Camping in Switzerland – Switzerland tour by camper!

Switzerland is not a cheap country. We had hoped that overnight stays in an RV would save us some pennies – but how was it in reality? We will describe to you some sample campsites, prices and “lessons learned” – as a warning!

We remember our trip to Switzerland in a camper van very fondly. This was our first trip in an RV and we already know that it will definitely not be the last. This trip had a very ambitious plan, which we didn’t even halfway accomplish, but because of that we saw places we hadn’t planned to go – and that’s the charm of traveling by camper van! :)

Changes of plans are not terrible for you, because you can always find a place to spend the night anyway. You can drive ahead without booking accommodation, because you always have everything with you, and in the worst case scenario you can stay in the wild (however, you should always check whether such overnight stays are allowed in the country!). So we drove ahead, day by day, wondering where we would go today and where to spend the night.

Why didn’t we achieve our original plan? First of all, it takes much longer to travel in an RV than in a fast passenger car. You won’t accelerate to 140 km/h on the highway, and stops take more time. You may even find that you won’t be able to get everywhere in your RV, due to tight streets, cramped parking lots or lack thereof, or that the roads won’t be accommodating.

We had limited time to travel to Switzerland and could not flexibly stretch our 10 days to three weeks. In addition, it turned out that even in June in Switzerland many roads are still impassable which also thwarted our plans.

However, let’s focus on the costs and campsites themselves. Accommodation and gasoline were our biggest expenses during our entire stay in Switzerland. We took food with us, and many of the activities on site were free. One attraction was nightmarishly expensive, but worth the price – Titlis (definitely about that another time ;-)).

You won’t save too much on gasoline, after all, it’s an RV, but you can save a little on accommodations. During the trip, we spent the night at 5 different campsites and parking areas – each with different standards, at different prices. Some were limited to only an asphalt parking space with water and electricity, and some were maxed out with super bathrooms, kitchen and pool. In this post we’ll show you what these campsites look like, how to look for them, what to look for, and how much they cost.

The prices below are for one night’s accommodation for 4 adults (children under 2 were always free), which of course also includes one camper :)

How do you look for campsites?

The best way is on the Internet :) We stocked up on apps, downloaded maps and saved websites on which we could look for places to camper in the immediate area.

Unfortunately, every website and app gave different information, even about the same campsites, including the price or available on-site amenities. It is therefore worth treating them as indicative.

What we can recommend to you is certainly the“park4night – camping car,van” app, which is free. We can also recommend the“All Motorhome Parkings Lite – Campercontact” app, but the best options have paid options.

We also used a couple of sites, but they definitely ate up too much transfer (which matters in Switzerland ;)) and we ended up landing on those sites from the two apps above anyway. Leaving aside here the convenience issues of using the app on a cell phone, which is simply better on the road than on a laptop :)

>> See also our entry: Switzerland – what to see, TOP 5 most beautiful places.

Budget campsites

Hard-boiled

Our first night in Switzerland was very budget – we parked in an ordinary municipal parking lot near a football field in the town of Sankt Gallen. There were designated places for campers, connection to electricity, water and the ability to drain water. And that’s it.

In practice, it turned out that there were indeed places, but only two, one of which was occupied by another camper and the other by passenger cars. We just happened to be at the game and parking spaces were scarce, and more vehicles started lining up behind us. On top of that, it was unclear how much we were to pay for the place and it was already starting to get uninteresting, especially since we wanted to spend the night near the city center after all.

Fortunately, spaces quickly became vacant and we parked the camper in a concrete parking lot. It was noisy and bustling around, and we could hear fans from the stands, but that didn’t bother us anymore – we were happy to have a seat. We tried to get along with the staff of a nearby bar, who claimed that parking was free on Sundays, but we preferred to rely on the signs, however, according to which campers always pay (not what cars do).

It was a stop that we did not treat recreationally. We didn’t count on relaxing at the table, on the green grass with the birds singing. We depended on standing, plugging in, eating something and sleeping. We came here to visit Sankt Gallen, and the campground was just a base camp.

