How do I find the right campsite for me?
15 November, 2022
You want to go camping this summer. You’re not sure where, but you do know what you’re looking for. So, what’s the best way to find a great campsite that ticks all your boxes?
Relaxing with a glass of wine, the sound of crickets in your ears and the sun disappearing behind the horizon. In your mind, you’re there already: sat in front of your tent or caravan in the evening hours, a candle on the table in front of you, a glass of wine in your hand, the sound of crickets in your ears and the sun disappearing behind the hills. But your partner’s more practical: does the pitch have a water tap and how good’s the Wi-Fi? And don’t forget the children: they’ll want a swimming pool, playground or disco. Let your search for a campsite begin.
Useful websites to check out when you’re looking for a campsite
Useful apps to check out when you’re looking for a campsite
Find a campsite in your favourite holiday country
Find a campsite on the map
Find a campsite by holiday theme
Find a campsite with certain amenities
Find a small campsite
Book your pitch or accommodation straight away
Get some tips and follow social media
Useful websites to check out when you’re looking for a campsite
Eurocampings, a full overview of European campsites
With an overview of more than 9,400 campsites in 31 European countries, the eurocampings.co.uk website is a good place to start. Extensive and informative, it shows you all the campsites recommended by camping specialist ACSI. For more than 50 years now, campsite inspectors from ACSI have been visiting campsites across Europe and collecting detailed information about them to include in ACSI campsite guides, apps and websites.
The CampingCard ACSI. Affordable camping in the early and late seasons
See campingcard.com for 3,000 campsites in Europe that drastically reduce their prices in the low season. If you have the CampingCard ACSI discount card, you can profit from discounts of up to 60% per night at these campsites.
The best small campsites in Europe
Are you more into lovely small campsites? See greatlittlecampsites.co.uk for some 1,900 small European campsites. They range from nature campsites to farm campsites and from small, child-friendly campsites to campsites for people seeking peace and tranquillity.
The campsites on the three websites above have been visited by inspectors from ACSI, who are all experienced campers themselves. When inspecting campsites, they always ask themselves the same question: ‘Would I recommend this campsite to my friends and other people I know?’ Thanks to the work of inspectors and the reviews left by other campers, you can rely on the reliability of the information you find on these websites.
Met een camping-app vind je onderweg makkelijk je volgende camping.
Useful apps to check out when you’re looking for a campsite
There are a number of good reasons to use campsite or camping apps. For example, they make it easy to find a campsite locally when you’re on the road. Also, if you see campsites you like the look of, you can save them in your favourites. Some apps work even if you don’t have an internet connection, which can happen sometimes when you’re travelling. These apps include the ACSI Campsites Europa app, the CampingCard ACSI app and the ACSI Great Little Campsites app. Simply download the campsite information before you set out to be able to search with or without an internet connection.
Find a campsite in your favourite holiday country
It’s easy to use filters on the Eurocampings website to narrow down your search to campsites in France or one of the other popular European holiday destinations. This website is the place to head for a full overview of great campsites in Italy, Spain, Croatia and the Netherlands.
How about a campsite in France?
Find a campsite on the map
If you already know where you want to go on holiday to – Bretagne in France, for example – the map search on eurocampings.co.uk, campingcard.com or greatlittlecampsites.co.uk is a great option for you. Take a look at the map showing all the campsites in the Ardèche or the Ardennes, for example. If you zoom in and look around the map, you’ll see which places are popular, which campsites are by the sea, a river or lake, or how central a campsite is in the area you’re looking at. You could start with an ‘Advanced search’, tick the amenities most important to you – this could be ‘mobile homes to rent’ or ‘outdoor swimming pool’ – and then continue your search via the map. You will now only see campsites with the amenities you want.
Use the map to look for campsites in your favourite places in the Ardennes
Find a campsite by holiday theme
It might be that the region isn’t the most important factor for you: you’re looking for a campsite with a certain theme. On the Eurocampings website, you’ll find handy theme pages that show you all the campsites in Europe with a certain theme. For example, Camping with a dog, Campsites by the sea, Campsites for naturists and Individual sanitary facilities.
Search by amenities
The country or region may not be the deciding factor for you. You might be more interested in Campsites with a swimming pool or Campsites with entertainment, a restaurant or a bicycle rental service. Everyone’s different, so it’s handy to be able to search on the amenities that matter to you. This is why the ‘Advanced search’ option on eurocampings.co.uk enables you to search on more than 200 different amenities! Just tick the ones that are important to you. For example, you might want to search for campsites that allow you to bring your own boat with you, where there’s a disco or where you can rent/hire bungalow tents. With 9,300 campsites, there are plenty to choose from.
A great campsite by the sea with a fantastic swimming pool
Would you prefer a small campsite?
Have you got your sights set on a lovely small campsite? If so, see the Great Little Campsites website website, where you can choose between more than 1,900 small campsites that have been inspected by ACSI, including a large number of farm campsites and agriturismos in the Netherlands, France and Italy and some small campsites in Czechia, Portugal and Belgium. You may find the perfect campsite for you here.
Enjoy the peace only nature can offer on a great little campsite campsite
Book your pitch or accommodation straight away
Have you found a campsite you like the look of? The Eurocampings website often shows you the pitches and accommodation currently available on campsites. This means that you can book your pitch and/or accommodation straight away and then sit back and enjoy the anticipation! Many campsites offer a wide range of pitches, motorhome pitches, bungalow tents and all kinds of glamping accommodation like safari tents, luxury cabins and even tree houses, yurts, sleeping barrels and domes. So, the sky’s the limit. Read more camping tips with special accommodation.
Get some tips
If you still haven’t been able to make up your mind, you might appreciate some tips from experienced holiday makers: discuss your plans and wishes with your friends, colleagues or your hairdresser or dentist. Ask them to recommend a campsite in France or Italy. You may find that someone can give you the name of a campsite that’s perfect for you, tell you the easiest way to get there and give you the name of the best restaurant in the village. You might also enjoy following camping news and seeing some camping tips on Facebook or through our newsletters.
How do you find the right campsite for you? Let us know in a response.
1 Comment
pitches on facilities page under section 5 states that xyz are available? but on enquiring you find that they are not on all the pitches despite stating they are.as older campers these facilities are important,as you dont want to have to carry youre waste water for instance.