🇩🇪 Germany — OpenVan.camp

The fire broke out on Friday evening in Schutzackerstrasse. Firefighters brought it under control quickly and nobody was injured. A faulty device may have caused the blaze.

Alpincamper is offering a camper van based on the Opel Vivaro Pro from €59,000. The base price includes a sleeping bench, kitchen unit and pop-top roof. The vehicle has a 2.2-litre diesel engine with 145 PS and an 8-speed automatic gearbox. It seats five and sleeps two, plus two in the pop-top roof. For comparison, the Volkswagen California Beach starts at €66,086 and the Mercedes Marco Polo at €78,133.

A caravan was stolen from a dealer's premises in Finowfurt. Police attempted to stop the driver on the A11 shortly afterwards, but he fled and crashed into a crash barrier. The passenger fled the scene. Police are searching for those involved.

The Pegnitzwiesen motorhome stopover in Lauf an der Pegnitz offers four marked pitches. A night in high season costs 6 EUR, the maximum stay is 1 day and later departure for a surcharge is not available. Water is priced at 1 EUR per 80 litres and electricity at 1 EUR per 8 hours, grey water disposal is included, and there is a WC and cassette toilet emptying. Water, electricity and disposal are not available in winter. The site is located in the town centre on a paved car park, the surface is mostly level and partly shaded, and a public transport stop is within walking distance.

DoldeMedien Verlag is publishing the 15th edition of the Winzeratlas 2027 on 12 December 2026. The guide lists more than 200 wineries, wine cooperatives and cellars across 16 wine regions, mainly in Germany, plus South Tyrol, Trentino, Hungary, Alsace and Austria. Pre-orders placed by 11 December 2026 cost €22.90 instead of €29.90 and include a free motorhome-themed card game. The included vignette allows one free night at around 200 wineries from December 2026 to 31 December 2027, but it does not apply to caravans or to Bordatlas stopover sites.

German equipment maker Berger has introduced a 200 Ah Pro lithium battery for the habitation area of motorhomes. An integrated heating system switches on automatically during charging when the temperature falls to 0 °C or below, allowing the battery to be recharged in sub-zero conditions. The 12.8 V battery stores 2,560 Wh, delivers up to 200 A continuously, carries an IP65 rating and has a five-year warranty. Recommended charge current is 100 A at 14.6 V, with a maximum of 200 A. The price is €749.

Dog owners are increasingly taking their pets on camping holidays, but campsite rules and facilities vary widely. Leash requirements, swimming areas and dog fees differ from site to site. Heat at the pitch and the site's equipment also affect the animal's wellbeing. Checking campsite rules before departure helps avoid conflicts.

The operating committee of Herzebrock-Clarholz approved a parking fee for motorhomes at the Herzebrock lido at its meeting on Tuesday. The site, currently free for tourists, will cost 5 euros per day. The municipal council is due to take the final decision at its meeting on 16 December.

IMTEST tested five camper vans between 5.40 and 6 metres long over several days at the Land campsite in Stove, northern Germany. The assessment covered base equipment and connectivity, driving behaviour and safety, and the living and sleeping areas. The models were the Forster Livin' Up V 599 VBL, Hymer Free 600, Sunlight Cliff 540 RT Adventure Edition, Volkswagen Grand California 600 and Weinsberg CaraTour 600 ME. Manufacturers have to fit a shower, toilet, kitchen and sleeping space for up to four people into a smaller footprint. Prices for new camper vans start at around 45,000 euros, and well-equipped models such as the VW California 6.1 can reach 100,000 euros.

Monika and Wolfgang Hotfilter from Osnabrück own an Orion motorhome that is around 50 years old and have driven it about 400,000 kilometres over four decades. The vehicle originally had a Hanomag chassis, was later converted to Mercedes, while the body from a Detmold plant remained unchanged. In 1993 the owner almost doubled the original 54 hp and added wooden interior fittings. The motorhome's total mileage stands at 500,000 kilometres. In winter 2019 the couple drove it to the North Cape in temperatures down to minus 35 degrees.

