“24h Rennen” by Thorsten Hansen is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.
If you’re heading to the Ring with family or friends to enjoy some tourist driving or to spectate at a big event such at the 24 hour race, Nurburgring camping can be a fun and cheap option.
In this article we will look at the closest campsites to the circuit and provide some information on the camping situation at the Nurburgring 24 hour race.
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Nurburgring camping
Whatever your reason for heading to the Ring, you are going to need somewhere to stay. There are countless local hotels, apartments and guesthouses that can accommodate you for a few days with all the luxuries of home.
However, if you’re on a budget or you want a different experience with your friends or family, then there are also a number of nearby camping options. Now I know camping is not for everyone, especially in the months when the weather is less favourable.
And bad weather in the Eifel mountains can be VERY bad weather. Usually any time from September – April means you are at risk of being in the rain, wind, cold and even snow.
But if you are hardy enough to withstand whatever the weather may throw at you, or if you want to take a chance and hope for some sun and heat in the summer months, Nurburgring camping is surprisingly popular.
There’s also a whole bunch of other things to do near the Nurburgring that don’t involve the track.
Campsites near the Nurburgring
There are a number of campsites in the Eifel region. A website like Jetcamp will provide a pretty comprehensive list of all the available campsites in the region.
Below is a list of campsites within 30 minutes of the Ring that are worth considering, in order of closest to the Ring first. If you are interested in camping near the nurburgring, then the below list is for you.
Campingplatz Meuspath am Nurburgring
This is the closest campsite to the Nordschleife main entrance at just a 3 minute drive away. This campsite is very small and basic. But the owner is friendly, accommodating and speaks English.
It has toilet and shower facilties which are pretty outdated and not always the cleanest. The campsite is open most of the year and can accommodate tent, car, motorhome or RV camping. It is in a slightly sloped meadow, however, so you might need to bring some levelling wedges in your motorhome or caravan. There are a few BBQ grills that can be used, or you can bring your own.
Prices here are 13 Euros per person per night. Electricity hook-ups are available for an additional 4 Euros a day, but bring an extension lead as the connection points can be far away from some sites. The cheap price reflects the simplicity of the campsite. This is definitely no frills; don’t expect a luxurious campsite, just a cheap one.
Drop the campsite an email beforehand to make sure there is room for you as it is not a large site.
It scores a 4.0 / 5 on over 130 Google reviews. Read them for yourself here.
Camping am Nurburgring
This site is pretty much as close as you can get to the Nurburgring circuit. Situated directly next to the Mullenbachschleife of the Grand Prix track this campsite is often the go-to place for people wanting to camp next to the ring. It is a 7 minute drive from the Nordschleife main car park.
The campsite is open all year and has 1200 pitches on 300,000 sqft of land. It accommodates tent, car, motorhome and RV camping, and most pitches are on grass. It has two restaurants, a bar, a shop, lots of hot water shower and bathroom facilities, fire pits and more. See the image below for a complete list of amenities taken from the Jetcamp listing.
This is one of the more pricey campsites in the region. Prices are, strangely, calculated based on numbers of days (not nights) you stay. So if you stay 1 night, you have to pay for 2 days. The price for one adult for a 2-day stay is 40 Euros. Electricity is an extra daily cost. Read the full breakdown of costs here.
Reservations cannot be made in advance. At quieter times of year you can just drive-in, chose a site and book it there and then. To get a site during one of the big events you need to arrive well in advance – sometimes days.
During the big race events such as the DTM or 24hour of Nurburgring, this can be a very lively campsite. Do not assume you will get peace and quiet if you’re here during the 24hour race. EDM or Rammstein playing until the early hours of the morning is pretty likely when Bitburger fuelled German race fans are involved.
It scores a 3.6 / 5 on Google with over 600 reviews. A lot of people complain about the pricing. This is a big, commercial campsite so don’t expect a personal, friendly service. Read the reviews for yourself here.
Camping Falkleymuehle
This campsite is 17 minutes away from the Ring entrance. Situated on a large site in a beautiful valley with a stream, mill with working water wheel and restaurant this is a lovely setting to camp in, with incredibly reasonable prices.
There are toilet and shower facilities which are outdated but usually clean. Pitches are on grass, accommodate tents, cars, vans, motorhomes and trailers and can come with water, electricity and sani-dumps for small additional fees. There is no wifi on the site and it sits in a cell-phone signal black hole, so be prepared to go off-grid.
Prices begin at 5 Euros per adult per night and 8 Euros per night for a caravan. See here for the full price list.
Reservations can be made in advance via email, or their website says you can turn up without a reservation if you want to chance your arm.
Over 130 Google reviews give this one a 4.3 / 5. Read the reviews for yourself here.
Camping Frings-Muehle
At 20 minutes away from the Nordschleife entrance, this is not the closest Nurburgring camping available. However its facilities and cheap price make it a worthwhile consideration. It was affected by the recent devastating floods so some parts of the campsite have been recently rebuilt.
It has nicely looked after grass pitches suitable for tents, cars, vans, motorhomes and trailers. It is directly on the Ahr river, which is accessible from the site. It has a small shop, playground, slightly dated but clean shower and toilet facilities and washing-up sinks on site. The showers are coin operated.
Prices start at 8 euros per adult per night and 9 euros per night for a caravan. Electric hook-ups are extra. See the full pricelist here. Reservations can be made online in advance.
