First Motorhome - European adventure advice

[HappyG]

So after a few months of searching we are a couple of weeks away from collecting our first ever Motorhome (Burstner Nexxo A645). We are going to have a few trips in Spring/Early Summer but we have already started planning our Summer tour which will be four weeks in Europe.

I'd love to hear any tips and advice, and particularly campsite recommendations.

Our rough route at this stage is:

Eurotunnel - Northern France 2 nights - Switzerland - Northern Italy - Along the south coast of France - Spain - Ferry back from Santander

We want this to be a relaxing trip (as much as it can be with 4/5/10 year-olds!) so we aren't too bothered with loads of culture, we want nice sites on lakes/beaches with plenty to do and will be staying a few nights in probably 7/8 locations

I'll be spamming the site over coming months with lots of more specific questions but thought it would be a good start to benefit from your wisdom and hear all the do's and dont's, or any specific places you think we need to head to.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[ChrisL]

I use the search for sites app for finding places to stay, if you don't need hookup there are plenty of aires some of which are free, I would try and get a fair distance away from the terminal on your arrival just so no people trying to get into the UK mistake your van for one returning to the UK. Have a great time, i'm sure you'll love it.

 

[HappyG]

Search for sites downloaded, cheers!

 

[Dart]

It sounds like you have exciting times ahead of you. My first thought is that your proposed route would be great for a couple of adults but would involve a lot of driving days that the children may not be so happy with. I wonder if you'd all enjoy your first tour more if you didn't head quite so far for your first long trip. Switzerland, Northern Italy and the French Alps would make a good tour in their own right and would allow you to spend time relaxing by some lovely lakes where the children could enjoy cooling off in the water if the summer is a hot one.

 

[Figaro]

Your summer trip with children is July / August ?
French and other countries beach campsites are likely to need booking as this is peak season and likely very busy.
An alternative is aires, some paid some free.
Check out the apps searchforsites and park4night along your planned route for suitable sites.

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[Chipster]

Camper contact is our app of choice for Europe.

 

[DBK]

It would be worth joining ACSI which lists lots of campsites. They offer reductions outside the high season but even if that doesn't apply to your time of travelling ACSI is a good way to see what each site offers. Although many of us use aires with little ones campsites will probably be better - if only for the swimming pools!

And as others have said your itinerary is far too much. Head from Dover along the north coast of France, down the west coast then along the north coast of Spain. You could go beyond Santander if you want to the Picos and Galicia.

 

[Riverbankannie]

The best way to have a lovely memorable family holiday is to keep the kids happy. That means finding a great spot and staying put, kids tend to make friends their own age and then look to play with them, it’s a shame to drag them off somewhere new. Stick to France and look for family friendly sites with stuff for them to do. France has everything in abundance. You would also save a packet not having to book 2 cabins on the expensive Santander ferry but instead using a shorter channel crossing on return.

 

[PlacidoD]

I agree with comments above. You are turning your holiday into a route march.

A specific suggestion for somewhere to stay:

Camping du Staedly - Le Camping du Pays Rhénan

Le Camping du Staedly est ouvert du 1er avril au 31 octobre et propose 150 emplacements. Nichée dans un écrin de verdure, la zone de loisirs du Staedly offre une nature préservée, des équipements attractifs, dont un plan d'eau surveillé.

www.camping-paysrhenan.fr

(It will show on Google Maps as Camping Plage du Staedly).

This is on the Franco-Germany border in France just short of Baden-Baden. I stayed there last weekend in August 2024 for just the one night on my way to family in Switzerland. It is very popular. It would make a good stop over for two nights or more for the children and you can make it in one long day from an early Eurotunnel departure. (Detailed directions below)

You can then head down the toll-free German A5 motorway from there after your stay (10 mins to get to the motorway from the campsite) into Switzerland where you will need a toll vignette.

Your journey to get there as set out below will also be on toll free French, Belgium and Luxembourg motorways plus German dual carriageways plus a pleasant drive through the Vosges du Nord. Alternatively from there you could take the B500 down through the Black Forest and into Switzerland at Waldshut-Tiengen. Either way head for the A2 and then you have two fastish motorway routes to the Italian Lakes thru Switzerland or you can meander over mountain tops.

