We have our own campervan and travel mostly out of season. Here is a calendar of when each region is worth it, 15 countries rated on how easy it is to sleep there by van, and seven routes. All with sources and the date we checked them.
Our 1 to 5 rating. Overnight rules and stops come from the rules and sources for each country, value from Eurostat 2025 price levels, roads from what it is like to drive a 7-metre van there.
Map: where you may sleep outside campsites
Tap a country to open its card with the rules.
Overnight toleratedDepends on the placeBanned outside campsites
Photo: Lukas Beck, CC BY 4.0
Norway We’ve been
Europe’s most stunning nature, and a country where you may sleep in the wild.
Sleeping outside campsites
Motorhome stops
Good value
Easy roads
When to go: June to August
Overnight toleratedOvernight rules and a tip
At rest areas and where parking is allowed you can usually also sleep, mostly for one night (follow the signs; some say 24 or 48 hours). Under the right to roam: at least 150 m from homes and at most two nights without the landowner’s consent.
No off-road driving. Municipalities may restrict motorhome parking, and big cities often ban it outside designated areas.
Tip: Tolls and ferries are charged by number plate. Register on Epass24 and you get an invoice at the right rate. Norway is expensive though: price levels are 38% above the EU average, so bring food from home.
Wild mountains and coast, but narrow roads and stricter rules than people think.
Sleeping outside campsites
Motorhome stops
Good value
Easy roads
When to go: May, June and September
Depends on the placeOvernight rules and a tip
Sleeping in a motorhome is not “wild camping” under the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, because it is a motor vehicle. You may rest overnight in a designated lay-by if everything stays inside the vehicle.
No awning, tables, chairs or outdoor cooking. Never park on verges or in passing places.
Tip: On single-track roads pull into the nearest passing place and let faster traffic by. Empty the chemical toilet only at proper disposal points, never in public toilets.
Europe’s densest network of Stellplätze and good roads almost everywhere.
Sleeping outside campsites
Motorhome stops
Good value
Easy roads
When to go: April to October, December for the markets
Depends on the placeOvernight rules and a tip
One night in a car park where parking is allowed is tolerated to “restore fitness to drive”. Repeated stays or camping (chairs, awning) are fined.
Wohnmobilstellplätze sit near towns, winemakers and farms, often for a few euros.
Tip: Motorhomes with fixed living equipment are usually exempt from the German truck toll even above 3.5 t. Take care if yours is registered as a truck or built on a truck chassis. Cities need a green emissions sticker.
Lakes and mountains close to home, but you sleep only at campsites and Stellplätze.
Sleeping outside campsites
Motorhome stops
Good value
Easy roads
When to go: June to September; December to March for skiing
Banned outside campsitesOvernight rules and a tip
State laws restrict or ban camping outside campsites, for example Tyrol’s camping law. Stay at campsites or designated Stellplätze.
Car parks at lifts and lakes are often day-only. At the Hintertux glacier, for example, parking is 6:30 to 17:30 and camping is fined.
Tip: Vignette 2026: 10 days €12.80, 2 months €32, a year €106.80. Above 3.5 t technically permissible mass you need a GO-Box instead. Motorhomes registered before 1 Dec 2023 with a registered weight up to 3.5 t are exempt until 31 Jan 2029.
Photo: *Photo: chil, on Camptocamp.org, CC BY-SA 3.0
Switzerland
Picture-perfect passes, but Europe’s most expensive country and rules by canton.
Sleeping outside campsites
Motorhome stops
Good value
Easy roads
When to go: June to September
Depends on the placeOvernight rules and a tip
Overnight parking is not banned nationwide; cantons and municipalities decide. Ticino bans sleeping at rest and parking areas, while Aargau allows one night.
Camping is banned in the national park and nature reserves.
Tip: The motorway vignette is CHF 40 a year; there is no shorter one. Motorhomes above 3.5 t pay the flat PSVA charge instead: CHF 3.25 a day, minimum CHF 25.
