Nancy to Calais: 4hrs 30mins
We weren’t planning on staying in Calais but didn’t realise Steven needed his ringworm to be no less than 24 hours, so we were denied our 5am shuttle back and had to quickly find somewhere to park and sleep at 1am in the morning; not so fun with a very tired 3-year-old and overheating dog.
Where to stay: Calais felt a little intimidating and we were worried about people wanting to hide in our van, so I searched the reviews while Leon drove and found the best free spot using the Park4night App. It was 5 minutes from the beach, had free toilets and even an outdoor shower, click here to find it. We then spent the following day at the beach and eating from the nearby bakery, until our new Le Shuttle time of 5pm.
Extra Bits:
Transport is amazing and incredibly reliable in Switzerland, I really recommend using it to experience it for yourself but look for discounts such as the Bern App.
Download Park4Night if you’re looking to wild camp, we didn’t find it as easy as we thought but in total honesty, I think that is more to do with us being a family. If it was only us as a couple we would be happy to try anywhere and risk being moved on but it’s just not as fun with a tired toddler.
Switzerland is expensive, it’s relative to the people living there but can be quite a shock if you’re not expecting it. Use local food shops such as Migros to keep costs down.
Dogs are allowed almost everywhere, shops. restaurants, transport and parks. We have never found a place so accommodating, with water, dog bins and even free poo bags. You’ll definitely want to take your dog if you have one, just be mindful that they are not allowed near outdoor pools.
Pack or buy a dry bag, you’ll spend lots of time by the water and everyone has one!
Practice your Swiss or have Google Translate ready, most menus and information was only in Swiss (which we liked as it encouraged us to learn) however if you struggle the Swiss are very friendly and always try to help.
Dogs and Altitude Sickness: perhaps we’re total idiots but on the evening of our return from Mt Pilatus our dog Steven became unwell, he was struggling to breathe and panting heavily which we Googled and found out was altitude sickness. We think it was because we went up and came down very fast, so if you are taking your dog make sure to take this into consideration.
If you stay at a campsite or use an Airbnb or hotel you will get a code for the Bern App which makes all transport within Bern free, it’s super useful and will save a lot of money.