Your route to Camping Plage du Staedly:
Eurotunnel then toll free motorway to Lille/Tournai/E42 to Mons/then R5 & N40 on a decent country road thru Beaumont/Phillipville/Givet/Beauraing/Wellin then head up to the E411 and stay on that through Luxembourg (becomes E25) then right onto A3 and then into Germany on the A13/A8. Follow this all the way to Zweibrucken then take the D424/D620/D1062 cross-country to Haguenau. You are then almost there.
Final leg: D1063 to Souflenheim and Roeschwoog and you are there! Total distance about 325 miles mostly on high speed roads with some respite on the N40 and thru the Vosges du Nord for variety.
There is a MacDonalds at Givet which would make a sensible lunch stop and you can/must refuel at the services in Luxembourg.
I would say that is the absolute maximum you can do in one day. Depending on where you are setting out from in the UK you may want clear the Channel Ports and overnight there setting out from somewhere near Lille to do my suggested route?
I have done the above route (and variations on it) both by motorcycle and last year by MoHo.

Hope that helps. I cannot really help with sites in Switzerland as I have family there. But I know this one to be decent as it is near their home:

Türlersee - Camping, Lakeside Lido, Restaurant

Türlersee: Idyllic lake with campsite, lido and restaurant. Perfect for recreation and leisure activities in the countryside near Zug, Lucerne and Zurich.

www.camping-tuerlersee.ch

Hope that helps? It will at least give you food for thought!

P.S. The EHU at Camping du Staedly is 2 pin so you would need that frequently needed adapter

 

[Brains]

Eurotunnel - Northern France 2 nights - Switzerland - Northern Italy - Along the south coast of France - Spain - Ferry back from Santander

That is at least 3,000km.

For a 6 week trip that might be just about do-able with small children.
But you will need to book popular campsites (those with pools etc) ahead in July/August.

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[scotzsue]

Also agree with the above sentiments.
Unless you want to constantly hear 'are we there yet' I would seriously cut down the mileage of your trip. Have travelled with my Grandchildren since they were toddlers and at those ages would not travel so far.
Must have done something right all adults and still like some time away with us.

 

[varaizian]

I agree with comments above. You are turning your holiday into a route march.

A specific suggestion for somewhere to stay:

Camping du Staedly - Le Camping du Pays Rhénan

Le Camping du Staedly est ouvert du 1er avril au 31 octobre et propose 150 emplacements. Nichée dans un écrin de verdure, la zone de loisirs du Staedly offre une nature préservée, des équipements attractifs, dont un plan d'eau surveillé.

www.camping-paysrhenan.fr

(It will show on Google Maps as Camping Plage du Staedly).

This is on the Franco-Germany border in France just short of Baden-Baden. I stayed there last weekend in August 2024 for just the one night on my way to family in Switzerland. It is very popular. It would make a good stop over for two nights or more for the children and you can make it in one long day from an early Eurotunnel departure. (Detailed directions below)

You can then head down the toll-free German A5 motorway from there after your stay (10 mins to get to the motorway from the campsite) into Switzerland where you will need a toll vignette.

Your journey to get there as set out below will also be on toll free French, Belgium and Luxembourg motorways plus German dual carriageways plus a pleasant drive through the Vosges du Nord. Alternatively from there you could take the B500 down through the Black Forest and into Switzerland at Waldshut-Tiengen. Either way head for the A2 and then you have two fastish motorway routes to the Italian Lakes thru Switzerland or you can meander over mountain tops.

