My girlfriend and I are planning to cycle from Berlin to the western part of Zealand (Denmark) this summer, taking the Rostock–Gedser ferry.
That means we’ll need to spend a couple of nights in Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. From what I’ve read, wild camping seems to be partly allowed in these regions, especially if you’re traveling by bike and staying just one night.
So I was wondering:
- What are your experiences with wild camping in this part of Germany?
- Is it generally tolerated if you’re discreet and respectful?
- Are there any specific rules or things we should be aware of?
We’ll be bringing a tent and full camping gear, but we’re open to everything from campsites and shelters to more “wild” options.
Also, if anyone has recommendations for places we absolutely shouldn’t miss along the route, we’d love to hear them!
by Klutzy-Sun741
7 Comments
gonna be tough to cycle that light blue bit
As far as I learned, yes you could stay with your tent if you travelling with a bike for 1 night in Brandenburg. It should be not private area and not an area of any national reservation by te way. So far, I only taking overnights at Biwakplatz (usually it’s free of charge) and Camping grounds. Therefor e can’t say anything about wild options.
I was going to go via Rostock last year and ended up in Gdansk.
It was an awesome decision.
Take the ferry to Sweden instead 😅
Wild Camping is illegal to bivouac isn’t.
If you use a tent you are doing sth illegal. A tent without a ground layer might be legal and be counted as a bivouac. But to be honest, this is stuff that would be solved in court. Let’s not get to that point.
So follow the same rules as always while stealth camping. Come late, leave early. Leave no Trace and you should be fine.
Sometimes there are free bivouac places around the well known cycling tours, here you can camp legally over night. You’ll probably be usin the Havel-Rad Weg for some time, there you will have those places. Besides that just don’t get caught and even if you get caught, if you leave no trace police will just tell you to move on most of the time.
There is one exception though. Never sleep in nature protected areas or “Naturschutzgebiete”, when you get caught here you’ll get a hefty fine. Also police is not good to talk to when getting caught wild camping in those areas.
You are going to love cycling in North Brandenburg and Meckpom.
My only advice is: if you see only one access to a lake because the reeds are blocking the rest, DO NOT set your tent there. You will be awakened by boars in the night.
And mind the raccoons coming for your dinner. Stand your ground, this is your Bockwurst.
If you take gravel roads, bear in mind that this is very sandy and that bikepackers consistently undersize their tires in this part of Germany. I would advise against anything smaller than 45mm for security and comfort (these forest cobblestone roads are horrible for your ass and hands).
I have wildcamped in Germany a few times without any issues. Just make sure to pick a secluded spot that is a bit hidden. Should not be too difficult as Brandenburg is not very densely populated. It is technically a grey-area as I understand. It’s technically forbidden to wildcamp but lying down to rest with a swag or small tent for 1 night is generally allowed and tolerated. But not allowed on private land without permission and not allowed in wildlife protection areas.
With a bit of research you can find some more official places where it is allowed and sometimes they even have some very basic facilities. Look on Google Maps for **Biwakplätze, Trekkingplätze, or Wasserwanderrastplätze** someone has also put together a map [https://www.onenightwild.com/](https://www.onenightwild.com/) but it’s not working for me right now
Any specific reason why you chose western Zealand as your destination?