Eurocamp type holiday without a car

joe40

Hi I would like to book a family camping holiday preferably in France but was wondering would anyone have any experience of campsites fairly close to public transport and a reasonable size town so that I could manage without a car.

I have been stayed at campsites a few times and really enjoyed the holidays but each time would have been a disaster without your own transport.

I have two kids 8 and 10 so serious hiking is out of the question.

Maybe what I am after does not exist but would be interested in peoples opinions

Bicycle

If you pick a larger site, you won't need to leave the site. All of the larger sites have supermarkets and shops and restaurants.

I would suggest you contact Eurocamp in Cork directly and have a chat with them. What you are looking for is a campsite that has some sort of shuttle or good transport links to it.

Take a look at this campsite, North East of Paris
http://www.eurocamp.ie/sites/france-paris/pa012-la-croix-du-vieux-pont.html

You can take a train from Beauvais to Compiegne and take a cab from Compiegne to Berny Riviere. http://www.bonjourlafrance.com/trains_beauvais_train_station_to_compiegne_train_station_209_280.aspx

Its an excellent campsite and has day trips to both Paris and Disneyland Paris.

There are also some excellent campsites in Frejus - very south of France between Cannes and St Tropez. You could fly into Nice, then get a train to Frejus and take a cab to the campsite. La Baume is a big and lovely site

These are just two examples.
http://www.eurocamp.ie/sites/france-riviera-provence/rv014-la-baume.html

joe40

Thanks a million for the suggestions. Some good ideas there.

bbam

We've been on campsite holidays for over 10 years and I think you'll be limiting yourself a bit..

We've booked both directly with campsites and companies depending on where the best deals were..

But regarding companies we found KelAir to be the most helpful, and provide the best range of equipment on site..
http://www.campotel.com/

I'd suggest ringing them, Canvas might be worth a try too, their help centre is on Scotland but they are super helpful too..


And remember, you can use the companies for their knowledge and then go direct to a campsite they recommend and price it direct.. Their can sometimes be a saving.. look at the extras that might be included, for example if you could swing bicycle hire included it is a big saving, or a BBQ, included.

If you are comparing both look at kitchen equipment... We found that nearly all accommodation booked through campsites ill have a hob but no oven, where through the camping companies you usually get an oven and hob... Handy for cooking which keeps the costs down.

joe40

I was thinking a campsite holiday without a car may not be feasible especially with children. I suppose when you consider transfer costs plus train/taxis the cost of car hire would not be that much more, especially since we are thinking about only 7 days.

Thanks for the response and suggestions re companies.

whiskeyman

Ryanair fly into La Rochelle... some good sites around there.
Il De Re, the island beside it, is gorgeous - some good campsites there also.
I've stayed in one before with no car - was annoying at time, but it's fine once you're stocked up on food and have no real plans except to relax!
Cycling is v popular around the island, so maybe thing that's something the kids may like?

joe40

Thanks I was looking into Il De Re after your suggestion and it looks very nice.
The problem is the flights to La Rochelle are quite expensive. It is a bit ironic but I could fly to paris for a lot less money. Thanks for the suggestion though

MadamX

Lake Garda I'd very doable without a car. Fly to Milan and take the train to Pescheira; a taxi to your campsite or some sites have transfer arrangements. While staying on the lake it's possible to get in lots of sightseeing around the lake by boat. Camping Bella Italia is a fantastic site within easy walking distance of the town but it does get booked up very early.

deisediva

I have done 3 of these type of holidays in Spain with no car.
Easiest one to do is Salou. Fly into Reus with Ryanair and 10/15 min taxi to Sanguli or Cambrils Park (sister sites both fab but with no car prefered being closer to the beach in Sanguli)
http://www.sanguli.es/en/index_html?set_language=en
http://www.cambrilspark.es/en?set_language=en

The other site we went to in Spain was flying to Girona and taxi think it cost 130 approx to campsite was Castell Montgri. We managed with no car for a week but any longer and think you would get fed up on site plus this site is all built on a big mountainside so very hilly for dragging shopping bags etc uphill.

I would like to try France and have looked at Le Vieux Port and Biaritz Le ruisseau which both seem ok with no car. We normally have the kids wanting to stay on site so it's not a problem for a week having no car. Always plenty going on at these campsites.
http://www.europarcs.ie/index.php/camping-in-france/campsites-biarritz/le-ruisseau-overview?gclid=CMe11ZaQnrwCFcSE2wod0wQA8Q

moose w

Hi there , bicycle, your comments are really interesting and I am trying to avoid hiring a car also as I have 6 people and don't want the extra expence! We will be happy to stay on site once the campsite is a good one, but having called euro camp, she really said she felt I would need a car here.... maybe getting a taxi would be hassle as no taxi rank at station?? What do you think? and also do you know roughly how much train tickets would be and how long the journey is??
thanks

MammaZita

We've booked Camping Acapulco for 2 weeks which is just outside St Jean de Monts. Seems to be plenty to do within walking / cycling distance.

I'm sure you could fly and then get a train and taxi easily enough.

We have a motorhome so prefer to walk or cycle to see the local sites.