Summer 2024 by campervan with kids - Germany, France, Switzerland and Liechtenstein

In summer 2024 we drove our van Beza through Germany, France, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The trip took 20 days, from 29 July to 17 August, and we slept only on campsites. There were six of us: the two of us and our four daughters. Our oldest son stayed at home this time.

Beza left for this trip a few days after we finished rebuilding it from bare metal. You can read about it in Our campervan rebuild from bare metal.

A holiday with several families

We planned the whole trip around one idea: a week on the same campsite with friends. At Lake Paladru in France, four families stayed on four pitches next to each other. For some it was the start of their holiday, for others the end, and for others the middle.

This worked really well for us:

• the kids play together in every free moment,
• the parents get a bit more time for themselves,
• in the evening there is always someone to sit with.

We drove to France together with one of the families. Near Chamonix we spent two nights with another family, then we travelled through Switzerland on our own, and at the end we met our friends again in Uffenheim.

Day by day

Germany: Playmobil and the Technik Museum

• 29 July: we left at 5:20 and drove over 520 km to Zirndorf near Nuremberg. Night at Camping zur Mühle.
• 30 July: a full day at Playmobil FunPark, which we reached on foot from the campsite.
• 31 July: Technik Museum Sinsheim with Concorde on the roof, then a drive to Breisgau-Camping am Silbersee for the night.

France: Lake Paladru and the Mont Blanc area

• 1-5 August: a week at Lake Paladru on the Détente et Clapotis campsite, with a trip to the Saint-Christophe caves in the Chartreuse mountains.
• 6 August: the Gorges du Fier near Annecy and a drive to the Le Relais de la Vallée Blanche campsite in Sallanches, with a view of Mont Blanc.
• 7 August: two via ferratas in one day: Cascade de Bérard and Parc Thermal in Saint-Gervais.
• 8 August: by train from Chamonix to the Mer de Glace glacier.

Switzerland and Liechtenstein

• 9 August: via Martigny to the Furka Pass and the Ice Grotto in the Rhone Glacier. Night at the TCS campsite in Interlaken.
• 10 August: by train to Grindelwald and on foot past Kleine Scheidegg.
• 11 August: the historic Brienz Rothorn Bahn rack railway.
• 12 August: the CabriO cable car up the Stanserhorn, and Lucerne in a heavy rainstorm in the afternoon. Night at the TCS Luzern-Horw campsite.
• 13 August: the cogwheel railway up Mount Pilatus and down the other side to Kriens.
• 14 August: Vaduz in Liechtenstein and a night at the Mittagsspitze campsite in Triesen.

Back home through Franconia

• 15-16 August: a campsite next to the outdoor pools in Uffenheim and a full day at the pools.
• 17 August: Rothenburg ob der Tauber and over 1,100 km home. We arrived at 0:20.

Roads and tickets

We already had the Swiss motorway vignette, because it is valid for a whole year. Thanks to it, even the drive to France through Switzerland was quick. In France the motorways have tolls, and Beza is higher than 2 metres, so it pays more than a normal car. For short sections we often took local roads instead.

In Switzerland the van stayed on the campsites and we travelled by train. We bought two Swiss Half Fare Cards, and the kids got free Family Cards with them, so they travelled with us for free. We will write more about it in our posts about Switzerland.

Practical info

We checked this in November 2026.

• Swiss vignette: 40 CHF, as a sticker or as an e-vignette linked to the number plate. It is valid from 1 December to 31 January of the following year.
• French motorways: a vehicle higher than 2 m (up to 3.5 t) pays in class 2, which costs more than class 1 for normal cars.
• Checks at the German border: there are random checks, so keep the whole family's documents at hand.

A year earlier we took Beza to Lake Garda and Lago di Ledro. Read about it in Our first campervan holiday with kids.