Set off from an RV hire in Munich and explore the Alps, the Bavarian countryside, or neighbouring Austria at your own pace with Indie Campers. Visit fairytale landmarks like Neuschwanstein Castle, hike alpine trails in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, or cross borders with ease for a multi-country adventure. Choose a campervan from our California, Active, or Comfort range with unlimited kilometres, one-way travel options, and thoughtful extras like snow chains, outdoor furniture, or bedding and towel kits to make your journey comfortable in every season. Backed by a Europe-wide fleet and 4.8-star reviews, Indie Campers helps you road trip through Germany and beyond with confidence.
Our Road Trips Itineraries
Munich's geography creates a routing problem that only an RV solves efficiently. The Bavarian Alps, Lake Constance, the Austrian lake district, Salzburg, and the Romantic Road are all within 150 to 250 km of the city, but none cluster neatly enough for a hotel-based itinerary. A campsite at Garmisch-Partenkirchen puts you at the base of the Zugspitze for an early ascent. A pitch at Camping Grafenlehen puts you at the Königssee boat dock before the first tour-boat queue forms. A night at a Chiemsee campsite gives you the sunrise over Bavaria's largest lake from your vehicle door. None of that is replicable from a Munich hotel room.
The route that makes the clearest case for an RV from Munich is the Bavarian Lakes Circuit: south on the A95 to Garmisch (90 km), east along the Deutsche Alpenstraße to Schliersee and Chiemsee (approximately 120 km), then north via the A8 back to Munich (90 km), roughly 300 km in a loop passing five alpine lakes, three distinct mountain ranges, and one of Europe's oldest scenic drives. The hotel-based equivalent requires four different towns and four separate check-ins. The RV version requires three campsites bookable from one account.
Here's what sets Indie Campers apart from other Munich hire companies:
Unlimited mileage — Drive from Munich to Berchtesgaden and back, then up the Romantic Road to Würzburg, without monitoring a daily cap. Most Munich competitors impose 200-300 km/day limits; Indie Campers does not cap at all.
One-way hires across 100+ locations — Pick up in Munich, drop off in Zurich, Vienna, Venice, or Berlin. No return driving required. The Munich-to-Venice one-way through the Brenner Pass (460 km, 4 hours 30 minutes via A8/A12/A22) is one of the most direct Alpine crossings in the network.
24/7 road assistance — Included on every booking. If something fails on the Alpenstraße at 11:00 p.m. or on the Autobahn between Garmisch and Innsbruck, there is a number to call. Germany's ADAC roadside service is widely available, but Indie Campers' assistance is built directly into your booking.
Basic Protection Plan included — Covered from day one. Additional protection upgrades (Super Relax, Tyres & Glass) are available at booking, worth considering for alpine routes where road debris and steep descents add wear.
Flexible cancellation available — Cancel up to 31 days before pick-up without penalty.
Book now, pay later option available — Reserve your Munich vehicle today; full payment is not due until closer to the departure date.
3 to 5 Days
Bavarian Highlights Loop (approx. 310 km, 4 days)
Alpine Lakes Short Loop (approx. 180 km, 3 days)
7 to 10 Days
Bavarian Alps and Austrian Lakes Circuit (approx. 700 km, 8 days)
14 Days or More
The Alpine Arc — One-Way Munich to Venice (approx. 1,400 km, 14 days)
Fuel Stations
Average fuel price: €1.75-1.90/litre diesel; €1.80-1.95/litre petrol/E10.
LPG/Propane Refill
Germany has over 7,000 LPG/Autogas stations nationwide. Major chains including Aral, Shell, and OMV carry LPG; the Westfalen network is common and reliable across Bavaria.
Germany's RV waste infrastructure runs primarily through the Stellplatz network rather than campgrounds.
Age and Licence Requirements
Minimum hire age: 21 years.
EU licence holders: A full EU driving licence is valid in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland without additional documentation.
