Hello all.
As you may or may not know, camping in switzerland and Europe in general is very different from camping in North America. In North America we have giant camp sites each with our own fire pit and we are generally deep in a forest. Here it seems that camping typically means sharing a space with many many other tents in very close proximity.

Has anybody ever encountered something more similar to North American style camping in switzerland or the bordering countries?

Thanks for your help

No.

Wild camping is generally not allowed in Europe, certainly not in terms of setting up a proper camp for any length of time.

Generally here, if the campsite has facilities like children's entertainment, splash pools, restaurants and bars.. You are gonna be in close proximity to other campers, normally in a marked spot but highly unlikely a fire will be allowed. You will be close enough to the other tents to hear everybody fart and snore.

However there are loads of campsites that don't offer all the fun stuff but it will be quiet, might allow a fire, not many people there, beside a lake etc. We've camped at few where we didn't see anybody for days.

In CH not. But in France you should find something similar. In the wilder areas of France

He did not say anything about wild camping

I camped a few times in the Wisconsin Dells and up in Porcupine mountains on lake Superior. For some reason I was expecting the basic staples of Camping... A bar or two, at least a Pizzeria within a few minutes walk, a shop and a power supply for my CPAP.


Oh boy was I in for a surprise...!

What, horseflies, deer flies, mosquitoes, and ticks were not to your satisfaction? In those parts only they are allowed to drink.

Tja, unfortunately most camping have transformed into holiday parks.


I think you'll have to go to Scandinavia or Eastern Europe (Latvia etc) for proper camping...


What you can do is look for nature campings or 'camping at a farm'...

Yup had them and collected wood in the forrest and had a bear scare. But I did get some grade "A" snuggle-time with my GF of that period, on a flat slab of rock on the shore of lake Superior under the epic gaze of the northen lights.


HooBoy.

I live next to quite stretch of woods and was told one can not just walk in and have a nice camp for the night. I do however, several times a year, see people walking in and based of the gear they are carrying it looks like they are camping. Seen a few of them walk out the next morning. I personally don't care if someone wants to responsibly camp in the woods, but out of curiosity does anyone know if there is a fine for this and how much it is?

Wild camping in CH is not verboten as such and I don´t thnk that there are fines, it´s just discouraged more than anything else. It is however totally verboten in nature reserves, in designated hunting areas, in the national parks and in exclusion zones. But the Kantons seem to handle it differently, so you need to check up on local rules whereever you want to pitch your tent.
https://www.tcs.ch/de/camping-reisen...er-schweiz.php

Not wishing to sound pedantic but it's not plural. There's only one National Park in Switzerland.

I appreciate everyone's input.
Wild camping is probably a bit too extreme for our group.
The type of campsites I'm talking about in Canada and the US are still owned and managed, they are just very large so everyone has their own site that's probably a quarter of the size of the entire camping areas I've seen here. And then if you walk 5-10 minutes there is generally still some kind of shower/bathroom facility but most people opt for the bushes. haha
I'll have a look into some of the suggestions people have made and let you know if I find anything!

They have them in Australia like that too.

I'm not aware of any in Europe although there are a few in the forests in the U.K. that come close.

I think it's because there's just not enough space.

Simply put: Canada is a lot less populated than most of Europe. In order to have that sort of experience can you only go to the less populated parts of the continent. Thats typically Scandinavia or Poland. Certainly nowhere in the Alps.

There is no question that in Canada we have more space. haha
But there are plenty of forests kicking about within a 2-3 hour drive from here.
It doesn't take much to set up a few campsites

This is a decent example: https://camping-kirnbach.de/de/

I enjoy that this is called Camping Mexico: https://www.camping-mexico.at/index.html

i'm going to tack onto this thread with a bit of a twist because i think it fits with the themes but let me know if i should start a new thread.

i'm interested in getting primarily into the french alps and italian dolimites this year. though i'd prefer more stripped down campsites like the op is looking for, i'd don't have a problem using the more family oriented / facility ladden campgrounds in these areas of europe to lay my head down at night while i do some power hiking during the day.

i get the sense campgrounds can fill up even in these mountains during the summer in europe.

so my question is do i have to book these mountain campgrounds in advance to make sure i have a spot and if so how far in advance? my guess is july and aug are peak months but what about may, june and sept?

i would so prefer to just be able to NOT book anything in advance so i can let the trip dictate itself to me in real time based on what i discover vs have to be in campground x, y and z on a given night if possible.

also, since some of these areas tend to be a little remote, if i show up to a campground and things are booked in the entire area not just that campground, and i just needs space to set up my tent, will they be cool with it? i'm more than willing to pay for the spot of course.

any first hand experience welcomed. also, my question equally applies to the swiss alps and perhaps austria as well.

thx

Yes you do

My experience is more family fun type campsites.. However we've done many of the more remote quiet spots too..

I'd say that if you have your own equipment and it's not some huge fancy tent, you will get a space. Worst case with no electricity or water directly on the pitch, but we've always found something.

For example in France Verdon gorge
https://europe.huttopia.com/de/site/...ges-du-verdon/

water or electricity on the pitch is no concern to me. if you camp in the states, you simply have a shared bathroom / showers and a place to setup a tent. thx for sharing your experience