Wintering in a motorhome near Almuñécar – pitches, rules, safety & apps

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Winter on the coast

The coast is so mild that avocados, mangoes and cherimoyas are grown here. Month-by-month figures for temperature, rain and sunshine are in the climate and the seasons. Remember that nights in a motorhome are cooler than in a flat – especially in December and January – and that it is cold in the mountains if you go on a trip (see spots and trips).

We have not found reliable figures for how many northern Europeans spend the winter in motorhomes on the coast. Users on the Spanish forum Webcampista describe Camping Laguna Playa in Torre del Mar as "full of older foreigners in winter and Spaniards in summer".

Campsites with winter rates

Many campsites on the coast are open all year round and give discounts on long winter stays. We have found a price published by the site itself for winter 2026/27 in only two places. Both are the sites' own adverts, which we have read as reproduced on Webcampista – call or write to have the price confirmed before you set off.

More campsites and motorhome areas (áreas) are listed in motorhome sites on the coast and motorhomes in Almuñécar and La Herradura. An área is meant for a few nights – for a whole winter, a campsite is the right choice.

CampingCard ACSI

Many winter visitors use the CampingCard ACSI discount card. According to ACSI, it gives a fixed low price per night outside the high season at participating sites – in 2026 the prices were 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25 or 27 € (≈ 201 kr.) per night. The card is not valid in the high season, and extra charges may be added on top. ACSI had not published the prices for 2027 when we checked. Always ask the site whether the ACSI rate also applies to long stays – many sites have a special winter rate that may be cheaper.

Everyday life: post, doctors, internet and shopping

Doctors and pharmacies

The blue European Health Insurance Card covers necessary treatment during a temporary stay in another EU country. Take the card and your passport or driving licence with you to the doctor. How it works at the health centre in Almuñécar, and where the hospital is, is explained in useful information. The nearest hospital is Hospital Santa Ana in Motril (approx. 15 km). If you are staying all winter, check the rules in your home country on how long you can be away and still be covered by the public health system – and consider travel insurance that covers your entire stay.

Internet and mobile

Within the EU and EEA, since 15-06-2017 you have paid the same for calls and data as at home ("roam like at home"), and the rule now applies until 30-06-2032 (Wikipedia, the EU roaming regulation). The rules include a "fair use" element: your provider may take action if, over several months, you mostly use your phone abroad. Check the terms of your own plan before you leave for a whole winter. Many campsites have wifi, but check the speed.

Post and parcels

The post office (Correos) in Almuñécar is on Calle de Tetuán. Ask your campsite whether you can have letters and parcels sent there – we have not been able to confirm this in general.

Shopping, markets and laundry

The markets are covered in markets and the market hall. Waste disposal, water, gas and launderettes are covered in disposal, water and gas. The airport and getting home for Christmas are covered in the airport.

How long can you stay? Rules for EU citizens

As a Danish, Swedish, Finnish or German citizen (EU) or a Norwegian citizen (EEA), you have the right to stay in Spain. The Schengen 90-day rule applies to citizens of countries outside the EU and EEA – not to you.

• Up to three months: You only need a valid passport or national ID card.
• More than three months: You must register with the Spanish Central Register of Foreigners (Registro Central de Extranjeros) and obtain a certificado de registro de ciudadano de la Unión. According to administracion.gob.es, the application must be submitted within three months of arrival, and the certificate is issued immediately once the conditions are met.
• Conditions: You must work in Spain or have sufficient resources for yourself and your family and health insurance covering all risks in Spain – public or private, Spanish or foreign.
• How to do it: Book an appointment (cita previa) at the Oficina de Extranjería in the province or at a Policía Nacional station. Bring your passport or ID card, form EX-18, proof that you meet the conditions and the receipt for the fee (modelo 790, código 012).

The sources do not entirely agree: a municipal website (Frigiliana) says six months, but the government websites say three months. We follow the government websites. We have found no information on how the rule is enforced for winter visitors who keep their residence at home.

If you stay in Spain for more than half the year, it may affect your tax and your residence at home. Talk to the tax authorities in your home country or an adviser before planning a stay of more than six months.

Vehicles with foreign number plates

• If you become resident in Spain (registered as a resident), according to administracion.gob.es the vehicle must be registered in Spain within one month. If you cannot manage that in time, you can apply to the traffic authority DGT for temporary green number plates, which are valid for two months and can be extended.
• If you are not resident in Spain, you may use a vehicle with foreign number plates for a limited period. The motoring club RACE and several others say six months at a time within a year; others say 183 days per calendar year. We have not been able to read the official rule from the cloud, so check with the DGT or a gestor. According to RACE, the fine for driving on foreign plates beyond the time limit can be 500–1.500 € (≈ 11.190 kr.).
• Insurance and breakdown cover: Before you leave, check that your vehicle insurance and breakdown cover apply in Spain for the whole stay, and that the breakdown service can tow a vehicle of your weight and length. See breakdowns.

