This page covers what campervan hire in Europe costs, which size to book, where to pick one up, the rules for driving it across borders, where you can park overnight, and the road trips most first-timers choose. To see real vehicles and dates, use the search box at the top of the page.
How much does it cost to hire a campervan in Europe?
The nightly rate is the first number you see and roughly two-thirds of the trip’s total cost. Budget the whole figure before you book.
Nightly rate, from European rental operators and comparison sites for 2026:
| Vehicle | Spring/autumn (per night) | July–August (per night) |
|---|---|---|
| 2-berth campervan | £60–£110 | £120–£200 |
| 4-berth motorhome | £90–£150 | £170–£260+ |
| 6-berth motorhome | £120–£190 | £220–£320+ |
Treat these as a snapshot, not a quote. One comparison site puts a typical 2-berth at around £120 a night in January against over £220 in July — the same van, six months apart. Older vehicles and budget operators sit below the table; newer six-berth motorhomes in peak season sit above it.
The costs that get underbudgeted:
- Season. July and August are the peak — school holidays across the UK, France, Germany and the Netherlands land at once. Rates roughly double and the popular depots run out of vehicles. May, June, September and early October are cheaper, quieter and still warm.
- One-way fee. Picking up in Munich and dropping in Venice, or Lisbon and dropping in Málaga, adds a relocation fee — often £150–£400. Book it early; one-way stock is limited in summer.
- Mileage cap. Many European hires include a daily kilometre allowance rather than unlimited mileage, with a per-kilometre charge over it. On a 2,500 km loop, that adds up — check the cap against your route.
- Insurance excess. The standard damage excess is high, frequently £1,500–£2,500 held on a card. You can usually buy it down to zero for around £15–£25 a day, or bring your own annual hire-vehicle excess policy.
- Tolls, vignettes and stickers. A summer trip through France, Switzerland and Italy can run to £150–£250 in motorway tolls and passes before you have parked anywhere (see the tolls section below).
- Campsites and aires. You will not park for free every night. Budget a mix: aires at £0–£15, campsites with power and showers at £25–£45 for two in high season.
- Extras. Bike racks, camping chairs, a second driver, winter tyres or snow chains, and an early pick-up are all commonly added lines. Ask what the quoted rate includes.
A rough two-week example. A four-berth motorhome for 14 nights out of Barcelona in September — van, zero-excess cover, a mix of aires and campsites, tolls, and fuel for about 2,000 km — lands somewhere around £2,600–£3,800, before flights, food and days out. Check every figure against a live quote for your dates; for what goes into the number, see campervan and motorhome hire costs.
For live prices on real vehicles, search your dates at the top of this page.
What size campervan should you hire?
Pick by how many people will be sleeping in it and how easy you want it to be to park up for the night.
Two-berth campervan
A compact van — a converted panel van or a small coachbuilt — for one or two people. Easiest to drive, easiest to park, cheapest to hire and to fuel, and it fits the height barriers on a lot of European city and coastal car parks that stop a bigger motorhome at the entrance. Most have a small kitchen and a fixed or fold-out bed; not all have a toilet or shower. The usual choice for a couple. Browse campervan hire for what is listed.
Four-berth motorhome
The family default. A fixed double or bunks plus a convertible dinette, a full kitchen, a toilet and a shower. Drives like a large van — a motorway on-ramp and a supermarket car park take a bit of thought for the first hour, then it is routine. Around six to seven metres long, so it will fit most campsites and aires but not every historic-centre street; see motorhome hire.
Six-berth motorhome
For groups of five or six. The most living space and the most to manage: length on Alpine hairpins, height under tunnels and tree branches, weight on the mileage and fuel bill, and — importantly — the licence. If the vehicle’s maximum weight is over 3,500 kg and you passed your UK test after 1 January 1997, you may not be entitled to drive it without adding the C1 category (see the licence section). Worth it for the numbers if everyone holds the right licence; more van than a couple or a small family needs.
Where to hire a campervan in Europe
You can pick up a van in most European countries. Which country you start in usually comes down to where the cheap flight lands and which trip you want to do. The vehicles on campervanhire.com are listed by their owners and small local rental firms, and you book them through our partner Outdoorsy with the payment protected — so you can compare what is actually free for your dates across several countries in one search.
Western Europe
France has the densest pick-up network and the best-developed aires system, which makes it the easiest first country to tour. Germany suits the Alps, the Romantic Road and Scandinavia beyond; the Netherlands and Belgium are small, flat and cycle-friendly, and handy as a first leg out of a Channel port.
