Wild camping in Switzerland: what applies where?

As of 05/10/2026 · 637 of 2,120 municipalities looked up

In Switzerland there is neither a nationwide ban nor a nationwide permission to stay overnight in nature. In nature reserves, federal hunting reserves and wildlife rest zones it is generally prohibited. Outside of these, the municipality almost always decides: of 637 municipalities looked up, 223 prohibit wild tent camping and 330 require a permit.

Is wild camping allowed in Switzerland?

In Switzerland there is no nationwide ban on bivouacking — but no nationwide permission either. Three levels are decisive: federal law on protected areas (nature reserves, federal hunting reserves, moorland landscapes), cantonal law and municipal rules. The cantons handle this very differently: in large parts of the Alps a single night's bivouac above the treeline, outside protected areas and away from wildlife rest zones, is considered tolerated — elsewhere there are explicit bans. Within nature reserves, federal hunting reserves and wildlife rest zones, staying overnight is generally prohibited. Camping with a vehicle outside authorised sites is regulated more strictly throughout than a tent bivouac.

Legal bases:

• Bundesgesetz über den Natur- und Heimatschutz (NHG, SR 451)
• Verordnung über die eidgenössischen Jagdbanngebiete (VEJ, SR 922.31)
• Verordnung über den Schutz der Hoch- und Übergangsmoore (SR 451.32)
• Wildruhezonen Schweiz (Bundesamt für Umwelt BAFU)
• Schweizerischer Alpen-Club SAC — Biwakieren

Who decides: federal government, canton or municipality?

All three, and the finest level prevails. The federal government protects certain areas — overnight stays there are generally prohibited, regardless of what the canton or municipality otherwise says. The cantons could regulate overnight stays outdoors in general, but almost never do: 22 of 26 cantons have no general rule on it. The following have a law of their own: Appenzell Innerrhoden, Obwalden, Ticino, and Vaud.

Appenzell Innerrhoden: Tent only with permission, Vehicle only with permission — Art. 4 Campingverordnung des Kantons Appenzell Innerrhoden (GS 935.610) vom 12.06.1973, Stand 01.01.2013. What this means in detail

Obwalden: Tent with conditions, Vehicle only with permission — Gesetz über das Campieren (GDB 971.4) vom 4. Dezember 2014, Art. 6 und Art. 8. What this means in detail

Ticino: Tent prohibited, Bivouac only with permission, Vehicle prohibited — Legge sui campeggi vom 26. Januar 2004 (RL 943.100), Art. 2, 3, 6 und 13. What this means in detail

Vaud: Tent prohibited, Bivouac prohibited, Vehicle only with permission — Behördliche Richtlinie «Camping sauvage et bivouac», veröffentlicht von der Gemeinde Le Chenit (VD) und von Vallée de Joux Tourisme; dazu Art. 27 LCCR (BLV 935.61). What this means in detail

The decision is therefore almost always made by the municipality — usually in the police regulations, sometimes in land-use planning or a ban on a lakeshore. Two neighbouring municipalities in the same canton can take opposite positions. Purely cantonal information is therefore, outside protected areas, likely to be wrong.

What do the municipalities say?

For 637 of the 2,120 Swiss municipalities, the wording of the regulations has been looked up, 620 of them backed by an official document. For tents outside authorised sites, it looks like this:

For the remaining 1,483 municipalities, nothing has been researched yet. The map leaves them unfilled and shows the municipality's contact instead. No entry never means “allowed”.

All municipalities looked up, by canton

What does «conditional» mean?

Overnight stays there are not simply allowed, but not banned outright either: usually a permit from the municipality or the landowner's consent is required, sometimes it only applies above the tree line. Which condition applies is stated on the page of the respective municipality, directly below the classification.

Is bivouacking different from tent camping?

Yes — and the regulations treat it that way too. Most regulate “camping” or “tenting” and say nothing about sleeping in a sleeping bag without a tent. Of 637 municipalities looked up, only 48 make an explicit statement on bivouacking. Where nothing is stated, this is neither a permission nor a ban: it is unclear, and the municipality's information decides. Applying a tent ban to bivouacking would be just as much a guess as a tent permission. What the regulations say about bivouacking

May I sleep in a car or camper van?

Outside authorised sites, not freely in any of the 637 municipalities looked up. 248 prohibit sleeping in a vehicle, 361 attach conditions to it. Which ones — such as a permit, a maximum duration or the owner's consent — is stated for each municipality.

What applies in my canton?

How reliable is this information?

Every classification states its source and the date it was last checked. Anything derived only from the general legal framework is shown as “not officially documented” and is hatched on the map. How a classification is made is explained under How the map is made.