OT: RV/Campervan/motorhome rental in Europe

[Andy sti]

For our summer vacation we are thinking about renting an RV and touring around the mountains in Europe this summer. I've been looking at numerous rental companies and proximity to airports but I'm curious if others here have done this, have any good tips and tricks, or have ideas on how to best do this?

This will be our first trip to Europe as a family. It will be my two teenage sons (13 and 16), my wife and myself. We are thinking of trying to stay in the mountains and avoid the big cities, other than airport days. Maybe Switzerland, Austria, and Italy. Maybe the French Alps and working west. Not sure - the route is still undecided. We do a two week tent camping road trip every year and I'd like this to be similar just in a better location and with a camper.:)

I'm planning on three weeks duration. Not having camped in these countries before I'm looking for all the info I can get my hands on.

Any information is appreciated. Thanks.
Andy

[93KgBike]

How funny, we had the same idea, except that I had been scheming how to get your bike over there to do it! (I know I haven't posted the pics - sigh...)

We are now seriously rethinking it, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

My kids are all younger than yours, so we have some concerns about infection, but we are equally concerned that it will take longer for EU health services to unwind, and that will hinder travel.

We had been thinking about the Pyrenees, or Dolomites, and had even started pricing out alternatives like Rwanda or Scotland... Now I am thinking of the GAP trail (https://www.gaptrail.org) or maybe Canada's Great Trail (https://thegreattrail.ca/).

Hope this thread gets some legs.

[Clean39T]

Can I rent yours while your away? Help defray some costs..... Moons would have to align, but it's a thought.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[rustychisel]

Do it. It's great, camping is well supported across Europe and there are thousands of camping grounds around, cheap and good except places like Nice.

Always get a motorhome a size larger than you need; so for 4 people get at least a six berth unit.

[martl]

For our summer vacation we are thinking about renting an RV and touring around the mountains in Europe this summer. I've been looking at numerous rental companies and proximity to airports but I'm curious if others here have done this, have any good tips and tricks, or have ideas on how to best do this?

This will be our first trip to Europe as a family. It will be my two teenage sons (13 and 16), my wife and myself. We are thinking of trying to stay in the mountains and avoid the big cities, other than airport days. Maybe Switzerland, Austria, and Italy. Maybe the French Alps and working west. Not sure - the route is still undecided. We do a two week tent camping road trip every year and I'd like this to be similar just in a better location and with a camper.:)

I'm planning on three weeks duration. Not having camped in these countries before I'm looking for all the info I can get my hands on.

Any information is appreciated. Thanks.
Andy

3 weeks is plenty to see a lot, sounds like a nice trip you got planned there!
You will notice there's differences between the countries "camping cultures" (in lack of a better word). Different prices, diffwerent levels of commodity on the camp sites. Expect *everything* to be really expensive in switzerland (no surprise here), France is usually more affordable than Italy, especially on camp site fees.
You would need to check the web for details, laws about where you are allowed to stay overnight will be different sometimes on a "per commune" level. Some allow for an overnight stay roadside or at a parking lot, some don't, some have special areas assigned. Safety is no issue usually apart from some hot spots near the cote d'azure where tourist cars are sometimes burglared the second you turn your back to it.

A camp site is always safe of course, in the holiday season, you may need to book your spot in advance, especially true in Italy or France where the whole country goes on holiday at the same day :D usually around August 1st

*If* you are undecided about the route, i personally would favour a visit to france and cut Austria short(er). It is a nice enough area but only second when compared to the dolomites or the french/swiss west alps. But then, there's always Salzburg or Innsbruck which are well worth a visit.

[Kyle h]

My wife and I did this for our honeymoon in Spain, Andorra and Southern France. We would just leave our bikes in the van when we went to town. Since it was just the two of us we rented a newer VW California camper van but I would defiantly try to find a small RV for 4 people. It was awesome and there are so many campgrounds and spots to stay throughout EU. One lifesaver was the app park4nite I think. It showed you all the camping and parking spots, what amenities they had and whether they were safe to leave your van unattended. We didn’t have any crime issues but it seems like it’s pretty common at camper sites.

[tele]

This past summer we went on a 3 week trip throughout Europe with our teens, (16/14) and had a blast. Some cities and mountains in Switzerland/Austria as well. We stayed in Airbnbs or hotels. Great memories!!
Only thing I will say about driving is we see saw a ton of campers etc... trying to drive the roads :help: A lot of the highways are under construction during the summer and the lanes are reduced in width. Mountain roads are super narrow and have tight turns. We had a small SUV and I can't imagine driving an RV in any of the situations. Our vehicle had retractable side mirrors and we used that feature countless times passing other vehicles in narrow mountain roads. A campervan might be the best choice size wise.

[wernerherzogsid]

When Werner was a child, his mother took the family and fled the Allied bombing of Munich for the small mountain village of Sachrang. Werner's father abandoned us, his fate unknown. As his id, I naturally had no choice but to take part in this journey.

We lived in a primitive sequestration, trading the horrors of the world for the daily struggle of survival. If you wish to consider man's inconsequential place in the universe, spend an evening sleeping in the Alpine woods.