The Mediterranean
Spain and Portugal are the winter and shoulder-season picks — mild in October and March, long quiet coastlines, though Portugal now enforces against wild camping. Barcelona is a common one-way start for the Pyrenees or the southern coast. Italy pairs the Dolomites with the Adriatic and the south, with the ZTL caveat for the historic cities.
The Alps and Scandinavia
Austria, Switzerland and northern Italy are the classic Alpine loop — spectacular, and the most toll- and vignette-heavy driving in Europe. For the far north, Norway and Finland reward a longer trip and a bigger budget, with the freest wild-camping rules on the continent.
Hiring in Britain instead? See campervan hire in the UK, Scotland and Ireland — and the next section, if the plan is to take a UK van across to Europe.
Hiring a campervan in the UK to tour Europe
Two routes onto the continent: hire a van in Britain and take it across on the ferry or Eurotunnel, or fly out and pick one up locally. For a week in northern France, taking one from home is fine. For anything longer or further, picking up on the continent is usually cheaper and simpler — no ferry fare for a large vehicle, no mileage burned on the drive south, and the van is already set up for right-hand-side driving. Our guide to your first motorhome trip abroad from the UK covers the crossing, paperwork and rules step by step.
If you do take a UK-hired van abroad, the rental company has to give you a VE103 (Vehicle on Hire Certificate) — a DVLA-authenticated document that proves you have the owner’s permission to take the vehicle out of the country. It is the only legal stand-in for the V5C logbook; a letter or a photocopy will not do, and foreign police can fine you or hold the van without it. Ask for it when you book, not the day before you sail.
The rest of the checklist for a British-registered van:
- A UK identifier. A number plate showing “UK” with the Union flag is enough; an older GB or Euro-stars plate needs a separate UK sticker.
- Headlamp beam deflectors so a right-hand-drive van’s lights don’t dazzle oncoming traffic — a set of stick-on deflectors is a few pounds. Some newer vans have a headlight setting instead.
- European breakdown cover. A UK policy usually stops at Dover. Buy cover that includes the countries on your route and recovery of a vehicle your size.
- A GHIC card for each traveller (it replaces the EHIC and covers some state healthcare) plus proper travel insurance — the GHIC is not a substitute.
- The 90/180 rule. Since 2021, British passport holders can spend at most 90 days in any rolling 180 across the Schengen area as visitors. A new biometric border system (EES) began logging entries and exits in October 2025. ETIAS, a separate paid pre-travel authorisation, has been delayed repeatedly and is not in force as of 2026 — check the position before you travel.
- Check the rental agreement names every country you will drive through, including the ones you are only passing through. You are only covered in the countries listed on your rental agreement.
- Confirm your insurance and breakdown package covers Channel crossings and continental driving before you pay — some UK hire deals exclude it, others charge a European-use fee.
Tolls, vignettes and low-emission zones
This is the part of driving in Europe that costs money you didn’t plan for and, in a few cities, a fine you really didn’t plan for. Three separate systems:
Distance tolls — you pay for the motorway you use. France (the péage), Spain, Italy, Portugal and Greece charge by the distance driven, collected at a barrier or by number-plate camera. A cross-France run is £70–£90 each way in a motorhome. The rental company often fits an electronic tag and passes on the charges; ask, because the alternative is queuing at every barrier for a card machine.
Vignettes — you buy a pass before you drive the motorway at all. Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, Czechia and Hungary work this way, and driving their motorways without one is an on-the-spot fine.
- Switzerland: one price, CHF 40 (about £34), and it is annual only — there is no weekly option, so a single day of Swiss motorway costs the same as a year. Available as a sticker or an e-vignette.
- Austria: a 10-day digital vignette costs around €13. Austria’s cameras check vehicle dimensions automatically — a motorhome over 3.5 tonnes needs the GO-Box toll system, not the car vignette, and getting it wrong can mean a fine of around €240.
- Slovenia: campervans and motorhomes measuring over 1.30 m from the ground to the bonnet above the front axle fall into a higher class — around €30 for a week rather than the car rate. Most coachbuilt motorhomes are over that line.
Low-emission zones — you may need a sticker, or you may be barred. Cities restrict older or larger vehicles to cut pollution, and the schemes differ by country:
- France (Crit’Air). Many French cities run low-emission zones (ZFE) that require a Crit’Air sticker in the windscreen, with no exemption for motorhomes or campervans — and the rules have been changing, so check the zones on your route before you go. Order it before you travel from the official site, certificat-air.gouv.fr — rental companies rarely supply it. It lasts the life of the vehicle.
- Germany (Umweltplakette). Most German cities have an Umweltzone you can only enter with a green environmental badge. Newer hire vans carry one already; confirm it is on the windscreen.
