Lake Garda - July/Aug - midges?? and Advice and stop overs (1 Viewer)

[GAVLAD]

Hi All

I know it's early doors, but I'm planning for next year already! (Got to have something to look forward to)

My wife wants to go to Italy but my thoughts are South of France & Northern Spain.

So, Italy it is!

We've a 3yr old in tow, so taking into account everyone's needs (wife likes shopping & eating out) I'm looking at Lake Garda.

I've just spent the last two hours (don't tell her, as the domestic chores will be shared out) looking through previous posts on FUN and have come across some good tips already on routes, where to stay and which lake is quiet/site crowded etc.

Plenty of suggestions from our ol' friend @Judge Mental - RIP, you're missed on here!
and other regulars and I've managed to narrow it down to this:

(Based on 5200kgs 8.8m and 3.24m high tag axle)

Route via Metz and Lucern - Garda (thanks @hilldweller ) - will look at Metz stop over but Lucern Camping International looks certain.
(Looked at France & Mont Blanc but fainted at EUR317 one way toll)

Camping Fornella
or
Camping Butterfly
or
Camping Cappuccini
or
Camping Desanzano de Garda

Like the fact that the South East of lake sites have good connections for public transport to Verona and Venice and Gardaland - to keep everyone happy.

So, here's my questions;

Anyone been to the above in peak summer season? - is it bedlam?

Will try plan to avoid travelling weekends but awaiting next years holiday roster from work.

What are the above sites like?
Are pitches big and good access? (We booked a massive 15m long pitch in Carnac for last month trip and paid handsomely but it took 30mins of manoeuvring, swearing and a scratched van to get on)

Are Italian sites generally quiet - noise wise at night?

Not looked at the routes but seem to recall someone quoting that roads are better on one side of the lake where as the other side has plenty of tight tunnels?

Are there loads of midges?

Any help with the above or general advice on travelling to/from and visiting Italy would be most welcome.
It's still all up in the air although the more I've read through previous posts, the more I'm swaying towards going.

I'm off to read up/look at all of the above campsites.

Thank you
Gav

 

[lorger]

Gav can't help you with your route as we went via Austria however I would highly recommend Lake Garda and I'd take the wee one to Gardaland for the day out.

 

[Deleted member 29692]

Camping Cappucini is fantastic. Highly recommend that one. The pitches are 8m x 8m and I've not noticed any where I think access would be tricky. It's not noisy at night but if you like to retire early or have little ones you might want to request not to be given a pitch at the bottom near the lake. The beach bar tends to have live music most nights.

The whole area is busy during the school holidays, there's no avoiding that. I've never found it a huge problem though.

You do find the odd mossy but it's not too bad. I found on our trip that Parakito wrist bands from French pharmacies seem to work.

Route wise you have done options. The one we use is motorways down through France to Chamonix, which is a great place to stop for a night or 2, through the Mont Blanc tunnel and then Italian motorways to Peschiera. No dodgy roads at all.

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[hilldweller]

Camping Fornella
or
Camping Butterfly
or
Camping Cappuccini
or
Camping Desanzano de Garda

Like the fact that the South East of lake sites have good connections for public transport to Verona and Venice and Gardaland - to keep everyone happy.

Gav

Butterfly nearest station, next Cappuccini. Both easy walk. Don't know the other two sites. Butterfly has better amenities. Worth booking NOW, I think we got discounts for booking early. You won't book late, it will be full with people queuing at the gate hoping to get in.

Don't know how hectic but Butterfly in the quietest spot.

You will not regret it.

Luzern is worth 3 nights, it's a beautiful city.

The Metz municipal site is right on the Moselle, lovely position. Short walk to centre.

 

[deleted-member02]

We've just spent a week at camping Fornella (second visit).
Supersize pitches are huge (120-150msq) with easy access.
This year we booked through caravan club as it worked out slightly cheaper (due to exchange rate).
Fornella works for us as it's so quiet compared to the se corner. Large and lively doesn't appeal (although we do have kids). Fornella is big but never feels busy.
Lots of restaurants in the area and Salo is just a few km away.
Downside is limited public transport and access to attractions, as we've travelled the area before it's not a problem.
We travel mostly toll free to Chamonix, visiting Luxembourg and Annecy on the way. From Mont Blanc it's an easy drive to the lake. Another benefit of Fornella is its proximity to Bresica, you don't get the horrendous traffic as at some other lakeside towns.
We haven't done the route through Switzerland but have travelled through Austria. That route is scenic and worth doing but is time consuming and can be busy. I'm certain you'll love it, whatever you choose.

 

[Deleted member 29692]

You won't book late, it will be full with people queuing at the gate hoping to get in.

Iseo was like that a couple of weeks ago.

We were at Camping Iseo and most days there were people (always seemed to be Dutch) going to all three of the sites down that little road desperately looking for a space.

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[DBK]

I know nothing about Lake Garda but I can offer some advice on biting members of the order diptera. You can get bitten almost anywhere in Europe by insects but as a generality the higher you are the less chance there is.

If you are near water then there will be things around looking for blood but how many varies enormously as it does depending on the time of the year. From personal experience avoid the Camargue in July or August!

If you want to sit out in the evening you need to be careful - they go for ankles in my experience but any exposed flesh is fair game to them so cover up if you can. The mozzie coils you light are good placed upwind and close to your feet plus a spray or rub on deterrent - Smidge is my preference.

Worth also looking around you - if everyone has gone inside their caravan or MH take the hint!

 

[Deleted member 29692]

France in particular seems to have particularly impressive bugs. I think I've got examples of most of them on my windscreen and bonnet at the moment. They all seem to like biting me and over the last couple of years I appear to have developed some kind of reaction to the bites.

I saw the Parakito bands at a a pharmacy in Sainte Maxime and thought €13 was worth a punt and they couldn't make things any worse.

I wore one for the last 10 days of our trip, a week of which was spent in prime bug country, and was only bitten 2 or 3 times. That's a massive improvement on the 2 or 3 times an hour that is normal service.

 

[Delboyarapaho]

Hi Gavlad. I am looking at Lake garada next year too. We are looking to tour around all the lakes from early June. Just started looking at routes myself and I am erring towards taking the road down to Basel then through Switzerland & the Gothard tunnel. Our van is similar in size to yours (9M tag 5 ton). Do you understand the Heavy vehicle charge in Switzerland? it looks to me as if you can pay 32.5chf for 10 days travel in Switzerland in the year? that looks to be the cheapest option if I am reading things right? it also seems (from posts on the forum) that pays for any fee to get through the tunnel? My next decision is whether to take the shortest route down through France and pay the tolls or detour through Belgium and Luxembourg then through Strasbourg into Basel. Looks to be about 100KM further but should save substantially more on tolls? Grateful for your thoughts?

Delboy.

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[Chris]

Don't go the second two weeks of August.

Trust me

 

[Delboyarapaho]

Absolutely no intention! August is for the back Garden not Europe

 

[GAVLAD]

Hi Delboy

Yes, I read the Swiss charging to be as you've mentioned and includes the tunnel fee. Certainly a big difference to Mont Blanc fees.
I think that if we do go, it will be through Belgium and Luxembourg as we'd probably take the Hull to Zeebrugge ferry and I've never been to Luxembourg - remember their radio station though as a kid!

@Chris made me laugh because I'm awaiting my holiday rosta for next year and I've a feeling that mine will be August!

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[magicsurfbus]

We've been in school holiday time and I don't recall it being horrendous, but maybe I was just used to a lifetime of school holiday trips.

I never had any bother with midges at Lake Garda, but as a general rule they don't bother me too much anyway. The Senegalese dodgy goods sellers were more of a nuisance.

Gotthard Tunnel is by far the cheaper option, Mont Blanc Tunnel is horrendously priced for MHs.

Italian sites are no more noisy than any other European sites in our experience, but if you end up pitched next to the Kid's Club it'll be noisy whatever. Spanish sites are the least appealing ones I've been on so far.

Gardaland is very much like Alton Towers so a 3 year old won't get onto a lot of the rides due to height restrictions. However it's not the only theme park - Caneva Aquapark is family orientated and good fun, and there's also the Movieland studio park. I think there also may be a Medieval themed one which we've not been in.

 

[Delboyarapaho]

Hi Gavlad. We stayed at camping Kockelscheuer just outside Luxembourg city this year. Facilities were very clean and plentiful. Very convenient for the city with a bus just a few hundred yards walk from the site right into the city in 20 mins. Very easy to find the site. I would recommend it. Their phone number is Tel. 00352/47 18 15 but easy to find on the internet.

Good luck with avoiding August. Perhaps someone with Kids of school age might swap?

Delboy

 

[Rob Turner]

I go to Maggiore and the mosquitos are like sparrows and love me but hardly ever touch the misses.
We use large citronella candles and I find Jungle Formula spray very good. Hardly got bitten this year, but saying that it didn't seem as bad as previous visits.
Avoid the tolls and brave the Belgium roads, pick up some cheap fuel in Luxembourg and down to Basel.

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[Chris]

We have just got back from Garda. We arrived late July and for most of the time it was just moderately busy. However on our final Friday (12th ?) the whole of Italy arrived because I think their holidays start that weekend.

You literally couldn't move and we literally couldn't wait to leave.

 

[Chris]

Oh, and we were bitten to death. Don't know if it was midges or mossies.

Little white things seemed to bite the most.

We used citronella candles at night along with repellent but they still did their damnest.

 

[dbnosey]

I was down in to Lake Garda June, July this year. Looked at Butterfly and Bela Italia. If you like Butlins/Blackpool and noise they are for you. I stayed at Camping Wien nice walk from Peschiera, buses 100 yards away. Lidle and another supermarket the same. Going back when Acsi card is accepted. Look at the web site.
Colin.

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[PORKSTER]

On my way home from Iseo Garda and Jesolo thumbs up for Cornell's great site also had a lakefront pitch at Cappuccini this year. Tried the 3 sites mentioned @ iseo all full got on another called del.sol 38.90 for the night. nearly got stuck getting on pitch and off got chewed to death will not return. Iseo looked nice though to be fair will return there. If your heading to Venice try club camping international fantastic site loved it. Now sitting at Luzern lido international another nice site wish I had more time.
Any suggestions for a nice site or air on way to Calais going via Lux for fuel