Hi, does anyone know what the situation is regarding parking up in our camper van...not on a site, just anywhere. It's not huge...but bigger than a classic surfy VW. We're discreet and responsible re rubbish etc but would like to know if we would be breaking the law if we stopped over night by a stunning view etc. We are traveling on a budget(!) which I understand might be tricky in Switzerland, hence the desire not to use a site every night if possible and are heading from UK, across France to Gruyere. Does anyone have any experiences that would help us?
The answer is: It depends on the canton and sometimes on the municipality ( legal background in German). Most cantons tolerate a one-night sleep-over on public parking ground if it isn't in breach with the site's general parking rules. You can get a very detailed overview here .
However this might be a little cumbersome depending on the region you have in mind. In rural areas there are ban on drivings and parking space might be rare. In the cities many parking spaces have low time limits.
All in all I'm not sure if a campervan is the best choice for budget travel in Switzerland but I've never tried it myself.
Bumping this ancient thread for some (up-to-date) advice from the EF boffins
I rather like the idea of hiring a camper van and hitting the road for a few days (with my trusty sidekick of course). I've never done it so I'm currently in research mode.
Google tells me that generally, simply parking up somewhere in Switzerland for the night is not acceptable, unless you are above the tree line. Some conflicting info says that the rules are canton-specific (which would be aligned with everything else that I've learned about Switzerland so far).
I'd love to hear from anyone who has done this - recommendations, advice, guidance, challenges you faced or beautiful spots you'd like to share.
This is just anecdotal, but I heard that one can stop at smaller farms, and ask whether, in exchange for helping them with a task for a couple of hours, one may park one's van overnight. I was told that works well, not always, but at least some of the time.
I wanted to provide some feedback on this, after my latest adventure.
Last week, I hired a VW California through MyCamper, and took a road trip with my other half + our labrador pal. We travelled from Basel to Kandersteg, onward to Sion, then Monteux, and back to Basel.
The MyCamper experience was great, and very straightforward (for a hassle-free rental - no idea what it would be like if we'd had to claim insurance). The van was almost new so it had all the bells and whistles, and was very comfortable. We chose to stay at camp sites for the facilities, rather than just wild parking, although the recommendation from Hausamsee for the Park4Night app was very much appreciated, lots of reviews on there to help us decide where to go & stay
Communication with the van owner was easy through the MyCamper site too, and the cost of our holiday was substantially less than what a traditional holiday would've been.
Highly recommended for anyone wanting to try out the van life
At 7am on access to Creux-du-Van near us- the police was waking up campers in vans parked by the side and asking them to leave. Same would happen at any very touristy spot, with or without fines.
In other areas near us, not so touristy, there are many places where you could park up discreetly for the night, and no-one would bat an eye lid, as long as you don't make loud noises, light fires or leave litter. The Church car park in front of us regularly has overnight stoppers- never been an issue.
You could stop at our place on the way, depending on dates, as we are on the way to Gruyères.
At which time (or after how long) does just parking legally at the side of the road become "camping"? Perhaps these hypothetical van drivers have just parked their van there while they go for a walk somewhere ... or they need a rest after driving for a few hours, in order to avoid driver fatigue ...
I mean, the police would think you were pretty annoying if you called them as soon as somebody legally parked their van on your street, or even if it had been legally parked there for a few hours, and it was empty when they came to check.
There are some strange rules here, friends who have camper vans tell me that (cantonal dependent) when wild parking you are not allowed to open or raise the roof vent.
I do not know how the police differentiate between a camper van that is legally parked on a street with parking paid while you stay overnight with a friend versus a camper van that is legally parked on the same street with parking paid and are asleep in the van.
There was guy who used to park his van near us - a suburban residential area. Legally parked with a Gemeinde parking permit. But some neighbours complained that he was staying overnight in it - i.e. you'd see him coming out of it in his vest in the morning.
The police had a word and he found a more appropriate place to park.
Top tip. If you have a van that's just a bit too large - paint it pink. Then it'll be a little camper.
It is hard to tell where the line is. I don't mind if someone stayed overnight while not breaking parking rules.
On the other hand few summers ago some fellas came (you know, the ones which like traveling a lot) in something like 10 caravans and parked in a non-paid parking space which is designated for max 48h. They started up generator, washing machine etc. Stayed there for a week. Well, that is too much I would say
Rather than attempt to ban the practice outright the authorities should facilitate it. There are many car parks that are empty from sunset till dawn, often at touristy spots.
Give them a flat rate, say CHF10 on the condition they leave by 07h30. If they overstay CHF 100 supplement per hour.
Local authorities here in NE did facilitate overnight parking by giving people with land, farmers or others- to let people camp up in their field as long as they informed the Commune/Gemeinde, due to Covid. Not sure if that is still the case now.
Ahah, Belgianmum, didn't notice the date. Info about CH can always be useful to someone else however
We travelled round French speaking switzerland last summer in our VW. I would say it was mixed - some places had put out extra facilities in response to covid related pressures but in general it wasn't as easy as the UK or France to find somewhere that felt ok. DM if you want to ask anything specific