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Campervan/Motorhome Campsites in Germany?

We are hoping to rent a small campervan/motorhome this July/August for a 3-week portion of our monthlong trip to Germany. We fulltime live/travel in an Airstream in the US, and we know camping is different in Germany, but would like to explore the country that way as it would be on our schedule and we can stop when/where we want, not be stuck to hotels or train routes. We are planning on starting at a friend's house near Bremen, traveling down the western side of Germany, looping south over to Bavaria, north to Munich, and ending near Nuremberg/Grafenwohr (where another friend is stationed at the military base).

Questions:

1) How easy is it to find campsites, both paid and free? Are there designated campgrounds with water/electric/sewer? Are there campsites or spots in the woods with no amenities? Are there spots by the side of the road we can just sleep overnight?
2) Do we need reservations in advance, since that is peak tourist season? If so, how far in advance do we need to make them? OR, do you think we could just wing it and just find a place each night or to stay for a few nights? We'd prefer not to make too many advance plans so we can travel the country at our leisure and spend as much or little time someplace depending on what we find.

Here are some tentative main areas we'd like to stop, but totally open to suggestions based on where we'd be able to camp/sleep:

  • Cologne
  • Romantic Road?
  • Stuttgart
  • Rhine river cruise 1-2 day (St. Goar??)
  • Black Forest National Park
  • Freiburg im Breisgau
  • Baden-Baden
  • Titesee
  • Neuschwanstein/Hohenschwangau
  • Garmisch-Partinkirchen (Zugspitze)
  • Munich

Thanks!!

Posted by
21346 posts

I've seen a ton of them in the Mosel Valley.
I am sure there are plenty of resources to find locations in Germany. It is a popular touring method for Germans.

Posted by
536 posts

I rented a camper van out of Munich and stayed at Legoland (just for the campground) near Gunzburg. Then we stayed in Stuttgart at this place, which we found a bit rough, but it was walking distance to the Mercedes-Benz museum, which was our only reason for going to Stuttgart. They did have fresh baked goods available for pre-order. https://www.campingplatz-stuttgart.de

After Stuttgart, we headed for Switzerland and Austria, where we found very nice campgrounds outside Lucerne, Salzburg and Innsbruck. These were high on amenities: electric hook-ups, on-site laundry and restaurant, swimming pool, as well as easy connections into the city center. I don't remember how we found them other than Google.

I agree that there are loads of campgrounds along the Mosel River. This is a fantastic area for cycling if that's your bag. It's a beautiful area.

Posted by
2491 posts

Just google your destination(s) plus “Wohnmobilstellplatz” (these are usually run by the local authorities, hence the lexical monstrosity).

Posted by
2632 posts

I’d make reservations. ?there are plenty of campsites. I know there is one in Koblenz where the Rhine and Misel meet, one by Bacharach on the Rhine and one by Rothenburg

Posted by
3285 posts

July/August are vacation times in Europe - means you will "compete" with a few million other camping travelers from all countries.

Germany has around 3,000 camping sites. Although not all are listed there you can find most of them on this map. As mentioned above with a local search for motorhome places (Wohnmobile).

btw: wild camping (just parking and overnight at side of the street or somewhere in a town) is not permitted in Germany.

Ensure that you will have appropriate driving permission for Germany and vehicle class. Start with checking the validity of your foreign driving licence in / for Germany. You might need an IDP. Be aware that for motorhomes depending on weight different driving license classes are needed. Read article of German ADAC (comparable to AAA in the US).

Read also legal tips on motorhome rental by ADAC.

Best translaton from / to German is provided by DeepL.

Posted by
1658 posts

There are a number of campgrounds along the Mosel between Koblenz and Trier. The ones I drove past this last weekend were empty. But come April they fill up. It's very popular to move to a space like this and then bike, or drive, around the vineyards all summer. I've not "camped" anywhere in Germany, but I would expect you'll need reservations.

Posted by
2 posts

Thanks to those who have replied so far. We realize July/Aug is prime holiday time so it looks like we'll try to make reservations. Wouldn't have been our first choice of timing, but unfortunately due to our German friend's kids schedule that was the only time we could visit with them. Appreciate the insight on locations, restrictions and other tips.

I'll take any and all advice and suggestions. Favorite places, restaurants, secret hikes, off-the-beaten path places.... :-) I was in Germany once 20+ years ago, and my group only focused on Munich and Berlin that trip.