Good to know

Find out about the route and the general road conditions before you start your journey. Basically, all campsites in the Bernese Oberland are easily accessible via the public road network. If you want to travel via a pass, make sure that it is already open or still open. (You can find more information about the Alpine passes here).

Take note of the campsite's seasonal opening times. Even campsites that are open all year round sometimes close for a few weeks or months for holidays.

If you're looking for inspiration for tours and excursion destinations, then take a look at our «Tour de Bernese Oberland»: on four routes, we take you to the most beautiful campsites and excursion destinations in the Bernese Oberland.

In Switzerland, the use of motorways and motorway-like roads with white-green signage is subject to a charge: For motorhomes with a permissible total weight of 3.5t, you need a vignette, which you can obtain for CHF 40.00 at the border at the latest. Since August 2023, you can also obtain this electronically via the e-vignette.ch portal. The e-vignette and the adhesive vignette are basically the same. Both are valid for the calendar year with one month before and one month after (i.e. the 2026 vignette is valid from 1 December 2025 to 31 January 2027.) If you are travelling with a caravan or trailer, you must also buy a vignette for this.

Vehicles over 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight are subject to the so-called heavy vehicle charge in Switzerland. Current information and a calculation example can be found on the website of the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security.

It depends. If you are travelling during the school holidays or on long bank holiday weekends, you should book the campsite ahead of time. Pitches by the lake in particular are often fully booked well in advance. This is especially true if you are travelling with a large family tent or a motorhome of 8 metres or more in length. Not all campsites have large enough pitches.

Tip: Less hustle and bustle, better prices - camping in the off-season also has its charm, and spontaneous arrival at the campsites is usually no problem.

No matter what you are promised in advertisements from car rental companies or on travel blogs: there is no great freedom in the Bernese Oberland. Wild camping or standing is prohibited in most municipalities, among other things, for nature conservation reasons.

The high volume of motorhomes on public holidays and during the holiday season repeatedly leads to bottlenecks. The misconduct of a few damages the image of an entire industry and leads to more and more bans. Also, only use the car parks at excursion destinations for the duration of your visit. Do not simply park your vehicle on private property. (Yellow-bordered parking spaces are private!). Don't block the car parks at supermarkets or cemeteries either.

Therefore: always stay overnight at official campsites or caravan parks.

Dogs are welcome at most campsites in the Bernese Oberland. (Many campsite owners have dogs themselves and are therefore very knowledgeable.) Cats are also usually not a problem. It's best to find out before you leave which and how many pets are allowed. Use the filter criterion «pets allowed» to display the corresponding campsites. 

We have summarised everything else you need to know on the page Camping with dog.

Entering Switzerland with your pet
To enter Switzerland, your pet needs certain vaccinations and entry documents. Find out in advance from your vet or take a look at the website of the Swiss Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office.

Depending on the season, the Bernese Oberland offers a bit of everything when it comes to the weather. Even though the temperatures in summer can climb above 30 degrees Celsius in the afternoons, it can get very cold at night, depending on the altitude. So make sure to pack enough warm clothes, even in summer, especially if you are travelling with a tent. The tried and tested principle is «dress like an onion».

In winter, make sure that your vehicle is equipped for winter conditions. In winter sports areas, temperatures can drop to double digits below zero at night. Winter tyres and chains are a must. With good preparation, your winter camping trip will be a unique experience.

Your hosts also need a breather sometimes, and the reception is not staffed throughout, especially in the off-season. Therefore, be sure to arrive during the specified reception hours or arrange an earlier or late arrival outside of the specified time window with your hosts in advance.

Also note that during the winter months it gets dark in the afternoon, which makes it difficult to set up on the plot.

Yes, please do not just drive onto the premises, but always sign in at the reception. Always have an official form of identification (ID card, passport or ID card) with you when you check in. A driving licence is not an official travel document and is not sufficient for this purpose.

Always have some cash (coins) in CHF ready: in some places you still need coins for the washing machines/dryers, the shower or hot water. Even when you're out and about, it is not always possible to pay by card in small farm shops, for example.

