Camping with caravans in Germany – pay attention to these points

14. Oktober 2022 um 13:52

CaravanCamping with a caravan is becoming increasingly popular, as is traveling in your own country. But what is actually important and allowed, what should you pay attention to when camping with a caravan in Germany?

Where camping with caravans is allowed in Germany

Camping is of course always allowed on campsites in Germany. These are often highly sought after and fully booked weeks in advance, especially during the travel season and during the holidays. So if you are planning a tour, then find out early on whether there is still a parking space available for you at the campsite of your choice. You can also stay overnight outside of campsites, but this is not allowed everywhere and sometimes only allowed to a limited extent. On streets and parking lots, for example, it is permitted with restrictions for one night, provided that the overnight stay serves to restore the ability to drive. Real camping is not allowed. Be sure to pay attention to regional and local differences and restrictions, and above all to nature conservation, forest and dike laws. Staying overnight on streets and parking lots in Germany is prohibited for several nights. Overnight stays on private property are also permitted to a limited extent, here too it is important to pay attention to regional regulations and laws on nature conservation, etc. You can sometimes even camp for several nights on private property, this is permitted with restrictions and follows the same rules as camping for one night on private property.

The dimensions of your team of vehicle and caravan

In addition to the permissible total mass of the vehicle combination, the dimensions are also very important when driving with a caravan. Vehicles that exceed this require a special permit for their journey, which can usually be obtained from the local district and road traffic offices. A few safety measures are also required for the teams, so you have to pay attention to additional lights or mirrors, for example. However, this is not regulated nationally, but at the discretion of the responsible authorities, who also issue the special permits.

For the dimensions, however, the values ​​are fixed: Your vehicle without a trailer must not exceed a maximum width of 2.55 meters. The same applies to the caravan with drawbar. Both must also comply with a length of 12 meters. The width of the entire team is then not surprising, this may also be a maximum of 2.55 meters. The length, on the other hand, is set at 18 meters, so that neither your vehicle nor the mobile home can use the full permitted length.

Check list before driving

So before you set off with your team and explore the many beautiful corners of Germany, you should whip your team into shape. Do you have everything you could need for your trailer hitch? Are the spare keys for the detachable towbar packed? Is the tire pressure correct on the towing vehicle as well as on the trailer? Also think of your wheel chocks and, depending on the width, also of the additional mirrors for your vehicle. How about the additional power supply, so that your fridge in the caravan is supplied with power while driving? Depending on the team, there are certainly individual points that you should check a few days before departure. This leaves you enough time to organize everything in case of doubt.

The breakaway cable in Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland

17. September 2017 um 16:24

breakaway cableIt makes sure that even in the event of the trailer coming loose from the coupling towbar it will still decelerate. This is what we call the safety or breakaway cable. Anyone who drives a lot with a trailer is sure to be familiar with installing it – and probably also had many discussions about it. When travelling to our neighbouring countries, the Netherlands and Switzerland, if the breakaway cable is not correctly installed or you have no safety cable, this could lead to heavy fines. For this reason, we’ve put together the provisions given by the ADAC (German Automobile Association) regarding the correct installation and use of the cable.

Breakaway cable safety mechanisms when driving in Germany

In Germany trailers in the medium-weight class, i.e. with a permissible maximum weight of more than 750 kg and up to 3,500 kg, are generally equipped with inertia (overrun) brakes. This means that in the braking procedure the trailer overruns the towing vehicle and the resulting power is transmitted by lever transmission to the trailer brakes. In the event that the trailer becomes detached from the towbar, a safety cable should trigger the brakes and bring the trailer to a halt.

The use of a breakaway or safety cable is mandatory in Germany. Where exactly the cable should be installed is not specified. However, one thing is certain, the cable may not be looped over the towbar. As far as technically possible, the safety cable has to be fixed through an opening, drill hole or eyelet on the towbar, not on the ball head.

 

How to use a safety cable correctly in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands safety devices are foreseen for both braked and unbraked trailers. Trailers up to 1500 kg therefore require a safety feature and/or breakaway facility. With trailers without their own brakes a secondary coupling in the form of a cable or chain is compulsory. This also applies for unbraked trailers up to 750 kg. With larger trailers an ultimate (at break) braking provision must be in place, i.e. a steel cable between the vehicle and the braking system of the trailer. This is only available for vehicles (trailers) with brakes.

In any case, it is very important that in the Netherlands the specified safety cables must, in addition, be attached to the towbar for both unbraked and braked trailers.

This is done with special eyelets or clamps. Simply winding the cable round the knee-joint bar is not sufficient in the Netherlands.

 

How to use a safety cable correctly in Switzerland

In Switzerland with trailers up to a permissible total weight of 1,500 kg without a service brake system, an additional safety cable, e.g. a breakaway cable is required. The Federal Office for Roads has approved additional eyelets or special fixing holes on the towbar as suitable for mounting.

 

What requires special attention with a foreign/German trailer combination in the Netherlands and Switzerland?

In accordance with the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, the brake systems of trailers must be equipped in such a way that the trailer, even in the case of a break in the coupling device when in motion, can come to a halt. This does not apply for single-axle trailers or double-axle trailers with a wheelbase of less than one metre and the trailer does not exceed the permissible total weight of 1,500 kg. Unbraked trailers up to a permissible total weight of 1,500 kg must be connected and secured to the towing vehicle via a safety cable, i.e. a breakaway cable. General information: Since the minimum requirements specified by the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic may not be exceeded, either in the Netherlands or in Switzerland, the national provisions shall in any case also apply for trailer combinations registered in Germany, insofar as these are active road users in the Netherlands or Switzerland.

 

Please note: Our towbars have either eyelets or a drill hole for fixing the breakaway cable. Read more about how to use the cable correctly in our report on this topic.