Travel experts at StressFreeCarRental.com have analysed data to rank the 10 best countries for camping holidays.
They looked at factors such as the pitch cost, rainfall, temperature and light pollution during June, in countries including Spain, France, Germany, Italy and the UK.
The best country for camping over for a summer holiday is Spain – although the cost to pitch up is expensive at €293 for a week, the warm Spanish temperature and lack of rainfall is favourable.
The worst destination for camping is Croatia as it costs the most to pitch up a tent and has the most rainfall at 95.3mm on average in June.
The cheapest country for pitching up for a week is Portugal, typically charging holidaymakers €181.
The country is also the second best for camping holidays in Europe, with warm temperatures averaging 21.2°C and the lowest levels of rainfall at 15.9mm on average in June.
Campers wanting to sleep under the stars should look for destinations with low levels of light pollution.
And camping in France has the highest levels of light pollution at 1.06 mcd/m2, meaning families on holiday will find it harder to experience sleeping under the stars.
France ranked in seventh position overall, with an average of 49.6mm of rainfall throughout June and temperatures of 18.2°C.
The third best country for camping in the ranking was the UK, which has some of the lowest levels of light pollution at 0.25 mcd/m2 (luminance per square metre).
In fifth position was Germany, which typically charges holidaymakers €224 a week with low levels of light pollution at 0.33 mcd/m2.
The Czech Republic ranked as the second worst country for camping in Europe due to low temperatures and high levels of rainfall.
One of the warmest destinations for June holidays was Italy, reaching temperatures of 21.1°C on average.
Camping in Italy also means holidaymakers experience some of the lowest levels of rainfall at 40.7mm throughout the month on average – making it rank in fourth position on the index.
The sixth best country for camping in Europe is Hungary, which typically charges holidaymakers €259 for the week, with an average June temperature of 19.7°C.
John Charnock, CEO of StressFreeCarRental.com said: “Camping and caravanning holidays are becoming popular with families looking for a fun holiday abroad but without spending a lot of money.
“We’ve analysed ten popular summer destinations across Europe by looking at factors important to holidaymakers – cost, temperature, rainfall and light pollution.
“Pitching up your tent underneath the stars is one of the most enjoyable things about being outdoors – so that’s why it’s important to avoid choosing a campsite with a lot of light pollution, and our index found that camping in France was the worst for this.
“The weather has also got to be ideal when camping – so analysing temperature averages throughout June showed us that the Netherlands was the coldest at 15.4°C, compared to camping in Spain with temperatures of 22.2°C.
“The country with the most rainfall is Croatia, with averages of 95.3mm in just one month – and Portugal is the best for a dry camping holiday with 15.9mm of rain.
“Those planning a camping holiday this summer should consider visiting some of the top countries across Europe for an enjoyable week outside with their loved ones.”
| Rank | Country | Cost to pitch up (€) | Temperature (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Light Pollution (mcd/m2 | Total Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spain | 293 | 22.2 | 21 | 0.222 | 32 |
| 2 | Portugal | 181 | 21.2 | 15.9 | 0.486 | 31 |
| 3 | UK | 192 | 16.5 | 45.1 | 0.25 | 28 |
| 4 | Italy | 237 | 21.1 | 40.7 | 0.349 | 24 |
| 5 | Germany | 224 | 17.9 | 60.2 | 0.33 | 23 |
| 6 | Hungary | 259 | 19.7 | 63 | 0.323 | 22 |
| 7 | France | 209 | 18.2 | 49.6 | 1.06 | 20 |
| 8 | Netherlands | 223 | 15.4 | 66 | 0.336 | 16 |
| 9 | Czech Republic | 238 | 16.1 | 70 | 0.333 | 14 |
| 10 | Croatia | 444 | 18.8 | 95.3 | 0.347 | 12 |
ENDS
Notes to editor:
Sources correct as of February 2024.
- Cost to pitch a tent (measured in €, based on the 1st-8th June 2024 with 2 adults and 2 children, and based on the ‘top rated’ campsite in each country) – https://www.eurocampings.co.uk/
- Temperature (measured in °C by theaverage temperature in June in the capital city of each country) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_by_average_temperature
- Rainfall (measured in mm by the average amount of rainfall in June in the capital city of each country) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_by_average_precipitation
- Light pollution levels (measured in mcd/m2 at each campsite) – https://www.lightpollutionmap.info
The cost to pitch a tent, temperature, rainfall and light pollution levels have all been analysed for this index.
Each country was given a nominal score which was totalled up to give a final ranking.
Germany with Hungary, and Spain with Portugal both resulted in the same points score, so Germany and Spain were awarded an extra point each based on higher population levels to give an equal ranking.
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