[Template] The ultimate guide to a Eurocamp holiday

• Table of Contents

  What is a Eurocamp?

  How do you book a Eurocamp?

  How do you get to a Eurocamp?

  Packing hacks for a Eurocamp holiday

  Do you need to hire a car?

  Do you need to clean before you leave?

  Our top 5 Eurocamps

If you're wondering if a Eurocamp is right for you but you don't know where to start, well I have pulled together EVERYTHING you need to know before booking your first trip. 

As a family, we have travelled to a lot of Eurocamp sites, in both France and Italy, and I would go as far to say that I've become quite the expert! But that wasn't always the case and in the beginning it was a lot to navigate. So, I’ve done the hard work for you and I've put this easy guide together, packed full of all the hints and tricks we've learnt along the way.

We started doing Eurocamp holidays as a family when I was on maternity leave and as you can imagine money was VERY tight. I am so glad we did, as they've quickly become our favourite kind of family holiday.

If you're looking for a family holiday on a budget, then let me tell you all about Eurocamp and answer all the questions you might have, from where to book to what to bring with you. Let's get into it...

What is a Eurocamp?

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Eurocamp holidays are cooler than you might think! They offer an amazing choice of camping holidays across Europe, and have over 400 locations across the likes of France, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Portugal and much more!

The sites offer static accommodation, as well as camping pitches for your own tent or caravan. I would say they're quite similar to the Haven sites you'd find in the UK, however the ones which we've been to have had far better swimming facilities than the Haven sites we've visited.

To me, Eurocamp holidays are full of adventure and really allow our family to immerse ourselves in the local culture which we felt we lacked when visiting large all-inclusive resorts. You can potter around at your own pace, without the time constraints of having to eat at specific times or do set activities. There is so much to do and see, with most sites having various pools, water slides and lots of other on-site entertainment. I can not tell you how much we love them! 

Unlike a traditional package holiday, there are a few steps to consider when booking, but don't worry, I go into this in more detail below.

How do you book a Eurocamp?

It's really easy to book a Eurocamp holiday, you simply head to their website directly, search for the dates that will work for you and then book through there. They often run lots of special offers so it’s worth keeping an eye out on the website for the latest deals. They also have a low deposit option to secure your dates and then some payment options to spread to cost of your holiday.

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All of the accommodation at a Eurocamp site is self catering and they usually consist of:

• a kitchen to be able to cook whilst you're away

• a small living area

• bathroom (I've only ever seen them with showers, no baths)

• choice of bedroom options 

• little terrace areas where you can sit and relax outside (which we love as when the kids are in bed we can sit and unwind!)

There are lots of different types of accommodation at Eurocamp. We've stayed in the basic ones, which can sometimes be a little dated, right up to the brand new beautiful lodges and I'd say you get what you pay for. The more you spend the better it will be, but I am always guided by price and getting a bargain! 

How do you get to a Eurocamp?

How to get to a Eurocamp site really depends on where you're going! First up, you’ll need to decide if you'd rather drive or fly. We’ve done both so I thought I’d share our experiences for you to help you make a decision. 

By plane

In my experience, flying tends to be much more expensive (and longer door-to door) but if you're planning to go to Italy with young children, the 25-hour drive might not be the most favourable option! 

When we stayed at Pra Delle Torri <link to blog when live> in Italy (fantastic site!), we flew into Marco Polo airport and hired a car in the airport to make the hour drive to the Eurocamp.

We also flew to Nice in France and visited three Eurocamps in the South of France, La Baume, Esterel and Saint-Aygulf Plage <link to blogs when live>, which is one of the most beautiful places in the word. The flight was only two hours and the drive to the Eurocamps were around 40 minutes from the airport.

The Eurocamp website is very helpful in locating the nearest airport so if you would rather fly, I would encourage you to use this tool. You can also filter the Eurocamps to 'close to airport' filters, making it much easier to find the right one for you.

By car 

Driving to a Eurocamp can be a great, cost-effective way to holiday with your family. There are plenty of places to choose from and with a little know-how, you could be off on a family holiday on a budget in no time!

If you're up for driving to a Eurocamop, here’s hows we've got there with our own car...

Eurotunnel

First option you have is getting the Eurotunnel with your car which is by far the easiest way to get your car to France. You simply drive your car onto a train (surreal experience) and within about 30 minutes you've somehow travelled under the sea and are driving out in France. Super easy! The kids are also allowed out of the car during the journey so you can all stretch your legs.