- Italy (ZTL). The zona a traffico limitato in historic centres — Florence, Rome, Bologna, most Tuscan hill towns — is camera-enforced, and a large van is often barred from entering at all, not just charged. Fines arrive months later through the rental company. Park outside the walls and walk in.
Ask at pick-up which stickers and tags are already fitted, and which you need to sort yourself.
Driving licence, minimum age and insurance
- Licence. A full car licence (category B) held for at least a year lets you drive any hire van up to 3,500 kg — which covers almost every two- and four-berth. If your licence is not printed in the Roman alphabet, carry an International Driving Permit with it. For a motorhome over 3,500 kg — some large six-berths — you need category C1, and UK licences issued after 1 January 1997 do not include it automatically. Check the “categories” panel on the back of your licence before you book a heavy vehicle.
- Minimum age. Most European operators set the minimum driver age at 25, take some bookings from 21 with a young-driver surcharge, and a few won’t hire a large motorhome below 25 at all. It is set per operator and per vehicle, so check the listing rather than assuming.
- Insurance. Hire vans come with third-party cover and collision damage waiver as standard, but with that high excess. Reducing the excess to zero — through the operator or a standalone annual policy — is the single change that stops a stone chip or a kerbed alloy turning into a four-figure bill. Tyres, windscreen and the roof are the parts often left out of the standard cover; check whether they are included.
Where can you park and camp overnight?
Four options, cheapest first:
- Aires. An aire de camping-car is a marked motorhome stopover — a dedicated bay with a place to fill fresh water and empty the waste tanks, sometimes free, usually €5–€15. France has thousands; Germany (Stellplätze), Spain, Portugal and Italy have their own networks. They are stopovers, not holiday spots — you park, sleep and move on — and they are how most people keep a European trip affordable.
- France Passion and its equivalents. A France Passion membership (around £30 a year) lets you stay overnight at around 2,200 farms, vineyards and small producers across France, free, on the understanding you might buy a bottle or some cheese. Germany, Italy, Spain and Portugal have similar schemes.
- Campsites. Book-ahead sites with power, hot showers, a laundry and often a pool. £25–£45 a night for two in high season, less in spring and autumn. Worth it every few days to recharge, do laundry and dump tanks properly.
- Wild camping — parking overnight somewhere that is neither a campsite nor an aire — is where the rules vary most:
- Broadly allowed: Norway, Sweden, Finland (a right-to-roam tradition) and Scotland, but for tents only: those rights do not cover sleeping in a motorhome or campervan, which needs a campsite, a stopover or the landowner’s permission.
- Restricted: France and Germany tolerate one night in a lay-by if you don’t put out chairs and an awning, but not more.
- Enforced against: Portugal has fined wild campers since 2021, and Croatia and most of Italy don’t permit it. Use the aires instead.
The Park4Night app is what nearly everyone uses to find aires, France Passion stops and legal overnight parking, with recent reviews of each.
When to go and how far ahead to book
Book the van three to six months ahead for July and August. The four- and six-berths sell out first, early bookings get the better rate, and in August you also want to reserve popular coastal and Alpine campsites in advance.
May, June, September and early October are the sweet spot — noticeably cheaper vans, aires and campsites that aren’t full, comfortable weather, and quieter roads. For a first European trip, this is the better experience as well as the cheaper one.
Winter hire works for two things: the Alps for skiing (make sure the van has a heater rated for it and check each country’s winter-tyre and snow-chain law) and southern Spain and Portugal for sun (mild, cheap, and the coast roads are empty). It is the cheapest time to hire everywhere else, but many campsites and most aires in the north are closed.
Best campervan road trips in Europe
Five routes take most first-time bookings. A comfortable pace is three to four hours of driving on the days you move, with a full day off every third or fourth day.
The Atlantic coast: Nantes to Lisbon
Nantes – La Rochelle – Bordeaux – San Sebastián – Porto – Lisbon. About 1,700 km, 12–16 days, best May–June or September. Surf beaches, oyster towns, the Bordeaux vineyards and the Portuguese coast. Pick up in France and drop in Portugal, or run it the other way.
The Alpine loop
Munich – Innsbruck – the Dolomites – the Swiss passes – Lake Geneva – back through the Black Forest. About 1,300 km, 10–14 days, best late June to September. The best mountain driving on the continent and the most tolls and vignettes — budget for Swiss and Austrian passes. Start in Germany.
Southern Spain and Andalusia
Málaga – Ronda – Seville – the Cádiz coast – Granada. About 900 km, 8–12 days, best March–April or October. Warm out of season, cheap, and short driving days between the white towns and the coast. A good first trip from Spain.
