Tony Jones Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Plans for our summer trip - our first ever 5-week tour - are coming together, and it's time to pick your collective brains a bit more. Don very kindly sent me lots of info from his 2006 trip a while ago, but what I need to add now is some more general info about various countries: Netherlands; Germany; Poland; Slovakia; Hungary; Slovenia; Austria; Czech Rep; Lux'bourg; Belgium. e.g.: How expensive is fuel, food (in and out), etc? How legal/welcome/easy/safe is wild camping? Are there "aires" or equivalent? How expensive are campsites, and how full in Jul/Aug? - and any other up-to-date info any of you can give me! OK guys - go to it! Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hymer C 9. Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Hi Tony, one thing I did on planning our next trip (as well as getting in touch with Don) was to give the man at Vacarious Books a ring explain where we were going and ask what he recommended, he was very knowledgeable and helpful, and explained what would be the best books to take with us and why, worth giving him a ring. Carol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cattwg Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Hi Tony. I picked up this website www.germany-tourism.co.uk from another forum last night. You are able to order free guides including a Campsite/Stellplatz guide. I have ordered four guides and await their arrival. According to the original post the Camping guide is well worth having. Also have a look at this link. It sems to suggest that overnight parking is now allowed in Holland. http://www.wildcamping.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=35887 Regards Cattwg :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron. Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Tony Three 'not to be missed' areas in Germany which will not disappoint. Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber - 'Camping Tauber-Romantik' and Stellplatz. Superb old town. Fussen - Several Sites and Stellplatz. For Neuschwanstein Castle and other royal castles, walking,cycling,etc. River Mosel between Koblenz and Trier. Especially the town of Cochem - 'Campingplatz am Freizeitzentrum' beside the river and Stellplatz. One of the most picturesque settings anywhere. Walking,cycling,Lido,etc. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Jones Posted March 4, 2009 Author Share Posted March 4, 2009 Well up to your usual standard everyone, this is just the kind of info and links we need and I'll follow them all up. Thanks - and keep 'em coming!! Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Madge Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 Hi Tony, You might already have this list of travel sites but in case you haven't. http://www.langdale-associates.com/index.htm http://www.magbaztravels.com/ http://www.motorhomeandaway.co.uk/ http://www.wheelgotravelling.info/ I'm stuck in the UK for the summer, just waiting for an MRI scan on my neck. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terry1956 Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 there are a lot of free sites in germany/france/italy. and a lot of very good ones for around 5 to 8 euros per night with elec hook up. we have found that in the sourth of france a lot of free sites are taken over my new age travelers and not very nice with dogs p in on all in site. germany is just great, very relaxed, diesel is a bit more expensive then france or austria but food is cheap and good. austria as lower fuel prices, cheap good food and public transport if needed, some of their sites can be expensive but if you look up poi,s for tomtom you should find some good inexpensive sites, I will try to refind the site on austria that gives details and pics of aires and a map. italy is very nice, the markets offer great food. we stopped at pompeii, across the road from the site lat year for 15 euros per night with elec, water etc.luxbourg bad roads and not alot to see realy, for me a bit of a let down.in belgium there are a few free sites. try to get a copy of the camperstop book, this book lists all the sites in europe and its worth having a copy. michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Jones Posted March 5, 2009 Author Share Posted March 5, 2009 Thanks Terry (Michael?) Is the Camperstop book from the Vicarious stable? I'll be talking to the guy there soon, as Carol advised. And thanks for the sites Don, I'll go through them as well. Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 I've scanned the above quickly and I can't see mentioned : There's an ancient restored town in Czech Republic that I thought was worth a visit. Quite a busy place, we went in on bikes, but noticed some parking available ( at the roadside) on the edge of town for motorhomes. It's called Cesky Krumlov. We were camped just a few miles away at a site called Camping Chvalsiny, in a small village of the same name. Nice little site, Dutch owned at that time, about 3 years ago. (I'm sure the town will have a website so you may be able to get some up to date info). :-| Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terry1956 Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 yes thats the book, some sites are out of date, so try to aim for a group of sites and not just one alone, we have found out to are cost when we travel miles to a site to find it closed, or just not there any more. below is I hope a link to the german site that has free downloads for gps. its a translation so cut and paste the whole address. hope this helps, still trying to find the other sites, my PC is full of links for this and that in no great order I am sorry to say. michael http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.reisemobil-international.de%2Fbordatlas2%2Foverlays.html%3F-session%3Dbordatlas%3A5444A40611b3c1E530PXQ22B2657&hl=en&ie=UTF8&sl=de&tl=enpositions and infor on sites etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 Tony, I think it safe to say that wild camping is a least frowned upon in all ex-communist bloc countries, and you will have to use sites. Of the countries you list, the only one that we found uncomfortable was Slovakia. This was towards the eastern end, in the general region of Kosice, where the people seems downtrodden and there were substantial numbers of