Europe’s Best Campsites for 2025: Award Winners 

The Caravan and Motorhome Club and Alan Rogers Travel Group have announced the winners of their 2025 Overseas Campsite Awards. This list doubles as a touring wish-list for anyone heading to Europe this year. 

From château settings in France to full-facility resorts in Spain and peaceful rural bases in Ireland, the awards highlight sites that consistently deliver for caravanners, campervanners and motorhomers.

Revealed at the Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show at the NEC, the awards recognise excellence across a wide range of categories, including innovation, sustainability, accessibility, hospitality and family appeal. Sponsored by Irish Ferries, which operates multiple daily sailings to France and Ireland, the scheme reflects the continued popularity of overseas touring among UK travellers.

Overall winner: Les Castels, France

Top honours went to Les Castels, a collection of independently run French campsites located in some of the country’s most attractive settings, from château grounds to natural parks and open countryside. Pitches are typically generous, facilities are high-end, and the atmosphere is distinctly relaxed without feeling overly commercial.

These are the sort of sites where you arrive planning a short stay and quickly realise you could happily remain for much longer.

Notable winners across Europe

Spain featured strongly this year. Kikopark Playa and Kikopark Rural received the Progress & Innovation Award following extensive upgrades, including improved amenities, new accommodation options and expanded wellness facilities.

France dominated several categories, underlining its enduring popularity with UK tourers. Le Château du Gandspette, near Saint-Omer, won the Welcome Award — a result that will resonate with many cross-Channel travellers.

Environmental credentials were recognised at Vakantiepark Delftse Hout in the Netherlands, a lakeside site powered partly by solar energy and ideally positioned for visiting Delft, Rotterdam and The Hague.

Spain’s El Molino de Cabuérniga took the Small/Charming category. Set in a mountain valley beside the Saja River, it offers a slower, nature-focused experience that contrasts sharply with larger coastal resorts.

Dog owners are particularly well catered for at Le Château des Tilleuls in northern France, where pet facilities are thoughtfully integrated into the site rather than treated as an afterthought.

Families may gravitate towards Le Logis de Breuil near the Atlantic coast, where large play areas, pools and open space provide plenty to occupy younger visitors without the site feeling crowded or hectic.

Sites we’ve stayed at

Several names on this year’s list are places we’ve visited ourselves.

Le Château du Gandspette, close to Saint-Omer, is one we return to regularly as a family stopover. Its location makes it especially convenient for both the Eurotunnel terminal and the Calais ferry ports, allowing you to settle into a calmer setting soon after arriving in France, or to enjoy a relaxed final night before heading home. Set within wooded château grounds, it feels reassuringly quiet after the bustle of the crossing routes.

Le Cormoran in Normandy, highly commended for Most Attractive Site, sits near Utah Beach within the Cotentin Natural Park. We stayed there as a base for exploring the D-Day landing sites, and the location makes historical touring straightforward. The site itself is spacious, quiet and immaculately maintained, with easy access to Bayeux, Omaha Beach and other key landmarks.

In Ireland, Blarney Caravan and Camping Park – highly commended in the Short Break category – was part of a longer Republic of Ireland tour with our caravan. Located just outside Cork, it provides a peaceful base while remaining close to Blarney Castle and the wider southwest region, including routes linking to the Wild Atlantic Way.

Spain’s Alannia Costa Blanca (part of the Alannia Resorts group) received special recognition for its contribution to the Caravan and Motorhome Club’s winter sun programme. I spent a week there in February 2025 alongside long-stay visitors, and it’s easy to see the appeal. With heated pools, a spa, organised activities and extensive on-site facilities, it feels more like a holiday complex than a traditional campsite. It’s particularly attractive for extended winter breaks.

Short Break Options

Not every award winner is geared towards long stays. La Rivière Dorée, on the outskirts of Paris, won the Short Break category for combining a green, restful environment with straightforward public transport into the city. For travellers wanting to visit Paris without driving into it, that balance is particularly valuable.

Well-located stopover sites also remain essential for UK visitors crossing the Channel. Convenient, welcoming sites close to ports and terminals can make the difference between a stressful start and a relaxed introduction to continental touring.

Why These Awards Matter

Choosing campsites abroad often involves some uncertainty, especially when travelling to unfamiliar regions. Award schemes such as this provide a useful filter, highlighting sites with proven track records for quality, service and facilities.

They also reflect wider trends in European touring. Expectations around comfort continue to rise, environmental considerations are becoming more prominent, and long-stay winter travel is clearly growing in popularity. At the same time, smaller characterful sites continue to attract those seeking a quieter experience.

Planning your own trip

With frequent ferry departures and discounts available to Caravan and Motorhome Club members, reaching these destinations is relatively straightforward. Whether you are planning a summer holiday, a series of shorter trips or a winter escape, the Alan Rogers award winners offer a dependable starting point.

Taken together, the list reinforces just how varied European touring can be. From rural French estates to coastal Normandy sites, Irish countryside bases and large Spanish resorts, there is no single “typical” campsite experience, only options to suit different styles of travel.

And, as many touring families discover, visiting one standout site often leads to plans for the next before the journey home has even begun.