Europe Road Trip Part 2 — Balkans, Greece & Türkiye
- 10-day vignette for Austria: approximately 10 euros, plus 13 euros toll
- Wild camping is permitted in Austria and Slovenia outside of campsites. forbidden
- We find parking spaces using the app. Park4night — free of charge at Untreusee in Hof
- Refilling the water tank was difficult in Bavaria: it finally worked at the third gas station.
- In Italy, aperitivo is served free snacks to order
Contents of this post7 chapters
From Germany -> through Austria -> through Slovenia -> through Italy towards Croatia 😛
We start our second journey through Europe with our self-converted camper van 😊! An incredibly exciting backpacking trip through South America is behind us. We've also been able to explore Cuba and Morocco within a few weeks 🛫. Despite all the wonderful experiences, we longed for our little home again – our camper ♥️. So, we packed all our things again and set off. We started our trip from Magdeburg and drove 3 hours towards Bavaria.
Beautiful Bavaria 🏔
City of Hof
Here we were now. In the small Bavarian town called Hof. Wow. Who would have thought it would be so beautiful? Honestly, I've never heard of "Hof" before 🫣. But the botanical garden and the charming town center convinced me! A nice place to "arrive" again and relax a bit 😉.
The city center was quite empty in the afternoon. But you can find something to shop at every corner 🛍.
Parking spot: You'll find plenty of free parking spacesin Hof. Ultimately, we decided to stay at Untreusee, which was a good decision. (Camper type: Self-sufficient.)
Small tip: Don't be fooled by the paid camper van parking lots. If you drive into the street towards the "Car Park", you have to turn left at the first intersection!! The parking spot there is free and only a few minutes' walk from the lake 😉. No guarantee!
For lunch we had a delicious gnocchi dish 🤤. As always, we used our gas stove 😊. The next day we moved on again and made a quick stop at the car wash 💦. After all, our home needs to be kept clean 😜.
Bayreuth 🙂
The city of Bayreuth is one of the most beautiful cities in Bavaria 🥰. Here you'll find many different sights, such as castles, museums, and historic parks. Somehow we expected a little "more"—but that's probably because we only got a rough idea of the city 😌. In the evening, we saw the new Jurassic World movie at the cinema 🍿. By the way: Bayreuth is really buzzing in the evenings 💃. It feels like there are 1,000 students around! They're all between 25 and 35 years old 🥳.
Parking space: Easy to find with the Park4night app 😉
Regensburg☂️
From Bayreuth, we continued on to Regensburg, where our campsite had a direct view of the Danube. We strolled through the narrow streets of the old town. As in almost every city, St. Peter's Cathedral was undergoing renovations, so I couldn't get the best photo (bottom left). Regensburg definitely has a certain charm! First, you cross the cool 12th-century Stone Bridge, and then you come across the well-preserved medieval center. Nice! 👍
Landshut🤠
In Landshut, I finally met up with my good old friend Jessi again 🥰. As you might remember from my Australia post, Jessi was my very first travel companion 1️⃣. Together, we did a year-long working holiday in Australia 🇦🇺. A time I look back on so fondly 🕰! Incidentally, that's also something I particularly value: sharing memories. When you travel alone (as wonderful as it may be), no one can truly understand your experiences or empathize with your situations afterward. That's why I enjoyed reminiscing with Jessi so much and laughing heartily with her about our embarrassing, silly, funny, and wonderful moments 😁! Upon arriving in Landshut, Jessi had conjured up a fantastic Bavarian meal for us 🤤! So, in true Bavarian style, we had: Weisswurst, pretzels, sausage salad, homemade Obazda from Grandma, and, of course, a delicious wheat beer! Obazda, by the way, is a spread that's absolutely delicious (with soft cheese, onions…!!). ❤️
The next day we finally explored the old town of Landshut. Just walk through the Landshut gate and you're there. I especially loved the pastel-colored houses with their different shapes 😋. I also loved the view over the Isar River!
