Uk through France to Italy trip April 2022
Hello we are busy preparing our first camper van trip abroad!!! We are very excited but a bit confused on the paperwork entering Italys campsites…. I read on the uk government’s website that we need to go to a police station and fill out some forms!!!! Does anyone have any experience of traveling from UK through France to Italy? …, thank you
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Ditto, using Italian campsites has always been straightforward, just the usual ID requirement.
I think there’s some arrangement whereby if you enter Italy without proof of full vaccination or COVID recovery you have to notify the Prevention Dept of the local health authority - maybe something to do with that eventuality? Not too sure if the UK is on the EU Cat C or Cat D list these days, but if it’s the former then entry to Italy via France shouldn’t be problematic either.
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Check campsite dates carefully for your April trip - many will still be closed. Even the ever popular Camping Torre Pendente, close by the leaning tower of Pisa, doesn’t open until April 11th , and the scenic spectacular roads to get into Italy over the Alps will still be snowbound. But I’m envious. .. Good wishes.
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While we’re talking recommendations……no trip would be complete without a visit to Venice & Florence. Camping Village Adriatico, Sottomarina opens 13 April . Catch the ferry through the lagoon - it’s the only way to arrive in Venice! Firenze Camping in Town is a large bustling place but a great location in busy Florence, about 3km so walkable or use the shuttle bus. San Marino is an odd kind of place, but worth a day of your time.
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Hi Michelle, Well you have made a great choice in your destination, its our favourite and we hope to be there in June.
My initial thought was "what paperwork" but if you include passports then we have been asked for these on arrival at some sites and our fave site always retains the passport till you return to tell them what pitch you are on the next day.
I know some people are not comfortable with this but it has never concerned us. If you are going to use ACSI some sites may accept this in lieu of your passport.
So, aside from showing our passport on entry to France and on return to UK have never had or shown anything however as mentioned ther is a very good chance this may be Covid related and therefore will be likely to change before your trip.
If you can provide a bit more info, ferry crossing/time, onward route etc then there are many people on here who can and will give a lot of advice. We are vanner's so our experience is related to that, as opposed to using a MH, but we often holiday with our MH buddies and one thing I learned is that if travelling via Switzerland there is a cost effective alternative, to the usual Swiss Vignette, to do this depending on your vehicle size.
You may be aware of the French Aires and Italy has something similar called Sostas but our MH buddies have been saying for some time now that prices are being introduced or rising and the site we stay at on Lake Garda is only a euro or so more expensive than the nearby Sosta.
One last tip-if you do fancy seeing Venice then we have parked at Fusina, which is just West of Venice and avoids driving near to the city,and next door to the car park is a campsite which I think has good reviews-I think a CT member may have reviewed it-and across the road is the passenger ferry terminal for boats into Venice. This is a great way to get a view of Venice that you wont entering by the usual road route in.
Hope that you have a great trip!
EDIT- Just noticed on Google that they now have Streetview images form in the site and it looks very good!
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I have not been to Italy "post Brexit" but before that have stayed at many Italian campsites. At a minimum they will want to have sight of your passport. On one very busy site they retain the passport for a short period whilst they completed their own paperwork and you were free to pop along to reception and retrieve it a few hours later. I suspect there is a law in many European countries where the campsite/hotel has to keep a record of who is staying there, on some sites I have been asked to complete such a form.
If you intend to visit Venice I would suggest allowing 3/4 days on a campsite with easy access the Lagoon ferries. My recommendation would be Camping Miramare at Punta Sabbioni. It does mean driving all around the lagoon to get there but its a short walk to the ferry which takes you directly to San Marco and as I think someone else said the only way to arrive in Venice is by water, particularly if you have not been before.
David
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We have driven to Italy every year since the 1980s and even during the last two Covid years there was no requirement for us to visit the local police station. Depending on the Covid rules at the time of your arrival in Italy you may have to fill in passenger location forms. Not the easiest documents to navigate through but hopefully they will soon be a thing of the past. Is there a particular reason for entering Italy via France? Its not the most picturesque way of going and it’s certainly the most expensive way. Of course it depends where you’re heading to in Italy but the France or Belgium/Germany/Austria route is by far the best route for both scenery and cost. Enjoy Italy, the people and the food are wonderful.