It scores a 4.2 / 5 on Google with over 90 reviews. See all reviews here.
Camping Denntal
At 27 minutes away from the Ring this campsite is a bit further afield in the Ahr valley. Another one seriously affected by the flooding, they have worked hard to rebuild and renovate.
This campsite is at the more luxurious end of the camping scale, with gym, sauna, pool tables, a playground, WiFi and more. However, some of the ongoing building works have affected whether things like the gym and sauna are open – get in touch with the campsite to check before booking.
The campsite is not open all year. Usually its it available from the start of April to the end of October. Pitches can accommodate all types of campers, from tents to motorhomes, and can be available with water, electricity and sani-dumps for additional fees. The shower blocks were refurbished after the flooding and are usually well looked after.
Prices start at 12 Euros a night for a pitch with sani-dump, and 6.50 Euros per night per adult. See the full pricelist here. Booking requests should be made online in advance through the website.
Over 300 Google reviews score this a 4.4 / 5. Read the reviews here.
Eifel Camp
At 30 minutes away this is the furthest campsite on this list from the Ring. However, as a Eurocamp style site it has the most comprehensive range of facilities and pitches available, from simple tent sites to ‘Luxury’ pitches that include your own private toilet and kitchen block, as well as offering cabins, lodges and huts for rent.
It is located right on the edge of the Freilinger See lake, accessible from the campsite and good for swimming or kayaking in the warmer months. There is sports equipment, wifi, a sauna, e-bike rental and lots of recreational activities available, so a great campsite for the whole family.
The campsite is open year-round. Reservations are made online through their website booking facility. Prices start at 8.50 Euros per adult per day, and 16 Euros a night for a pitch for a campervan.
Over 1200 Google reviews give this a 4.5 / 5 rating. Read them for yourself here.
Hotels with camping sites
Some of the hotels local to the Nurburgring also have small parking / camping areas, in case you are out of luck at the other camp sites.
I know the Paddock Motorsport Hotel and the Lindenhof hotel have these, you will need to contact each of them to ask their availability and check what facilities are available. Or get in touch with some of the other local hotels to see what they can offer.
Camping at the nurburgring 24 hours
If you want to get a pitch at any of the above campsites for the Nurburgring 24 hour weekend, you need to reserve online well in advance (probably at least 6 months in advance) for the ones that can be booked online.
For the Camping am Nurburgring site that cannot be reserved, people start queuing up to get a spot in the campsite the week before the big race. If you turn up there on a Friday hoping to get a spot for the race weekend which starts on the Saturday, you will be sorely disappointed. People will queue to get in this campsite the Monday before the race weekend.
Another option is to use one of the tour companies who have their own private camping area during the race weekend. A company like Travel Destinations offers a drive-and-camp package, guaranteeing you a spot in their private camping area from the Thursday to the Sunday.
And if you truly want to experience the full atmosphere of Nurburgring camping during the 24 hour race, you need to get yourself on one of the trackside camping areas specifically for this event. The official 24hour-rennen website has a lot of information on these areas. The below circuit map from the 24h website shows the camping and spectating areas highlighted in green.
As you can see, the main big camping areas are around Hatzenbach, Adenauer Forst, Breidschied, the Karussell, Wippermann, Brunnchen and Schwalbenschwanz. Unfortunately there is no camping down the high speed Foxhole or near the all-important Bergwerk.
None of these sites will be like normal campground. It’s a bit of a free-for-all to find a good spot as close to the track as possible. There will probably be portaloos nearby, but there will be no electricity and running water will be hard to come by.
Camping in each of these spots is available for a whole week, usually Monday to Monday surrounding the race weekend. Specific camping spots cannot be reserved online in advance. Camping spots are first-come first serve.
If you want to get a good spot right on the edge of the track in one of the green areas, you will need to be queuing up to the entrance of that camping area prior to the Monday that it opens. Especially for a busy spot like Brunnchen.
The Tweet below shows how busy the camping areas are already on the Monday leading up to the race weekend.
It´s THE raceweek! 🎉
— Nürburgring (@nuerburgring) May 15, 2023
🏕️ And the first fans already arrived.
We´re looking forward to the upcoming days!#HeartRace pic.twitter.com/LG0zf82sN9
People camp in their vehicles at the entrance in the days leading up to the camping gates opening – that’s how serious the hardcore race fans are! If you wait until mid-week to try and get a spot, or closer to the race weekend itself, there is no chance you will get a trackside spot and some of the areas will be completely full.
“24h Race Nürburgring – Fan Perspective” by Bjoern Gramm is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
As well as buying a specific camping ticket you still need a general admission ticket. Even if you are not camping it is worth using your general admission ticket to take a walk around some of these camping areas.
The Nurburgring fans will go further than you could ever imagine to create the biggest, most incredibly over-engineered camping structure possible. These campsite are full-blown party vibes for the whole race weekend, and camping at the 24 hour of Nurburgring race is by far the best way to experience it.
Don’t forget the advice on walking on the Nurburgring if you do camp at this race.
“24h Race Nürburgring – Fan Perspective” by Bjoern Gramm is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
“24h Race Nürburgring – Fan Perspective” by Bjoern Gramm is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
“24h Race Nürburgring – Fan Perspective” by Bjoern Gramm is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
