Any campervan road trip is bound to pass by world-renowned and exciting cities. It would be a shame to skip them because you are unsure where to stay with your campervan rental. We have stayed in three city hot spots each time with a different approach. Keep on reading to find out what worked best for us.
Where to stay with your campervan rental in cities? The four best approaches are booking an Airbnb (with parking), staying at the parking lot of a hostel (where you have booked a bed), staying at a campground or RV park close to the city or stealth camping/urban parking.
Below we will go into detail about each approach and help you decide which one will work best for you.
Four approaches to staying with your campervan in big cities
1. Booking an Airbnb (with parking)
When planning a vancation road trip, you should have at least some sort of idea of your itinerary, to book flights and save a spot at those very popular campgrounds, for example in National Parks. It is also beneficial to have a rough route to pre-plan any visit to a larger city.
When you only have two to three weeks of vacation, you will want to make the most out of that time. When time literally is money for you, then be prepared to pay for convenience when staying in a large city.
We did so in Sydney. Our route was Melbourne to Brisbane, and since we were going to spend three nights over the Easter weekend in Sydney, we didn't want to leave anything to chance.
So we went ahead and booked an Airbnb in Rushcutters Bay, with parking included. This is another advantage of a small campervan, as it fits a regular car parking spot. We had the best time in Sydney, living within walking distance to the Opera House and getting a feel for the city by strolling through the streets of the nearby neighborhoods.
We also used this small break from vanlife for washing and slightly repacking to prepare for the warmer weather heading north.
Of course you can also rent an Airbnb without parking included and park your campervan on the street. From experience, each big city has some areas, where street parking is free. Just read the signs carefully. Friends of ours and ourselves have never searched more than 10-15 minutes in cities like Sydney, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Depending on where you found a spot, either take a quick Uber to your accommodation or take public transport, if available.
2. Staying at a campground/RV park (outside the city)
There are campgrounds and RV parks around bigger cities, and depending on your intention, they are great places to stay. If you do not mind commuting with public transport for 30-45 minutes, then these are even great for several days while you explore the city.
The night before we rented the Airbnb in Sydney, we stayed at Sydney Tourist Park and discovered Cronulla that night.
Staying in RV parks outside the city gives you the possibility to also discover neighborhoods that are not on every guide book's list. We had a great dinner in a hip restaurant and a pleasant stroll along the coast of Cronulla.
Should you be looking for an RV park north of Sydney, take a look at Lane Cove Holiday Park.
In Las Vegas, on the other hand, you can find an RV park right in the city center at the beginning of the Strip. The Circus Circus Casino operates an RV park on one of their parking lots. We paid US$52 for one night. So above the cost of State Park campgrounds. With a short Uber ride, you can discover the most famous area of the Strip during one night and escape back to nature the next day. At least that is how we felt 😉. If you would like to read about our Las Vegas adventure in detail, take a look at 'One Night in Las Vegas with a Campervan - The Truth About The Strip'.
None of the two RV parks made us feel utterly comfortable, and the bathrooms lacked the cleanliness of campgrounds in the outdoors. For us, it was more of a means, and we didn't spend much time at the parks other than to sleep.
3. The parking lot of a hostel
When hitting a big city, without having planned to do so, you turn out to be a little more creative. Because we ended up having a week left on our road trip through the Southwest of the US due to our deer incident (link to story), we took the chance and drove up the West Coast from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Try finding a place to stay in San Francisco on short notice that is affordable. Huh - good luck!
When we asked fellow campers, we always got told the only option is the Candlestick RV Park. However, for us, it was too far out of the city center, and the reviews didn't convince us that it was worth the sacrifice.
Although we consider ourselves past the hostel times, I started looking into hostels and discovered Hostelling International by the Fisherman's Wharf. It is located on the former US Army base Fort Mason and offers free parking.
I called up the hostel and enquired about their availability. They only had a Coed Room with 20 beds available. Don't get me wrong; we have nothing against sharing a room; however, the thought of our comfy bed in the back of our van compared to a 20-bed room, our van bed was very alluring. That's when I had the idea of booking one night for one person with the hostel. This way, we would have permission to stay on the property and use their amenities (showers and toilets) while still being able to sleep in the van.
