On the road · Sleeping in your car
Sleeping in Your Car or Motorhome in Europe: Where One Night Is Fine
Verdict
A night’s rest in a legally parked vehicle is tolerated in most countries that have said anything. Setting up camp outside it is not.
Spain and Italy spell it out: only the wheels on the ground, nothing outside the vehicle, nothing emptied. Portugal allows 48 hours per municipality and bans overnight stays in protected and coastal zones. Tirol bans camping outside campsites. Greece keeps motorhomes off beaches and public spaces.
Each rule below comes from an official page and was checked twice. Where a country is not listed, either its authorities have published nothing we could find, or we have not researched it yet; the list at the end says which. A gap is not a permission.
| Country | Answer | In short |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Allowed with limits | If sleepy, stop somewhere safe, never on a motorway hard shoulder or emergency area. In Scotland, overnight parking in trunk-road lay-bys is allowed unless signs say otherwise. |
| France | Allowed with limits | A motorhome may park wherever parking is not dangerous, obstructive or abusive. Mayors can restrict this but not ban it outright. Sleeping at a motorway rest area when tired is legal (Sanef). |
| Belgium | Allowed with limits | No traffic rule bans sleeping in a parked vehicle, if nothing sticks out, no waste water, litter or noise. Municipalities can ban motorhomes, limit hours or forbid overnight stays. |
| Germany | Allowed with limits | Sleeping in a legally parked vehicle to restore fitness to drive is allowed. Anything more, such as tables, chairs or an awning, counts as special use and needs a permit. |
| Austria | Restricted | Camping outside campsites is regulated by each state. Tirol bans it outright (including motorhomes); Salzburg allows it unless the municipality or mayor bans it. Check the state before sleeping in a vehicle. |
| Italy | Allowed with limits | A motorhome parked where parking is allowed is not camping if only its wheels touch the ground, nothing is discharged and it takes no more space than the vehicle itself. |
| Slovenia | Allowed with limits | Since January 2026 national law only fines overnight stays in public places that disturb others; overnight stays in vehicles are left to municipal ordinances, so check local rules and signs. |
| Croatia | Restricted | Camping outside licensed campsites is an offence; a court fined a tent camper EUR 700 in 2026. No official rule found on simply sleeping in a parked vehicle. |
| Spain | Allowed with limits | Since 1 Oct 2026 a parked motorhome must stay within its own outline, rest only on its tyres (chocks allowed) and empty nothing. Being inside, including sleeping, does not matter. |
| Portugal | Allowed with limits | Approved motorhomes may stay overnight (22:00-07:00) up to 48 hours per municipality, unless a municipal regulation applies. Banned in Natura 2000, protected areas and coastal plan zones except authorised sites. |
| Greece | Restricted | Motorhomes and caravans may not park on beaches, foreshores, archaeological sites, forest edges or public spaces generally. Car parks are fine if you set up no tables, chairs or awning. |
| Denmark | Allowed with limits | You may park and sleep in a motorhome to rest before driving on. If the stay turns into camping, it may break the camping rules. |
| Sweden | Allowed with limits | Allemansrätten does not cover motorhomes in terrain. You may usually stay up to 24 hours at a rest area (weekdays), longer over weekends unless signed; never park off-road in nature. |
| Norway | Allowed with limits | Driving and camping with vehicles in the terrain are not allowed. You may park on the shoulder of public roads unless signed, 150 m from homes, max two nights. Rest areas are for short breaks. |
Country by country
United Kingdom allowed with limits
- If you feel sleepy, stop in a safe place; not on a hard shoulder or emergency area The Highway Code, rule 91 (GOV.UK)
- Scotland: overnight parking in trunk-road lay-bys is permitted unless a road order and signs prohibit it Scottish Government submission on petition PE1962, 21 Sep 2022
- Scotland: outdoor access rights (so-called wild camping) do not cover motor vehicles Scottish Government submission on petition PE1962, 21 Sep 2022
Do: Rest at services or a safe lay-by, never on the hard shoulder or in an emergency area; obey signs.
