Greece & Peloponnese Road Trip

Journey, stages and pitch planning for 3,500 km with a campervan and toddlers

Preparation as a family with toddlers is essential

Setting off and deciding spontaneously sounds like absolute freedom and flexibility. But let's be honest: with toddlers, it's anything but easy. Sometimes they need to eat, sometimes someone needs to go to the toilet, or a diaper needs changing. And when the little ones are finally fast asleep, we have to stop to refuel or take a short break ourselves. All families with children know these small daily challenges very well.

That's why we try to plan long distances as far in advance as possible and specifically adapt to the rhythm and habits of our children. Wild camping with toddlers is also not always straightforward. For this reason, we not only look for beautiful wild camping spots beforehand, but always research nearby campsites as a reliable backup option for the worst-case scenario.

The journey starts early in the morning from home, taking advantage of the children's first hours of peaceful sleep for relaxed kilometers on the motorway. After about 4 to 5 hours of driving, the first major break is taken – ideally just as the children are slowly waking up. After a leisurely breakfast and some exercise, we continue on the Italian roads towards the Adriatic.

After another 3 to 4 hours of driving, we reach our campsite near Ancona around lunchtime. Instead of the hustle and bustle before the harbor, pure relaxation is on the agenda here: the afternoon and the entire following morning are spent leisurely on the beach. This allows everyone to relax and the children to let off steam before boarding the ferry in the late afternoon.

At 5:30 PM, the ferry departs from the port of Ancona. After an overnight stay on board and about 21 hours of crossing the Adriatic, we arrive at the port of Igoumenitsa in Greece around 3:30 PM (+1 hour time difference). Meals are enjoyed leisurely on the ship. Immediately after docking, we head from the port to the first Greek pitch for the night.

Journey into the historical heart of Greece. In Delphi, we head for a well-equipped pitch or campsite to visit the world-famous archaeological site and the Oracle of Delphi. We plan half a day to explore the ancient ruins, plus free time for the picturesque mountain landscape around Parnassus.

Drive to the Greek capital and check in at a central campsite. Here we meet our family members who are traveling to Athens by plane. During two shared overnight stays, we explore the world-famous Acropolis, the lively old town of Plaka, and other sights of Athens.

The family travels by rental car, while we travel with our camper. The route is planned so that our camping and pitch sites are always in close proximity to suitable Airbnb accommodations – the perfect combination of vanlife freedom and shared family time.

After the family has headed home, we continue our adventure as a foursome. We explore the historical and stunningly beautiful areas in the west of the Peloponnese peninsula – a perfect blend of culture and dream beaches.

The journey home will be in reverse order, to break up the long journey as comfortably as possible for everyone:

Discover more excursions, parking tips & travel reports: