Finding private campsites in Europe – The best apps

Travelling from campsite to campsite, staying where you like and maybe even staying for an extra day or two. That's the freedom of camping. Nowhere else can you enjoy flexibility like on a road trip with a camper. Camping is a great way to spend your vacation independently. Apps can help you find the best campsites in Europe.

You are travelling with your camper and want to spend the night on a campsite. As you arrive you are told at the reception that the campsite unfortunately is fully booked already. How do you find a new campsite now and what about wild camping in Germany?

In general wild camping is prohibited in Germany. However, at places where it's not explicity forbidden it's allowed to stop for one night with the camper in order to "rest and restore your ability to drive". This means that you are allowed to stop for one night until you are able to keep drive. But only for that short period. You should not give the impression that you want to stay for a longer time - this also means that the camping chairs and the table should remain stowed away for the time being.

In many European countries wild camping is not allowed. In Sweden and Norway however, the so-called "right to public access" applies. This states that nature "belongs" to everyone including guests in the country. However, this type of camping is subject to certain rules. In Romania and Belarus on the other hand, camping is allowed without restrictions. So why not drive there on your next camping vacation?

For more information on wild camping in different European countries check out our article "Wildcamping with a camping van".

In order to avoid the problem of searching for a place to stay many providers have developed apps you can use to find private pitches or campsites. We have taken a close look for you and will show you our favorite apps now.

MyCabin is an app which combines many things. You can either look for a place to stay overnight with your tent or your van. You can also offer your own private unused property as a pitch. This way, local tourism is gently and sustainably promoted and therefore nature is preserved. The best thing is that you can be in close contact with the locals on private campsites and can spend wonderful days in nature far away from mass tourism.

One very well known app is "park4night". Park4night offers a wide selection of sites. You can filter for nature sites. But you can also find off-road sites or picnic areas via the app. A great feature is the "near me" function. Here, nearby pitches can easily be found. This app also includes a favorites function. However, the offline version of the app can only be used with the Pro version. This costs 1.99 euros for a monthly subscription and 9.99 euros for an annual subscription.

At StayFree you will find over 65,000 pitches from all categories. In addition to normal campsites and pitches, you will also find small, private campsites, e.g. from the provider Campspace, legal free-standing pitches and service stations for supply and disposal.

The special thing about StayFree is the travel tracker with which you can document your travel route. This allows you to track your camping trip during and after your trip.

The app is free of charge. Extended functions are available with StayFree Premium for €12.99 / year.

The app Stellplatz-Radar helps you find private pitches and campsites all over Europe. The app contains over 12,500 pitches and shows you which RV parks are nearby and how much they cost. The app is available for iOS and Android and costs 0.99 euros for a monthly subscription and 4.99 euros for an annual subscription. It has advanced search filters, a favorites function and offline maps to help you find the perfect spot for your vacation.

This app offers about 25,000 pitches. It can win you over with its simple and clear design and costs 5.49 euros per year (full version). The offline maps are also available via this version. Among other things, the app also indicates how busy the pitch is. It also has a favorites function and list function. The comment function in particular helps you find the best campsites for your camping vacation.

The app Campercontact is ad-free and free in the trial version. The full version costs 6 euros per year. A great feature of the app is that travel routes can be shared with other users of the app. Also, you can save pitches via the favorites function and there's also a function to find pitches that are near you.

A farm vacation - brought to you by the Landvergnügen app. To be able to use it you first have to buy the Landvergnügen catalogue, the pitch guide and you will also receive an annual vignette and a membership card. With the membership number on the membership card you can log in to the Landvergnügen app. You can then use the app to find farms where you are allowed to stay for 24 hours. This way you can experience unique regional highlights and take a look behind the agricultural scenes.

Remember: You can only find out which app is right for you by trying it out yourself.

We wish you a lot of fun with the apps and on your vacation!