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Are You Allowed to Live in a Car?
In the upcoming winter semester, I'll be studying in Berlin. However, in the past few months, I've had trou… With this post I am not asking for help finding accommodations nor am I trying to be funny.
In the upcoming winter semester, I'll be studying in Berlin. However, in the past few months, I've had trouble securing an apartment. Would I therefore be allowed to spend the nights in my car until I've found a new place to stay? I know there are several places where you're not allowed to park indefinitely, but would I, for example, be okay sleeping at a Raststätte on the Autobahn? Does anyone have experience regarding this topic?
Mit diesem Post bitte ich nicht um Hilfe und versuche auch nicht, witzig zu sein.
Ich werde im kommenden Wintersemester in Berlin studieren, hatte aber in den letzten Monaten Probleme, eine Wohnung zu finden. Darf ich daher in meinem Auto übernachten, bis ich eine neue Unterkunft finde? Ich weiß, dass es viele Plätze gibt, wo man nicht unbegrenzt parken darf, aber dürfte ich beispielsweise bei einer Raststätte an der Autobahn übernachten? Hat jemand damit Erfahrung?
I'd be careful with the Autobahn Raststatte idea. Those rest stops are meant for short breaks, not overnight sleeping, and the Polizei or Autobahnmeisterei will likely knock on your window around 2am if you're still there with blankets visible. I've seen it happen to truck drivers who parked in the car section by mistake.
A more practical option would be the Park-and-Ride lots on the edge of the city, like the one at S-Bahnhof Altglienicke or the big one by the A115 near Spanische Allee. They're free and meant for commuters, so nobody really checks what you're doing inside your car overnight. Just make sure you leave by morning.
If you're a student, check with the Studentenwerk Berlin. They sometimes have emergency accommodation or can point you to cheap spots like the Jugendherberge on Kluckstrasse, which costs around 25 euros a night. That's a lot less miserable than freezing in a car in January.
honestly, if you do this long-term you're gonna have a bad time. the legal gray area is one thing but the real issue is the cold and the lack of a bathroom. there's a 24h mcfit on frankfurter allee where you can get a cheap membership just to shower, it's like 20 euros a month and nobody cares if you come in at 6am.
for parking, avoid the raststatte idea. the autobahn police are strict and they'll fine you for "unauthorized camping" if they catch you sleeping there. try the parkplatz at ikea tempelhof, it's huge and security leaves you alone if you're not causing trouble. just rotate spots every night.
also fwiw, check out the berlin zeltplatz near krossinsee, they have a winter rate for like 10 euros a night if you have a tent or a car. it's out of the way but you get a toilet and a warm reception area to charge your stuff. way better than freezing in a mcdonalds parking lot
technically it's not illegal to sleep in your car in berlin, but it gets complicated. you can't just park anywhere overnight, especially in residential zones without a ticket. raststätten on the autobahn are for rest stops, not camping, and the police might move you along if they notice you sleeping there regularly.
a better bet is finding a 24/7 mcdonald's or a truck stop near the city limits, like the one off the a10 in waltersdorf. they're used to people sleeping in vehicles and usually won't bother you for a single night. just be discreet, cover your windows, and don't stay more than one night in the same spot.
keep in mind winter in berlin hits hard, and running the engine for heat is both expensive and risky. a decent sleeping bag rated for -10c and a power bank for your phone will make a huge difference. also, check out the "wohnungsnot" facebook groups or wg-gesucht for temporary sublets, sometimes people offer a parking spot with access to their bathroom for cash
What is the correct spelling for a street name that appears differently on multiple signs in Charlottenburg?
Worth noting that Berlin street names have official umlaut and ß rules that trip people up, so a sign showing "Strasse" versus "Straße" is not actually a spelling error, just an older transcription. Same with "ue" versus "ü" (e.g. "Kantstrasse" vs "Kantstraße"), both are considered valid renderings and you'll see the ß version on the blue Schilder and the ss version on older plaques or in databases that predate Unicode. If the difference you're seeing is between those two forms, there's nothing to fix and both are technically correct.
if the signs u mean are the old enamel ones on the house facades those are often protected as Baudenkmal so nobody's allowed to correct them even if the spelling is outdated. the binding version is whatever is in the Berliner Strassenverzeichnis plus the entry in the Liegenschaftskataster, so if u tell me the street i can point u to the right Bezirksamt Mitte or Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf page. tbh the merged district thing is real but the facade signs are a separate story, theyre basically museum pieces at this point
honestly thats super common in Charlottenburg, the district offices were merged from older Bezirke and nobody ever fixed all the Schilder. if its a real street you can check the official strassenverzeichnis on berlin.de, that list is what the Burgeramt actually goes by. which street is it? some of the Kaiserdamm / Kantstrasse signs are notorious for this.
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