A small country of mountains, rivers and lakes, ideal for a shorter trip.
Sleeping outside campsites
Motorhome stops
Good value
Easy roads
When to go: May, June and September
Banned outside campsitesOvernight rules and a tip
Outside campsites and designated motorhome stops (PZA) you may sleep only in car parks where a sign allows it, or on private land with the owner’s consent.
Sleeping in a motorhome in car parks is banned throughout Triglav National Park, with a €100 fine. Park wardens check around Bovec.
Tip: Motorhomes up to 3.5 t use the 2A vignette whatever their height: a week €16, a month €32, a year €117.50. Van conversions not approved as motorhomes need the pricier 2B.
Mountains, lakes and sea, and a dense network of aree di sosta.
Sleeping outside campsites
Motorhome stops
Good value
Easy roads
When to go: May, June, September and October
Depends on the placeOvernight rules and a tip
A motorhome may park wherever a car may. Camping (levelling legs, awning, tables, draining water) is not allowed outside designated areas.
Blanket bans on motorhomes alone have been ruled unlawful by the ministry and courts. Restrictions for all vehicles still apply, such as ZTL zones, and draining water outside a dump point costs €87 to €344.
Tip: Do not drive into old towns: ZTL zones are camera-enforced and fines reach foreign plates too.
Turquoise sea and almost empty beaches out of season. One of our favourite trips.
Sleeping outside campsites
Motorhome stops
Good value
Easy roads
When to go: May, June, September and October
Depends on the placeOvernight rules and a tip
Italian rules apply: park where a car may, no camping outside designated areas.
Camping outside designated areas is banned in Sardinia and checked in season. Out of season it is quiet, but signs on site always apply.
Tip: The ferry from Livorno to Olbia takes about 7.5 to 9 hours, from Genoa around 11. Tirrenia and Moby let you stay in your own vehicle during the crossing.
Motorhome heaven: thousands of aires and nights at farms and vineyards.
Sleeping outside campsites
Motorhome stops
Good value
Easy roads
When to go: April to June, September and October
Depends on the placeOvernight rules and a tip
For parking, a motorhome is treated like other vehicles, and courts strike down blanket bans across a whole town. A mayor may still restrict motorhome parking with good reason, typically near beaches, lakes and tourist centres.
A dense network of aires de camping-car, often cheap or free.
Tip: On motorways you are class 2 up to 3.5 t and 2 to 3 m high. France Passion has about 2,200 farms, wineries and craftspeople where you stay free once you buy the guide.
Sun even in winter, good roads and a clear rule: parking is not camping.
Sleeping outside campsites
Motorhome stops
Good value
Easy roads
When to go: October to May in the south
Depends on the placeOvernight rules and a tip
Under the 2023 DGT instruction you may sleep in your motorhome where you may park, if only the wheels touch the ground, nothing sticks out and nothing leaks.
The instruction binds town councils but is not a law. Near beaches and in protected places, follow the signs.
Tip: In the south it is around 15 °C by day even in winter. Many towns have áreas de autocaravanas, often with water and a dump point.
The Atlantic, low prices and toll-free motorways on the Algarve, but a strict coastal ban.
Sleeping outside campsites
Motorhome stops
Good value
Easy roads
When to go: March to June, September to November
Banned outside campsitesOvernight rules and a tip
Since 2021, overnight stays (22:00 to 7:00) are banned in protected areas, Natura 2000 sites and coastal zones unless expressly allowed. Elsewhere at most 48 hours in one municipality.
Reported fines are €60 to €300, €120 to €600 in protected areas.
Tip: Motorhomes are toll class 2 (front-axle height 1.1 m or more). Since January 2025 the A22 on the Algarve, A4, A13, A23, A24, A25 and parts of the A28 are toll-free.
We have our own campervan and travel mostly out of season. Here are five countries that won us over, and what is worth knowing before you go.
