Van road trip › Germany
Van road trip in Germany: how many days and how much does it cost?
Germany: allow 7 to 15 days by van for a loop of about 1,370 mi (2,200 km). Budget: between €650 and €1,100 for fuel and nights, without meals or sightseeing.
Estimates. These figures are rough estimates written from memory on Oct 25, 2026: prices and rules change. Check official sources before you go.
How many days?
Allow 7 to 15 days for a loop of about 1,370 mi (2,200 km), at a pace of 150 to 300 km (95 to 185 mi) a day. The longer you stay in the same places, the more days you need.
Famous routes in this country, to copy into a trip:
- Romantic Road : Würzburg to Füssen: walled towns (Rothenburg, Dinkelsbühl, Nördlingen), Augsburg and finally Neuschwanstein at the foot of the Alps.
How much does it cost?
| Fuel | €600 |
|---|---|
| Nights (11 days) | between €50 and €500 |
| Total, without meals or sightseeing | between €650 and €1,100 |
Assumptions: 12 L per 100 km, 11 days, 1,370 mi (2,200 km) of driving, gas at €2.20 per litre. Tolls and vignettes extra. With your vehicle and your route, the planner works out the cost kilometre by kilometre.
Where to sleep? Tolerated depending on the spot
Wild camping banned; one night to "restore fitness to drive" while parked is tolerated, with nothing set out. Lots of "Stellplatz" stopovers.
Frequently asked questions
- Germany: how many days for a van road trip?
- Allow 7 to 15 days for a loop of about 1,370 mi (2,200 km), at a pace of 150 to 300 km (95 to 185 mi) a day. The longer you stay in the same places, the more days you need.
- Germany: how much does a van road trip cost?
- For 11 days, budget €600 for fuel (12 L per 100 km, gas at €2.20 per litre) and between €50 and €500 for nights, so between €650 and €1,100 in total without meals or sightseeing.
- Germany: where to sleep in a van?
- Tolerated depending on the spot. Wild camping banned; one night to "restore fitness to drive" while parked is tolerated, with nothing set out. Lots of "Stellplatz" stopovers. A night costs €5 to €45 depending on whether you find a free spot, a service area or a campground with hookups.
- Germany: do you need to pay tolls or buy a vignette in a van?
- No tolls. No tolls for cars and RVs. The truck toll targets freight transport, not motorhomes. A few tunnels and ferries are tolled.
- Germany: what do you need to enter with your van?
- Schengen Area: 90 days in any 180-day period, all Schengen countries counted together. Passport valid at least 3 months after you leave Schengen and issued less than 10 years ago. EES: fingerprints and photo taken on your first entry into Schengen, then checked at each crossing (system in place since 2025-2026). ETIAS: online travel authorisation, planned for late 2026; check whether it's in force before you go. International Driving Permit recommended (CAA, AAA): cheap, and it saves trouble. Insurance: your North American policy isn't valid here. You need European insurance for a vehicle registered outside Europe, with its green card.