When calling up the hostel again, I politely asked whether my idea was possible, and it was. Upon arrival, the girl at the reception showed me on a map where we should park best (the darkest and most quiet area). And voilá, we had a prime parking spot in the city for US$47.50 for one night, without having to worry about bathrooms and safety and being able to enjoy the restaurants and bars at night. For our in-depth San Francisco adventure you can read more here.
4. Stealth camping or urban parking
Some vanlifers do it frequently; others take it as a last resort. Stealth camping has two definitions:
- Parking on city streets where you’re not technically supposed to be.
- Any type of camping where nobody knows you’re inside your van.
While we are not on a tight budget, like back in our student days, we don't like to throw money out the window. For us, paying US$200 for one night at a hotel is a lot of money. We were not able to find anything below that rate for our night in Santa Monica.
So we decided to give stealth parking a try, especially since our van from Lost Campers didn't have any commercial or mention of a rental company on it. Thus we wouldn't be recognized that easily. We started paying close attention to the parking signs in some residential streets. It didn't take more than ten minutes to find a suitable spot in a small one-way side street (on the corner of Michigan Avenue and Lincoln Boulevard) in walkable distance to downtown Santa Monica.
While the location was great, we did feel a bit uncomfortable and paid close attention that no one was looking when getting into the van. We had set out everything we needed before we hit downtown and didn't dare to turn on a light. We skipped toothbrushing that night. The next morning we stopped at a gas station around the corner to use the bathroom.
On our last night before flying out of Los Angeles, we again chose to stealth park in Santa Monica. It is our favorite part of L.A., and it's close to the airport. This time we stayed at Parcare, a parking lot on Civic Drive, which allows overnight parking for about US$14 on weekdays and US$5 on weekends.
We opted for this parking lot over another residential street parking for two reasons. One, we felt at least somewhat less awkward and safer. Two, we had to repack our bags for the flight home the next morning and needed space around the van and didn't want to cause suspicion or catch evil eyes on a sidewalk.
A few notes to stealth camping in general. Check the law of each city that you are heading to, as there are a lot of cities that do not allow sleeping in a car. When we stayed in Santa Monica, it was legal; however, since July 2019, L.A. has made it illegal again, the exception being Santa Monica. The Santa Monica Mirror states:
'In Santa Monica, there is no rule specifically prohibiting an individual from sleeping in their car. Santa Monica Municipal Code 4.08.095 prohibits camping in public places but does not make mention of vehicles. In addition, Santa Monica Municipal Code 3.12.990 states “Any vehicle which had been parked or left standing on any street, alley or public way for a period longer than 72 consecutive hours may be removed,” but does not outlaw sleeping in a vehicle.'
Should you choose to park and sleep on the streets you are not supposed to, be aware that you could get 'the knock' by a police or security officer asking you to move. In Los Angeles the fines are as follows:
'the first violation is not to exceed a US$25 fine, the second not to exceed US$50 and the third US$65.'
Other popular ways (we have not tried yet)
Additionally to our four approaches, there are other possible options.
In the US and Canada, some Walmarts allow overnight camping in their parking lots. Be sure to call the store up before to get permission from the store manager. More and more Walmarts don't allow overnighting any more. Here you can find a list of all the stores that do not allow overnight parking.
Other than Walmart, you can also try your luck at stores such as:
- Flying J Truck Stops
- Camping World
- Cracker Barrel
- Kmart, factory outlet stores & shopping centers
Not only in Las Vegas but generally on Casino parking lots, you are allowed to park overnight in the US.
One last option I would like to give you is private properties. Some homeowners, with a larger property, invite campers to stay in their garden/lawn or in front of their garage. Just be sure you have permission. BoondockersWelcome.com provides a community to find hosts and become a host, so take a look before heading to a big city.
What approach will you take on your next campervan adventure? Have you stayed in cities before? We are curious to hear from you in the comment section below.
If you are new to campervanning, we have a 101 section to answer all of the most common questions first-timers have:
- How Do Campgrounds Work - a Quick Guide on How to Find, Book and Stay
- Do You Need a Toilet in Your Campervan Rental?
- Best Luggage for a Road Trip in a Small Campervan
And much more!