Sardinia: turquoise water and beaches almost to ourselves
We went to Sardinia in October and it was one of our best trips ever. Instead of crowded beaches and car parks, long stretches of empty coast, warm days and water still fine for swimming. We stopped wherever we liked and found places for the night in the park4night app.
Go outside summer. For us, October is ideal.
Good to know: In October Cagliari is about 23 °C by day with the sea at 22 °C. Ferries from Livorno or Genoa to Olbia.
Norway: nature that looks like a film set
Mountains, fjords, waterfalls and roads you never want to leave. A campervan is the best way to see Norway: stop at a viewpoint whenever you want, and if it rains, just drive one valley on.
Don’t plan it by the hour. Our best stops were the ones we never planned.
Good to know: You can usually sleep at rest areas. Trollstigen is open roughly from mid-May to October.
Austria: lakes in summer, Hintertux in winter
Austria is close to home and never gets old. In summer we tour the mountain lakes, each one a little different. In winter we go skiing at Hintertux.
Austria works all year: lakes and mountains in summer, skiing in winter.
Good to know: We slept below the Hintertux lifts without any trouble, and it is our favourite tip. But the newest comments say the car park is officially day-only and camping can be fined. Keep a low profile, put nothing outside and be first on the slopes in the morning. If you want certainty, pick a winter campsite in the Zillertal.
Spain: an escape from winter
Out of season Spain is a different country: emptier beaches, less traffic and an easy pace. Morning coffee with a sea view, a walk along the coast and a sunset without crowds.
When winter at home gets you down, head for southern Spain.
Good to know: You may sleep where you may park, as long as nothing sticks out. In the south it is around 15 °C by day even in winter.
Slovenia: a small country with huge nature
Mountains, emerald rivers, waterfalls and lakes close together. Bled, Bohinj and the Soča valley are our favourites. In a few days you cross several completely different landscapes.
Perfect for a long weekend or a longer trip.
Good to know: You may sleep only at campsites, designated stops and car parks with a sign allowing it, never in Triglav park. The motorhome vignette is the cheaper 2A.
What the campervan taught us. The best moments come out of season. You don’t need every day planned to the minute or to see everything famous. Sometimes it is enough to find a beautiful spot, park, open the door and just be there. Fewer crowds, more nature.
The Europe by Campervan booklet
Everything on this page and much more in one booklet for your phone or to print. 46 pages, in English and Czech, plus a phone app that works without signal.
Five countries from our trips with practical tips
A season calendar for 17 regions
Ratings and overnight rules in 15 countries
Where to sleep: park4night, Campercontact, France Passion, ACSI and how to read reviews
Tolls, vignettes and emission zones
Winter in a van: winter tyres in 9 countries, gas, water and skiing
Seven campervan routes with places to stay
First time and rented: what to check in the contract
Olbia and the north → Gulf of Orosei → Ogliastra and the Orientale Sarda → Cagliari and the south → The west: Oristano and Costa Verde → Bosa and the coast to Alghero → Alghero and Capo Caccia
CampsiteElectricity, showers, water and a dump point. Out of season, discounted with CampingCard ACSI.
Stellplatz, aire, area di sosta, áreaA designated motorhome stop, cheaper than a campsite, often with water and a dump point. Camping is usually not allowed: no chairs or awning.
Farm or wineryIn France the France Passion network; similar networks exist elsewhere. Usually free; it is polite to buy something.
Free overnight parkingOnly where the country’s rules and the signs allow it. Park, don’t camp, and leave in the morning.
park4night
We used it to find places in Sardinia. Over 140,000 spots added by travellers, with photos and comments. The basics are free; park4night+ at €9.99 a year adds offline maps, satellite view, search along your route, detailed filters and a low-emission-zone layer.
A discount card for over 3,000 campsites in 21 countries. Out of season you pay a fixed €13 to €27 a night for two adults with a motorhome, electricity and showers included. The guide with card costs about €24.
