going to europe in the summer and was thinking about taking a light tent and staying in some campsites along the way. but im a bit confused by them especially the ones in france. im used to a campsite were you get given a small plot of clear land to put your tent on. however all the campsites iv seen on the net in europe you seem to get a plot with a tent already on it. is this the case or am i just dumb?

Do you have a link? Maybe the photos were taken with tents as an example. ;)

The campsites i stayed at in Italy had tents, cabins, empty plots, showers, bar, restraunt, pool, the works. They were big and popular, so alot of the places might offer similiar stuff like that.

The one I stayed at in France (Biarritz) had plots and we pitched our own tents. But there are also organized campsites that have trailers and tents that you can rent out. I think they also have places where you can pitch your own.

:tumbleweed:

In Spain and Ireland we pitched our own, but some places offered "caravans" to rent. I know some places we were looking at in France you also just pitched one. If you're looking to not bring a tent, you can probably get away with it but you'll pay more for renting (usually). A small tent with you showing up on foot can be pretty cheap.

The campsites I came across in Germany and France were pitch your own.

ev

I had a similar debate last summer. To bring, or not to bring a light tent. I decided to bring mine (3.2 lbs.).

I camped in Amsterdam, all over the Rhine, throughout Italy. France, and Spain. Only bring a tent if you're on a REALLY tight budget. It will save you money but it's a pain to set up and take down every day or two (a bitch to pitch). Sorry about that one. Also it sucks to carry on long hikes escp. in the summer heat. I'm leaving mine behind this summer.

Pros:

If you're stealthy/suave you can usually find a free place to camp w/ little effort.

Always have backup

Can be used for many things: shade in the park, shelter from a cloudburst, a poncho, etc.

you can always barter it if it gets too heavy or cumbersome.

Cons:

Heavy (trust me, it will get heavy on hikes)

99.9% of the time campgrounds will have several options: cabins, tents, plots

Also, don't forget about church dorms, monistaries...very cheap and usually get a free breakfast.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(olabueno @ Feb 23 2006, 10:53 AM) [snapback]103968[/snapback]</div>I don't know about yours, but my Mountain Hardwear tent can pitch in like 2 seconds. I could do it in my sleep!

Can anyone recommend a good website or book that shows all the campgrounds throughout western Europe, maybe with info pertaining to cost, if we can pitch our own tent, etc.? I'm planning a tour by bike, and I need something to help me out with this.

Thanks!

Most the sites I've come across are geared towards family package holidays. This one looks ok though http://www.karmabum.com/

I only needed my tent once and I was lucky I had one but other than that finding a way into and out of citys looking for camp grounds just wasn't up my street atall. Only bring a tent if your the outdoorsey type that will actually use the thing.