Weight, driving licences and roads are covered in roads and parking, and the rules for overnight stays are in Do's & don'ts.

Safety: break-ins and theft

Here is what is documented – and what isn't.

What is documented

• Theft from parked vehicles along the motorways. The Guardia Civil has several times arrested gangs who broke into vehicles at service areas along the AP-7 and A-7 in the Valencia region and on the Costa Blanca – in one of the cases, 54 break-ins. In one case the thieves punctured the tyres of cars parked at service areas and shopping centres while the owners were away. In August 2026 the police arrested a group who had been breaking into vehicles in Roquetas de Mar.
• Distraction at petrol stations. According to the Guardia Civil, the thieves often work in pairs – one distracts you while the other steals.
• The Guardia Civil's advice: Never leave valuables or documents visible or easily accessible in your vehicle.

Gas attacks: not documented

Stories of thieves knocking people out in their motorhomes by pumping gas through a window keep cropping up on forums. The Royal College of Anaesthetists in the UK has stated that it is not possible to render sleeping people unconscious by blowing ether, chloroform or modern anaesthetic gas through the window of a motorhome without them noticing – it would require enormous quantities of gas. We have not found a confirmed case. A gas alarm is still a good idea – but for leaks in your own gas system and carbon monoxide, not for attacks.

How to sleep safely

• Sleep at a campsite or an área with a barrier or supervision, especially for the first few nights when you don't know the area.
• Avoid staying overnight at motorway service areas – that is where most of the documented cases occur. The British Camping and Caravanning Club also advises against it.
• Lock the doors and the garage, even when you're just down at the beach. Take your passport, money and cards with you or lock them away.
• Don't open the door to anyone who knocks at night saying there is something wrong with your vehicle. Call 112.

If things go wrong

• 112 is the emergency number throughout the EU – also from a foreign mobile. 062 is the Guardia Civil, 092 the local police. Local numbers are in the phone list.
• Reporting a crime: The Policía Nacional has offices for foreign tourists (SATE) with interpreters in Málaga and Granada, among other places. Here you can report a theft, get help cancelling cards and get in touch with your consulate. You can also report online in English, German and French via the police's Oficina Virtual de Denuncias.
• Which police? In Almuñécar and the smaller towns it is the Guardia Civil, in the large cities the Policía Nacional. The Policía Local deals with traffic and local matters.

Apps for your motorhome

Apps are great for finding pitches, disposal points and reviews. But prices, opening hours and rules in apps are written by users and may be out of date – always check the site's own website. We mention apps neutrally and have no arrangements with any of them. Prices were read on 02-11-2026 on the app's own website or in the App Store and may vary from country to country.

Videos

Videos from other motorhomers on YouTube (mostly in Spanish, English or German). Prices and rules in the videos may be out of date – always check the figures in the article.

• Wintering in Spain in a motorhome – experiences from a long winterRobbo's Highland lives
• Campervan winter in Spain, episode 1Chris & Nikki Segura Campervan Adventures

Maps and routes

The map shows the campsites with winter rates and the most important addresses in Almuñécar: the health centre, the post office and the Guardia Civil, plus the hospital in Motril. The buttons below the map open the routes in Google Maps. Remember that Google Maps' car navigation does not show height, weight or width restrictions.

Red star = Playa Tropical. Click on a point for the name and distance. Map data © OpenStreetMap.

Good advice

• Book your winter pitch well in advance. The best sites with long winter-stay offers fill up with regulars.
• Get the price in writing. Ask what is included in the price: electricity (how many kWh), people, dog, wifi and waste disposal.
• Register if you are staying more than three months. Book an appointment in good time – there may be a wait.
• Check your insurance. Travel insurance, health cover and vehicle insurance must cover the whole winter.
• Talk to your mobile provider. Ask whether your plan can be used in Spain for several months without extra charges.
• Keep valuables out of sight. And don't sleep at motorway service areas.
• Save 112 and the site's phone number. And write down the site's address in Spanish so you can say it over the phone.

The rules on residence for EU citizens and on foreign vehicles may change, and they depend on your situation. This page is not legal advice – check administracion.gob.es, the police and the authorities in your home country before you decide.

Krone amounts are converted at 1 € ≈ 7.46 kr. and rounded.