Winning tip: Domaine d’Esperbasque, France

This campsite is about 45 minutes inland from the beaches and shopping of Biarritz and 45 minutes from the Pyrenees. It’s ideal for families with kids under 15, with daily organised activities in July and August. The main attraction is horse riding, but for us the best thing is that the kids can run off and do their own thing and we can relax. You can pitch your own tent, or rent an apartment in the old manor house or a safari tent.
• Pitch from €5 a night, plus €6 adult, €3 child, apartment from €300 a week, deluxe safari tent from €500 a week, esperbasque.co.uk
Johan Douma

Farmstay in Salzkammergut, Austria

We have stayed on quite a few farms in the Salzkammergut (Austria’s lake district) and two of the best for families were near Mondsee: Serner, right on the lake with boats to borrow, and Bachbauer, which has a swimming pond on site and mini golf next door. A glorious farmhouse breakfast is provided at both, and days can include helping to feed the animals, cycling through lush pastures and messing about in the water. There is a cable car to a nearby peak for higher-level hikes and panoramic lunches in mountain huts, or simply stay put on the farm for trampolines, slides, sandpits, swimming, campfires, tractor rides and barbecues.
• Apartment for four at Bauernhof Serner from €75 a night, Bachbauer from €99, urlaubambauernhof.at
marthah

Bella Italia, Lake Garda, Italy

This family-friendly campsite is on its own beach on Lake Garda at Peschiera del Garda. There are pools with slides, a play area and an animation team with family shows in the evening. There are restaurants, a pizzeria, a supermarket and a gelateria. Gardaland theme park and Canevaworld waterpark and movie studios are close by. We booked through Al Fresco and stayed in a Puccini mobile home. The reps were lovely and very helpful.
• Pitch from €14 a night, plus €6.60pp, camping-bellaitalia.it
yclark1604

Domaine de Cournet-Haut, France

This 17th-century lodge in the Dordogne has two traditional stone cottages and six modern chalets out in the woodlands. We spent two weeks in one of the stone cottages, with two bedrooms and a terrace by the pool. It’s a paradise for children: tennis courts, boules, trampoline, mountain bikes, table tennis, shared pool, archery and hammocks. The village of Saint Pompon, with its Saturday evening food market, is a short walk away.
• Chalet for four from €400 a week, cournethaut.com
WealdonWanderer

Dayz Søhøjlandet, Denmark

We had one of our best holidays at this complex in Silkeborg, 35 minutes by car from Aarhus airport. Accommodation was in two-, three- or four-bedroom houses, some with saunas. There were lots of outdoor and indoor activities at no additional cost – our kids never got bored once. We went at the end of August when the park was quiet and the weather beautiful. Highlights at the park included swimming in an empty pool every evening, dry ski slope skiing and 10-pin bowling (extra charge), walks in the woods and finding hidden tipis to play and picnic in. Legoland in nearby Billund was a big hit. The medieval festival in Horsens in August was great fun.
• House for four from €87 a night, sohojlandet.dayzresorts.com
NeetieNoots

Champ de la Chapelle, France

“The Woody campsite”, as it has always been known in our house, is a wonderful family-friendly campsite in central France not far from Vichy. It has a great play area, large wooded and open areas for playing and exploring, a large pool and a kids’ club. If you don’t fancy taking your own tent, there are pre-pitched tents as well as mobile homes.
• Pitch from €10, rental tent for four from€28, champdelachapelle.com
hannahloryman

Camping Le Pianacce, Tuscany

We stayed in a very private mobile home on this site near the coast with our three-year-old. The onsite restaurant with terrace did really nice takeaway pizzas and the outdoor pool was clean and warm enough for June. Facilities include a kids club, play areas and crazy golf. The medieval hamlet of Bolgheri is a lovely place to spend an afternoon, and there were lots of fantastic restaurants. .
• Mobile home for four from €386 a week, campinglepianacce.it
gemsk

Tropical Islands, near Berlin

Whenever we travel through Europe we stop at Tropical Islands resort near Berlin, but it’s great as a holiday destination in its own right. What used to be an airship hangar has been converted into a tropical paradise with exotic plants and birds, “sea”, “lagoon”, kids’ pool and huge slides. The accommodation includes rooms, lodges and even tents pitched on the “beach”. There are numerous restaurants, a play area with soft play, go-karts, bumper boats, and sauna, spa and fitness club for grownups. It’s beach weather inside even when it’s snowing outside.
• Family room from €350pn B&B (including pools/sauna entry), tropical-islands.de
snoddies