We’ve picked out 5 top spots for you to kick off the camping season in sunny style.
1. Freiburg / Germany
Well, what can we say: this place is kissed by the sun more extensively (and longer) than any other part of Germany. Freiburg is always a few degrees warmer – and the people a lot more relaxed. The flowers are sprouting, the bees are buzzing, and the Black Forest is waiting. Hikers can enjoy the treetop path and many other routes – just like you gravel and road cyclists. And for mountain bikers, Freiburg is one of the must-dos anyway. The city’s bike-friendliness is as legendary as the trail netwoek. The season officially kicks off mid-April with the Bike Festival.
2. Southern Styria / Austria
Yes, you might associate Styria with glaciers and the Dachstein massif. Yet the mild southern part around Leibnitz presents a stark contrast. Before reaching Graz, the jagged rocky landscape transforms into rolling hills covered with vineyards – it feels like Tuscany. The small roads are lined with cypress trees and wine taverns – a dream for road cyclists (by the way, the ups and downs also add up to quite some climbing). You can paddle on the Mur, Sulm, Kainach and Raab . There are many tours for hikers – especially wine hikers – as well as trails for mountain bikers. If you want to visit a bike park, you can hop over to Slovenia and Maribor. Graz is also a great place for biking and the young, rather alternative city has a lot to offer culturally.
3. Southern South Tyrol / Italy
The name says it all: you can’t get any further south in South Tyrol. There is still snow in the Dolomites, but here you can take your SUP on the Lake Kaltern. Or you can ride your road or gravel bike on a flat route to Trentino, through the idyllic countryside around Eppan – before taking on the first mountain passes. Or you can bike (and get lost) on the countless trails in the Montiggl forest. Or you can hike to the wineries around Kaltern and Tramin – and taste the wines. In the evening, enjoy a sundowner by Lake Kaltern, which is actually one of the warmest swimming lakes in the Alps…
4. Ledro Valley / Trentino
If you do not want to go to Lake Garda – like so, so, sooooo many others – but you still long for that lake feeling, then Lake Ledro is the place for you. South of the Brenta Dolomites, 15 kilometers from Lake Garda (and 30 kilometers in the other direction from Lake Idro), you will find the Ledro Valley, known as the green lung. Here you can hike or bike along the 200 kilometers of routes (including the famous old pass road with its countless hairpin bends, which first connected the valley to the outside world in 1847). In late spring, the Ledro Valley boasts another unique treat – and it is all white and pink: the meadows around the pretty village of Dromaè come alive with wild daffodils, orchids and peonies.
5. Istria with Portoroz & Piran
Portorož and Piran are two coastal towns in the Slovenian part of Istria, around 30 kilometers south of Trieste. Located on a small headland, Piran boasts a rich Venetian history with its narrow alleyways, picturesque squares, artistic treasures, and myriad places of worship. Neighboring Portorož, on the other hand, has preserved its centuries-old tradition as a spa and bathing resort and boasts spas and salt pans. SUPing on the sea (up to the Strunjan Nature Park), hiking and cycling in the hinterland through the salt pans or along the Parenzana, a 130-kilometre cycle path on the former narrow-gauge railroad line between Trieste and Poreč.
