Price comparison of European campsites - Which campsite has the lowest prices

In many places across social networks across Europe, the idea is spreading that local campsites are more expensive than foreign ones. As it happens, the grass behind the fence always seems greener than ours. Let's compare the prices of European campsites. We will compare fixed accommodation units with all equipment as well as camping sites for tents and caravans. The comparison of food prices did not escape our attention either.

What campsites are we comparing?

For comparison, we selected Camps from Czech Republic, Slovakia, Italy, Croatia and Hungary. People tend to compare the incomparable. To avoid this, we select campsites for comparison that are located by the water and meet all standards for campsites and recreation areas in terms of services, facilities and equipment. Key services to compare:

• fixed accommodation unit for 4-5 people (fully equipped with own shower and toilet)
• camping site for caravans, motorhomes or tents with electrical connection
• accommodation price per week
• price for services for the summer season
• all sites meet the standards for European campsites
• all campuses are located by the water (dam, lake, sea)

Campsites we have selected for price comparison

We voted for the Czech Republic Camping Vranovská beach alias Vranovská beach - Holiday park a Camp Keramika from the Hracholusky dam area. Beyond Italy, here we have the Lago di Garda area and a campsite Weekend Glamping Resort. It will be available for Slovakia Mara Camping, which is located by the Liptovská Mara dam. We didn't forget about Croatia and the lucrative region of Istria, where we chose a well-visited one Camping Polari. And last but not least, there is Hungary and Lake Balaton. He will be represented here Mirabella Camping and Badacsony campsite..

Camping Vranovská beach - Vranovská dam (Czech Republic)

Camping Vranovská pláž / Vranovská pláž Holiday Park is regularly ranked in the leading positions in reviews of campsites in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Due to its location, facilities and facilities, it is one of the iconic local campsites. (Camping TOP 20 - currently)

Camp Keramika - Hracholusky Reservoir (Czech Republic)

This camp is also one of the irreplaceable representatives among Czech camps. The pottery is regularly visited by countless foreign tourists who keep coming back. They are constantly expanding services here and creating new accommodation units.

Mara Camping - Liptovská Mara Reservoir (Slovakia)

Camping Mara, which is located right next to the Liptovská Mara water reservoir, is undoubtedly one of the TOP campsites by the water. This year, this camp even won first place in the category "Camping TOP 20", where Slovak and Czech camps were evaluated.

Mirabella Camping - Lake Balaton (Hungary)

Camp Mirabella is one of the best-rated camps on Booking, not only for its location but also for Lake Balaton. Guests from all over Europe regularly come to this camp. After all, who wouldn't want to spend their vacation by the magical Lake Balaton.

Camping Badacsony - Lake Balaton (Hungary)

We will stay at Balaton for a while, through the Badacsony campsite, which is one of the regulars of local campsites and we definitely couldn't leave it out of the price comparison.

Camping Polari - Istria (Croatia)

Among the leading Croatian campsites by the sea, without a doubt, is Camping Polari, located in a picturesque bay, 3 km south of the town of Rovinj. This campsite is a popular destination for all of Central Europe.

Weekend Glamping Resort - Lake Garda (Italy)

And as the last campsite to compare prices, there will be Weekend Glamping Resort from the lucrative area of ​​Lake Di Garda, which is also highly rated and cannot be missed in this article due to its location and facilities.

Price comparison - accommodation

First of all, we will compare prices for accommodation in a fixed accommodation unit. As a rule, this is a standard equipped mobile home with its own shower and toilet, or a classic fully equipped cottage also with its own shower and toilet. The price is the same for everyone, for:

• week of accommodation
• through the summer season
• for 4-5 people

The first round was won by the Czech camp Keramika. The most expensive would be similar accommodation in Croatia, in a popular destination by the sea in the region of Istria. In Camp Polari, cheaper forms of accommodation are also available. However, the other camps also have that, which is why Croatia is losing this shootout for the time being.

Price comparison - camping sites for tents and caravans

In the second round, we will compare accommodation prices in campsites for camping sites reserved for caravans, own tents or motorhomes. It is obvious that the prices of caravan sites can differ from camping sites for tents, so we will take the higher price into account. Comparison definition here:

• week of accommodation
• through the summer season
• camping site with electrical connection (for tent or caravan)

The "competition" for the cheapest campsites for caravans, tents and motorhomes was won by the Hungarian campsite Badacsony near Lake Balaton. Croatian, Czech and Slovak camps are close behind. The most expensive was the Italian campsite at Lago di Garda. It's nice on Garda, but you just have to pay extra for the scenery.

Price comparison - catering

And finally, we cannot leave out an important item, which is catering in the campsites. For comparison, we selected the biggest meal of the day and that's lunch, which usually consists of local ingredients and some meat, so no fast food and the like. We will compare:

• the price of one lunch in the camp restaurant
• the price of food during the summer season
• for 1 person

The shootout for the cheapest food (from local ingredients) was won by the Slovak camp Mara and the Czech camp Keramika. Lunch in Croatia by the sea in the Istrian region will cost you the most. Unfortunately, this is not very surprising, because in Croatia, after Covid and inflation, local operators started to play radically with prices, especially for food and catering. Well, let's hope that this year the situation will calm down and food prices will return to "normal values". 

And what about the price for traveling to the campsite?

Comparing the prices of individual services in campsites with the same type of accommodation, facilities and catering is certainly inspiring. But we must not forget about another cost that will certainly make our vacation more expensive, namely travel. Most often, we want to get to our destination with our own car, caravan or motorhome. Here we can count on a round trip of approx. 400 km to 800 km + highway signs, maintenance and the like. At the current price of fuel, we have to add approximately more to the holiday €250 to €400 / CZK 9.500. When budgeting for a week's vacation, we do so price increase by 1350.- CZK / 57.- € / day which is not a small amount.

The saying that the grass is greener behind the fence is not just said. It follows from the essence of our human nature. And maybe that's a good thing, because it forces us to get to know new places and thus enrich each other. What is exotic for us is simply home for the locals. Foreigners view the local camps in the same way. But foreigners have one advantage. In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, camping will cost them much less money and it doesn't matter if they stay in a fully equipped mobile home or come with their own caravan/tent. Last but not least, eating here is definitely much cheaper, and what about Czech beer..

Sources used: Booking.com, independent websites discussing catering prices, campsite homepages. Prices are current as of the publication date of the article and may change over time.