And this place has proven itself from this angle. For one night just right. The plus side of the stadium’s close location was that we could use the restrooms there, which were spacious and clean. Always a little more comfortable than in an RV.

Cost: CHF 16/day, electricity and water included.

By the roadside

Another budget campsite was the one where we spent our third night in Switzerland. And let me warn you right away – we did not spend the night in the “wild”, but in a dedicated parking lot for RVs, just off the road. It is a fully self-service site – the area is separated by a barrier, and the fee is paid at a vending machine.

We spent a rainy night here and hardly ever left the RV. It was only in the morning that we went to a small cafe just down the road, where we used the bathroom and had a pretty good cup of coffee.

There is nothing to say about the campsite itself, because, like the one above, it served us only as an overnight shelter and we did not count on any luxuries. We just wanted to plug in and spend the night in relative safety. There is a modest children’s playground in a small area, and unfortunately there are no bathrooms or toilets. Instead, there is a specially designated place to drain dirty water and “refuel” with clean water.

Surprisingly, we were not bothered by the close proximity of a pretty busy road. Or maybe it was the fatigue that made us sleep like a slew overnight.

There is also a gas station (on the other side of the road) in close proximity to the parking lot, and beyond that…. nothing. Just ordinary parking spaces on the grass, next to the road.

Cost: approx. CHF 22/day (electricity, water included) – price depending on the length of stay: you pay CHF 10 for the first two hours, and CHF 1 for each additional hour.

Moderately priced campsites (for Switzerland!)

By the lake

The only campsite where we stayed for more than one night was TCS Camping Luzern-Horw near Lucerne. It is a beautifully situated campground among the hills, right on the shores of Lake of the Four Cantons.

The campground covers quite a large area, where campers and trailers stood quite close to each other along designated paths. There was enough space to set up a tent and table, but it is a place where you are unlikely to hide from the sight of neighbors.

It is quite popular, the vast majority of places were occupied, and many people have permanent summer homes here. And we are not surprised – the views are beautiful, until one would like to return to this place every year.

The campground has a sizable bathroom with a laundry room, changing table (yes, in the laundry room) and a place to drain cold water. It is clean, decent although the bathrooms could use a refresh.

Barbecue facilities and a playground are available on site. There is also a bar where you can order drinks, something to drink and eat (including hot food).

As for the surrounding area, there are plenty of bicycle and walking paths. Just outside the gate is a wooden, educational path by the lake, where you can observe many species of birds.

Cost: CHF 60/day (including electricity, water).

In the Rhine Valley

Our last night in Switzerland was the most problematic. We were looking for a place in the vicinity of Shafuz and Stein am Rhein, where we arrived in the evening at around hrs. 19:00.

On site, it turned out that many of the campsites already have closed reception desks, and in order to enter the area we had to leave our documents at the bar (note! our IDs were to go into the first better drawer without a key or other security features).

We could not pay in advance in cash, which we insisted on because it seemed safer to us than leaving our documents. There were no spots at another campsite, so we continued eastward.

We finally arrived at Camp Hüttenberg, located on a hill overlooking the Rhine. We were already heavily tired and anxious to park as soon as possible, spread out, make dinner and go to sleep before the long return to Poland.

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And we would rate the campsite itself quite well, as there is a swimming pool, trampolines, sun loungers, a nice reception area and restaurant, yet a certain distaste remained. Well, we were very keen to have internet in our parking space, which we emphasized even during check-in and were assured that we would have the network. Unfortunately, it turned out that the Internet is there, but only in the common areas. Maybe a small thing, but when you work remotely it is important. All that was left was to fly in the rain to the reception desk with a laptop….

In addition, we immediately said that we wanted to stay only one night and escape in the morning. Unfortunately, no one told us that right next door there are places where you can just hook up to electricity and water and for much less money (all within the same campground, so they still make money). So it’s always worth checking.

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At this campground, the bathrooms were in the worst condition, and those closest to us didn’t even have hot water! Of course, it was clean and neat, as it is everywhere in Switzerland.

It’s a pity that because of such minor aspects we were disappointed, because apart from them the campground seemed really interesting and attractive especially for the youngest.

