Switzerland by campervan: sleeping and camping
Where you may legally sleep in a campervan in Switzerland: parking, camping, campsites, stopovers and possible fines. What to know before you go.
Published 18 September 2026Last checked 18 September 2026
Currency
Swiss franc
CHF, not the euro. 0.9462 francs to €1 on 18 September 2026
Languages
German, French, Italian
Romansh is the fourth national language
Driving
Right
Motorway 120 km/h, expressway 100, other roads 80
Power
230V, type J
A Schuko plug usually will not fit. Bring an adapter
Motorway
CHF 40 vignette
One sticker, the whole network, up to 3.5 t
Emergency
112
Police 117, ambulance 144, air rescue 1414
Sleeping
Sleeping
Switzerland has no single rule on this, and anyone who gives you one is guessing. No federal statute bans sleeping inside a parked vehicle, and none permits it either. What governs is parking law, then 26 cantons, then roughly two thousand communes, and it is the commune that puts up the sign. In practice one night in a legal parking space is widely tolerated. Alpine cantons and protected areas are stricter.
Parked for the night
- Sleeping, cooking and eating inside a legally parked vehicle
- Wheels down, engine off, nothing under the van
- Roof vent open, blinds up
- Arriving late and leaving early, in one piece
- One night, where no sign forbids it
Camping, and a different question entirely
- Chairs, a table or a mat outside the vehicle
- Awning rolled out, stabiliser legs down
- A second night in the same spot outside a campsite
- Grey water or washing-up emptied on the ground
- Anywhere inside a federal hunting ban district or a cantonal protected zone
What the cantons say, where a cantonal instrument could be found
| Canton | What the instrument says | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Obwalden | Pitching a tent, caravan or motorhome to camp outside an authorised campsite is not permitted. But a single overnight stay needs no permit if no public or private interests are harmed, and it is at your own risk. Breaching the act is punishable by a fine. | The cantonal Camping Act, in force since 1 March 2015 |
| Uri | Making camp, tenting or camping in a protected zone carries a fixed penalty of 150 francs. | The cantonal Fixed Penalties Regulation |
| Valais | Putting up caravans, tents and the like outside an authorised campsite needs a building permit once it lasts more than three weeks or involves more than twelve units. | The cantonal Ordonnance sur les constructions, the building ordinance, in force since 1 January 2026 |
| Lucerne | Caravans, motorhomes and tents may only be set up on land suited to it, and the use needs a building permit beyond 30 days. | The cantonal Planungs- und Baugesetz, the planning and building act |
| Bern | Free and wild camping and bivouacking are banned in the wildlife protection areas listed in the ordinance's annex. | The cantonal Wildtierschutzverordnung, the wildlife protection ordinance |
Who decides, in order
- The Confederation sets parking law and protects specific areas. It says nothing about sleeping in a vehicle.
- The canton legislates on camping, land use and protected areas. Most cantons have no general rule on one night in a car park at all.
Where to sleep
- Campsites are the default here and the network is dense. ACSI's 2026 survey ranked Switzerland the second most expensive camping country in Europe, behind Croatia.
- Motorhome stops attached to sports centres, lidos and valley stations, usually with water, waste and a machine that takes cards.
Graubünden, the canton most people picture when they picture Switzerland, has no general cantonal rule on this, and nor could one be found for Ticino, Vaud, Geneva or Zurich. That is not permission. It means the restriction sits in communal ordinances that are not published anywhere central, so the sign and the local tourist office are the only sources that exist. These are the positions published sources state, and they change.