Car Driving Holiday/Euro Parks - South France, Lake Como, etc.?

[Piece]

Looking at all the summer holiday options. A couple of left-field options being considered:

1. Drive to an AirBnB house on one of Lake Como/Maggiore/Garda, etc. Anyone driven from the UK to this area? Welcome thoughts, tips, tricks, etc.
2. Drive to a Euro Park/Camp somewhere in mainland Europe. Anyone with teenagers done this? Again, anyone driven from the UK? Looking for thoughts on these parks, camps, value for money, ease, etc.

Welcome any other suggestions for active teenagers that isn't uber-££££.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

1 / I have not driven to this area but we flew to Garda (Verona before anyone gets pedantic) a couple of years ago. Full of Germans driving down from Bavaria. If you can avoid peak times then do so, as the queues can be brutal as the German arrive / leave. Once there, don't use the car, public transport is fine. Lovely part of Europe. Lots to see, watersports on the lake etc.

2 / The Dordogne is a brilliant area, Sarlat in particular. It gets busy but that is because it is so nice. I'm a bit out of touch but I did work for Eurocamp many years ago and the Dordogne sites were always the jewels in the crown. The sites are just very well kept by the owners, there is loads to do around there. Great place with teenagers.

If you wanted to go to the south of France then the Prairies de la mer site at Port Grimaud is the dogs danglies. Brilliant site, great location. August can be a killer on that coastal road though, very busy and the traffic crawls.

 

[BiMGuy]

Can’t comment specifically on these places, but I have driven to Europe a few times.

We’ve always used the tunnel rather than ferries and it’s always been straightforward, sometimes busy, but if you are patient then it’s ok. If you upgrade to premium (or whatever it’s called) it’s a bit faster and there is a place to wait for your time to get out of the car where there are complementary drinks and food (we get our monies worth from this ).

Wife drives this end, I take over at the other side.

My two are active and will spend a good chunk of time messing around in a pool.
We try to pick up some sightseeing maps for wherever we go and walk them where possible, planning some decent food on the way. They both now enjoy a bit more culture rather than just being in the pool or on their bikes.

 

[Piece]

1 / I have not driven to this area but we flew to Garda (Verona before anyone gets pedantic) a couple of years ago. Full of Germans driving down from Bavaria. If you can avoid peak times then do so, as the queues can be brutal as the German arrive / leave. Once there, don't use the car, public transport is fine. Lovely part of Europe. Lots to see, watersports on the lake etc.

2 / The Dordogne is a brilliant area, Sarlat in particular. It gets busy but that is because it is so nice. I'm a bit out of touch but I did work for Eurocamp many years ago and the Dordogne sites were always the jewels in the crown. The sites are just very well kept by the owners, there is loads to do around there. Great place with teenagers.

If you wanted to go to the south of France then the Prairies de la mer site at Port Grimaud is the dogs danglies. Brilliant site, great location. August can be a killer on that coastal road though, very busy and the traffic crawls.

Spookily, that site is what we are considering!

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Spookily, that site is what we are considering!

Highly recommended, lovely site. Port Grimaud is a great spot, we went back 3 times when our kids were younger and would happily go again now. Lovely place on its own, lots around there to visit as well.

 

[Piece]

I've ended up booking Cagnes-Sur-Mer park, mainly because of the central location for Cannes, St Tropez and Monaco.

Taking the car. Eurotunnel to Troyes, B&B, then to Grenoble. B&B, then Route Napoleon to Cagnes-Sur-Mer. My two jnrs are desperate to see the F1 Monaco "track"!

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I've ended up booking Cagnes-Sur-Mer park, mainly because of the central location for Cannes, St Tropez and Monaco.

Taking the car. Eurotunnel to Troyes, B&B, then to Grenoble. B&B, then Route Napoleon to Cagnes-Sur-Mer. My two jnrs are desperate to see the F1 Monaco "track"!

They will see it and scratch their heads, it makes no sense. You soon see why it is an awful race, but if they are into F1 it is certainly interesting to see.

 

[Marshy77]

My brother in law have done it for the past few years in France and Italy. They love it. Perfect for them but they have younger kids and the pool/holiday park suits them perfectly. They drove this year around Naples and I think Rome. Said it was wasted on the young ones but really enjoyable.