Cost: CHF 55/day (including electricity, water).

Richly

Our second-best night’s stay was among the most expensive. And the price was followed by quality, pleasure and general delight. No later overnight stay matched the one in Bad Ragaz. We spent the night at Campingplatz Giessen Park.

Included in the price of our overnight stay, we had access to the swimming pools located across the path. Right next to them was a restaurant and a sizable playground for the little ones. Besides. the village is located in a valley, surrounded by soaring peaks, so we had fabulous views. And one would like to spend the whole day at the campsite or in the pools. Especially since the location of the campsite was not in the strict center of the town, but on its outskirts, among the greenery.

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Parking spaces for the RVs were on the grass, among the trees, right on the Rhine. There was peace and quiet all around, even though almost all the seats were occupied.

Bathrooms were very clean, spacious, there was a dedicated room for changing and washing toddlers, with a special sink.

We also had a very well-equipped kitchen at our disposal. In the dining area there were various toys and board games. There were also glass display cases where you could buy food – you just leave your money in a special place (full confidence)!

It was definitely our best campsite.

Cost: CHF 85/day, with electricity and water included as always.

Overnight in the wild

In Switzerland, can you just stand on the street and stay overnight?

Unfortunately, no.

As a matter of principle, overnight parking on streets and squares is not allowed, with the exception of highway parking lots. We didn’t take any chances and always stood only in the designated areas for campers.

Cost: up to CHF 10,000, a mandate of course ;)

As a warning, practical advice

But before the tips – by design, campsites in Switzerland are really OK! It is clean, neat and peaceful. There are no partygoers, dominated by people who have come to relax in peace and quiet. Here there is order, culture, no one is pushing, no one is shouting, no one is littering.

We only had problems once, which we reported to the front desk – the example we described with the internet and cold water, but other than that we recall all of them very, very well.

But let’s move on to these few tips and tricks on how to get to good campsites:

• Think about what you care about. We tried out a variety of campsites because we wanted to see what the differences were and whether it was sometimes worth paying more. Often where we would spend the night was decided by chance, or simply what was closest to our route. If you care about budget accommodations, it’s a good idea to plan your route in advance so that they are on your itinerary (in some areas it’s hard to find cheaper campsites). Same with the aforementioned internet – if you are going to work remotely, be sure to consider only those that have a network (or use a service like XOXO WiFi – we were lucky enough to have XOXO, we used it, we recommend it!).
• Read reviews and see photos – sometimes this can give an idea of what to expect on the spot.
• Look at camping facilities and additional attractions. Especially if you are traveling with children and staying for more than just one night. It’s nice if there are some playgrounds or other attractions on site. Note whether there are bathrooms, showers, kitchen, etc.
• Read up on what hours you can enter the camper – some are closed early (even at 6 pm) and there is no way to enter the campground. But there are also many that are closed, but you can drive in, take a seat and pay at the reception desk in the morning.
• Treat the prices as rather indicative. We noticed that often the prices quoted online were slightly different from those posted at the campsites. Sometimes it was a simple difference, sometimes a surcharge on electricity, sometimes taxes were not included in the price.
• Pay attention to the location of the campground – if you plan to stay at the campground for more than one night and want to ride around the area, it’s a good idea if there is a public transportation stop or train station nearby, or bike paths (and there are really a lot of those in Switzerland). To us, it was the bicycle that often worked well, at least when we needed to go shopping.
• It’s best to avoid campgrounds in city centers and avoid access through cities – it’s hard to maneuver a camper in small streets.

Our campsites in Switzerland

Below you will find a map showing all the points described above, places where we spent the night with our camper:

Summary

The RV trip was one of the coolest adventures of our lives. We learned a lot and now, richer with new experiences, we would probably plan our next trip a little differently.

One thing is for sure – we will definitely take a campervan ride again someday :)

We recommend our first post, about the experience of driving a camper.

We also recommend a photo gallery of campsites in Switzerland:

Zobacz galerię wszystkich zdjęć z kempingów w Szwajcarii >>>

We traveled around Switzerland in a Fiat Knaus SKY TRAVELLER camper from 4kampery.co.uk.