Wild Camping in Switzerland
Known for its breathtaking landscapes, Switzerland is perfect for a wild camping adventure.
Known for its breathtaking landscapes, Switzerland is perfect for a wild camping adventure. But is wild camping allowed in Switzerland at all? And what should you bear in mind on such an adventure? We have compiled an overview of the most important rules and tips on how to behave when wild camping in Switzerland.
The most important facts in a nutshell
The applicable legal regulations on wild camping or free overnight camping outside official campsites in Switzerland are regulated on a cantonal basis. You can find out more about the guidelines of the individual cantons below. Ultimately, however, the sovereignty lies with the municipalities, which can lay down their own rules and regulations.
Recommendation: Be on the safe side and always check with the respective municipality or the local police station if you want to spend the night outside of official campsites.
"Wild" overnight stays in a motorhome, van or car
Single overnight stays in public places
The regulations of the municipality or property owner apply. Always check locally.
In public car parks
In public car parks, the signaling and parking time restrictions must be observed. Parking fees often have to be paid also at night. The parked vehicle must be in an official parking space and fit into the parking space. No camping behavior (e.g. do not set up tables or chairs).
At motorway service areas
Find out on site if a single overnight stay is allowed. Look out for parking time restrictions, blue zones and charges for overnight stays.
Rest areas
Rest areas are used for short-term rest for motorists. The parking spaces for these are marked in white and can therefore be used without time limits and free of charge. Rest areas are primarily intended for chauffeurs, but motorists and campers with motor homes or caravans may also rest there (without camping behavior, do not set up chairs/tables/awnings).
Is it allowed to spend the night in a car in a parking lot?
In Switzerland, the rules for camping in a car are not uniform. In some cantons or municipalities, spending the night in a car is considered wild camping and is therefore prohibited. In exceptional cases, it is often tolerated, especially if the need for sleep is cited as an argument.
"Wild" overnight camping with tent or bivouac
Definition: Bivouacking - spending the night without a tent in the open air, in an igloo or in a snow cave. Camping - spending the night in a small tent outside official campsites.
In general the following rules apply:
Bivouacking and camping for one night above the timberline, on alpine meadows or rocky terrain, outside of protected areas is safe.
On private land, permission should always be obtained from the owner of the land.
Emergency bivouacking is generally always permitted. Emergency bivouac means being forced to bivouac spontaneously due to a predicament.
Do not bivouac near huts and alps, but if you do, contact the hut or the farmer in advance and propose compensation for the use of sanitary facilities and consume at the hut or buy products at the alp.
Find out in advance where the protected areas are located, free camping is expressly forbidden there.
Avoid ecologically sensitive sites and animal habitats (e.g. wetlands and forest borders).
Wild camping is prohibited in the following areas in Switzerland
1. Camping in nature reserves
2. Camping in the Swiss National Park
3. Camping in federal hunting zones
4. Camping in wildlife sanctuaries
5. Camping where there is a general ban on entering the area
You can find all protected areas on Geo Admin.
The following must be taken into account as a matter of principle
No noise, no tracks
Respect other people's privacy and pay attention to the nighttime peace. Wildlife also has a right to a peaceful night's sleep. Avoid noise and disturbance and leave the place in a clean condition.
Washing up and showering
Do not do the dishes directly at water bodies and do not dispose of the remaining water in them. Use biodegradable detergent and toothpaste. Washing in a stream or river is allowed, but shower detergent should be environmentally friendly or omitted altogether.
The "big deal”
Do your big deal only when you have to and not near bodies of water. Fecal germs can harm the animals. Use a plastic bag to take your toilet paper back with you or burn it (not if there is a forest fire hazard) after you have buried your mess. True wild campers always carry a small garden shovel.
Fire
In some areas it is forbidden to build fires. Wild animals are driven away by this. Therefore, look for signs indicating so. In any case, be careful when building a fire. Use already existing places and pay attention to the current danger situation regarding forest fires. In Ticino and Italy we recommend never to make an open fire.
Regulations in the different cantons
In Aargau it is allowed to spend the night on a public parking lot (if there is no explicit prohibition sign) or on land with the permission of the land owner (but without camping behavior, i.e. do not put out chairs, extend awnings, etc.). Ultimately, however, the individual municipal ordinances apply, so it is advisable to check with the municipality.
Wild camping in Appenzell is generally not allowed, except for one night in the mountains above the tree line, emergency bivouacking or with permission of the landowner on private land. For overnight camping in parking lots, be sure to observe local signalization and parking time restrictions. No camping behavior (e.g. do not put out tables or chairs).
Neither in Basel Stadt nor Basel Land is overnight camping allowed outside designated campgrounds, except for one night in the mountains above the tree line, emergency bivouacking, or with permission of the property owner on private land. Spending the night with the camper in parking lots is not allowed.
In Bern it is generally not allowed to camp wild, except for one night in the mountains above the tree line, emergency bivouacking or with permission of the landowner on private land. To spend the night with the camper in parking lots, be sure to observe signaling and parking time restrictions on site, there is no cantonal regulation. No camping behavior (e.g. do not put out tables or chairs).
In Fribourg wild camping is generally not allowed, except for one night in the mountains above the tree line, emergency bivouacking or with permission of the landowner on private land. Spending the night with the camper in parking lots is not allowed (only on official sites).
Generally not allowed, except for one night in the mountains above the tree line, emergency bivouacking or with permission of the land owner on private land. Spending the night with the camper in parking lots is not allowed.