International visitors (non-EU): An International Driving Permit (IDP) is recommended alongside your national licence. Germany does not legally require an IDP for all nationalities, but the absence of one has complicated insurance claims in practice. Obtain your IDP from your home country's automobile association before departure, it is not available at German airports or hire counters.
Credit Card and Deposit
A credit card in the primary driver's name is required at pickup. Debit cards and prepaid cards are not accepted. The security deposit is held on the credit card at pickup — the amount varies by vehicle class and selected protection plan. Confirm the exact deposit amount during the booking process.
National Park and Attraction Passes
Germany has no unified national park pass equivalent to the US America the Beautiful Pass. Entry to Berchtesgaden National Park and the Bavarian Forest National Park is free, no entry fee applies.
In Austria: The Großglockner Hochalpenstraße scenic alpine road charges €36/vehicle (cash or card at the gate; no pre-booking required). Individual Austrian national parks are free to enter.
Reservation Systems
There is no single German booking platform equivalent to Recreation.gov. Book campgrounds through Camping.info, the ADAC Camping portal, or directly through individual campsite websites. For ADAC members, affiliated site discounts apply.
Speed Limits
Speed cameras (Blitzer): Fixed camera positions are published legally in German navigation apps. Mobile radar traps are not pre-announced. Automated school zone enforcement operates in parts of Munich.
Road Conditions
Driving Culture
The Autobahn left-lane rule is not advisory: staying in the left lane while not actively overtaking is illegal under §7 StVO and will prompt immediate flashing from vehicles behind. Right lane always; left only when passing; return immediately after overtaking.
Roundabouts in Germany: traffic inside the roundabout has right of way. Yield on entry, this catches drivers from right-hand-drive countries where the dynamic is often reversed.
Horn use is minimal by European standards. Germans flash headlights rather than use the horn; using the horn without cause is technically fineable under §16 StVO.
Pedestrian crossings (Zebrastreifen): drivers must stop, it is legally mandatory, not discretionary, once a pedestrian steps onto the crossing.
RV-Specific Notes
Height: Standard navigation does not account for RV roof height (typically 2.9-3.2 metres). Input your vehicle's height into Google Maps or use a dedicated app with bridge clearance data. Munich city centre car parks have clearances of 2.0-2.4 metres, none are accessible by campervan.
Length: Most Bavarian campsite approaches accommodate campervans up to 7-8 metres. Vehicles over 7.5 metres should verify individual approach roads in advance, particularly in alpine valleys where the final approach involves tight bends.
Propane/LPG: LPG is not restricted in standard German road tunnels. In Austria, some tunnels restrict propane canisters in vehicles without adequate ventilation, check specific tunnels before routing. The Karawanken Tunnel (Slovenia border) prohibits LPG in vehicles without proper ventilation.
Parking: Munich city centre street parking is metered at €3-4/hour with 2-4 hour limits, not practical for overnight campervan use. For city day access, use P+R (park and ride) facilities at outer U-Bahn stations: Fröttmaning (U6), Messestadt West (U2), Haar (S-Bahn). For overnight: use a Stellplatz.
Wildlife: Deer and wild boar crossings are active at dawn and dusk along forest roads south of the city and throughout the Bavarian Forest. The A8 near Holzkirchen and the B307 near Miesbach have documented deer crossing corridors. Reduce speed to 80 km/h on unlit rural roads at night.
Legal Notes
BAC limit: 0.05% for licensed drivers; 0.03% for drivers under 21 or with less than two years on licence. Random breath tests are conducted in Germany without requiring reasonable cause.
First-offence DUI: from €500 at readings above 0.05%; licence suspension from 0.05-0.159%; criminal charge from 0.16% and above.
