Belgium and Luxembourg (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

260 TRAVELLERS’ NEEDS

Camping and Chalet Parks

Outdoor life is the principal attraction for a number
of visitors to Belgium and Luxembourg. They spend
summer vacations at the seaside or take hiking, kayak-
ing or cycling trips among the forested hills and rivers
of the Ardennes. Camping and caravanning also offer
a chance to live close to nature and are remarkably
economic ways of holidaying. To meet these needs, both
countries offer a great number of campsites – there are
more than 500 in Belgium and 120 in Luxembourg.

Campers by the River Sûre in the forested Ardennes of Luxembourg

TYPES OF CAMPSITES

In both countries, campsites
vary from rural farm sites,
where simplicity is a virtue,
to large holiday camps with
swimming pools, sports facili-
ties, bicycles for hire, fishing
rights and archery. The latter
also offer restaurants, cafés,
shops, games arcades and
evening entertainment. Some
campsites have chalets, cara-
vans and pre-installed tents
for hire, so all visitors need
to do is pitch up and enjoy.
Campsites in Belgium and
Luxembourg are ranked into
five categories, from one star
to five star. One star indicates
minimum facilities: drinking
water, cold showers, flush
toilets and power points.
Three stars indicate hot
showers, sports facilities and a
shop. The five-star camps will
in addition have a restaurant,
children’s playground and a
wider range of facilities. Most
campsites are ranked as one
or two star. Often, it is not a

CAMPING

ORGANIZATIONS

In Belgium, there are two

camping authorities – the

Flanders Camping Federation,

and a parallel organization in

Wallonia called Walcamp. In

Luxembourg, the organization

is named Camprilux. These

embrace all forms of camp-

ing, from tents to caravans

and motorhomes (or camping

cars). Their websites provide

detailed information. Listings

of campsites are also available

through the various regional

tourist offices (see p323)

and the local ones. A useful

and comprehensive list of

campsites is available on the

BOOKING AND ARRIVING

Campsites in popular areas,

such as on the Belgian coast,

may be booked up months in

advance for the high season

of July and August. It is

therefore necessary to phone

or email ahead to reserve a

site. In general, campers can

arrive any time after 2pm and

are expected to vacate the site

and check out by midday.

Eurocampings website. This

includes a database on camp-

sites that cater to disabled

people. The main umbrella

organization is the FICC

(Féderation Internationale de

Camping et de Caravanning),

based in Brussels. This also

covers motorhomes. The FICC

issues the Camping Card Inter-

national (CCI), which bestows

a number of club advantages

on its holders, including dis-

counts of up to 25 per cent at

certain listed campsites.

question of facilities, but of

the location. Websites offer

good, sometimes visual, infor-

mation on campsites. In a

one- or two-star site, a family

of four with a tent or caravan

can expect to pay about 15–

25 euros per night. There are

also a few naturist campsites.

INDEPENDENT CAMPING

Wild or free camping is the

term used for pitching a tent

wherever a camper chooses.

When practised outside

official commercial campsites,

this activity is frowned upon

in Belgium and Luxembourg.

The argument is that there are

plenty of cheap campsites, so

there is no excuse to fail to use

these and threaten to despoil

and pollute the countryside.