What is wild camping?
Travel restrictions and closed accommodation and restaurants are part of everyday life in Germany at the moment. But travelling is possible despite all this during the Covid-19 pandemic! You always have your own hotel room on four wheels with a campervan, allowing you to travel in a relaxed and flexible way. Let’s discover together a bit more about wildcamping in Germany.
Wild camping refers to people’s overnight stay in mobile accommodation away from tourist structures and is also known as freestanding. The campervan is placed somewhere in nature instead of on a campsite. This means that accustomed infrastructures in the form of sanitary facilities and unlimited electricity supply are dispensed with.
Advantages of wild camping:
- Peace and quiet in nature
- Solitude and not dependent on any services
- Independence of campsite opening hours
Disadvantages of wild camping:
- Freshwater has to be refilled regularly, and wastewater has to be disposed of.
- Electric supply batteries need to be recharged regularly.
- Lonely, beautiful places for wild camping are only available until many campers discover them.
Is wildcamping in Germany allowed?
Legal regulations:
Many legal regulations for wildcamping in Germany are laid down in the state forest laws and the Federal Forest Act. Wild camping is only allowed in designated areas on public land; otherwise, special permission must be obtained. Wild camping in national parks, nature reserves, nature and landscape conservation areas is generally prohibited. It should also be avoided on agricultural land. On private land, you need the owner’s permission.
Open fires are prohibited in forests and up to 100 m from the forest edge. This includes campfires, lanterns and torches. The camping cooker also falls under this!
Grey areas:
So-called grey areas can be found in the legal regulations. This means that transitions between different laws are fluid and must therefore always be interpreted.
In Germany, it is permitted to camp, i.e. to take a break. You can stop somewhere, so to speak, to eat or to make your campervan roadworthy again. To take advantage of this grey area, you should refrain from setting up camping chairs and a table, as your “taking a break” would lose credibility.
Here are some tips to take advantage of the grey area:
- Don’t stay in one place for several days!
- Start your “break” only in the evening and leave early!
- Be considerate of the environment and don’t leave any rubbish behind!
Where can I find pitches?
Online maps
To find a place to wild camp with your campervan, some online map services on the internet can help. With Google Maps, you can use the satellite view to find beaches, meadows and forests. With Google Street View, you can zoom right into the surroundings and get a concrete picture of a place.
App park4night
The app park4night is another aid to finding a pitch to do wildcamping in Germany. It is constantly evolving due to the growing campers’ scene and offers you reliable help. You can find pitches of all kinds in the app – public car parks, places with showers and secluded, lonely spots. You can filter the pitches by different categories to find your desired pitch more quickly. The ratings of other campers help you to assess the quality of a pitch. You can also contribute to park4night and add newly discovered, beautiful wild camping sites and give them your rating.
Social media
On Facebook, there are now several groups on the topic of “Where can I find a pitch for my campervan in Corona times?”. Examples of these are: “Open pitches and parking spaces during Corona times” and “Camping despite Corona”. There you can exchange information with others, ask for advice or look for suggestions.
Where to go in Germany?
The South and Munich
The German Alpine Road is no longer an insider tip. In one to two weeks, you can enjoy a lot of nature and culture on this 500-kilometre route. It leads through the Allgäu and Bavarian Alps, past numerous castles, monasteries and palaces from Lindau to Berchtesgarden. On the route, you have the opportunity to visit the Zugspitze, Germany’s highest mountain. Another highlight near Füssen is the impressive Neuschwanstein Castle.
The Bavarian capital is also worth a visit. In Munich, you can get to know the traditions and typical cuisine of Bavaria. When exploring the city, your way will take you via Marienplatz with the New Town Hall to the Cathedral of Our Lady, also known as the Church of Our Lady. There’s no shortage of nature in the city either! In the English Garden, you can enjoy a wide view over Munich from the Monopteros and watch people surfing on the Isar.
Palatinate Forest and surroundings
The Pfälzerwald Nature Park is the largest contiguous forest area in Germany. Good weather and a warm climate are guaranteed here! You can immerse yourself in a landscape ranging from chestnut trees to lemon trees and vineyards. In the middle of it all, you will find castles and ruins as well as rock towers where climbing is possible. Well-known excursion destinations in this area include Trifels Castle and Hambach Castle.
Near the Pfälzerwald Nature Park is the beautiful city of Heidelberg. Via the Philosophenweg (Philosophers’ Path), you can reach the Heiligenberg, from where you have a fantastic view of the historic old town and the Neckar valley. Opposite is the famous ruin of Heidelberg Castle from the Romantic period.
Holidays by the sea
You can marvel at UNESCO World Heritage Sites on a 12,000-kilometre route from Bremen to Berlin. There is something for everyone, from city dwellers to history buffs to nature lovers! Stralsund and Wismar offer pretty old towns. Medieval Viking towns can be found in the Haithabu and Danewerk archaeological border complex. Natural phenomena worth seeing include the Wadden Sea of the North Sea and ancient beech forests in the Jasmund National Park.
Beautiful Saxony
Dresden and the surrounding area have a lot to offer in Saxony! Dresden has a historic old town and a new town that is well worth seeing. A few kilometres further, you’re out of the city and standing in one of the vineyards in Radebeul or amidst rocks in Saxon, Switzerland. It is a place for many hiking and climbing enthusiasts!