Would you recommend it? We're from Colorado, we're used to camping and have the equipment. Our tenative plan is to travel via train and hit Amsterdam, Brussels, Berlin, Prague, maybe Copenhagen & parts of Poland.
How difficult is it to get to campsites from the big cities? If you were to compare hostel stay to camping, I guess I'm trying to weigh the pros and cons.
Thanks for any tips!
In most of Europe campsites are not very convenient to public transportation. Where there is an exception is in Scandinavia.
The primary question to me is: Are you planning to travel by car or train?
Having done both -- I would pair camping with car travel, and pair hosteling with train travel. In those pairings they each have their strong positives and are very workable.
We are planning to do a nearly all camping trip to Scandinavia in a few years -- so I definitely see the appeal for you.
Check out the "Graffiti Wall" on this website and scroll down the page to "Archive: Camping". There are a lot of interesting thoughts and comments. I think most of the people rented a car in order to go to the campgrounds on the outskirts of the cities. The following comment was made on the topic: relatively few Americans take advantage of Europe's 10,000-plus campgrounds. While often more functional than scenic, these campgrounds can be the cheapest way to see Europe and a great way to meet European families. Have fun on your trip.
I have seen scout troops loading onto trains in Brussels with their camping gear. Other than towards the Ardennes, I could not say more specifically where they were headed, but it must be possible to reach at least some campgrounds via public transportation.
The Dutch have a reputation for being particularly fond of camping, so it would not surprise me if you could reach campgrounds via public transit in the Netherlands as well.
Camping anywhere near any big city is not going to be anything like what you think camping should be like.
I have only a little experience with it in France,, and that was only as a child, but think of open fields, with basically just everyone slotted into parking size spots,, not wilderness camping by any means.
Campsites sometimes have bars and restuarants too.
Frankly, if you don't rent a car I wouldn't camp.. at least with a rental car you can park away from cities and maybe enjoy it a bit,, plus have the transport to sites in the cities.
Hostelling is just as,, if not more socail,,, and you won't need any equipment..
My brother camped, and did not have a car. He didn't do it the way we do here with all our equipment like a stove, etc. He just had his small, lightweight backpacking tent, sleeping bag and mat. I don't think he sat around a campfire at night, etc. It was strictly an economical way for him to travel. He camped in Switzerland, Netherlands and France. He was able to get around by train and bus. He particularly liked the camping in Switzerland.
Our experience camping in Europe over the years has been very positive, both with a camper (ancient VW Westfalia camping van), and with tents. We took tents when we traveled with our two teenagers, and we camped about one-third of a 5 week trip. We have always camped up and down the west coast of N. America, but camping in Europe is quite different. Most European campgrounds that we have stayed in have had a restaurant, bar, pool, bungalos, cooking facilities (some places), and often entertainment. One camp in Tuscany had music one night, an auction the next, etc. When we traveled with the kids, my daugher (the soccer player) was able to pick-up games with the other camp kids. There may be camps where you sit around a campfire, but we haven't found them. But the Europeans camp with the whole family, and it's always enjoyable to be with folks having such a great time. Some notable campsites...Bois de Boulogne in Paris, beach camping in the Camargue, on the cliffs above Normandy beach, along the Ar river in Bern. My advise, rent a car and go camping.