 

[Billysboots]

I've ended up booking Cagnes-Sur-Mer park, mainly because of the central location for Cannes, St Tropez and Monaco.

Taking the car. Eurotunnel to Troyes, B&B, then to Grenoble. B&B, then Route Napoleon to Cagnes-Sur-Mer. My two jnrs are desperate to see the F1 Monaco "track"!

We did the South of France back in 2019 and went to Monte Carlo for the day. I’ll be honest, whilst Casino Square is a sight to behold, with some of the most ridiculous cars you will ever see, and the yachts moored in the harbour are magnificent, I found it all obscenely expensive. On the walk up to the square from the marina the kids wanted an ice cream - we stopped at an ice cream parlour but swiftly moved on when we saw the price of 15 Euros for a basic cone!

The old town there is perhaps more worthy of a visit than the rest of it, the majority of which you probably won’t recognise from watching F1 coverage anyway. As for the rest of that area, we absolutely loved it. Loads to do and see, great weather, great food. One of my favourite holidays with the kids.

Ironically, having seen LT’s post, we’re heading down to Sarlat in a few weeks. Taking the car, stopping at a hotel in Kent on the Friday evening and then an early tunnel crossing on the Saturday and doing the drive in one hit. Been to the Dordogne only once before and crashed and burned with the weather, so looking forward to returning.

 

[backwoodsman]

We did the South of France back in 2019 and went to Monte Carlo for the day. I’ll be honest, whilst Casino Square is a sight to behold, with some of the most ridiculous cars you will ever see, and the yachts moored in the harbour are magnificent, I found it all obscenely expensive. On the walk up to the square from the marina the kids wanted an ice cream - we stopped at an ice cream parlour but swiftly moved on when we saw the price of 15 Euros for a basic cone!

The old town there is perhaps more worthy of a visit than the rest of it, the majority of which you probably won’t recognise from watching F1 coverage anyway. As for the rest of that area, we absolutely loved it. Loads to do and see, great weather, great food. One of my favourite holidays with the kids.

Ironically, having seen LT’s post, we’re heading down to Sarlat in a few weeks. Taking the car, stopping at a hotel in Kent on the Friday evening and then an early tunnel crossing on the Saturday and doing the drive in one hit. Been to the Dordogne only once before and crashed and burned with the weather, so looking forward to returning.

Currently in Sarlat - staying in an AirBnB just 5 mins walk from the mediaeval town centre. A cracking old town - just remember to look up as you walk around. Else you miss a lot. And the area has chateau, caves, countryside, and the Dordogne itself, in abundance. Nothing not to like. (About 20 years since we were last here and it's just as nice ...)

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Currently in Sarlat - staying in an AirBnB just 5 mins walk from the mediaeval town centre. A cracking old town - just remember to look up as you walk around. Else you miss a lot. And the area has chateau, caves, countryside, and the Dordogne itself, in abundance. Nothing not to like. (About 20 years since we were last here and it's just as nice ...)

Are you doing a kayak down the river? Really nice, very gentle, no rapids just a gentle flow. A very soothing and chilled few hours, from memory.

 

[backwoodsman]

Are you doing a kayak down the river? Really nice, very gentle, no rapids just a gentle flow. A very soothing and chilled few hours, from memory.

Did the canoe trip today. A nice enough couple of hours (Roc Gageac to Chateau Les Millandes). Nice & gentle in beautiful scenery. (But a bit tame - as I did whitewater canoeing when I was young. But me and Mrs B like a bit of a canoe trip when we can - if there's a few rapids, then so much the better ...)

 

[SteveW86]

I’ve driven to Lake Garda several times, plus always drive to the Alps when skiing.

I’d go for the tunnel, much easier and quicker. There’s several different routes to take to get to Garda, but my preferred route is down the toll roads in France (Reims-Troyes-Dijon) then through Mont Blanc. Yes, it’s the expensive way of doing it, but it’s easy so you can chew up the miles and get there quickly.

Garda is beautiful (as are all of the Italian lakes), I’ve only stayed in Riva and Torbole though, happy to give out tips if you end up going here.