Camping Garden Paradiso

No doubt Venice (45 minutes by bus and ferry) beckons; top spots there include the flamboyant St Mark’s Square, where you can tour the dome-topped basilica, scale the spindly Torre dell’Orologio and sip a (usually rather expensive) coffee in an alfresco café. Perhaps take a gondola ride up the Canal Grande, passing a gorgeous mishmash of waterside palaces, or spy works by Leonardo da Vinci and Canaletto in the Gallerie dell’Accademia. Other historic towns within striking distance include Treviso (55 minutes), home to the 14th-century Santa Caterina church plus art galleries showing ancient and modern art, and Padua (an hour and 15 minutes) for the famous frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel as much as its hip nightlife. If you’re a dedicated night owl, try heading for the clubs and bars of Jesolo (15 minutes) to sample one of the best nightlife spots along the Adriatic coast. If kids are part of your holiday plans, aim to spend time on the water rides at Caribbean-themed Caribe Bay (10 minutes), where Europe’s highest bungee-jumping tower may tempt hardened teenage daredevils.