In Glarus wild camping is generally not allowed, except for one night in the mountains above the tree line, emergency bivouacking or with permission of the landowner on private land. To spend the night with the camper in parking lots strictly observe signalizations and parking time restrictions on site, there are no cantonal regulations. No camping behavior (e.g. do not put out tables or chairs).
In the Grisons, wild camping is generally not allowed, except for one night in the mountains above the tree line, emergency bivouacking or with permission of the landowner on private land. To spend the night with the camper on parking lots, be sure to observe the signalization and parking time restrictions on site, there are no cantonal regulations. No camping behavior (e.g. do not put out tables or chairs).
In the Jura wild camping is generally prohibited. It is advisable to inquire in advance at the respective municipality about the possibilities and, if necessary, to obtain the appropriate permit.
In Lucerne, on land owned by the municipality, it is allowed, unless the municipality expressly prohibits it. On private land and also in the forest only with the permission of the landowner. Emergency bivouacking is allowed. Where it is not explicitly prohibited by the Road Traffic Act, the Federal Hunting Ban Ordinance or by the property owners (private, communes), overnight camping in a vehicle (without camping behavior) is allowed.
In Neuchâtel wild camping is generally not allowed, except for one night in the mountains above the tree line, emergency bivouacking or with permission of the land owner on private land. To spend the night with the camper in parking lots, be sure to observe signaling and parking time restrictions on site, there is no cantonal regulation. No camping behavior (e.g. do not put out tables or chairs).
If you want to spend the night outside a campsite in the canton of Nidwalden, you should ask the landowner. Only with his consent is wild camping allowed. One night in the mountains above the treeline or emergency bivouacking is allowed. Spending the night with the camper in parking lots is not allowed.
Wild camping is generally allowed for one night in the canton of Obwalden. It is important to observe the camping law of the canton. It states: 1" For a one-time overnight stay, a tent, a caravan or a motorhome may be set up without a permit outside of approved campsites, if no public or private interests are affected. 2" The one-time overnight stay is at your own risk.
Wild camping in Schaffhausen is generally not allowed, except for one night in the mountains above the tree line, emergency bivouacking or with permission of the landowner on private land. To spend the night with the camper on parking lots strictly observe signalizations and parking time restrictions on site, there are no cantonal regulations. No camping behavior (e.g. do not put out tables or chairs).
Wild camping is not allowed in the canton of Schwyz. Short-term camping in the forest is permitted with the consent of the respective owner. However, it is forbidden to drive on forest roads with motor vehicles for this purpose. In principle, the consent of the respective landowner must be obtained in advance for camping, bivouacking or parking of motorhomes, campers, etc. If you want to spend the night with your camper in a parking lot, it is essential to observe the signalization and parking time restrictions on site; there are no cantonal regulations. No camping behavior (e.g. do not put out tables or chairs).
Wild camping in Solothurn is generally not allowed, except for one night in the mountains above the tree line, emergency bivouacking or with permission of the landowner on private land. To spend the night with the camper in parking lots, be sure to observe signaling and parking time restrictions on site, there is no cantonal regulation. No camping behavior (e.g. do not put out tables or chairs).
Wild camping in the canton of St.Gallen is generally not allowed, except for one night in the mountains above the tree line, emergency bivouacking or with permission of the landowner on private land. To spend the night with the camper in parking lots, be sure to observe the signaling and parking time restrictions on site, there are no cantonal regulations. No camping behavior (e.g. do not put out tables or chairs).
Wild camping in the Ticino is generally not allowed, except for one night in the mountains above the tree line. Spending the night in rest areas or parking lots with the camper/car is not allowed.
Wild camping in Thurgau is generally not allowed, except for emergency bivouacs or with permission of the landowner on private land. For overnight stays with the camper in parking lots, it is essential to observe the signalization and parking time restrictions on site; there are no cantonal regulations. No camping behavior (e.g. do not put out tables or chairs).
Generally not allowed, except for one night in the mountains above the tree line, emergency bivouacking or with permission of the landowner on private land. Overnight parking with the camper is generally allowed, unless it is forbidden or restricted, e.g. by "night parking ban" or "time limited parking allowed".
Generally not allowed except for one night in the mountains above the tree line, emergency bivouacking or with permission of the landowner on private land. To spend the night with the camper in parking lots, be sure to observe signaling and parking time restrictions on site, there is no cantonal regulation. No camping behavior (e.g. do not put out tables or chairs).
Wild camping in the Valais is generally not allowed except for one night in the mountains above the tree line, emergency bivouacking or with permission of the landowner on private land. Spending the night in rest areas or parking lots with the camper/car is not allowed.
Wild camping in Zurich is generally not allowed, except for one night in the mountains above the tree line, emergency bivouacking or with permission of the property owner on private land. Overnight camping in the forest: one-time and single overnight camping, without setting up additional facilities, allowed. Overnight stay in parking lots with the camper is allowed in principle, unless it is prohibited or restricted. e.g. by "night parking ban" or "time limited parking allowed".
Wild camping in Zug is generally not allowed except for one night in the mountains above the tree line, emergency bivouacking or with permission of the land owner on private land. Overnight parking with the camper is generally allowed unless prohibited or restricted, e.g. by "night parking prohibited" or "time limited parking allowed".
All information without guarantee. Subject to change without notice. Please send your comments directly to hello@nomady.camp with the subject "Wildcamping".
The information on the cantons refers to TCS Switzerland.
Almost like wild camping
At Nomady there are just as wild and yet absolutely legal alternatives for nights in a tent as well as for free overnight stays in a vehicle. The sites are mostly with private hosts and often in places that are otherwise inaccessible. Also with regard to the natural scenery, the offers are in no way inferior to the wild alternative.