Italy: the Dolomites to the Amalfi Coast
Venice – the Dolomites – Lake Garda – Tuscany – Rome – the Amalfi Coast. About 1,400 km, 12–16 days, best May–June or September. Mountains, hill towns and coast in one run — park outside the ZTL in every historic city. Start in Italy.
Scandinavia and the fjords
Oslo – Bergen – the western fjords – the Atlantic Road – Trondheim. About 1,500 km, 14–21 days, best late June to August. Long days, midnight light, and the freest wild camping in Europe — but the highest fuel and ferry costs. Pick up in Norway.
Campervan hire in Europe: frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to hire a campervan in Europe?
Going by 2026 rental and comparison-site guides, expect roughly £60–£110 a night for a two-berth campervan in spring or autumn and £120–£200 in July and August; a four-berth motorhome runs about £90–£150 off-peak and £170–£260 or more in peak summer. The nightly rate is around two-thirds of the real cost — add motorway tolls and vignettes, an insurance-excess reduction of about £15–£25 a day, campsite and aire fees, fuel, and any one-way or mileage charges. A two-week trip in a four-berth lands somewhere around £2,600–£3,800 all in, before flights and food. Always check a live quote for your dates.
Can I hire a campervan in the UK and take it to Europe?
Yes. The rental company must issue you a VE103 Vehicle on Hire Certificate — the document that proves you’re allowed to take the hired vehicle abroad — and the agreement has to name every country on your route. You’ll also need European breakdown cover (a UK policy won’t extend), a UK identifier on the plate, headlamp deflectors, and a GHIC plus travel insurance. For trips longer than about a week or further than northern France, picking a van up on the continent is usually cheaper than ferrying one across.
What licence do I need to hire a campervan in Europe?
A full car licence (category B) held for at least 12 months covers any hire vehicle up to 3,500 kg, which is almost all two- and four-berth vans. A licence not in the Roman alphabet needs an International Driving Permit alongside it. A motorhome over 3,500 kg needs category C1 — and UK licences issued after 1 January 1997 don’t include C1 automatically, so check before booking a large six-berth.
What is the minimum age to hire a campervan in Europe?
Most operators set it at 25, accept some bookings from 21 with a young-driver surcharge, and a few won’t hire larger motorhomes to under-25s at all. It’s set by each operator and vehicle, so check the listing before booking.
Do I need to pay motorway tolls and vignettes?
Usually, yes. France, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Greece charge distance-based tolls collected at barriers or by camera. Switzerland (CHF 40, annual only), Austria, Slovenia, Czechia and Hungary require a vignette — a pass you buy before using the motorway. Many motorhomes and campervans fall into a higher vignette class in Austria and Slovenia because of their weight or height. A summer trip across two or three of these countries can add £150–£250.
Do I need a Crit’Air sticker or a low-emission-zone permit?
For France, usually — many French cities run low-emission zones that require a Crit’Air sticker, with no exemption for motorhomes, and the rules have been changing, so check before you travel. Order it before you travel from the official French government site; rental firms rarely supply it. Germany needs an Umweltplakette badge for city environmental zones (usually already fitted to hire vans), and Italian historic centres enforce ZTL zones that often bar large vans entirely — park outside and walk in.
Can I pick up in one country and drop off in another?
Yes — one-way hire between major depots is common, for a fee that’s often £150–£400 depending on the distance and season. It’s what makes routes like Munich to Venice or Lisbon to Málaga work without doubling back. One-way stock is limited in summer, so book it as early as your dates are firm.
Is the mileage unlimited?
Not always. Many European hires include a daily kilometre allowance with a per-kilometre charge over it, rather than unlimited mileage. On a long loop, that difference matters — check the cap against your planned route before you book.
Where can I park a campervan overnight in Europe?
Cheapest first: aires (marked motorhome stopovers with water and waste facilities, free to about €15), farm-stay schemes like France Passion (around £30 a year for around 2,200 spots), and campsites with power and showers (£25–£45 for two in high season). Wild camping outside these is a grey area: the right-to-roam traditions in Scandinavia and Scotland cover tents rather than motorhomes, one night in a lay-by is tolerated in parts of France and Germany, and enforced against in Portugal, Croatia and most of Italy. The Park4Night app maps all of it.
Can I bring a dog?
Many owners allow pets, sometimes with a cleaning fee — filter for pet-friendly vehicles and confirm with the owner. For the trip itself, your dog needs an animal health certificate (or a pet passport issued in the EU), a microchip and a rabies vaccination; check the current entry requirements for each country before you travel.
Ready to see real vehicles and dates? Enter your pick-up location and travel dates in the search box at the top of this page.