Summer 2025 by campervan with kids: Prague, Lake Garda, Lugano and Switzerland day by day

In summer 2025 we set off again for three weeks on the road in our van, Beza. From 26 July to 15 August we drove with the kids through the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland. This time we took seven bikes with us, so in every new place we could go out on a ride straight away. We stayed longest in Arco on Lake Garda, nine days, where several families we are friends with met up on one campsite.

How we packed

Seven bikes in one campervan is a real lesson in logistics. Four bikes travelled on the tow bar rack and three rode inside Beza. Beza is only for driving and sleeping, so as always we cooked outside. Krzys joined us for a week at Lake Garda. He flew to Bergamo and slept in his own small tent, because there is no more room in Beza for seven people.

Day by day

Days 1-2 (26-27 July): Prague

On the first day we drove about 430 km to Prague and set up camp at Prague Caravan Park by the Vltava, right below Vyšehrad. In the evening we cycled along the river and did 23 km around the city. The next day we explored Prague on foot, by ferry and by old tram. We wrote about it all in our post Prague with kids: by bike, ferry and tram.

Day 3 (28 July): through Šumava to Bavaria

From Prague we drove through Strakonice and the Philippsreut border crossing to Lower Bavaria. It poured for part of the way, but in the evening at Vital Camping Bayerbach the kids still went out to the playground with a rope bridge. On the way we passed a village called Au. The girls lined up under the sign and, very seriously, pretended that something hurt a lot.

Day 4 (29 July): over the Brenner to Lake Garda

This was our longest leg, over 500 km through Bavaria, Austria and the Brenner Pass. We reached the campsite in Arco at half past three. In the evening the whole group cycled to town for pizza, just a few minutes by bike from the campsite.

Days 5-13 (30 July - 7 August): Arco and Lake Garda

In Arco we stayed at the Arco Prabi campsite below the Monte Colodri rock. From here we went on trips:

• on 30 July we took the cable car up to Grostè above Madonna di Campiglio,
• on 31 July we cycled to Riva for ice cream, while dad drove to Bergamo to pick up Krzys,
• on 3 August we took the boat to Malcesine and Limone, and in the evening we climbed the via ferrata above the campsite for the first time,
• on 4 August we did the via ferrata in the Rio Sallagoni gorge with the kids,
• on 5 August we cycled the old Ponale road to the Cascata del Ponale waterfall.

We write about the campsite, Riva, ice cream and the Ponale road in our post Arco with kids.

On the last day we took Krzys to the airport in Bergamo. For the night we stopped at a campsite in Montorfano, near Como.

Days 14-16 (8-10 August): Lugano

It is only 37 km from Montorfano to Lugano. We spent three hot days at the TCS campsite in Muzzano, mostly by the water. In the evenings, when it got cooler, we cycled to the lake and into town. More in our post Lugano with kids.

Days 17-18 (11-12 August): Disentis

In Disentis we stayed at a campsite on the Rhine, where in summer you can try panning for gold. The next day we walked across the longest suspension bridge in Graubünden. You can read about it in our post Disentis with kids.

Day 19 (13 August): the Rhine Falls

From Disentis we drove about 190 km to Schaffhausen and stopped at a campsite on the Rhine in Langwiesen. In the evening we cycled a loop around the Rhine Falls, 9 km in total. The falls are 23 m high and 150 m wide. Above them stands Laufen Castle, first mentioned in 858. From the viewpoint at the railing you can see the foaming water right under your feet and two rocks standing in the middle of the current.

Days 20-21 (14-15 August): Uffenheim and home

We spent the last night in Uffenheim in Franconia, together with the same friends we had stayed here with a year earlier. In the morning the kids went to the pool one more time, and at five in the afternoon we set off on the last leg home, almost a thousand kilometres. On the way we had dinner at a roadside restaurant, where the kids found a climbing wall straight away. We got home at a quarter to three in the morning.

Practical info

We checked this in November 2026.

Campsites on the route

• Prague: Prague Caravan Park by the Vltava below Vyšehrad, 2 nights.
• Bayerbach (Lower Bavaria): Vital Camping Bayerbach, 1 night.
• Arco: Camping Arco (Arco Prabi), 9 nights. Campsite guests get the Garda Guest Card.
• Montorfano near Como: Camping Montorfano, 1 night.
• Lugano: TCS Camping Lugano-Muzzano, 3 nights.
• Disentis: TCS Camping Disentis, 2 nights.
• Schaffhausen: Camping Schaffhausen in Langwiesen, 1 night.
• When checking in we showed our CCI card (Camping Card International), which gives discounts at many campsites.

Vignettes

• In 2025 a 10-day Czech vignette cost 290 CZK, and in 2026 it costs 300 CZK.
• The Swiss annual vignette costs 40 CHF, both in 2025 and in 2026.
• In Germany cars do not pay for motorways.

Fuel

In July 2025 diesel at a station in Strakonice cost 33.90 CZK per litre.