France allowed with limits
- Motorhomes cannot be denied parking on public roads where stopping/parking is not dangerous, obstructive or abusive Ministère de l'aménagement du territoire et de la décentralisation, réponse QE n° 01232 (JO Sénat 7 Aug 2025)
- Mayors may restrict motorhome parking, but not with a general and absolute ban; measures must be proportionate and locally justified Ministère de l'aménagement du territoire et de la décentralisation, réponse QE n° 01232 (JO Sénat 7 Aug 2025)
- Sleeping on a motorway rest area (aire) when tired is legal and recommended (road operator) Sanef, Dormir sur une aire
Do: Park in a legal space, follow local signs, and sleep at a motorway rest area (aire) if tired.
Belgium allowed with limits
- No Highway Code provision forbids spending the night in a parked vehicle SPW Mobilité (Wallonie), CeMaphore n°141, Apr 2018 rev. Mar 2021
- No problem under the code if no equipment sticks out, no waste water escapes, no litter is left and there is no noise SPW Mobilité (Wallonie), CeMaphore n°141
- Communes may ban motorhomes, send them to dedicated zones, limit parking time (e.g. 24 h) or forbid sleeping in them SPW Mobilité (Wallonie), CeMaphore n°141
Do: Park legally, keep everything inside the vehicle, and check the commune's police regulation.
Germany allowed with limits
- Sleeping overnight in a vehicle on a public road to restore fitness to drive is allowed; beyond that it is special use that needs a permit Deutscher Bundestag, Wissenschaftliche Dienste, WD 3 - 3000 - 145/16 (10 May 2016)
- Tables, chairs, awning or tent annex count as special use (Sondernutzung) and need permission Stadt Klütz, Mitteilungsvorlage, 11 Feb 2016
Do: Sleep where parking is allowed; keep tables, chairs and awning packed away.
Austria restricted
- Not uniformly regulated; mainly state laws and municipal ordinances oesterreich.gv.at, Campen (updated 16 Mar 2026)
- Tirol: camping outside campsites is banned (covers motorhomes and caravans) oesterreich.gv.at, Campen in Tirol
- Salzburg: not generally banned, but some municipalities ban overnight motorhomes in built-up areas oesterreich.gv.at, Campen in Salzburg
- Camping in forests only with the forest owner's consent oesterreich.gv.at, Campen
Do: Use campsites or Stellplätze; in Tirol never stay overnight outside a campsite.
Italy allowed with limits
- Parking a motorhome is not camping if it rests only on its wheels, emits no fluids except engine exhaust, and occupies only its own footprint Codice della strada art. 185 c.2 (law text on aci.gov.it)
Do: No levelling legs, awning or chairs; park only where parking is allowed.
Slovenia allowed with limits
- Sleeping in a public place not meant for it is an offence only if it disturbs someone; fine EUR 100-500. Zakon o varstvu javnega reda in miru (ZJRM-2), Uradni list RS 112/2025, 18. člen
- Municipalities may set conditions, areas and rules for overnight stays in vehicles. Zakon o varstvu javnega reda in miru (ZJRM-2), 18. člen (2)
- Government confirms camping and sleeping in vehicles are now regulated by municipal ordinances. gov.si: Začel je veljati nov zakon o varstvu javnega reda in miru (28.1.2026)
Do: Check the municipality's ordinance and signs before sleeping in the vehicle.
Croatia restricted
- Camping outside campsites is a misdemeanour under the Hospitality Act; in one 2026 tent case a court fined EUR 700 Općinski sud u Osijeku, misdemeanour judgment of 8 April 2026 (čl. 29. st. 4. Zakona o ugostiteljskoj djelatnosti, NN 85/15...126/21)
Do: Overnight in a motorhome only at campsites or official motorhome stops; do not set up camp elsewhere.