For a peaceful coexistence, follow the general campsite rules:

• Night-time quiet: From 10 p.m. onwards, night-time quiet generally prevails at all campsites. This is regulated by law in Switzerland and is not an invention of your hosts. From then on, you should avoid loud conversations, music and party lights in front of your camper. Incidentally, for safety reasons, many campsites block access to the site from 10 p.m. using a barrier.
• Privacy: Respect the privacy of other campers. Keep your equipment to yourself and do not walk across other people's pitches. A friendly ‘hello’, on the other hand, has never hurt anyone.
• Cleanliness: Keep your surroundings clean. Dispose of your rubbish in the designated containers (recycling) and make sure that no food scraps that could attract wild animals are lying around. Also, don't just pour your pasta water or soup leftovers onto the plot, as this will leave bad odours and cause unsightly brown stains on the lawn. Always leave the communal facilities (sanitary facilities, communal rooms/kitchens) clean and tidy.
• Safety: When you go on an excursion, make sure that you do not leave any loose items (e.g. chairs, tables, crockery, drying racks) on the pitch that could fly around and injure other campers in the event of a change in the weather.
• Children: Never leave your children unattended in the playground, by the pool or in the sanitary buildings.
• Showering: Out of respect for the other guests, avoid long wellness shower sessions; instead, keep them short and crisp. This will help to avoid long queues and also minimise your water consumption.
• Valuables: You are responsible for your personal valuables, so do not leave personal belongings unattended to avoid theft or loss.
• Lighting a fire: Before you get cosy around your fire bowl or barbecue, find out whether open fires are allowed. Use the barbecue area provided if there is one, and always respect any bans. Especially when the foehn wind is blowing, open fires can have disastrous consequences.
• Departure: Please make sure to leave your pitch clean and tidy when you depart. Do not leave any rubbish or camping equipment (tents, sleeping bags, etc.) behind. In the interests of sustainability and proper disposal, please take the latter home with you.

Please dispose of waste, grey water and toilet chemicals properly and at the designated disposal stations. Do not simply dump your grey water or unused fresh water on your camping pitch.

Don't just drive into a campsite to dispose of rubbish and waste water or to fill up with water. Campsites are private businesses whose hosts work hard to provide their guests with service, quality and security.

The tap water in the Bernese Oberland is of excellent quality. Avoid PET bottles wherever possible and fill up your reusable bottle for free.

As parking spaces for large motorhomes are very limited or non-existent in the village centres, we recommend that you leave your vehicle at the campsite and explore the area on foot, by bike or by public transport. Depending on where you are staying in the Bernese Oberland, you can use public transport free of charge within a certain radius with your respective guest card.

• If you want to go on a tour in the mountains, be sure to check the weather forecast in advance. Especially on hot summer days, thunderstorms can quickly develop in the afternoon, suddenly approaching from behind a mountain ridge and taking you by surprise. This also makes barbecuing by supposedly placid mountain streams a little dangerous, as these can swell to raging torrents within minutes.
  Tip: Download a weather app, e.g. from SFR Meteo or Landi, and keep an eye on the weather during all your activities. Note that the weather forecast is based on calculation models, and the forecast for thunderstorms is not always precise.
• Wear suitable clothing and sturdy shoes with a good grip to be prepared for any eventuality. Always take enough to drink with you.
• Respect nature: whether you are hiking or biking, stay on the marked trails and paths. Avoid entering sensitive areas such as meadows, moors or nature reserves.
• Leave no trace: Take your rubbish with you and leave nothing but footprints.
• Avoid noise: Keep your volume at an appropriate level so as not to disturb the wildlife and other hikers. This applies in particular in quiet and natural areas. It's better to leave the beatboxing at home and slow down to the sound of rushing mountain streams and cowbells.
• Respect the wildlife: Avoid disturbing, feeding or even petting wild animals. Keep a safe distance and only observe them from a distance so as not to affect their behaviour. In particular, stay away from free-ranging mother cows with calves. They have a strong protective instinct and can react aggressively to humans.
• Don't start a fire: Avoid starting open fires and use designated fireplaces.
• Protect wild flowers and plants: Do not pick wild flowers or plants or damage vegetation.
• Use toilets: Use public toilets wherever possible. If you need to go during a hike, dig a hole an appropriate distance from water sources and then cover it again. Better yet, pack dog bags. Never use wet wipes.
• Keep your dog on a lead: When you are out and about with your dog, keep it on a lead so as not to disturb wild animals and other hikers. Be aware of the specific rules for dogs in the respective areas.
• Take care when bathing in streams and mountain lakes: never jump head first into unknown and murky waters. Never underestimate the current in flowing waters and respect bathing bans. Keep an eye on the weather: seemingly harmless mountain streams can turn into raging torrents within minutes as a result of a thunderstorm higher up the mountain.