RV hire: €700–1,800 (varies by vehicle size and season; Oktoberfest week adds 30–50% across all categories; book 3–4 months ahead for July/August to lock in lower rates)
Fuel: €150–320 (diesel approx. €1.85/L; typical weekly distance 700–900 km ÷ 10L/100km = 70–90 litres; alpine grades add 10–15% to consumption)
LPG/Propane: €20–50 (if a mid-trip refill is needed; fill before entering the Bavarian Forest interior or upper alpine valleys where coverage drops)
Tolls: €0–90 (€0 on all German Autobahn for campervans under 7.5t; add €9.90 for the Austrian 10-day vignette; €11 each way for the Brenner Pass if heading to Italy; CHF 40 for the Swiss annual vignette if crossing into Switzerland)
Campgrounds: €140–420 (€20–60/night × 7; Stellplätze via Park4Night at the low end €5–15/night with no hookups; full-hookup alpine sites near Garmisch and Berchtesgaden at the high end)
Food: €200–500 (self-catering from Kaufland or REWE approx. €40/day; mixed cooking and dining out approx. €70/day; beer garden evenings plus restaurant meals €100+/day per person)
Activities: €50–250 (Zugspitze cable car €62/adult return; Neuschwanstein €15/adult pre-book only; Königssee boat €22/adult; Nordkette Innsbruck €37.50; Großglockner road €36/vehicle; German national park entries free)
Parking: €0–50 (Stellplätze €5–15/night; city centre RV parking in Munich not practical due to 2.0–2.4 m clearance limits; P+R at outer U-Bahn stations €2–5/day)
Total estimates:
Budget: approx. €1,300 — Compact vehicle, all self-catering, Stellplätze and lower-cost Bavarian campsites, German-only routing with no Austrian or Swiss crossings, free attractions (English Garden, national park entries, Wieskirche exterior, Partnachklamm if in season)
Mid-range: approx. €2,100 — Mid-size vehicle, mix of cooking and restaurant meals including one or two beer garden evenings, mid-price Bavarian campgrounds with hookups, Austrian vignette included, Zugspitze cable car and Neuschwanstein tickets
Premium: approx. €3,600+ — Larger motorhome, frequent dining including Augustiner-Keller and alpine restaurant stops, full-hookup sites throughout, Austrian vignette plus Brenner Pass toll or Swiss vignette, all major cable cars and palace entries included
Bavaria sits in the mid-to-high range of the Indie Campers European network for campsite costs, driven by strong domestic demand from June through August. The biggest cost variable is how far south or west you travel: a route contained entirely within Germany costs significantly less than one crossing into Switzerland, where campsites average 20–30% higher and the CHF 40 vignette has no short-term alternative. Oktoberfest week is the single biggest price spike on the Munich calendar, campsite rates within 50 km of the city can double, and RV hire prices follow the same curve.
Munich → Zurich (330 km, 3 hours via A96/A1) — Cross Lake Constance at the Allgäu shore and enter Switzerland near St. Gallen. Swiss vignette required (CHF 40). The Rhine Falls at Schaffhausen are 30 km off-route north — the largest waterfall in Europe by volume, and worth the detour if you have not seen it.
Munich → Vienna (460 km, 4 hours 30 minutes via A8/A1) — Cross into Austria east of Salzburg. The Salzkammergut lake district (Hallstatt, Gmunden) sits directly on this route — add a night without significant detour. Austrian vignette required (10-day, €9.90).
Munich → Venice (460 km, 4 hours 30 minutes via A8/A12/A22) — South through Innsbruck and the Brenner Pass (toll: €11 each way), then descend through South Tyrol. Stop in Bolzano for the Ötzi the Iceman Museum (€13/adult) before reaching Venice Mestre. Park at Camping Fusina (GPS: 45.4158° N, 12.2499° E) and take the 30-minute ferry to the Venice island (€7 each way).
Munich → Berlin (580 km, 5 hours 30 minutes via A9) — The Romantic Road from Füssen to Würzburg (460 km one-way) feeds naturally into this route. Combine a week along the Romantic Road with a Berlin drop-off for a full German north-south itinerary.
Munich → Frankfurt (400 km, 3 hours 30 minutes via A9) — Direct Autobahn north; the most straightforward domestic German one-way. Nuremberg (170 km from Munich) is worth a half-day stop: old town walk and the Documentation Centre for the Nazi Rallies.
