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Sales of campervans and motorhomes in Spain rose by 20% during the pandemic, with more people looking to take advantage of staycations and DIY driving holidays.

 

There are now around 70,000 motorhomes and caravans and 230,000 caravans in Spain alone, not counting those that enter the country from abroad, but incredibly there are only around 1,000 service areas designed for them.

 

What this means is that there is a shortage of camping spaces, and many campers choose to park in wild or natural areas instead.

 

However, different regions of Spain have strict rules regarding wild camping that you should be aware of before you set of on your vacation as well as other restrictions on the number of nights you can legally stay in one place.

 

 

Generally speaking, wild camping in Spain is not allowed, and you should only park overnight in official campsites.

 

There are some exceptions to this rule, though, which let you spend the night somewhere that is not a campsite under certain circumstances.

 

For instance, you are allowed to park your motorhome in Spain anywhere where parking is permitted – such as a carpark – and sleep over for the night, as long as you don’t make it obvious that you’re camping there.

 

This essentially means not flouting the rules and moving your cooking/camping/sleeping activities outside of the campervan. As long as it looks like you are just parked and not camping, and you don’t set up tables, chairs and awnings outside or turn on an electric generator, you’ll be fine to sleep overnight in carparks in Spain.

 

In some places there are dedicated camping areas in National and Natural Parks in Spain, but in general wild camping is also prohibited within these parks.

 

Likewise, there are strict regulations on parking and camping on the coast. Spanish law states you may not camp or park up within 20 metres from the beach in an urban area or 100 metres in a rural area.

 

 

What’s more, many different regions and autonomous communities of Spain have their own slightly different rules for how many hours you can park a campervan or motorhome in one place.

 

 

In Andalucía, while wild camping is technically prohibited like in the rest of Spain, the law defines this practice as “the installation of mobile shelters, caravans, tents or other similar elements easily transportable or removable outside campsites”.

 

Campervans are mobile and removable and so would most likely fall under this definition, but it’s not actually very clear what is and isn’t allowed in this region.

 

It’s probably best to stick to campsites and designated campervan parking areas just to be on the safe side.

 

 

 

In the Valencian Community since 2021, wilding camping is defined as “the installation of tents, caravans, motorhomes or other mobile shelters, intending to stay overnight in places other than the establishments covered by this provision”.

 

Crucially, this contains the word ‘motorhome’, where the Andalusian version doesn’t. In any case, it is still allowed to park and stay overnight in a car park in your private campervan, providing you’re not camping outside as stated above.

 

 

Catalonia has brought in a new law which limits the amount of time that private campervans and motorhomes may park in one space to a maximum of 48 hours, though this doesn’t include campsites.

 

 

In Galicia, motorhomes and campervans are legally considered as vehicles (understandably), so they can spend the night in parking areas as long as they do not extend to outside areas and don’t take up more than one space.

 

It’s worth noting, however, that there are different rules on how long you can stay in each place depending on which municipality you are in; in Porto do Son, for instance, you can only spend a maximum of one night before you have to move again!

 

 

In Murcia, there is a 72-hour limit on parking campervans and motorhomes.

 

 

 

The Navarra Tourism Board state that campervan stays should be “short and limited”, however they don’t define the exact number of nights or hours.

 

 

In Castilla-La Mancha, there is a 48-hour limit on parking campervans and motorhomes.

 

 

In Asturias, only vehicles classified as motorhomes may park in campsites, while caravans, trucks and cars are forbidden. The maximum parking time is 48 hours.

 

Image: Archive