The article offers preparation advice for overlanding in a camper based on six years of travel experience. The authors lived in a camper and travelled mainly eastwards through the Baltics and the Balkans to Asia, reaching the Kazakhstan-China border, the Oman-Yemen border and an altitude of 4,655 m on the Pamir Highway. The hottest period was in Iraq at over 45 °C. It notes that such trips require different preparation from classic camping.

Mario John (39) and Emanuel Rusu (52) from Weinstadt advise owners of caravans and motorhomes on DIY conversions. They warn that unchecked information from YouTube can be dangerous. Before a trip, they recommend checking the vehicle's technical condition. The consultations take place at the motorhome stopover near the Cabrio site.

Hannes Camper is expanding its rental fleet with semi-integrated motorhomes from Sunlight. The Hannes Basic XL, built on a Citroën Jumper chassis with a 140 hp 2.3-litre diesel and an eight-speed automatic, offers four berths and more living space than a camper van. From 2027 the model will be available at selected rental stations, though not all 21. Low-season hire from November to March costs €100 per day, mid-season €130 and the remaining months €170, plus a one-off €200 service fee.

ADAC Hessen-Thüringen has published guidance for motorhome users planning winter trips in Hesse. It recommends carrying 11 kg of gas for two to three days as a guideline, and winter tyres with a tread depth of at least 4 mm. Drivers should also carry snow chains, antifreeze windscreen washer fluid, an ice scraper and a shovel. Boards under the levelling jacks are advised when parking on snow. Willingen has the state's largest ski area, the Wasserkuppe in the Rhön offers snowkiting and paragliding, and the Odenwald has cross-country ski trails.

In Hohenwarthe, Saxony-Anhalt, a working group is to resolve the dispute over motorhome parking at the Trogbrücke bridge. The local committee discussed the issue on Thursday evening. The Hohenwarthe parish council has filed a motion to ban overnight stays in motorhomes at the site. The conflict, which has lasted for months, centres on rubbish and human waste.

German publication Promobil has listed ten motorhome stopovers in Germany where an overnight stay costs no more than ten euros. The sites are located in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Brandenburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate. Capacity ranges from eight to 70 pitches, and overnight fees range from five to ten euros. At some stopovers electricity, fresh water and grey water disposal are included in the price, while at others these services are charged separately.

Hymer held a Learning Xperience session on 3 November 2026 at the Mercedes-Benz Offroad Driving Events site in Maselheim, Germany. The 35,000 m² course features slopes, holes, rocks and water obstacles. Five 4x4 models based on the Mercedes Sprinter took part: two camper vans, the Grand Canyon S 600 and Grand Canyon S 600 Crossover, and three coachbuilt models, the Venture S, ML-T 570 Crossover and ML-T 580 Crosstrail. The combined value of the vehicles approaches one million euros. Participants practised hill climbs and descents, including the DSR system that limits downhill speed to 4 km/h without driver braking. No vehicle got stuck or was damaged during the day.

German discounters Lidl and Netto have expanded their camping equipment ranges in their online shops. Lidl offers the 28-litre Lifetime Premium cool box, the 800 W Parkside inverter generator, the GCI Comfort Pro Rocker chair with a load capacity of up to 113 kg, the Ultimate Speed lambskin seat cover and the Easy Camp picnic box. Netto sells the Kesser camping sofa, the Camry CR 1035 portable toilet with a 20-litre waste tank and a 13-litre flush tank, the Kesser rocket stove, the 3 kg Steinborg mini washing machine and the Greenyard motorhome cover. The comparison indicates that buying from the discounters instead of specialist retailers saves money on many products.

Many motorhome owners deregister their vehicles for the winter and consider cancelling insurance. This can be a costly mistake, as many motor insurance policies already include free lay-up cover. Even those planning to switch to a cheaper insurer next season should not necessarily do so at the moment the motorhome is deregistered for winter. Lay-up insurance is therefore of great value to seasonal motorhomers precisely because it is free. Several points must be observed when using it.

The town councils of Staßfurt and Hecklingen have approved the drafting of a development plan for the Löderburger See tourism centre. The plan is also intended to secure pitches for permanent caravaners. Staßfurt received council approval after the same issue of a missing development plan arose at the former Großer Schachtsee campsite in Wolmirsleben. Staßfurt can now follow the neighbouring town.