Wild Camping in Switzerland: What the Law Says, Canton by Canton

Can you wild camp in Switzerland? The question sounds simple; the answer is less so. There is no uniform rule: requirements vary from canton to canton and even from one municipality to the next, the Touring Club Switzerland noted in a press release on July 13, 2026 [1]. There is, however, a common baseline, a few bans that apply everywhere, and cantons with rules of their own. Here they are, each with its source.

The principle: one night, above treeline

The starting point is the Swiss Civil Code, and it’s quite unlike US public lands, where the land manager sets the camping rules: in Switzerland, forests and pastures are open to everyone under its Article 699, as the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) points out in its leaflet on camping and bivouacking [2]. Having access to a place isn’t the same as camping there, though, and every canton or municipality can restrict it [2]. The SAC draws a rule of conduct from this: a single night by a small group in the mountains above treeline is generally unproblematic if it’s done considerately, and an emergency bivouac is allowed in principle [2]. The Touring Club says the same: above treeline, bivouacking is generally tolerated, subject to local rules [1].

The SAC also separates two words that are often confused. Bivouacking means spending the night without a tent, under the open sky, in an igloo or a snow cave; camping means sleeping in a small tent outside an official campground [2]. Nights in a vehicle and camps lasting several days fall under other rules: for a camp, contact the municipality or the landowner [2]. On private land, you need the owner’s permission in any case [1].

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Where it’s banned across the country

Some areas are excluded from any tolerance. The SAC lists them: the Swiss National Park, federal hunting reserves, which are wildlife reserves where hunting is banned, many nature reserves, and wildlife rest areas during their protection period; free camping there is explicitly banned, or impossible because access itself is banned [2]. The Touring Club adds, more broadly, protected natural areas [1].

The Swiss National Park, in Graubünden, is the strictest case. Its park ordinance bans lighting fires, bivouacking and spending the night in its parking lots, and visitors may only walk on the marked paths [3]. Dogs are banned, even carried, and offences are punished with fines [3]. The bivouac question simply doesn’t arise there: you sleep in a hut or outside the park.

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Canton by canton: what the main mountain cantons allow

With no federal law, the Touring Club asked each canton’s authorities and published their answers in a guide updated on July 1, 2026 [4]. For most Alpine cantons, the answer is the same: wild camping isn’t allowed in principle, with three exceptions, one night in the mountains above treeline, not in a group, taking the tent down each day if you stay several nights, one night on private land with the owner’s permission, and the emergency bivouac [4]. A few cantons depart from this pattern.

Ticino and Valais: two more precise rules

Ticino has the clearest rule, because it’s written into law. Its camping law states that you may only camp in authorized camping areas, with a single exception: a tent pitched for a bivouac in the mountains [5]. Camping covers any temporary stop or overnight stay away from home, in a tent, travel trailer, or RV [5]. Offences are punished by the municipality with a fine of 50 to 10,000 francs [5].

In Valais, the canton told the Touring Club that pitching a tent or a trailer outside an authorized campground requires a building permit under the federal spatial planning act and the cantonal building ordinance: wild camping there needs a permit in principle, however long it lasts [4]. The single night in the mountains above treeline remains the accepted exception [4]. Several protected areas are actively patrolled, and rangers can fine offenders or report them to the police: the Pfyn-Finges forest, the Aletsch forest, the Binn valley, Derborence, the Vallon de Réchy and Les Épines [4].

Choosing your spot: the Swiss Alpine Club’s advice

• Above the treeline, on alpine pastures or rocky ground: these are the least sensitive spots [2].
• Not at the upper forest edge, home to grouse and a feeding ground for chamois and deer, nor in floodplains and wetlands [2].
• Near an alp or a hut, ask the farmer or the hut team first, and don’t sleep too close to huts [2].
• At dusk, avoid noise and big activities: that’s when many animals are out [2].
• For fires, use existing fireplaces and respect any fire ban; in dry weather, go without [1, 2].
• For trash, pack everything out, and relieve yourself well away from water [2].

Before you go: the checks

1. The area: on map.geo.admin.ch, check you’re not in the National Park, a federal hunting reserve or a wildlife rest area during its protection period [2].
2. The canton and municipality: ask the municipality, the tourist office or the local police, as the Touring Club recommends [1, 4].
3. The altitude: aim for above treeline, for a single night, in a small group [2].
4. The weather: storms, floods, avalanches; if in doubt, don’t [1, 2].
5. The gear: something to pack out all your trash, and a stove rather than a fire.

Switzerland doesn’t ask for a permit for a night under the stars above the forest; it asks you to know where you are. To compare with the neighbours, our articles on backcountry camping in France and wild camping in Germany set out their rules, and our guides to sleeping bag temperature ratings and sleeping pad R-values will help with the gear for the night itself.

Arnaud Couderc

Fact-checking, regulations, and safety

Arnaud Couderc reviews our contributors’ articles and writes for Outfarer about regulations, safety, fishing, the ocean, and outdoor activities. He traces every rule back to its official text and every number to its source, so you head out with solid benchmarks.

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