Roma. I wouldn't be put off by that, but go mentally prepared for some very "third world" sights, that shock when encountered in Europe. We have not yet been into Poland. Slovenia is a delight, Hungary a little sad and decrepit in places, but the people are very friendly and helpful, albeit unwilling to use their initiative much (scars of their treatment by the communist regime), Czech Republic is more "western", very pleasant overall, and the people more "go ahead" in a friendly way, Austria, Belgium, Germany and Netherlands are fully western European, with all that implies! All campsites are liable to be full July/August, best to arrive early. I gained the impression there is still a large camping contingent throughout the old eastern bloc, although we visited in spring/early summer when the sites were fairly quiet. For the most part the facilities are old, well patched, but very clean. Privacy cubicles do not figure much in toilet blocks. Prices are all over the place at present with currency fluctuations, so it is not really possible to summarise. All I can really advise is that in spring 2008 Slovenia averaged a little over €20 per night, Hungary 4,000Ft, Austria about €18 (but we used the ACSI €14 deal most of the time), Czech Rep about 380Kc, Germany about €17, all with hook up. Add a bit for inflation, and compute at current Sterling values.For fuel, try this http://www.aaroadwatch.ie/eupetrolprices/ For sites, you will find the best guidance from the Caravan Club's Caravan Europe 2 guide, which covers Austria, Benelux, Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Rep, and Germany.We used Haller Camping for Budapest, which was a bit difficult to find but is near shops and tube (tickets from site) to centre, and was quirky but very good with free wifi, Wien West for Vienna, which will be busy, and is bus + tube (tickets from site) to centre, and Sunny Camp for Prague, which will also be busy, and is 10 mins walk + tube (tickets from site) to centre. Too many other sites to mention. Hungary doesn't get very "Hungarian" until you get well east, the Austrian flavour tends to dominate throughout the western end. If you fancy the puszta and Hortobagy, the site is rather a tip so your own facilities will be desirable! It is an experience, however. We used Rough guides, which proved informative and reliable.Most useful language by far: German. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BGD Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 Just a snippet about Poland: I was there for a week a couple of years ago on tour (no, not a MH tour; I had two gigs over there). Flew into Sheunafeld (sp?) airport in Germany, and then trvelled by car the couple of hours of motorway eastwards to the Polich border and then on into north western Poland. Stayed in Zsary for the week, then trvelled back. Scenery was lovely. Lots of woods, small fields, lots of livestock...a very agrarian, peasanty sort of feel to the bits we saw. People very very friendly, but almost no English AT ALL spoken by anyone over the age of about 20....youngsters are now learning English at school but older people had to do Russian as well as Polish. Quite a lot of people in at least that wstern region spoke a fair amount of German, as they could get some German TV (illegally) in the "old days" In general people seemed to love Western Europeans, and HATED anything Russian/Eatern bloc. Very welcoming in restaurants/bars...and seemed genuinely interested, not just just to part you from your money. Cost of living? Cheap cheap cheap. Food, booze, anything, seemed very cheap. But, it's a poor country. It's economically very "backward" by Western European standards. We were put up in the best hotel in Zsary, and whilst the staff could not do enough to help us, the hotel was awful, utterly awful, by what we in the West normally expect. They just don't have the money there, and the utliliatarian "Eastern Bloc" feel was all over it....threadbare carpets, basic metal framed beds, decor old and tatty etc. Clean, but very very basic. The biggest imprsssion I came away with, from a prospective MH tour viewpoint, is that the roads we travelled on are almost all AWFUL. Really really terrible condition. The main motorway was bad...concrete sections that have lifted/crumbled very badly....but the "A" roads and unclassified country roads were much much worse. All passable, but it's teeth jarring 20 or 300mph stuff in the main. Also be aware that almost all road signs are of course in Polish, which a Brit can't decipher. In my view a great place and well worth travlling in, but an adventure...very different from comfy France/Belgium/Spain etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 Ah yes, the roads: I forgot that bit. Slovenia fairly good to excellent, and very good signage. Hungary: we did not use motorway for more than a very few miles, and the other roads are fairly appalling. Surfaces distorted, and old tarmac heavily crazed with numerous potholes. However, everyone recognises this, so weaving around the worst bits is accepted practise, well understood, and 40ish MPH is realistic, with vigilance. If folk see you weaving around, they just slow up to give you breathing space; rather nice, really! This applies equally to the HGV drivers, of all nations, who are trying to dodge the toll sections of the roads, all very courteous. The really good thing about Hungary is the direction signage, which I think the best I have seen anywhere. Truly excellent. On the other hand, the Hungarians do not generally do pictograms: they write essays - in Hungarian! I learnt "Pozor!" means danger, but never was able to find out what the various dangers were. However, I think many may have been warnings to hang onto your fillings! One more thing, Hungary seems to specialise in single track rail lines, some narrow gauge, with no barriers at all at road crossings. Motorists are obliged to stop at the crossings to check for trains, potential fine for failure if spotted, and not all the crossings are pre-warned. Interesting!Czech Rep, roads fair to good, but signage less so.Slovakia: once off the main drags, probably the worst roads encountered anywhere. We travelled for miles on one supposedly fairly important local distributor road, where the tarmac had worn right away in large stretches, so we were on the sub-base, alternating with hit and miss tarmac. 