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When you’re thinking about visiting Italy, camping is probably not the top of your accommodation wishlist. But this is not camping in the North American sense of the word. We spent a week camping near Venice, and had air conditioning, a kitchen, and real beds. For a fraction of what it would have cost to stay in the city itself and it doesn’t involve a tent. Welcome to the concept of European camping villages.
How can I camp without a tent?
Throughout France, Italy, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and to a lesser extent Germany, there are these big camping resorts that offer various ways to ‘camp’ without the bare-ground sleeping, wet-tent-collapsing fun we associate with camping in North America. You can opt for a tent, but it will be a big safari-style tent with camp beds, and a camp stove. And everything is set up when you arrive. Including pillows and blankets!
That’s what makes this a viable option for families traveling from North America. And you really should consider it, because they are often much cheaper than staying in a hotel, or even an Airbnb, with the added bonus of amenities in the campgrounds themselves, and lots of space (and tolerance) for kids to play.
Union Lido is a five-star camping village in northern Italy, not far from Venice. We stayed in a three-bedroom mobile home, with air conditioning, a kitchen, dining table, two bathrooms, and a balcony built on the front with a drying rack and table and chairs. There was even a gas BBQ out front ready to use. I packed nothing that was camping specific. We went in the shoulder season of late April/early May, but paid 380€ for a five-night stay. This is not unusual if you know your dates and can book early.
Union Lido itself
Union Lido is the camping resort, and you can either book through them directly, or through a tour operator like Eurocamp.
On site, there are two grocery stores, over ten restaurants, a pharmacy, and several clothing stores, a shoe store, a photo shop, and an everything-you-could-need-while-camping store. I assumed the prices on site would be 40% higher than everywhere else, but I was pleasantly surprised to find they weren’t. We did a food shopping trip both on site and at a grocery store in the next town over, and it was only about 10% less, if that.
The real draw for families, though, are the kid-orientated activities. I thought my son’s mind was going to explode, there was so much to do. He was vibrating as we drove through the site when he saw the fenced park full of bouncy castles and a giant inflatable slide, and that was after we passed the adventure mini-golf, small-scale water flume ride, and the arcade. I’m not even mentioning the two waterparks, both with kid pools centred around a big playground structure in the water, and the collection of waterslides at the biggest one. There’s even a playground on the ocean beach that faces onto the Adriatic. There’s faced playground area as well, with more traditional playground structures, some outdoor pingpong tables, and a zipline. Like a cruise ship, there is a kids club, though we didn’t use it, so I can’t speak to how that works.
Inside the camping village, it’s all very pedestrian friendly, and in fact cars are not allowed during quiet time in the afternoons. There’s even a system of minitrains that will take you from one end of the place to the other. You may laugh, but from our little mobile home to the main street of the village it was a 12-minute walk. After a long day of swimming, bouncing, and running, it’s a welcome break.
As we went during the shoulder season, a few things were not open. There’s horseback riding and archery across the road in the nearby sports complex, a five-minute walk outside the camping village – but it wasn’t open yet. Half of the big pool complex was shut, and only three of the five waterslides were open. We barely noticed, as there was still so much to do.
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Adult sight-seeing in Venice one day, water parks and arcades the next
This is what made what could have been a very overwhelming trip to Venice doable for us. Because we were staying in such a mellow, easy, kid-friendly place with lots of space, when we did go into busy Venice, we all had much more patience. We chose to spend two days in Venice doing walking tours and adult things, and alternated with days all about the waterparks and beach at Union Lido. It worked so well, we all came away feeling satisfied and happy. Not only that, we were able to spend more time there than we could have at a hotel. It helped that he began and ended most days playing football/soccer with the Polish kid next door in a kind of German/English hybrid. That kind of thing is priceless.
Can you really do Eurocamp without a car?
Well, this depends massively on which site you choose. On the stuff you need front, yes definitely. The kitchen is fully stocked with utensils, plates, and cooking pots. You can request sheets and towels to be provided for a small charge, and most other bits you can pick up at the shop on site – but do check this is available where you’re staying. Each camping village will be different. However, for Union Lido, you definitely don’t need a car once you’re there. During the high season, they even run a bus service from the local airports. If you plan lots of excursions, then it might be worth it. For visiting Venice, or the islands of Burano and Murano, from Union Lido, it’s not necessary.
Getting from Union Lido in Cavallino to Venice
The camping village itself is just outside the town of Cavallino, and you’re looking to take a waterbus from Punta Sabbioni. We chose to drive our car to Punta Sabbioni (about 12 minutes) and park there for the day, which costs about 5€ – 7€ depending on the season. We just went with a private lot along the main road, and it was fine. There is a public bus that goes straight there, with a stop directly outside the camping village.
From Punta Sabbioni, you can either take a public waterbus or a private one. The ride was 20-25 minutes for public transit ferry to St Mark’s Square, and a bit shorter for private ones, but private boats run less often. Public waterbus cost 20€ for a day ticket for adults (kids are half price) which allows you to grab the waterbus all over, including through the Grand Canal and over to Murano and Burano (which we did). You can get a 5€ return from one of the private companies, but you’re more limited on when you can come back (like that one only ran boats once an hour, and if a big tour group is boarding you might get bumped) and ends around 5pm or 6pm on some days. The public waterbuses run every 20 minutes pretty much 24 hours a day. I would say go for the public ones.
We came back from our holiday satisfied and happy – my husband and I were thrilled we got to see Venice, and our son felt like he got a full-on holiday experience. This was such a hit, we’re planning to do the same thing in the Loire Valley next summer.
Seems like a fab option for large families.
This is so interesting! I did not even know you could camp Venice! what a fun alternative way to travel!
Yes! It works so well with kids or dogs.
This is such a great idea for an affordable way to see a very expensive city! It hadn’t even occurred to me you could “camp” so close to the city. Great idea for a summer break!
Isn’t it great? It worked out so well!