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We too are planning a trip to Italy for May/June. We have been there many times and it is our favourite country for holidays. I have highlighted some of the places we have visited. Going in April the weather may not be brilliant so, if that is a factor in your planning, you may want to get south as soon as possible! You may wish to look at ACSI for their discounted off season sites. You don't say which part of Italy you are planning to visit or for how long you will be away. We will be aiming for Lake Trasimeno area in Umbria and will be away for 6 weeks. Venice is a must and I would endorse the comments about staying at Punta Sabbioni and getting the ferry across to Venice. Then get a one day Vaperiso ticket (think that is how you spell the word), they are boat busses that go almost all over the place in Venice; the site will have all the info on this. Admire St Marks Square, don't be tempted to have a coffee at one of the cafes with the musicians playing, indeed do not buy anything in St Marks Sq as you will be shocked at the price! Then, armed with your street map, wonder down any of the side paths and just lose yourself in Venice. Yes, Florence/Sienna must be way up on your list and there you are in Tuscany (heaven). Look at Luca and Pisa; wander through the beautiful hill top villages and just chill out. Consider visiting S. Gimignano and Volterra; there is an ACSI site just outside S Gim within easy walking distance. There is a small medieval village called Bevagna near Perugia worth visiting - as is Perugia itself. Personally, I would not recommend going as far as Rome, to do it justice so much better to fly there and stay in the city for a few days - we have done this 3 times now. We use the same route as Dave Nicholson and you can be toll free all the way if you use the Reichen Passe (via Landeck in Austria). As we don't book any sites out of season, if the weather is ok we may stop for a few days in Bavaria or Austria; in April it will not be necessary for you to book but get a couple of site books (ACSI and the Club guide should do you fine), arm yourself with good maps. Don't worry about any documentation for the sites, you will have your passports, evidence of Covid jabs etc - all very straightforward. Enjoy.
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https://www.tuv.at/en/news/news-article/rechtzeitig-auf-winterreifen-umstecken0. This is the link for snow tyres in Austria (just learned how to do links!!)
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Not mentioned so far is the must see Cinque Terre. Probably a good time to visit this year because otherwise completely overrun by cruise ship passengers. We used racamping-fossa-lupa at Sestri Levante (ACSI 2558) which is on the railway line connecting the 5 coastal villages.
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We have a 5 week Euro trip booked for Jun/July, cancelled twice since 2020 for obvious reasons.....
Camping Fusina have been very co-operative in carrying over our booking deposit & have responded promptly to my emails.
We are travelling Luxembourg/Strasbourg/Rhine Falls/Camping Breithorn/Lake Lugano/Camping Fusina/Zell am See/Bernkastel-Keus with several other stops staying with friends en rte.....
Fingers crossed we'll finally get to do it.
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Fantastic lots of information and we will definitely use it . We are going for 80days!!! ( April till end June) and thought we would go to bottom of France and into Italy that way, then down the west coast, we have booked our first 3 sites through France and 1st one in Italy ( San Remo) and then see where the camper takes us but definitely doing Venice, lakes and French alps ( mountain biking) on the way home!! I saw the thing about the police station on the gov.uk website… saying if your in a hotel or B and B your exempt else it’s a requirement that you go to the local police and fill in a form!!! It’s in the entry requirements bit…. I’m guessing it’s from Britex as it says in force from Jan 2021!!! So I just wondered if anyone had any experience of this …. But I guess that will unravel when we get there😬. So excited can’t wait 9 weeks to go 😀🚐
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Michele, I like your style...a few 'formal' sites, perhaps to chill out, a bit of sun, a pool, a beach etc....but also the sense that your camper (what model do you have?) 'will take you places'....
