Camping in Europe... got any hot tips?

Hi Maggie, Are you planning to camp in a tent or rent an RV? We have camped in an old VW bus and also in tents. When our kids were in high school we toured Europe in a rental car (station wagon) and we took tents, blankets, etc. and camped at the Normandy beaches, Honfloeur, and near the village named California in Tuscany, and Bern. Camping in Europe is a lot different than in your beautiful state. Many campgrounds have tiny little plots for your tent, caravan, or trailer. But very often there is a swimming pool and/or lake, snack bar, restaurant, and bar. Some campgrounds have evening entertainment. If you are going in mid-June through August, you may want to get reservations. I'm assuming that you will have a car? We have seen nice campgroungs in the Alps, Pyrennes, Costa del Sol, at the beach in the Camargue region, on the Atlantic coast of France, Tuscany, the Adriatic coast, and the Bois de Boulogne in Paris. Check: http://astore.amazon.com/europecamping-20 Have fun!

Hi again Maggie, I ran out of room on the previous note. My experience has been that camping in Europe is like camping everywhere; a great way to meet people. Chances are good that you will be the only campers from the USA, but the camps are full of fun-loving Europeans just waiting share a bottle of wine or a snack with you and have a good visit. You'll have fun!

There is a great campground in Stechelberg in the Lauterbrunnen Valley (Switzerland). It's right next to the gondola station up to Gimmelwald, Muerren and the Shilthorn.

CLICK HERE to see a list and descriptions of hiking trails in the Bernese Oberland

There is a book called "Europe by Van and Motorhome" by David Shore and Patty Campbell. Although geared to vehicle camping, it does list some good campsites, and explains alot of the differences in Europe camping. Get it from library it is fun read, I enjoyed it very much.
There are also camps where you can rent an already set up tent or mobile home ,, Keycamps I think they are called, start googling,, camps in europe are different, they are not about "wilderness" settings, you will not be allowed a fire etc, but, they do often have cafes ,pool, etc. so like small towns.

Check out www.Frommers.com. On the top right is a link to Arthur's Blogs. Click on that and scroll down to a blog on camping in France. It has a couple of useful links that should help.

Thanks so much everyone. It's a bit intimidating since I'm just starting to pursue this possible way to go.

I'm off to the library/bookstore!