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Europe's best luxury camping holidays for summer 2022

best europe best luxury camping holidays adventure travel summer 2022
best europe best luxury camping holidays adventure travel summer 2022

Few sectors of the travel industry are booming like glamping. Increasing numbers of us want the immersive outdoor experience without having to compromise on creature comforts (or Instagrammable hot tubs). According to a report from Grand View Research, the global glamping market was valued at $2.35 billion (£1.87 billion) in 2021 and is estimated to rise to $5.94 billion in 2030.

Europe is leading the charge, with more posh camping options than any other continent. And many of these places don’t just provide magic-tinged stays but also easy access to a whole range of soft adventures. You can spend days paddling across lakes, pedalling along quiet lanes or hiking into rolling hills, and be back at your private veranda each evening for a sit-down with a spectacular view.

Bed down in a biosphere in Lanzarote

The entirety of this northernmost Canary isle – a Martian-looking land of astonishing biodiversity – is a Unesco Biosphere Reserve, and eco-luxe Finca de Arrieta, near golden La Garita beach, fits right in. Powered by green energy and committed to responsible tourism, it has a handful of yurts with sumptuous interiors and private gardens and kitchens. It also works with local providers who can deliver bicycles and Toyota hybrid cars, and organise everything from snorkelling trips to treks in the Timanfaya National Park.

How to do it

Finca de Arrieta (lanzaroteretreats.com) offers yurts (sleeping 2-7) from £85pn, self-catering. For more inspiration on where to stay, read Telegraph Travel's guide to the best hotels in Lanzarote.

Finca de Arrieta glamping Lanzarote europe best luxury camping holidays adventure travel summer 2022 - Ana Belen Dominguez
Finca de Arrieta glamping Lanzarote europe best luxury camping holidays adventure travel summer 2022 - Ana Belen Dominguez

Be a posh pioneer in England

The “camping plus outdoor escapades” combination doesn’t get more luxe than at the Samling’s exclusive-use camp. Sitting on a wooded hilltop in the hotel’s grounds, plush prospector tents come with their own private chunk of fellside, looking over Lake Windermere, as well as a restaurant tent, an alfresco dining deck, and a chef and butler. The Lake District’s best walking awaits (from easy loops to yomps up Helvellyn), or you can swim or canoe off the Samling’s jetty.

How to do it

The Samling (thesamlinghotel.co.uk) offers a two-night Wilderness Experience from £3,000 for four, half-board. For more travel inspiration, read Telegraph Travel's guide to the best hotels in the Lake District.

The Samling Lake District europe best luxury camping holidays adventure travel summer 2022
The Samling Lake District europe best luxury camping holidays adventure travel summer 2022

Sleep by super sands in Croatia

Not only do the safari tents at Abeille Maison have an air of opulence – all crisp draped canvas, spacious decks, air-con, and private pools – but they also have the most enviable location in Croatia. The site sits in a grove of pine, cypress and olive trees just above Zlatni Rat beach, an A-list teardrop of sand near Bol, on Brac island’s south coast. Bol is brilliant for windsurfing; sign up at the surf and sailing schools here, go snorkelling or hike and bike into the island’s rugged interior.

How to do it

Abeille Maison (pitchup.com) offers tents (sleeping four) from £410pn, self-catering

Make for the mountains in France

High in the Haute-Savoie, Les Écotagnes’ two hand-crafted cabins teeter in the trees, overlooking the Aravis range. Elevated walkways lead to each eyrie, where decks provide unfettered views and wood burners keep things cosy. There is also a shared hot tub and dining cabin serving home-cooked meals. It’s great for Alpine activities, too: walking trails run from the door, gondolas ease access to the peaks and Lake Annecy is close, ideal for watersports and the 26-mile trail around it.

How to do it

Ecotagnes (ecotagnes.com) offers cabins (sleeping 2-4) from £165pppn, half-board. For more inspiration on where to stay, read Telegraph Travel's guide to the best hotels in the French Alps.

Camp Catalan-style in Spain

Buzzy Barcelona is only an hour away but you wouldn’t know it – what makes Forest Days feel luxurious is its sense of isolation. There are just four bell tents, well-spaced in the foothills of the Catalan Pyrenees. Each is rustic but comfy with super-king mattresses, handmade furniture, eco loos and numerous possibilities for exploration. Follow trails into the forest, along clifftops and down to the Aigua d’Ora river for wild swimming. Cycling, kayaking and canyoning are also available nearby.

