Free camping in Austria

Austria regulates camping at state level — nine states, nine rulebooks. Tyrol bans camping outside camp sites almost entirely, vehicles included. Carinthia and Vienna are similarly strict; in Salzburg and Styria the municipality decides.

The key distinction is camping versus parking: sleeping inside your vehicle without using the space around it is tolerated in many places — but it's nowhere a guaranteed right. Above the tree line and in forests the answer is simply no.

Fines range from 70 to over 1,000 euros (Tyrol). The safe options are designated pitches and host farms — Austria has pleasingly many, especially along the alpine routes.