20MPH was way too fast, even with energetic weaving. Be prepared for Slovakian journeys to take time!If you have doubts about anything in your van being a bit loose, Hungary and Slovakia will be conclusive. To its credit, ours survived intact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Losos Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 Tony Jones - 2009-03-04 9:06 PM Plans for our summer trip - our first ever 5-week tour - are coming together, and it's time to pick your collective brains a bit more. Don very kindly sent me lots of info from his 2006 trip a while ago, but what I need to add now is some more general info about various countries: Netherlands; Germany; Poland; Slovakia; Hungary; Slovenia; Austria; Czech Rep; Lux'bourg; Belgium. e.g.: How expensive is fuel, food (in and out), etc? How legal/welcome/easy/safe is wild camping? Are there "aires" or equivalent? How expensive are campsites, and how full in Jul/Aug? - and any other up-to-date info any of you can give me! OK guys - go to it! TonyHi Tony,Well I spend about six months a year in Czechland (Can never understand why they call it Czech Republic!!)a1) Diesel is about 24 - 26 Kcs per litrea2) Petrol about 23 - 24 Kcs per litreb) Basic foodstuff is about half UK price but imported stuff only slightly cheaperc) Good quality beer about 10 pence a bottle(And I do mean good quality 'tho I don't touch alcohol much these days)d1) I would not advise wild camping at all, there are many 'illegals' in Czechland (Mostly from Ukraine, Estonia, Lithuania, even Russia) and the Police attribute much of the crime to them.d2) There are camping sites around which will be only about 50Kcs per night, probably no EHU or shops but with toilets and showers, sorry I can't name any 'cos I've yet to buy my MH !!d3) They are only likely to be full around the public holidays which are 1.5/8.5/5.7/6.7/28.9 and Easter of course and some in the Autumn which i assume you not bothered with.e) The Krokonose mountains are beautiful but no 'aires' if you have the town of Liberec on your list you can park on our meadow for 'nowt, might even do EHU as well !!! PM me if you want any more info.ETA:-Curent exchange rate about 33Kcs to the pound but it has been doing a good impression of a yo-yo recently !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Losos Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 Brian Kirby - 2009-03-05 3:55 PM Czech Rep, roads fair to good, but signage less so.Oh yes Brian, signage in Czechland is truly bad, and confusing, and in the wrong place, and too small, and..........well I could go on but I think Tony will get the point. Oh and all Czech males and most females drive like it's their last day on Earth lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 Losos - 2009-03-05 4:41 PMBrian Kirby - 2009-03-05 3:55 PM Czech Rep, roads fair to good, but signage less so.Oh yes Brian, signage in Czechland is truly bad, and confusing, and in the wrong place, and too small, and..........well I could go on but I think Tony will get the point. Oh and all Czech males and most females drive like it's their last day on Earth lol.One memory I have of Czechland is that I could never find a layby where I could stop for a break.Is that something they don't have Losos, or was I just on the wrong roads ? :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Losos Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 malc d - 2009-03-05 5:46 PM One memory I have of Czechland is that I could never find a layby where I could stop for a break. Is that something they don't have Losos, or was I just on the wrong roads ? :-( You are right, there virtually no proper laybys anywhere. On the rural roads there are however lots of dirt roads to farms and fields which we use, but we only have a car right now, with the MH it will be more difficult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
japhil Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 Luxembourg. It as been the country with the cheapest diesel. If you are looking to sightsee around the city check out Camping Kockelscheuer 4k from city center, 200m to bus stop to center We stayed at this site last year, You may need to book as it is very popular.. http://www.camp-kockelscheuer.lu/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Momma Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 I can oly manage 25 days any one time but have done 3 trips of Europe over last 3 summers Jul/Aug. Vicarious have all the books you will need for Camperstops, Bord Atlas Germany & Europe. Also use the Alan Rogers book but they have a new website (use the book to locate but book direct and miss out the middle man). Gent has a lovely Municipal Site, large pitches, goof facilties and within walking distance of bus in to town centre. Have not done Bruges yet but have heard that it is great town. Lived in Germany for many years and was a 'tugger' (Have matured a lot now though !), sites can vary in cleanliness, facilities especially in height of summer season but people very freindly. Do not use formal Restaraunts try the local pubs that serve fantastic food without the frills, lots of it, excellent quality and very cheap. I know that you did not mention Switzerland but the site we return too many times, right on the banks of Lake Geneva at Lausanne (Camping Du Vidy), walking distance to town and all the cross lake ferries and rail station. Will try and dig out a few of the sites we have visited and can recommend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libby Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 Tony Some parts of Hungary (close to Vienna) have a TESCO so you might take your card (?) Select your fish for the day swimming alive in the tank on the counter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 Tagging onto this thread as heading east in summer holidays too. We have done Germany before and made no bookings during July/August. Ending up in Prague then. Campsites seem to be cheaper in Germany from what I can see at the moment. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Jones Posted March 6, 2009 Author Share Posted March 6, 2009 When our intinerary looks a bit more firm (it's never confirmed until we're there!) I'll PM you and see if we're likely to co-incide! Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.