Your route to Camping Plage du Staedly:
Eurotunnel then toll free motorway to Lille/Tournai/E42 to Mons/then R5 & N40 on a decent country road thru Beaumont/Phillipville/Givet/Beauraing/Wellin then head up to the E411 and stay on that through Luxembourg (becomes E25) then right onto A3 and then into Germany on the A13/A8. Follow this all the way to Zweibrucken then take the D424/D620/D1062 cross-country to Haguenau. You are then almost there.
Final leg: D1063 to Souflenheim and Roeschwoog and you are there! Total distance about 325 miles mostly on high speed roads with some respite on the N40 and thru the Vosges du Nord for variety.
There is a MacDonalds at Givet which would make a sensible lunch stop and you can/must refuel at the services in Luxembourg.
I would say that is the absolute maximum you can do in one day. Depending on where you are setting out from in the UK you may want clear the Channel Ports and overnight there setting out from somewhere near Lille to do my suggested route?
I have done the above route (and variations on it) both by motorcycle and last year by MoHo.

Hope that helps. I cannot really help with sites in Switzerland as I have family there. But I know this one to be decent as it is near their home:

Türlersee - Camping, Lakeside Lido, Restaurant

Türlersee: Idyllic lake with campsite, lido and restaurant. Perfect for recreation and leisure activities in the countryside near Zug, Lucerne and Zurich.

www.camping-tuerlersee.ch

Hope that helps? It will at least give you food for thought!

P.S. The EHU at Camping du Staedly is 2 pin so you would need that frequently needed adapter

Which adaptor are you talking about? Do you have a name or a picture please.

 

[ChrisL]

Which adaptor are you talking about? Do you have a name or a picture please.

I think he means one of these.

Double Dragon 230V Europe Mains Caravan Converter: 2-Pin 16A Euro Plug to 3-Pin 16A Socket Adapter https://amzn.eu/d/36BUbgV

 

[suavecarve]

Just another person who thinks that trip is too much especially for 3 kids

My advice would be to buy the "Wild Swimming in France" Edition 2 (for 1,000+ swimming spots and pretty much all of them are free) and use one or two of the campercontact/park4night/search4sites apps. Then choose an area where you dont travel far to get to your next destination.
I cant think of anything worst than travelling the Southern French Coast in July August from Italy to Spain. The part from Nice to Montpellier is not very motorhome friendly and will be rammed, if you were to go 30 miles inland it is a completely different story. The heat would be another factor and check out previous years temperatures on www.ventusky.com

There are so many nice regions of France and Germany within a days travel with different things to do for kids but lakes, rivers and waterfalls would be high on my agenda for them. If you do decide to get the book, bung me a pm which includes a photo of you having bought the book and I can then send you a map of the book with interactive links to the places

Meandering through the journals may be useful as many of the entries will be ours and we use the Wild Swimming books https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/journals/categories/continental-tours.77/map

Best of luck whatever you decide

 

[Reallyretired]

Will join with the advice above. You are doing a lot of driving in a short time. If you haven't toured in Europe before you may not appreciate how big it is. When I travelled with children I kept to France, Netherlands, Germany but not all in one trip.

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[Richard n Ann]

Join ACSI, you get 2 thick books full of sites with all their details to choose from, and don't go in peak season, I made the mistake this year and ended up paying a fortune for site stops, that's if you can even get a pitch. The site I managed to get us into in Northern Spain by emailing ahead was €75/night , then the Benidorm site was full so had to pay €240 for the first 7 days at another site never again.

The town of Millau in the French Pyrenees is a nice stop, there are ACSI sites right on the river and by going down into town you avoid the viaduct toll.

 

[cyberyacht]

As others have said "a bridge too far" particularly with children. I'd suggest Brittany and possibly a bit further south to the Vendee. Dover isn't the only departure point. Look at Newhaven and Portsmouth as well and if you live in the west country, Plymouth or possibly Poole.

I've done some videos of my continental trips on YouTube. The link is in my signature to give you a flavour of things. Try to aim for around 150-200 miles a day max for a more relaxed journey.

 

[PlacidoD]

"Try to aim for around 150-200 miles a day max for a more relaxed journey."

I completely agree. A routine of say driving in the morning then relaxing and exploring at your next stopover the rest of the day makes sense. My only caveat - It maybe makes sense to take a big leap on Day 1 to get to an area which you want explore with more bite sized moves thereafter. My post above in this thread is built on that assumption.