Read the newest comments and check their dates. Rules change.
Example: at the Hintertux glacier car park, older comments said overnight stays were tolerated. Newer ones say it is day parking only, with fines for camping since December 2024.
A sign on site always beats the app.
If nobody is parked there, there is usually a reason. If ten vans with awnings are, the police usually come.
Weight decides, and often height too. Up to 3.5 t it is mostly simple; above 3.5 t several countries charge truck-style tolls.
Country
Up to 3.5 t
Above 3.5 t
Austria
Vignette 2026: a day €9.60, 10 days €12.80, 2 months €32, a year €106.80.
GO-Box by distance (technically permissible mass decides; older motorhomes are exempt until 31 Jan 2029).
Switzerland
Annual vignette CHF 40; there is no shorter one.
Flat PSVA charge CHF 3.25 a day, minimum CHF 25, also while parked.
Slovenia
Motorhomes are always 2A: a week €16, a month €32, a year €117.50.
DarsGo distance toll.
Germany
No vignette.
Motorhomes with fixed living equipment are usually exempt (not if registered as trucks).
France
Toll booths; class 2 up to 3.5 t and 2 to 3 m high.
Class 3.
Portugal
Class 2 (front-axle height 1.1 m or more). The A22 on the Algarve and other inland motorways have been toll-free since 2025.
By number of axles.
Norway
Tolls and ferries by number plate; register on Epass24.
Heavy category, charged by number plate.
Emission zones: France needs a Crit’Air sticker, Germany a green Umweltplakette, Spain has zones in big cities and Italy has ZTL zones in old towns. park4night+ shows a zone layer too. Don’t drive a motorhome into centres: leave it at the campsite and take public transport.
Skiing from the van is our favourite way to do winter: a few steps to the lift in the morning, warmth and your own bed at night. But it takes preparation: frost and snow test both the vehicle and the kit.
Winter tyres and chains by country
Austria
1 Nov to 15 Apr, in snow, slush or ice, winter tyres on all wheels (M+S, at least 4 mm). Chains on the drive wheels only on continuous snow or ice. Fines from about €100.
Germany
In winter conditions only tyres with the mountain-snowflake symbol (3PMSF); M+S alone is no longer enough. Fines from €60.
Italy
Provinces and signs decide. South Tyrol: compulsory on the A22 Brenner motorway and in Bolzano 15 Nov to 15 Apr, elsewhere in winter conditions. Aosta Valley from 15 Oct.
France
In mountain départements 1 Nov to 31 Mar, winter tyres with the snowflake symbol, or M+S plus chains or snow socks on board. Fine €135.
Slovenia
15 Nov to 15 Mar winter tyres are compulsory, or summer tyres with chains on board. Above 3.5 t also a shovel.
Switzerland
No legal obligation, but the vehicle must be safe for winter. Signs can require chains.
Croatia
15 Nov to 15 Apr on many motorways and main roads: winter tyres on the drive axle and a shovel on board.
Czechia
1 Nov to 31 Mar in winter conditions, winter tyres (at least 4 mm up to 3.5 t).
Norway
No general rule up to 3.5 t, but on summer tyres you need chains in winter. Above 3.5 t compulsory 15 Nov to 31 Mar; motorhomes 3.5 to 7.5 t need not carry chains.
Use propane in winter. Butane stops vaporising around 0 °C; propane works down to about −42 °C. Heating in the cold burns a lot of gas, so carry a spare bottle.
The boiler is protected by a safety valve (such as Truma FrostControl): if you stop heating and it drops to 3 °C, it drains the water. So keep heating even while you ski. Don’t leave an outside grey-water tank full.
Air the van every morning: breath and drying clothes condense inside. Clear snow off the roof before driving, or it slides onto the cars behind you.
Chains
Practise fitting chains at home in the dry. Not all fit big motorhomes, and on a frozen verge it takes ages.
