These are the cost traps for campers in Europe
Additional costs can make camping holidays significantly more expensive. The parking space fees have already risen sharply across Europe. We give an overview of where camping is particularly expensive – and where you pay surprisingly little in comparison.
On campsites, there is often a one-off electricity connection fee in addition to the costs for electricity consumption
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Dhe camping season has begun – in which outdoor vacationers have to adjust to sharply increased prices. This also applies to additional costs on campsites.
Electricity in particular is becoming a cost trap in many places. There are two ways campgrounds charge for electricity use: either they charge a flat rate per night, or they meter electricity use and bill it by the kilowatt hour. In addition, however, there is often a one-off power connection fee. So the motto for the coming season could be: Lights out, candles on at the camping table.
Comparison of electricity prices at the campsite
The booking platform Camperdays for mobile homes and caravans has compared the electricity prices at over 4000 campsites across Europe. According to this, Denmark’s campsites have the highest electricity costs in Europe: Not only are the electricity prices highest here per night, but also the one-time flat rate for the electricity connection.
Vacationers have to reckon with average electricity costs of 6.06 euros and a connection fee of mostly over 7 euros in the first night. In Denmark, holidaymakers are also the most likely to have to pay electricity costs per kilowatt: four out of five campsites charge a separate fee for electricity.
Source: Infographic WORLD
It’s also getting expensive in the Mediterranean. Spain has the second highest electricity costs per night with an average of 5.95 euros. Some campsites there even charge up to 13 euros per night.
In third and fourth place: Croatia with 5.41 euros and France with 4.85 euros per night. In the three Mediterranean countries mentioned, there are also campsites that already charge more than 10 euros per night for electricity. Travelers should be careful here and read the small print, otherwise the camping holiday can quickly become more expensive than planned.
Electricity costs remain more moderate in Sweden (EUR 4.52), Italy (EUR 4.10) and Switzerland (EUR 4.04).
Source: Infographic WORLD
In the Netherlands, electricity costs on campsites are the lowest in Europe. Here you pay 3.49 euros per night. In addition, electricity is very often included in the total price. None of the campsites checked required a flat-rate electricity connection.
Surprisingly, on average Germany and Austria have the second lowest electricity prices in Europe – at just 3.67 euros. However, there are also some campsites here that charge up to seven euros in additional electricity costs per night. In addition, there is often a one-off power connection fee, which is less than three euros.
Other additional costs when camping in Europe
In addition to electricity, there are often costs for fresh water and waste water, internet and waste disposal. Often there are also fees for hot water showers, washing machine and dryer use. In addition, there are tourist taxes, environmental taxes or even a tourist tax in many places. That adds up.
Overall, overnight prices will increase by an average of seven percent across Europe in 2023. Two campers with a caravan or mobile home and a ten-year-old child pay an average of EUR 55.70 (previous year EUR 52) for one night on a campsite in summer.
After all: In a European comparison of the most popular camping countries, Germany and Sweden remain the two cheapest camping countries with a comparison price of 42.60 euros and 39 euros, respectively, as in previous years.
For camping holidays in Croatia and Italy, however, campers have to pay the most at EUR 69.30 and EUR 65.80 per night respectively. With an average price increase of 15 percent compared to the previous year, Croatia takes the top position in the price ranking of camping countries. According to Pincamp, the price increase can be explained by the increased quality of the camping offer and the changeover to the euro.
The previous front runner of the last few years, Switzerland, only increased the overnight prices moderately by 2.5 percent and ranks third after Italy.
The only country in Europe with lower camping prices is Great Britain. Overnight prices here have fallen by almost 10 percent to an average of EUR 47.10, also because of the weakening British pound. Electricity is also comparatively cheap in the UK.