How to do it

Forest Days Glamping (coolstays.com) offers tents (sleeping four) from £133pn, self-catering

Forest Days Glamping Spain europe best luxury camping holidays adventure travel summer 2022
Forest Days Glamping Spain europe best luxury camping holidays adventure travel summer 2022

Ride around a remote retreat in Norway

Canvas Hotel – nine waterside yurts huddled on an island in southern Norway’s Telemark region – is brilliant for bikers. The camp sits at the nexus of a network of thoughtfully designed cycle trails, which weave amid the surrounding forest, pools and rocky wilderness – but which are manageable by amateurs. Bike hire and guiding is included, as are post-ride steams in a sauna, lake swims, soaks at the rustic “spa” (10 tin baths by the shore) and delicious meals cooked on an open fire.

How to do it

Canvas Hotel (canopyandstars.co.uk/canvashotel) offers yurts (sleeping two) from £484pn, full-board. For more inspiration on where to stay, read Telegraph Travel's guide to the best hotels in Norway.

Canvas Hotel Norway europe best luxury camping holidays adventure travel summer 2022
Canvas Hotel Norway europe best luxury camping holidays adventure travel summer 2022

Find family fun in Slovenia

For family-focused adventures in style, try River Camping Bled. Encircled by the Sava River, the site is a stone’s throw from Slovenia’s fairy-tale lake, at the meeting of three mountain ranges and multiple valleys – perfect for hiking, biking, rafting and sports of all sorts. Sleeping options range from spacious boutique tents and mirrored cottages with terraces, kitchens and picture-perfect views, to bijou globes hidden in the forest. There is also a large swimming pool and a playground, plus Mother Nature’s much bigger playground beyond.

How to do it

River Camping Bled (rivercamping-bled.si) offers glamping accommodation (sleeping 2-6) from £76pn, self-catering. For more inspiration on where to stay, read Telegraph Travel's guide to the best hotels in Slovenia.

Pick a perfect pile in Italy

The Palafitta tents by Lake Ledro have been handcrafted to resemble the stilted pile dwellings built here some 4,000 years ago. However, it is unlikely the Trentino’s prehistoric residents enjoyed anything so glamorous: these modern versions feature breezy verandas, little kitchens and comfy beds, all with lake and mountain views. The tents are part of Best Ledro Camping, which sits by Besta beach and Ledro’s crystal-clear waters – perfect for canoeing, sailing, fishing and swimming; you can also learn more ancient history at the local museum.

How to do it

Best Ledro Camping (bestledrocamping.it) offers tents (sleeping 2-4) from £169 for two nights, self-catering. For more inspiration on where to stay, read Telegraph Travel's guide to the best lake hotels in Italy.

Lake Ledro Italy europe best luxury camping holidays adventure travel summer 2022
Lake Ledro Italy europe best luxury camping holidays adventure travel summer 2022

Take a lake escape in Sweden

The Swedish have a word – friluftsliv – that conveys the blissful feeling arising from being immersed in nature. Dalsland Activities has four glasshouses that do just that. Perched on a private headland above Lake Ivag, these transparent boltholes offer unobscured views of sky, water, moose, trees and stars. They come with private bathing areas plus fishing rods and boats, so you can row out any time. Alternatively, kayak along the Steneby river or take a guided walk, looking for beavers.

How to do it

Dalsland Activities (dalslandsaktiviteter.se) offers glasshouses (sleeping two) from £453pp for three days, full-board, or £260pn, B&B. For more inspiration on where to stay, read Telegraph Travel's guide to the best hotels in Sweden.

Go far away in Greenland

At Camp Kiattua, the first adventure is getting there. This clutch of off-grid, leave-no-trace tents – warmed by woodburners and reindeer skins – is pitched each summer on a private inlet, flanked by ancient mountains and accessible only by helicopter or boat. Gourmet meals (modern takes on traditional Greenlandic dishes) and varied activities are included: kayak amid icebergs, cruise past glaciers, hike to Viking ruins, fish for Arctic char, engage with Inuit culture and disengage from the rest of the world.

How to do it

Black Tomato (blacktomato.com) offers a 10-day Greenland trip from £10,250pp, including four nights at Camp Kiattua, excluding flights

This article is kept updated with the latest information.


For full details of entry requirements and Covid rules for your favourite destinations, see telegraph.co.uk/tt-travelrules. Refer to gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice for further travel information