Where to sleep
Easiest are winter campsites near the slopes with a ski room, drying room and 230 V hook-up. In Tyrol, for example Tirol Camp in Fieberbrunn right at the lift, Camping Sölden by the lifts, Eurocamp Wilder Kaiser in Kössen at the Unterberg lift, or sites in the Ötztal and at Lake Natters with a ski bus.
The Hintertux glacier has pistes open all year, so we go in autumn too. We slept below the lifts without any trouble. But the newest comments say the car park is officially day-only and camping can be fined, so keep a low profile, or use a winter campsite in the Zillertal.
You don’t need to own a campervan: you can rent one for a weekend or the whole summer. This is the list we would go through before signing.
What to check in the contract
How many kilometres are included and what each extra one costs. For a long trip, unlimited mileage pays off.
The insurance excess and the deposit. Ask whether the excess can be reduced and what the cover excludes (roof, underbody, glass).
Which countries you may visit and whether ferries are allowed.
Total weight: up to 3,500 kg a category B licence is enough.
What is included and what costs extra: kitchenware, bedding, camping furniture, bike rack, gas, cleaning, a dog.
How to return it: full tank, emptied toilet and grey water, clean interior. There are usually fees otherwise.
Cancellation terms and what happens if it breaks down (assistance, replacement vehicle).
At pick-up
Walk round the van with the rental staff and photograph every scratch, including the roof and underbody if you can.
Have them show you the heating, boiler, fridge on gas and 230 V, filling water, emptying the toilet and grey water, and changing the gas bottle.
Find the exact height and stick it on a note by the steering wheel: underpasses, car washes and multi-storey car parks.
Check vignettes, emission stickers and anything needed above 3.5 t.
The first day
Plan a short stage and a first night at a campsite where you can try everything calmly.
Reverse with someone outside. A campervan is longer and taller than it feels from the driver’s seat.
Drive slower: on motorways a campervan leans in crosswinds.
Trip cost calculator
It works out the vignettes and fees we know exactly and adds what you enter yourself (campsites, fuel, ferries and motorway tolls). It is an estimate, not a quote.
Before you go
Licence and weight
A category B licence lets you drive a motorhome up to 3,500 kg total weight. Heavier vehicles need C1 and pay truck-style tolls in several countries.
Parking is not camping
Almost everywhere: you may park where a car may, but once the awning, chairs or levelling legs come out, you are camping. Outside campsites and designated areas that is usually not allowed.
Water, waste and gas
Empty grey water and the chemical toilet only at service points (Ver- und Entsorgung, aire de service, área de servicio). LPG filling adapters differ across Europe; carry a set.
Out of season
Most space, lowest prices and ACSI discounts. But some campsites and service points close, and mountain passes shut.
Cities
Don’t drive a motorhome into centres: narrow streets, low bridges, emission zones and ZTL cameras. Leave it at a campsite or P+R.
Ferries
Book ahead with the exact length and height of your vehicle, which set the price. On some ships you can stay in your own vehicle.
FAQ
Where in Europe can you sleep in a campervan outside campsites?
Most freely in Norway and Sweden (rest areas), in Spain under the “parking is not camping” rule, and in France and Italy where you may park. In Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Corsica and on the Portuguese coast only at campsites and designated stops. Details and sources are with each country above.
How do you find a place for the night?
We use park4night: over 140,000 places with comments. Read the newest comments, rules change. In France France Passion is worth it, and out of season the ACSI card gives campsite discounts.
Where to go by campervan in autumn?
Sardinia, Corsica, Andalusia, the Algarve and the Peloponnese. In October Sardinia is about 23 °C by day with the sea at 22 °C, and the beaches are empty.
Can you make me a tailored campervan route?
Yes. Mention in your order that you travel by motorhome, with its length and weight: we plan the route, campsites and stops for every night around each country’s rules.
Your Way Away
Photo: Lukas Beck, CC BY 4.0
