July 2016 we intend to visit Salo, Lake Garda and then Brienz Switzerland, or it might be the other way around.
We will no doubt go via Calais and we are towing a 7.5m caravan.
Having never travelled these areas what are the pitfalls, pluses, etc?
What are the best routes ?
How steep are the roads in the more mountainous areas? i.e. will I need a spare clutch !! Joking !! I hope !!
Any little thing might be useful.
Thank you.
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Pitches in Italy tend to be quite tight for your size van ( and ours). We stated at La Rocca nr Bardolino and paid extra for a bigger pitch and managed to get an awning up and the car parked on the pitch; the standard pitches were too tight for both awning and car. Other sites we looked at in the area were similar.
Nice site though with access to the lakeside walk to Lasize, Cisano and Bardolino and giving access to the boats.
Baia Verde at Manerba del Garda has large pitches and 16 amp electric, both fairly unusual in Italy. It's not directly on the lake, just a short walk away, and has excellent facilities including some pitches with private bathrooms! Check the reviews on here.
------------- Il vaut mieux vivre ses reves que rever sa vie
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
If you travel the lowest prices toll route via Belgium, Germany. little way in Austria, the only toll just over £6.20 for Vignette in Austria approx £6.40 for Brenner Motorway one way. No great inclines on any roads from Calais to Garda have done it many times.
£55 for outfit{Car and Caravan) if you venture into Switzerland. We have toured in Switzerland and Austria and
Austria wins hands down to visit. Prettier, more Friendly and a lot lot cheaper.
Can give you our route with ACSI Camping Card Sites en route if you email me dvphillips14 at hotmail.com Good campsites though you will be out of season.
We visited Switzerland this year and stayed 9 nights in the Interlaken area. The scenery is stunning, the people we met friendly and helpful and spoke good English, and though the prices are expensive, it doesn't have to cost a fortune. We used our cycles some days, riding into Interlaken and by the side of Lake Brienz, made use of the free local train and bus travel card, used the car for some visits eg to Grindelwald, and carefully selected our "big" trips, taking advantage of special offers from the campsite where possible eg. half price up Harder Kulm giving amazing views over Interlaken, the valley and the lakes. Food, especially meat, is expensive, even using Aldi for shopping, so take it with you, or be creative with your cooking. Restaurant prices were really expensive, so we didn't bother! Interestingly, wine was generally cheaper than this country except for Swiss wine which was more expensive than that from other countries! We had an amazing time there and can recommend Camping Oberei at Wilderswil, a small site run by an elderly mother and her daughter who have lived there all their lives and know everything there is to know about the area (reviews on here).
We went to Switzerland via The Netherlands and Germany, using motorway almost the whole way and certainly no mountain passes!
Hi, We have just returned from Camping Weekend on the outskirts of Salo, we went via luxemburg, Germany and Austria coming down the east side of lake Garda then turning off at Desensano and up to Salo, all the roads this way were fine with no problems what so ever. We went to the C & C club rally on the above mentioned site and had a great time. Enjoy. We also loaded viamichelin onto the ipad to help us on route.
Just a note, we enjoyed it so much we are booking the same Rally in 2016,
My thanks to Jaiash, Iwalain, DiPhil and Colin 2444 for your comments and advice we are very grateful.
Nice to know that some contributors on here are still polite and comment in more helpful terms, as one has come to expect from this site.
DiPhil I will be emailing you, thank you.
Looks like we will stay at Fornella, Lake Garda (CC Site) as they appear to have 120m sq pitches ??? and then possibly move into Austria as a number of people have told us that it is a better option to Switzerland.
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
When near Lake Garda, try and get to see Sirmione. Wonderful place, great Thermal Spa perfect for sunset! Loved the place.
------------- 11 Hendra
12 La Croix du Vieux Pont
13 lCdP+The Quiet Site
14 Park Cliffe Cote D'Argent
15 Park Cliffe Le Pearl
16 Eskdale
17 Skelwith Fold
18 Skelwith Fold
19 Skelwith Fold
20 Skelwith Fold
Quote: Originally posted by croyde_or_bust on 06/11/2015
My thanks to Jaiash, Iwalain, DiPhil and Colin 2444 for your comments and advice we are very grateful.
Nice to know that some contributors on here are still polite and comment in more helpful terms, as one has come to expect from this site.
DiPhil I will be emailing you, thank you.
Looks like we will stay at Fornella, Lake Garda (CC Site) as they appear to have 120m sq pitches ??? and then possibly move into Austria as a number of people have told us that it is a better option to Switzerland.
We've been to both Switzerland (once) and Austria (2 or 3 times), so not very often, but I would say that both have their own appeal.
We spent 10 days in Switzerland in fabulous weather, near Interlaken, and got a 6-day pass for the trains. One trip we did was to the Jungfraujoch, and that is something that will always stick in my mind as one of the best parts of any holiday, it was fabulous. Other trips by train were also fantastic, we really enjoyed every minute of those 10 days.
We've also spent some time in Austria, Salzburg and Vienna we liked very much; as well as the lakes - Wolfgangsee and Zell am See. Again, we enjoyed it there too.
Difficult to make a decision, I don't really think I'd find it easy to recommend one above the other; you'll have to go to each on 2 separate holidays!
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets