Germany Camping Statistics

Germany is one of Europe's leading camping destinations, with 3,157 campsites open in 2025¹ — the most in the EU after France² — and the continent's most extensive RV infrastructure. The German camping industry experienced unprecedented growth following the COVID-19 pandemic, as domestic travellers increasingly embraced outdoor recreation and self-contained travel options.

• German campsites have recorded more than 13 million camper arrivals in each of the last three years, with a record 14.3 million in 2025³.
• 44.7 million camping nights were recorded in Germany during 2025⁴, representing an all-time high.
• Motorhome ownership has more than doubled since 2017, passing 1 million registered motorhomes in April 2025⁵, and 96,392 new RVs were registered in 2024⁶.
• Shoulder season camping is growing faster than the year as a whole: camping nights in April–May and September–October rose from 11.1 million in 2019 to 15.9 million in 2025, up about 43%, against 25% for the full year.⁷
• Camping and motorhome holidaymakers spent a record €20.8 billion in Germany in 2024⁸.

Germany had 3,157 campsites open in July 2025, offering around 943,000 pitches. That is up from 2,874 in 2015, a rise of about 10%, with the only dip in 2020 during the pandemic.¹

• Most Campsites by State: Bavaria had the most campsites in 2025 (532), followed by Lower Saxony (412), Baden-Württemberg (396) and North Rhine-Westphalia (320).¹⁰
• Over 200 Campsites: Schleswig-Holstein (271), Rhineland-Palatinate (270), Hesse (223) and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (210) also had more than 200 campsites each.¹⁰

August is the busiest month for camping in Germany, with 10.2 million camping nights in 2025, more than a fifth of the year's total.⁷ Demand is highest in July and August, when school holidays and warm weather bring the most campers.

• Most German campsites are fully open and at or near capacity from late May to early September, with the highest occupancy and booking pressure during July and August.
• Shoulder Season: Camping nights in April–May and September–October rose from 11.1 million in 2019 to 15.9 million in 2025, up about 43%, against 25% for the full year.⁷

Camping and motorhome holidaymakers spent a record €20.8 billion in Germany in 2024, up from €19.5 billion in 2023, and around €7.2 billion of it went directly to the holiday regions.⁸

• Share of Tourism: Camping accounted for 9.0% of all tourist accommodation nights in 2025⁴.
• Regional Impact: In some lake and rural regions camping matters far more than the national average: campsites took 47.1% of all overnight stays in the Fränkisches Seenland in 2025 and 26.4% in Haßberge, against 9.0% nationally⁴.
• RV Industry Revenue: The German caravan and motorhome manufacturing sector made €15.1 billion in revenue in 2024, the second-highest year on record.⁶

People camped the most in coastal and southern lake regions of Germany in 2025, with the strongest concentration along the Baltic Sea and in the Black Forest area.

• Schleswig-Holstein's Baltic Sea coast was the single most frequented camping area, drawing about 3.5 million overnight stays in 2025⁴, making it the clear hotspot for campers living in Germany.

Regional Distribution of Camping in Germany 2025

The top camping states in Germany attracted millions of overnight stays in 2025:

• Bavaria: 8.63 million camping nights¹² (highest total)
• Lower Saxony: 6.37 million camping nights¹²
• Baden-Württemberg: 5.76 million camping nights¹²

Germany has more than 1 million registered motorhomes, more than double the number in 2017.⁵

• RV Ownership: Germany passed 1 million registered motorhomes in April 2025⁵. Counting caravans and converted vans too, dwif put the camping-vehicle fleet at nearly 2 million (1,972,587) in 2023¹³.
• New Sales: Germany recorded 96,392 new RV registrations in 2024, maintaining levels well above pre-COVID figures⁶.

For more on motorhome trips, see our RV camping statistics for Germany.