Free camping in Germany

Germany allows sleeping in your vehicle to “restore driving fitness” — meaning: one night, where parking is permitted, without camping behaviour. The moment chairs, awning or barbecue come out, parking becomes camping, and outside camp sites and designated pitches that's generally not allowed.

In practice: a car park without a prohibition sign carries you for one night if you keep a low profile. Many municipalities have their own bylaws and sign accordingly — signs beat any rule of thumb. Nature reserves, shorelines and forests are off limits.

On private land the owner decides: with permission you can stay as long as you both like. That's exactly where our verified hosts come in — farms and wineries that explicitly welcome campers.

Stay realistic: fines for wild camping range from 30 to 500 euros depending on the state, considerably more in nature reserves. Follow the code — leave nothing, stay quiet, keep it short — and you'll rarely have trouble.