci Gaisberg) are fascinating cities - the campsites are in the Reviews section. From Dresden, Prague is an easy daytrip. The Baltic coast is also very pleasant with lovely beaches and some historic old towns. We spent August 2008 in Germany and the weather was pretty similar to England - some warm sunshine, some rain and some cloudy days.
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I'm going to take my Moped with us when we go, so getting into towns is a bit easier in the past i have only stopped 1 or 2 nights in any one place but next year i plan on camping a week or so at each place we stop (mainly because of the cost of Deisel)
i may give east germany a visit as there seems to be some good sites to see?
The trip David done looks great, only scanned through it tonight but will read up on it at the weekend. thanks.
Ina. if you could post the sites by the lakes it would be appreciated we both like sites with nice views.
as for the camping cheques or cards having read up on them i'm not sure? as although i will spend a week at most places i think i'll see if i can blag it as if you ask for a discount fo a week and they say no if you say "oh ok just one night then" more often than not they normaly throw in a free night anyway. well it normaly works on the smaller sites. i'll have to see if the savings are worth the effort, looks like i got some research to do this weekend lol.
thanks again for your help and if anyone has any must see places please post them. theres some good info to look through so thanks again
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Ina. if you could post the sites by the lakes it would be appreciated we both like sites with nice views.
Ok then, here goes:
Strandcamping Podersdorf am See, on the Neusiedler See, south-east of Vienna, website HERE. In German only. That lake is very shallow, and is actually a salt lake. It is very near the Hungarian border.
Insel Camping, Attersee, website HERE. Only in German but you'll get the drift, with pics and prices. Near Mondsee too, lovely area, east of Salzburg, when we were there, there was a contest on the lake, lots of boats, great to watch, fantastic views too.
Camping Schonblick, Wolfgangsee, just a bit further south than the site above at Attersee, website HERE. You can take the boat across the lake, to get the little train up the Schafberg, a fantastic trip well worth it!!
Camping Seespitz, Walchsee, website HERE. In the Tirol, only stayed 1 afternoon/night, as we were en route to Munich, to visit a friend who lives there, on the way back home. Not far from Kitzbuhl and St Johann in Tirol and other interesting places.
Well, I hope that's given you a bit more to research. Can honestly recommend all of the above, we certainly thoroughly enjoyed the lot!!
I'm a regular camper in Austria, infact I'm typing this on my netbook from our pitch now! Camping is very popular over here and we stay at a different site each year.
Lovely site with amazing views no matter which direction you look.
Our's works out at Euro 20.40 per night on a fully serviced pitch (electric, water & drainage connections) I'm also paying 13 euros per week for wifi internet. We have a lovely little stream at the rear of our pitcch which is very handy for cooling your feet while reading a good book!
We've nearly always found sites via the internet, searching the Austrian camping websites.
Hope you have a great time wherever you stay
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Just wanted to say that this thread gave me the idea of looking for somewhere else other than France for camping! I've spent ages looking at German campsites which I found fairly pricy. We particularly want to stay on a lakeside. But, I've now found three campsites in Switzerland that don't seem too pricy - about £30 for 2 adults and 3 children (although the eldest child seems to be classed as an adult).
I know what you mean, this year was the 1st time i drove abroad, Essex to Nordkapp & back (4'990 miles) so it was make or break if i liked it or not i've done most of the UK just a few places still to explore and loads i want to go back to.
i've been to Austria on a coach trip, me and val took my mum away for a short break and the views and towns were amazing. Oberammergau, Linderhof Palace, Innsbuck, Lech & we stayed at the Sport Hotel St Anton.
Thats what made us want to go back and explore more of the country in the Van, it is breath takingly beautiful and so clean
that's the trouble, Too Many Places Not Enough Time!!! lol
hope your trip goes well, I now can't wait for mine.
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Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: campsite prices
