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EUROPEAN CAMPSITES and AIRES

Places we have stayed in European countries in recent years 

Note: We usually tour in low season (May and June) so sites and aires will be busier in mid summer. Also many campsites in France close or have reduced facilities from mid September
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Sites 2009
Aires 2009
Sites 2008
Stellplatz 2008
Sites 2007
Sites 2006
Aires 2007
Aires 2008
Aires 2006
Aires 2005
France 2005
Italy 2005
Belgium 2005
France 2002
France 2001
Austria
Switzerland
Campsite guides

 

FRANCE has about eleven thousand campsites both municipal and privately owned and ranging from basic to luxury. There are also over 2000 aires de service where you can park overnight, normally with a small charge for the water and waste supply points and even electric hookups. Some of these are free, others within or just outside campsites where the normal camping fees may apply. In some places you can stay for one night free in a town car park or village square but beware you may find you are surrounded by market stalls the next morning! .
France 1996  France 2001  France 2002  France 2005  France 2006  France 2007  
France 2009

ITALY has many campsites and aires (Aree di Sosta). The campsites are mostly large and developed usually with full amenities and many pitches occupied by static caravans often with very permanent extensions. They tend to be rather expensive especially in high season (but see ACSI below) The aree di sosta vary from excellent with free water, waste and even free electric hookups, to awful where we wouldn't park for an hour let alone overnight!
Italy 2005   Italy 2006   Italy 2009

GERMANY has a few thousand campsites and stellplatz (aires) for motorhomes especially in the Rhine/Mosel area and Bavaria. 

We spent three weeks touring Germany in 2008 staying only at stellplatz in many areas including the Weser Valley, Harz Mountains, Thuringia, Bavaria and Black Forest which were mostly well signposted and had good facilities.
Germany 2006   Germany 2008

SLOVENIA
has about 30 listed campsites and only a handful of official aires
Slovenia 2006

BELGIUM
has campsites and aires near large cities and many towns. We have only stayed at aires.
Belgium 2005

SWITZERLAND is expensive for touring with high site fees and fuel costs. We found the campsites in the main tourist areas to be mostly large and crowded with very small pitches. 
Switzerland Switzerland 2009

AUSTRIA has a mix of small and large campsites depending on the popularity of the area as a tourist destination. Pitch sizes are usually similar to in Switzerland but some sites have larger marked pitches. Many sites have excellent facilities with luxury toilet blocks and services points for each pitch. There are now more stellplatz in Austria.
Austria 1998  Austria 2006  Austria 2008

SPAIN has very few official aires but wild camping is tolerated unless there are too many crowded together in hotspots.  There are many campsites mostly fairly expensive with full facilities but we only have personal experience of the North and Pyrenees. The popular costas of the South can be packed with motorhomes and caravan sites are often full during the winter months although a few miles inland wild camping is apparently easier.
Spain 2007

The Czech Republic has many campsites mostly in the more popular tourist areas and wild camping is not allowed. Site fees are reasonable and site standards vary from fairly basic to a few luxury sites with swimming pools or by lakes. There are several sites near Prague the one we stayed at felt secure and was near a metro station for easy access to the city centre
The Czech Republic 2008 

Hungary
has a mix of large sites near the tourist centres around Lake Balaton and Budapest. We found site facilities in need of updating and their fees are rather high considering the standards. There are several sites around Budapest. Do NOT park a motorhome in the city centre as it is likely to be broken into
Hungary 2008

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ACSI
This is a low season discount card scheme run by the Dutch ACSI organisation which inspects campsites across Europe. 

An excellent site guidebook and map in English is supplied with the card listing over 1600 campsites in the scheme in 18 countries. For 2009 the site fees are mostly 15€ per night including electric hookup (which may vary from 3 to 10 amps) but some smaller sites are only 11€ or 13€ a night. 
The card and guidebook costs £10.50 including postage for 2009.

We found the scheme to be good value for money and the sites mostly of a high standard. The ones in popular resort areas especially in Italy were quite busy with many Dutch campers, reflecting the success of the scheme. The low season dates are mostly to the end of June or early July and September onwards but some weeks in Spring around public holidays are excluded at some sites. 

Link to the ACSI website and the latest edition of the guide can be purchased from Vicarious Books in the UK (also see links page)  

There are similar low season discount schemes such as Camping Cheques and Freedom Camping which require the purchase of vouchers before travelling.

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