It is increasingly common to see signs prohibiting overnight stays for motorhomes and campers in more places, especially during the high season. With this article, what we want is to shed a little light on where to sleep with a camper van or motorhome because yes, although it may seem like a lie, there are still places where we are welcome.
Regulations for overnight stays with a motorhome and camper
Since 2015, all regulations regarding the parking of motorhomes and campers have been left in the hands of the municipal ordinance. That is, each municipality can establish its own rules regarding parking and overnight stays in its territory.
Now, don't panic! Normally all municipalities do everything possible to make sure we see if we are welcome or not. In those places where they do want us, we will quickly find informative signs about the areas authorized for overnight stays as well as other additional services such as places where we can fill and empty water.
On the other hand, it must be taken into account that in natural parks, protected areas and along the entire Spanish coast, the regulations prohibit in any case the overnight stay and parking outside the areas specifically authorized for this purpose.
Useful applications to find places to spend the night with a motorhome and camper
Something we recommend that you always do is look for places to sleep through one of the many applications that exist. nowadays dedicated to it, such as the famous application Park4night, which we always use a lot and it is great for us to find the best places.
There are other applications on the market that also serve to find recommended places to sleep such as:
- Caramaps
- Ioverland
- Furgoperfectos
Things that cannot be done when you park a camper vehicle
Below we leave you a reminder with some of the things you CANNOT do when you park your camper vehicle since it would be considered camping, which is prohibited throughout Spanish territory except in areas specifically enabled for it:
- Exceed the perimeter of the vehicle. That is, extend awnings, trailers, tents, swing windows or any element that exceeds the perimeter of our vehicle. The activity we are carrying out inside our van cannot transcend to the outside.
- Place tables and chairs outside the vehicle.
- Pour liquids or empty tanks, nor clean, gray or black water. We will find places specifically set up for this.
- Put stabilizing legs or chocks.
- Emitting excessive noises. It is common sense that we must have civil behavior wherever we go.
Although it may seem that there are many restrictions and that the options are limited when it comes to finding a place where we can sleep peacefully with our camper or motorhome, we assure you that you will find many incredible places where to spend the night without any kind of problem.
In the end, it all comes down to the fact that you canpark your camper vehicle in the same place you would park your car, as long as there is no sign or prohibition explicitly preventing you from doing so.
We hope that the article "Where to sleep with a camper van or motorhome" has provided you with the necessary information to fully enjoy your getaways without setbacks 🙂 And remember that we offer rental of camper vans in Girona and rental of Camper vans in Barcelona.
We encourage you to always use common sense wherever you go and respect the environment, the rules and the people you meet.