On a long trip, simply pulling over and spending the night in your own car instead of taking a hotel room – is that allowed or forbidden?? To find out what the legal situation is in germany and some neighboring european countries, click here.
am i allowed to sleep in the car? It depends on where it is
In principle, it is permitted to spend the night in a car in germany. If you’re too tired and your destination is still too far away, you can stop along the way and sleep in the car for a few hours until you feel fit to continue your journey. The road traffic regulations (stvo) do not forbid it. You even act responsibly when you take a break before it comes to the dangerous second sleep at the wheel.
However, it depends on where you park your car, before you go to rest in it. The basic rules:
- Do not ride on strangers without permission private property stay overnight.
- Not in no-parking zones or without a parking ticket on a paid parking stay overnight. Otherwise you could wake up the next day with a parking ticket on your windshield.
- Caution with agricultural landIf you leave tire tracks in the field or destroy plants, you may get into trouble with the farmer.
You have alcohol drunk? Do not sleep in the driver’s seat with the key in the ignition. this could be considered as attempted drunk driving if the police detect you.
If you want to spend the night on the highway, you should look for a parking space at the rest area or car park that is expressly signposted for cars. because truck parking spaces are needed by professional drivers who have to keep their legal rest times.
Vacation in the car: caution is advised here
In corona times it is always uncertain if and when hotels and guesthouses will be open in the resorts. If you still want to travel through germany, you can just sleep in your own car – or?
It’s not quite that simple: to park several nights in a row at the same place and sleep there in the car, is not forbidden according to the stvo. But it could be that residents feel disturbed by it and inform the police.
in addition, during longer stays you will have to eat, leave garbage and go to the toilet. If your car is not parked at a campsite, but in the middle of a village or at the edge of a field, it is hardly possible without attracting unpleasant attention. Therefore it could be that you as a permanent car camper soon get a visit from the police or the public order department.
It is absolutely taboo to leave garbage in the surrounding area or to use the nearest bush as a toilet. You may be fined for this. The authorities can also forbid you to stay overnight at this place.
The situation is different, if you travel every day and park in one place for one night only. If you behave considerately towards the residents, don’t leave any garbage behind and park your car only where it is allowed, there is hardly anything to be said against it from a legal point of view. The lack of comfort compared to a camping site, where at least garbage cans and toilets are available, is of course another matter.
When traveling abroad: where you are allowed to stay overnight in your car and where not
You are planning a tour through europe and you want to stay overnight at a reasonable price? If possible in your own car? even if the corona restrictions don’t stop you at the border, the only in the fewest countries of europe relaxed and problem-free possible, as long as you do not go to a camping site. Here is an overview:
Staying overnight in your car is relatively unproblematic in the following areas norway and swedenif you spend the night in your own car in a public place, you do not have to expect any consequences because of the so-called "everyone’s right" – provided that you do not disturb anyone.
In denmark on the other hand, it is expressly forbidden to spend the night in a car outside campsites. The same applies netherlands.
Also for example in italy, france, austria and the switzerland you should be careful and rather not plan a tour with overnight stays in the car outside of camping sites. In these countries, this is usually only tolerated as an exception and in emergency situations – for example, if you were too tired to continue driving and didn’t want to risk an accident.
Depending on the region, different regulations may also apply in various countries and permits may be required, about which you should inform yourself specifically before the journey.