In the late afternoon, we found a quiet spot to go fishing 🎣. Once there, Jessi and her boyfriend Max (yes, her boyfriend has the same name as my boyfriend) taught us the basics of fishing. And we actually caught a fish 🐟! I learned so much, but one thing in particular: fishing requires a lot of patience 🙇🏽♂️! Even after catching a fish, you still have to prepare it (gut it, scale it…) so you can grill or fry it… What a lot of work for such a small meal 😁. But fishing is still a fun hobby 😉. The excitement when a fish bites is indescribable. It almost becomes a real sense of accomplishment 🤩! It's kind of strange. For us humans, it's perfectly normal to go to a grocery store and just quickly throw some frozen fish into the shopping cart. But if we look back years, people were dependent on providing their own food 😵. How many people can still do that? It was extremely interesting for me to witness this process! Thanks to Jessi & Max! 🤓
But then, sadly, it was that time again... time to say "goodbye"... I keep asking myself why it never gets any easier?? 😒 These are probably the downsides of being a traveler. You always have to say goodbye again. Anyway, a big thank you to Jessi and her boyfriend Max for the wonderful time 💐 and see you next time 👋🏻!
Parking: We parked one night next to Jessi's mom's house and the other night at Jessi's place in a public parking lot… So I think there shouldn't be any problems parking anywhere in the village 😉.
Erding 🛝
On the way to our new campsite, we were still looking for a place to fill up our water tank 👀. It's really not easy to find anything in Bavaria, except of course at a paid campsite 😩! When we were almost in Erding, I was raving to Max about my experience at the Erding Thermal Spa. I tried to quickly persuade him to make a detour, but Max expressed his disinterest – and quite emphatically 🙄. Eventually, I resigned myself to it and we changed the subject. But suddenly, we found ourselves in the Erding Thermal Spa parking lot 😮. What? Huh? What's going on? 😯 We went into the hotel and it wasn't long before the staff greeted us. Apparently, Max had planned a surprise for me weeks ago 😍. Everything was already booked. I was in shock 🤩. I was so incredibly excited, you can't even imagine! I mean, I would have been happy with just a regular day visit, but instead we had two different lounges and slept in the cool Victory Hotel. Absolutely amazing! 🔨 And now tell me – I don't have the best boyfriend in the world! 😛-
- hotel room
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- Hotel room bathroom
Below, in the two pictures, you can see what our alpine chalet looked like. We had a sitting area, a fireplace, and a cozy corner 🥰. The bathroom was outside the room! (Note the urinal next to the regular toilet 🎷 in the bottom right of the picture.)
Later we relaxed in the Diamond Lounge! Delicious XXL pizza and a glass of sparkling wine – perfect! 😍 *Celebrity vibes* 🤩
What an experience, I tell you! Whether action-packed or pure relaxation – it always feels like a little vacation! Especially with my sweetheart ♥️ We'll definitely be back in winter ⛄️😛!
Chiemsee & surroundings
Next, we headed to Lake Chiemsee. Our little problem with our water supply still persisted. We simply couldn't find a filling station! 😖 Finally, we had no choice but to ask at various gas stations. ⛽️ (Yes, we could have asked at paid campsites, but we'd had rather negative experiences with that, as stopping by "just to fill up on water" isn't appreciated). We actually had success at the third gas station. 🍀 We needed to fill up anyway, and as a thank you, we slipped a couple of coins into our coffee cup. 🤑 Afterwards, we enjoyed the beautiful view of Lake Chiemsee. ♥️
As we continued our journey, we made a stop at a small castle and finally ended our day with a heavenly sunset🌅.
Campsite: It was a bit more difficult to find a nice, free spot near Lake Chiemsee. For this reason, we decided to drive on to Gmünd.
Off through Austria 🏔
Gmünd🧑🏻🎨
To cross the border from Germany to Austria, we bought a 10-day vignette for about €10. On the way to Gmünd, we had to pay another €13 in toll fees. After that, we used Google Maps to find the toll-free routes. In the beautiful artists' town of Gmünd, we strolled through the narrow streets once again. Trumpets hung overhead, little stuffed rabbits lay in the bushes, and sculptures dangled their feet from the rooftops. A really cool town!