However I have now regularly travelled from Bolton to the Italian Lakes and back in just over a fortnight both by motorcycle and MoHo so I tend to make progress in circa 300 mile dollops and then tarry awhile before the next one. But equally I am developing a habit of more local "pottering" for a week around Normandy on shorter trips.

 

[varaizian]

I think he means one of these.

Double Dragon 230V Europe Mains Caravan Converter: 2-Pin 16A Euro Plug to 3-Pin 16A Socket Adapter https://amzn.eu/d/36BUbgV

OK, thank you. I call that a Schuko plug because they are ubiquitious over here. Any electrical device needing an earth comes with one. The allusion to "2 pin" is obvious really; I should have guessed but thought I might be missing something!

 

[PlacidoD]

Just been doing some 1st fix planning for my late summer 2025 European jaunt. Dunkirk to the Staedly campsite turns out to be circa 360 miles and about 7.5 hours travel time. That is almost certainly too much for youngish children but with an overnight stop somewhere near Lille it becomes just about doable in a day (Then about 300 miles).

You do not say where you are setting out from in the UK. That may impact upon how swiftly you try to make progress once off the ferry. In my case I have a 275-300 mile to make a ferry.

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[brynric]

I’ve just looked back on our first motorhome European Tour, we’d been over several times with a caravan previously. We didnt have children with us so we didn’t have to entertain as much. However we did 32 nights staying on 24 different sites so we toured quite a bit, but having left the Tunnel we only pottered as far south as the Black Forest before turning round and rambling back. There was still lots to see and it was a fairly relaxed trip. Switzerland, Italy and the rest will still be there next time.
More practically we stayed at the Lac du Der in France and Lake Titisee in Germany, both inland lakes with facilities for young ones.
Have a good trip.

 

[BouncyBoatFolk]

Join ACSI, you get 2 thick books full of sites with all their details to choose from, and don't go in peak season, I made the mistake this year and ended up paying a fortune for site stops, that's if you can even get a pitch. The site I managed to get us into in Northern Spain by emailing ahead was €75/night , then the Benidorm site was full so had to pay €240 for the first 7 days at another site never again.

The town of Millau in the French Pyrenees is a nice stop, there are ACSI sites right on the river and by going down into town you avoid the viaduct toll.

Millau also has the white water course. Book the kids on there for half a days fun.
Also, take the Gorges des Tarns road out of Millau,theres loads of riverside sites with access to the river and kayak hire with minibus return trips.
From there it'sjust another couple of hours to the Allier River, again loads of water fun, and some really cheap municipal sites 3 Eurs, per night, water waste but "No electricity Monsieur", right on the river again though.
Pictures, Allier, Prades. Tarn Le Rozier. Griffin Vultures roost on the opposite bank cliffs along the Allier.

 

[HappyG]

Thanks all - seems like the overwhelming view we are trying to do too much in all the excitement! Will have a look at some of your suggestions and scale things back a bit.....

 

[Clewie68]

I went to Livigno in North Italy back in the eighties when I was in my teens. It's a lovely place just over the border from St Moritz. I definitely have to go back when I eventually pick up my new van. They have a campsite there. Maybe worth looking at for one or two nights.

Good luck with your trip and bring us some lovely photos back.

 

[PlacidoD]

I went to Livigno in North Italy back in the eighties when I was in my teens. It's a lovely place just over the border from St Moritz. I definitely have to go back when I eventually pick up my new van. They have a campsite there. Maybe worth looking at for one or two nights.

Good luck with your trip and bring us some lovely photos back.

I know it from motorcycle trips - You turn left part way down the Bernina Pass (or you can get there/exit via the tunnel onto the Zernez road (Height restriction of 2.99 metre in the tunnel and it is a toll road - Outrageous price for a motorcycle but I have a feeling it was one price fits all!)

If you carry on down the Bernina Pass to Tirano you can experience the novelty of sharing the road with the train travelling over the Pass.

At the T junction at the foot in Tirano turn right and you are heading for Lake Como. I am a frequent visitor to Colico there. It has been my southern-most point staging post both by bike and by MoHo.