Camping Walsheim

Mix up a bit of history with your local wanderings by heading out to Zweibrucken Castle (20 minutes’ drive) or heading even further back into the past at Gondwana prehistory park (40 minutes), where stunning animations and audiovisuals bring giant dinosaurs direct to 21st-century life. There are pretty buildings aplenty to spot with an amble around the Old Town, castle and baroque town hall in Blieskastel (20 minutes) or on a similar stroll around Ottweiler (45 minutes), for glimpses into days of yore at the School Museum and Bakery Museum, or rides on a 1950s train. Splendid Saarbrücken (40 minutes) is a rich source of baroque buildings too; it’s also got a fine zoo and a castle where you can delve down into a network of underground tunnels and chambers that have been excavated over recent years. Done enough wandering? Settle in for a soak in the warm waters of the Saarland thermal spa (25 minutes).