..and some of those places might just be stopping at an attractive place you 'stumble across'...for inspiration of some informal stops, as well as listing sites, I suggest you get the park4night app...the world (in Europe anyway) is most definitely your ostricta 😉
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Have a great adventure and watch yourself on that stretch of autostrade around Savona & Genoa. Some of the road schemes are challenging particularly when joining from an impossibility short slip road into fast unyielding traffic - the quick & the dead come to mind!
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Get a CCI card for discount on site fees and to save surrendering your passport to reception.We get ours from the 'other' club. ( Camping Card International).
To avoid Austria, you can access Italy via the Frejus Tunnel. You can also drive down to the Med and cross into Italy on the coast route.
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As you're travelling in a camper, if you happen to be using the A8 westbound from Italy into France, there is a free camping car aire (including a Flot Bleu service point) on the autoroute just after Frejus. The parking area is at the top end of the site well away from the road amongst trees and there is also a MacDonald's.
Look out for the signs Autogrill Aire de Canaver. It makes an ideal nightstop if you don't want to deviate too far off the motorway.
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Seaside Bill wrote "Some of the road schemes are challenging particularly when joining from an impossibility short slip road into fast unyielding traffic - the quick & the dead come to mind!"
The Place d'Etoile in Paris also subscribes to the Book of Common Prayer for those brave enough to try it.
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80 days, lucky you! Remember you will be using 80 days of your 90 in 180 days visiting the Schengen area! A point to bear in mind is that there is a German holiday 6 - 19 Jun and they tend to migrate en masse to the Italian lakes so best not to be in N Italy in that period - we will be in Trasimeno area then. However, if you are set up on a site before 6 Jun you should be fine. I didn't mention Cinque Terre (near La Spezia) because I could have mentioned hundreds of other places, best way to see it is by train getting off at the various stops. It poured down last time we were there! In your timescale you could easily get south of Rome (my earlier advice re Rome still stands); if you do, then the Amalfi coast is another must; best by bus so the driver can take in the views (you not the bus driver!). Also get the local train from Sorrento to Pompei. We have used Camping Nube d'Argento within walking distance of Sorrento, if you are lucky you may get a pitch overlooking the bay of Naples as we managed on one visit. Then go to the Adriatic side and stay on the Gargano Peninsular - the heel of Italy. It is still relatively unspoilt. Bolsena a couple of hours north of Rome, is also a lovely area to go to. See, I did warn you there are hundreds of places to visit!! As I type, Rick Stein is on TV with one of his weekend away programmes, he is in Bologna enjoying a local meal
. Last point, sure you will have done this but don't forget your various insurances - medical and breakdown, and European Health Card (or it's replacement - free so make sure you do not pay anything for it!) and that your home is ok to be left for 80 days.0 -
As said above, the E80 coastal motorway from Genoa to the French border is challenging. Don’t have too big a breakfast if you do it in the morning! Despite it being coastal you will see very little of the Med. Much of the route is tunnelled and twisting and turning at the same time. Lucca is a must too if you like cycling, there’s a raised cycle path around the city walls and a great Sosta behind a garage near to the city centre. If you’re into cycling the campsite in St Jean de Maurienne is a cycling haven on the French side of the Frejus tunnel.
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Hi Michelle, Wow-80 days! Whilst we dont have a MH it would seem, as suggested , that having information to hand re aires/sostas etc is a must as, even at ACSI rates, 80 days away may involve have to economise here and there.
Our MH buddies tend to use aires whilst en route to sites, for stays of more than a night or two, and when we plan our trips together its clear that this gives them more flexibility than we have with no option but to find a site.
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"If you’re into cycling the campsite in St Jean de Maurienne is a cycling haven on the French side of the Frejus tunnel"
http://campingdesgrandscols.com/en/
Compact site within the town we've used it often as an overnight stop before the Frejus tunnel. However, be aware that the ski season in the Alps doesn't finish until mid April. This site doesn't open until May.
Using the tunnel is expensive; however.It's motorway all the way down to Turin then the choice of direction is yours.nb French motorway signs are in Blue, Italian are Green, a complete reversal!
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