Switzerland & Germany next summer - camping

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Ola

Anyone been to Switzerland recently? We normally take the car for 2 weeks camping in France in June, but we fancy a bit of a change and are considering Switzerland as an alternative.

No firm plans, but at the moment at least a few days in the Lauterbrunnen region is looking likely.

We'll be camping in a tent, looking for good food we can cook ourselves, walking, hiking, natural beauty, landscape photography, nature/wildlife and also architecture (we may go via Berne - any other architecturally interesting cities worthy of a detour?)

The alternative is to split our time between Switzerland and Germany rather than just stopping off in the Black Forest on the way to Switzerland, but I don't know a huge amount about Germany as a camping destination.
 
I go to Switzerland a lot as I work there.

That seems to be the only question you've asked :p

Haha, you are quite right :p I must stop writing posts whilst thinking about other things.

I was looking for recommendations of things to see/do or regions that are particularly "must see".
 
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Your main man for this sort of thing is our very own Mr Switzerland aka cumulus1970 if im not mistaken...i think thats his username.

Hes your own stop for everything switzerland:p:D
 
I went camping in Lauterbrunnen last year as part of a longer trip. We (myself and gf) stayed in the campsite at the bottom of Lauterbrunnen (Camping Jungfrau I think). Pretty decent campsite - they have a basic kitchen or a shelter for outdoor cooking. Lots of base jumpers use it as a.. base.. for base.. jumping. There is also a supermarket in Lauterbrunnen.

Basically, I can't recommend it enough! Plenty of walks and literally awe-inspiring scenery. I want to go back with my bike though!
 
I went to both a few years ago, not sure if you're asking for specific campsites or just areas. If the latter there are several campsites on the road to Zermatt and obviously the walking and view is stunning (even more so if you can actually SEE the Matterhorn...). I would definitely recommend it.

Similarly with the Black forest, expect lots of clocks and fairytale houses and some stunning views. I can't remember where exactly we went but it is certainly worth a few days at least, especially if you camp near one of the lakes (we stayed in a campsite on Titisee lake).
 
Ola

Anyone been to Switzerland recently? We normally take the car for 2 weeks camping in France in June, but we fancy a bit of a change and are considering Switzerland as an alternative.

No firm plans, but at the moment at least a few days in the Lauterbrunnen region is looking likely.

We'll be camping in a tent, looking for good food we can cook ourselves, walking, hiking, natural beauty, landscape photography, nature/wildlife and also architecture (we may go via Berne - any other architecturally interesting cities worthy of a detour?)

The alternative is to split our time between Switzerland and Germany rather than just stopping off in the Black Forest on the way to Switzerland, but I don't know a huge amount about Germany as a camping destination.


I live in Switzerland so can help out.
Do you want to stay in 1 place or move between 2-3 different sites?

Bern is a nice town but you probably only need a few hours to walk around. Switzerland has a lot of nice towns with castles, cathedrals and medieval streets which are all very nice but nothing outstanding like paris/Rome.

Lauterbrunnen is spectacular, I slightly prefer Grindlewald for better hiking and views of the Eiger Nordwand. Lucerne is very nice and there are nice mountains nearby, engleberg and titlis.

I live in the west so know this area better. The shore of Lac leman between Lausanne (where I live) and Montreux is amazing and is now a Unesco heitage site. Great views, nice lake, vinyards, wine tasting. Chateau Chion is 1 of the better castles in Europe.

I spend a lot f time in the valais, lots of classics like Zermatt but more importantly really nice hidden valleys without tourists Arrola + Evolene in the Val D'herrns is great, as is the Zinal valley (val d'annivers). Leukerbad is a nice town with natural hot baths, really great hiking.

One of the most beautiful places in europe is near Bettmeralp where you can hike with a great view of the largest glacier in europe, the area is another UNESCO site.
 
If you like a fruity drive,, make sure you go via the Schwarzwaldhochstrasse, it'll blow your mind. :eek:
Done it on the bikes a few times on the way to Austria and it's an adrenaline fuelled rush. :D
Only problem I found camping in this area is that most places won't accept foreign credit cards because of the charges associated. Check it out first mate.
 
Pretty much all of Switzerland is beautiful, I've driven through it a few times on trips to Monaco and Italy.
Do some of the passes, Sustenpass, Grimselpass and Furkapass etc. Interlaken and Andermatt were lovely stop over points also.
The whole country is full of awesome scenery - I think wherever you go, you can't go wrong.
PS - you'll need a vignette iirc
 
Thanks again all :

We are considering maybe 2 different sites for a few days in each, open to suggestions for areas in both the East and West.
Any cities would be a few hours stop off, not a multi-day affair. Most of our time I want spent in lakes & mountains.

I do indeed like a fruity drive, the car will either be a Peugeot 205 GTI or Mk2 Golf GTI so even with the camping gear I'll be able to get my toe down a bit in the twisties :cool:
Thanks for the tip on the credit cards - we always pay cash for sites so not a problem there.

I know about the costs - but after a fair bit of research it isn't as expensive as I expected. We take everything we need from a hardware point of view, camping is the same as in France, fuel is a little cheaper - the extra cost is probably going to be seen in food & drink which will all be supermarket purchased, we won't be eating in restaurants etc.

Thanks again, will look at some of these destinations tonight.
 
the extra cost is probably going to be seen in food & drink which will all be supermarket purchased, we won't be eating in restaurants etc.

Nice one mate, you camp like us, mostly.
A little wine, meat and bread back at the tent is bliss.

the car will either be a Peugeot 205 GTI or Mk2 Golf GTI .

Happy days. :cool:
 
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It is worth noting that supermarkets are still very expensive. Especially in touristy spots like Lauterbrunnen. We ate cheaply but still paid > 10 euros for a basic pasta and sauce meal (cooked on stove) in lauterbrunnen. Sure its cheap for a meal but 3 times more expensive than it'd cost in france.
 
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