Munich sits at the northern base of the Bavarian Alps, which makes it the only major European city where you can pick up a campervan in the morning and be parked at the foot of Germany's highest mountain, a UNESCO-listed castle, or a glacial Alpine lake before lunch. No other city in the Indie Campers European network puts the Zugspitze (90 km), Neuschwanstein (130 km), Berchtesgaden National Park (150 km), Lake Constance (200 km), and Salzburg (145 km) within a single morning's drive in five different directions. You are not choosing between mountains or history, lakes or cities, Munich gives you all of it within a radius that makes sense as a road trip, not a travel itinerary.
What is singular to a Munich start is the Bavarian Lakes Circuit: a 300 km loop south through Garmisch-Partenkirchen, east along the Deutsche Alpenstraße past Schliersee and Tegernsee to the Chiemsee, and back north to Munich on the A8. No other city in Germany anchors this route. The five alpine lakes, three mountain ranges, and one of Europe's oldest designated scenic drives are connected by roads that work for campervans, with Stellplätze and campgrounds positioned at regular intervals throughout. Drive it in four days or stretch it to seven. Either way, it is a route you can only run properly if you start here.
The morning of pick-up, get to the Viktualienmarkt when it opens at 8:00 a.m. Load the cooler with Bavarian cheese, dried meats, and fresh Brezel from the stalls before the tourist groups arrive. Walk five minutes to the Eisbach wave at the edge of the English Garden and watch surfers queue for a 10-second ride on a canal in the middle of a city, it runs in February as reliably as it runs in July. Then collect the vehicle and take the A95 south. The Alps are visible from the motorway within 20 minutes of the city limits.
For most travelers, a special licence is not necessary to hire a campervan in Munich. A valid driving licence is required, though, to operate any of our vehicles. If you are a non-EU citizen, an International Driving Permit (IDP) may be required in addition to your home country’s driving licence. Additionally, your licence must match the transmission type of the vehicle (manual or automatic). You can find more details about driving licence requirements here.
Yes, our campervans are pet-friendly. Just be sure to add the extra cleaning service when booking. This ensures a professional anti-allergy cleaning is carried out after your trip. Please note that only one pet is allowed per campervan, and it must not exceed 30kg in weight. Also, we are not liable for any legal fees related to traveling with pets. If you’re booking through our marketplace, check the “vehicle rules” section to confirm if the vehicle is pet-friendly.
The sleeping capacity of our campervans and motorhomes varies depending on the model and size. Our Class C motorhomes can typically accommodate 4 to 8 people, while our Class B campervans can sleep between 2 to 4 people. Vehicles equipped with a rooftop tent generally have space for around 2 people. For a full breakdown of our models and sleeping capacities, click here.
If you're exploring Munich in a campervan rental, it's essential to be aware of the country’s official camping regulations. Many natural areas are legally protected, so using designated overnight parking spots or official campsites is strongly recommended. This not only helps preserve the environment but also ensures a safe and enjoyable experience. For more guidance on safety and responsible camping, click here.
We provide three different protection plans to cover any incidents or damages that might occur during your campervan rental. All Indie Campers campervans come with third-party vehicle insurance, and property damage coverage (which varies based on the country). For marketplace rentals, insurance options may differ depending on the host. For further details on campervan insurance, visit this page.
Yes, our search filter makes it easy to rent a campervan close to your location by using a 60km radius system. Depending on where you're searching from, you can quickly find the nearest Indie Campers campervan rental pick-up centre.
Yes, a selected number of Indie Campers RV rentals in Munich include unlimited mileage, allowing you to explore freely and make the most of your road trip! Please note that unlimited mileage applies exclusively to Indie Campers RVs and is subject to responsible use.
Our Campervans
Our Road Trips Itineraries
“Excelencia no atendimento....equipment 10”
“My partner and I had a lovely time and everyone at indie campers were great and really helpful. Would definitely recommend! ”
“Had a great experience with the team. The service from Tiron and Adham during pickup and drop-off was outstanding. They were very friendly and helpful. Online chat was responsive for any questions I need answering. The vehicle was ideal for my needs. I would book here again and highly recommend to others.”
