Southern Germany Road Trip with Caravan

Yeah, why not write a blog post about our Southern Germany road trip in August 2021 with our brand new Adria Aviva 360DD caravan that we bought from there.

I am getting super excited for an idea of an upcoming road trip (yes still just an idea, planning will commence soon) starting from North Macedonia and going up to the Northern part of Norway main land & back.

Excitement is here with big plans of properly documenting the whole adventure. But since the caravanning adventure already begun for us with the South Germany road trip, my thought was that I should share that experience first.

In this diary entry (yes, I plan to run this blog like a diary) you will find our South Germany road trip map (campsites, attractions, landmarks, trails & more), the campsites where we stayed presented trough video and some products that we bought for our caravan.

Keep in mind that if you decide to purchase some of the recommended products, we might earn a commission from Amazon.

The Southern Germany road trip begins

Since Mark was and still is a toddler (at the time of the trip he was 1.5yo), decision was made that he and Edit (Mama Tapshanov) will fly to Frankfurt Main and I will drive the long road to Koblenz (the city from where we bought the Adria) and pick them up from the airport (its on the way to Koblenz).

Everything went smoothly, as much as it can when you drive with two bicycles on the top of the car in August when the Balkan borders are packed or in Edit’s case, if you travel alone with a toddler (in his prime), first time on a plane.

We will remember the negatives, but they are nothing compared to positives of the trip.

The purchase went perfect, because the guys from Camper-Zeit Rhein-Mosel were super professional.

This is a video while they explained the caravan. It is very useful if you are first time caravaner like us or you are simply not yet convinced that Adria Aviva is a great trailer.

First time Caravaners

Wow, I was so much under pressure about the towing that I felt like first day at school.

I started driving super slow, I didn’t know what to expect. How to turn or how to overtake and other basic driving manoeuvres. The biggest fear was because I watched so many “how to tow videos” that made me feel very insecure. The truth is, it went smoothly.

Well, the driving is easy, but parking the caravan for the first time, especially reversing to park is really difficult and requires years of practice, or you can buy yourself a mover.

We didn’t pick the first campsite, because the Adria dealer booked for us the first night in a place that he is affiliated with (on the house) and we decided to add extra days before we head south, to get familiar with our new small home on wheels.

Campingplatz Gülser Moselbogen – Koblenz

It was a good idea that we stayed longer in this campsite, that is close to bigger city, because I went many times to a camping store and sport gear shop.

We purchased all the basics from there, camping chairs, table, awning, rearview mirrors, gas etc.

Here is a list of my camping shopping wish list for our upcoming adventure. – The List

After we settled in and got relaxed in our new lifestyle, the exploring begun...

Here are some photos from Koblenz, the camp and the surroundings, but to get the full experience of the trip, check out our Instagram Story Highlight.

We spent few days here and our road continued South, towards the amazing town of Heidelberg.

Camping near Heidelberg – the 1st easy pitch

OMG, the town and the campsite are so beautiful. Maybe because I am person that loves cloudy weather, my enjoyment was on a high level.

So lucky that we had our bikes. We were 10km from the city and the cycling from the campsite was a good exercise.

The city can be explored by a bike, but going up towards the must see castle is super difficult if you have your kiddo sleeping in the back. So, we parked the “horses” and went by foot to see the amazing structure over this amazing city.

Here are few pictures from Heidelberg, more can be found on my Instagram

After leaving this amazing historical area, we started driving down towards the place for which were most hyped. The Black Forest!

Hiking and Camping in Schwarzwald – North

Exploring this place is like being part of a fairytale! We literary filmed the whole drive from A to B, Baden – Baden to our campsite just before Freudenstadt, because it is breathtaking.

The campsite were we stayed is honestly the best that we have ever seen. Big money have been invested, the area is amazing. Don’t take upon these words, check out the video.

The are many hikes in the Northern part of the Black Forest. Hikes around lakes, hikes from the campsites (were we stayed and others that can be found on the map), also multi day hikes with trails that pass trough “wild” camping grounds for tent-ers.

Below are the videos from the hikes that we took and managed to finish with a toddler 😊

Southern Germany road trip with a detour to Colmar, France

We would’ve skipped this area if it wasn’t for Colmar – France and the cartoon Beauty and the Beast. You definitely should include or Colmar or Strasbourg to your Southern Germany road trip.

The South of Schwarzwald is very different from the North (the locations we traveled). More fields, lots of cows, great biking routs and lovely villages.

The camp were we stayed is OK, although, very challenging for beginners in caravanning like me. Here is the video.

After finishing our Black Forest adventure, we headed towards the German Alps and Berchtesgaden, the photographer’s paradise.

Camping beneath the German Allgäu Alps in Pfronten

Driving the scenic German Alpine Road (Deutsche Alpenstraße), we reached the amazing, family run, Pfronten Campingplatz.

Sleeping beneath the amazing alps and being super close to a cable car that will take up to some great hiking trails is a bliss.

The most cool thing is that you are actually at the border with Austria and the picturesque Tirol region, where you can have great time exploring beautiful lakes.

The area offers so many things that a week might not be enough. We explored and loved many of the natural wonders that were around the camp. A great experience was the swim I had in an Alpine lake with Mark. This was the first time he was OK with getting out of the water.

Also, I must mention the hike to Neuschwanstein Castle, short but sweet. The castle is mind blowing, as well as the view from there.

After Pfronten, the road took us to Berchtesgaden, the place that every photographer dreams of.

We had to skip Garmisch-Partenkirchen, because our temporary license plate was expiring in two weeks, so we had to be back in Macedonia few days before that and start the import process.

Cruising, Hiking & Camping in Berchtesgaden

Every outdoorsy person must visit this national park at least once in their life time. The panoramic roads, the breathtaking views, crystal clear lakes are just a pice of the Berchtesgaden cake.

The roads are so amazing that I could’ve drive all day long and film with the GoPro. We were in luck with the weather when traveling here, so we saw it all in the perfect light.

I would like to come back here when Mark is bigger and do some proper landscape and wildlife photography, here and the Black forest as well.

Worth to mention is the campsite we stayed in. Amazing location with great views and walking/cycling distance to Königssee. Amazing, but also most expensive. Totally worth it!

Our Southern Germany road trip ended with a short day trip to Salzburg, Austria and two more stays in campsites in Slovenia and near Belgrade in Serbia.

I must say that these two camps were very different, from what where we stayed in Germany. I don’t mean this in positive way. See it for your self.

Our Southern Germany road trip has come to an end

Huh, finally done with this blog entry. Well its normal to be difficult writing about a month long adventure. For the next trip I will be prepared and will start vloging and blogging on time.