The view from the castle was absolutely beautiful! Afterwards, we desperately searched for a parking spot for the night. In Austria, camping outside of a designated campsite is illegal… And with the hundreds of "No Camping" signs, they don't make it easy…! What a mess! ☠️
Parking space: Park4night app at your own risk 🙈
Villach🎉
In the city center, performers proudly presented their acts. Right next to the show, "influencers" streamed out of the shops in droves. Cheerful music filled the air in the background. What's going on here? I guess we've stumbled right into a festival! 😁 The city was packed, but despite that, my impression of Villach was really good! 👍 But what I liked best was Max's "church hat" (see middle picture) 😛.
Slovenia🇸🇰
Kranjska Gora🐟
And off we go across the border. We leave Austria and say "hello" to Slovenia 😛. I couldn't have imagined a more beautiful first stop. There we were in Kranjska Gora. In this case, I'm glad I'm writing a blog and not doing a podcast. The name of the place is an experience in itself 😁. Anyway... before us lay the incredibly clear lake with wonderful, magnificent mountains in the background 🥰. Definitely a MUST SEE on my imaginary list of Slovenia 😉.
Campsite: Wild camping is expressly prohibited -> Otherwise, heavy fines will be imposed 👮♀️
Bled ⛪️
Of course, Slovenia doesn't just have one lake to offer, but a whole lot 😛. That's why we stopped at Lake Bled. Instead of the slightly greenish water from the previous lake, this time we saw a vibrant blue. No filter was used on the left picture!!! Incredible, right??? 😍 In the right picture below, you can see the Church of the Assumption of Mary, which is located on a small island. On the mainland, there's also an 11th-century castle perched high on a rock.
Ljubljana
Time for a little city break in Slovenia's capital 😊! With our e-scooter, we were probably the fastest tourists in the whole place. I especially loved the restaurants and bars right by the river and the sunset picnic in the park! 🌅
Parking space: Park4night App // Generally, it is also illegal to stay overnight outside of a campsite in Slovenia… Therefore, it's not too easy… However, we had no problems.
Italy🇮🇹
Trieste
Ohh, how I've missed aperitivo time! Finally, a lovely Aperol Spritz to enjoy with all the little treats 😍. In Italy, it's common to get free snacks with your drinks order (e.g., pizza slices, chips, wraps, small breads, etc.) 😛. But of course, that wasn't our only reason for coming here; we also wanted to explore this famous metropolis. I did find it a bit annoying, though, that the streets ran right through half the city center, so there was often a lot of background noise. But deep inside, amidst the narrow streets, we finally found a quiet spot to fully enjoy our long-awaited aperitivo 😁.
Parking: Parking available directly at the harbor, but without shade. Costs a few euros.
Finally in Croatia🇭🇷
We drove from Trieste to Croatia that same day. It only took one night and the police ahead of us. FUCK!
In my next blog post about our European trip, I'll tell you more about our unpleasant experience and how our journey continued from there…
Thank you to every reader and see you next time ♥️
Next stop: Croatia 🇭🇷
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to drive through Austria with a campervan?
We bought a 10-day vignette for about €10. On the route to Gmünd, we had to pay another €13 in toll fees. After that, we used Google Maps to find the toll-free routes.
Am I allowed to camp freely in Austria and Slovenia?
No. In Austria, camping outside of designated campsites is illegal, and there are many prohibition signs. The same applies in Slovenia—there, you face hefty fines. We didn't have any problems, but it's not easy.
How do I find parking spaces while traveling?
Use the Park4night app. There are plenty of free parking spaces in Hof; we stayed at Untreusee. A little tip: don't be fooled by the paid campervan pitches – take the first left towards "Auto Parkplatz" (car parking), it's free there and just a few minutes' walk from the lake.
Where do I refill the water in my camper?
In Bavaria, that was really difficult, except at paid campsites. We asked at petrol stations and only had success on the third one – we filled up anyway and put a few extra coins in our coffee cup.
Which stops in Bavaria were worthwhile?
Hof with its botanical garden, Bayreuth, Regensburg with the 12th-century Stone Bridge and the medieval center, Landshut with the old town behind the Ländtor, the Erding thermal baths and Lake Chiemsee.
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