Spain allowed with limits
- Motorhome parking conditions: nothing outside the vehicle footprint, only tyres on the ground (chocks/wedges allowed), no fluids from the living area Real Decreto 518/2026 (BOE 26 Jun 2026), new art. 92.4 Reglamento General de Circulación
- New rules in force from 1 October 2026 Real Decreto 518/2026, disposición final tercera
- Occupants being inside a correctly parked motorhome is irrelevant DGT Instrucción 08/V-74 (28 Jan 2008), copy hosted by Gobierno de Aragón
- Municipal exclusions of motorhomes must be justified on objective grounds (size, mass) DGT Instrucción 08/V-74
Do: Park within the bay, chocks only, no awning, chairs or grey-water dumping.
Portugal allowed with limits
- Overnight stays and 'aparcamento' banned in Natura 2000, protected areas and coastal plan (POOC) zones except authorised sites Lei n.º 66/2021 (24 Aug 2021), Código da Estrada art. 50.º-A n.º 1
- Elsewhere, absent a municipal regulation, max 48 hours overnight in the same municipality Lei n.º 66/2021, art. 50.º-A n.º 2
- 'Pernoita' means staying with occupants between 22:00 and 07:00 Lei n.º 66/2021, art. 50.º-A n.º 3
- Fines EUR 60-300; EUR 120-600 in Natura 2000/protected/coastal zones Lei n.º 66/2021, art. 50.º-A n.º 4
Do: Avoid protected and coastal zones; max 48 h per municipality; check municipal rules.
Greece restricted
- Tents and stationing of caravans/motorhomes banned at archaeological sites, foreshores, beaches, public forest edges and public spaces generally, subject to traffic-code parking rules. Hellenic Parliament, question of 13 Oct 2025 quoting art. 7 §18 ν.4276/2014 as amended by ν.5170/2025 art. 27
- Motorhomes may use public, municipal or private car parks if no tables, chairs, awning or other signs of living there are set up Ministry of Tourism, answer to parliamentary question, 14 Nov 2025
Do: Use campsites or proper car parks; never park up on beaches or set up camp outside.
Denmark allowed with limits
- Parking areas where motorhome drivers lawfully park or stop to rest so they can drive on safely are not campsites Vejledning om campingreglementet, VEJ nr 9426 af 02/07/2020 (By-, Land- og Kirkeministeriet)
- If an overnight stay with a motorhome takes on the character of a camping stay, it may breach the camping regulation Vejledning om campingreglementet, VEJ nr 9426 af 02/07/2020
Do: Sleep to rest only; no awning, chairs or camp set-up outside campsites. Obey local parking signs.
Sweden allowed with limits
- Parking a motorhome, caravan or car with roof tent in terrain is not part of allemansrätten. Naturvårdsverket: Husvagn, husbil och taktält i naturen
- At a rest area you may generally stay at most 24 hours on weekdays. Naturvårdsverket: Husvagn, husbil och taktält i naturen
- No general rule on how long you may park along a road that is not terrain; municipalities may have special rules. Naturvårdsverket: Husvagn, husbil och taktält i naturen
Do: Use rest areas or legal roadside parking; max 24 h on weekdays; never drive into fields, forest or beaches.
Norway allowed with limits
- Parking along public roads in outlying land (utmark) is allowed unless signed or regulated otherwise. Miljødirektoratet: Ofte stilte spørsmål om allemannsretten (Hvor kan jeg campe med bobil eller campingvogn?)
- Camping with car or motorhome in the terrain is not allowed; park on the road shoulder. Miljødirektoratet: Ofte stilte spørsmål om allemannsretten
- Keep at least 150 m from inhabited houses/cabins and, as a rule, do not camp in the same place more than two nights. Miljødirektoratet: Ofte stilte spørsmål om allemannsretten
- Rest areas are for short stops; use camping and overnight sites for overnight stays. Statens vegvesen: Norgesferie på hjul – alt på ett nett (June 2025)
Do: Park only on road shoulders where not signed, 150 m from homes, max two nights; avoid overnighting at rasteplasser.
No official answer yet
Searched, nothing official found: Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria. Follow the signs and the general law there, and do not rely on forum advice.