Ferry 

You can also get the ferry. This is usually the cheapest way to take your car with you so definitely worth exploring! You have a few options here. You can get the ferry across to Calais and head to Paris from here, which is around a three-hour journey. Although it sounds like a long drive, it’s actually quite straight forward as it’s mainly straight A-roads.

You can also get the ferry from Dover to Dunkirk which is a great route to take if you're heading to a site in the Netherlands, with the drive time at around three hours after the ferry journey.

We also took our car on an overnight ferry from Portsmouth to St. Malo which is along the North West side of France and it was so easy for us as a family. We boarded the ferry about 8pm and then headed to our own private cabin where we got into bed and slept for the whole journey! When we woke up in the morning we got back in the car and we were in France! From here we stayed at La Grande Metairie in Carnac <link when live> which cut our driving time down a lot.

The only drawbacks to this for me was that on the return journey, you travel during the day and I personally had awful sea sickness! It was also quite expensive compared to a normal ferry, so worth checking whether it would be cheaper/easier to fly.

Packing hacks for a Eurocamp holiday

One thing you do need to know about a Eurocamp holiday is that usually towels and sheets are not included as standard, so you have a couple of options. If you're driving and you have space (we added a roof rack to our car for extra space as it didn't cost extra on the ferry!) then you can bring your bedding with you. Pillows and duvets are provided, it’s just the actual bed linen you need to bring with you.

If you don't have space in your car, don't worry! You can pay for a bed linen set which will usually include all your sheets, pillowcases, duvet set, bath towels and beach towels. We stayed at three Eurocamps in France in May 2024 and at that time they were £77 at each site for the bedding pack.

If you're flying, it may even be cheaper to add an extra luggage case to bring this with you, so it's worth pricing that up with the airline before booking!

Some other things i'd recommend to bring with you are:

• Laundry tablets! All the sites we've visited have laundry facilities so you can do a quick wash while you're away (parenting hack 101!). 

• Snacks for the kids - as you'll be self catering, whatever you can bring with you food-wise will save you money when you're there!

• Entertainment for the kids - from collapsible buckets and spades, to watercolour paints, all these little essentials will keep them entertained and save you a fortune in the local shops.

You are usually able to hire things like bed guards, travel cots and highchairs for small children through Eurocamp so be sure to organise this before travelling to save you having to bring those larger items with you.

Do you need to hire a car?

If you're flying, you might be wondering ‘do I need to hire a car to do a Eurocamp holiday?’ The answer to this one isn't simple, and ultimately it’s up to you! Personally, we always hire a car, but in terms of logistics, you could still enjoy your Eurocamp holiday without hiring a car as the beauty of a Eurocamp is that they have everything you need on-site so you don't have to venture out if you don't want to!

If you choose not to hire a car, I’d recommend contacting the Eurocamp site directly before your visit as they are always really helpful and will help you arrange a private transfer from the airport to the Eurocamp. Then when you're there, the sites will usually have a supermarket which stocks a range of fresh and tinned products and there will usually be at least one restaurant on site too.

If you're not planning to hire a car I would also recommend spending a bit of extra time figuring out what facilities are on-site and how close you’ll be to local towns and beaches so you choose the perfect place!

However, we LOVE having a car when travelling to a Eurocamp. It means that you have that extra bit of freedom to explore the local area, venture out to different restaurants and try lots of different beaches. When we stayed in Pra Delle Torri in Italy, we took our car to Venice for the day. So for us, having a car is a really valuable addition to our holiday.

TOP TIP! One thing I would say if you're nervous about driving abroad, is spend a little more money and get an automatic. We always do this as then you can concentrate on being on the wrong side of the road, without having to worry about changing gear with the wrong hand!

Do you need to clean before you leave?

You can either pay a cleaning fee which is usually around £60 or you can opt for cleaning yourself when checking out of a Eurocamp. We have always opted for cleaning ourselves (mainly because I’m too tight to spend more money!). So if you choose to do this, you'll need to strip all of the bedding, give the floors a sweep and mop, clean the surfaces and wipe over the bathrooms. But there will also be signs in the accommodation giving you instructions of what you're expected to do. In our experience, as long as it looks how it did when you arrived, the staff are happy. They are pretty beady-eyed though so if you don't clean and you haven't paid the cleaning fee, this will be added on at checkout.

Our top 5 Eurocamps

Our favourite Eurocamps are listed below, all tried and tested by me and my family. You can click the links straight through to check them out on the Eurocamp website.

I’ve also written full, detailed write ups for each trip, below for your pleasure!

I hope this has helped answer some of the most frequent questions that I get asked about Eurocamps but if you have any more, drop them in the comments below and I'll get back to you.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this blog are affiliate links. This means we may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

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