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'''Germany''' is a member state of the [[European Union]] as well as the [[Schengen Agreement]]. It is a great country for [[hitchhiking]], both on motorways (via [[on-ramp]]s, [[service station]]s, more seldom - parking lots) and local roads. Motorway is called ''Autobahn'' in German, while a [[service area]] is ''Raststätte''. Latter one is a very common place for hitching a ride - many drivers stop there for re-fuel and some rest. There you will often find [[maps]] of Germany and surrounding countries that indicate every single petrol station or any other service area located on motorways; in addition, there are map stands (usually by the main entrance to a petrol station) that give a general overview of all service areas on the territory of Germany. Motorway ramps usually are a good option to get a free ride, too. One has to make sure, though, not to end up on co called ''Schnellstrasse'' (it usually leads to motorways) where cars go fast and can not stop.

As a general rule, you should always stick to the "Autobahn" a long as possible and try to change between major "Autobahns" as less as possible, even if this means some detours. As soon as you are on the Highway Autobahn and stick to service stations, you are hitching fast and reliable. In general you may have to wait quiet long waiving your thumb at on-ramps (especially if its hard to stop there and/or you are male), so if possible it often pays (in terms of time and frustration) to travel by foot and public transport to the closest service stations. Asking people directly just works better. Other good options are local petrol stations close to the Highway Autobahn on-ramps.

Many German motorways have no speed limits, therefore you might wanna want first try to get a ride hitching a personal car before asking truck drivers. Trucks are great for a night-ride; however, there are restrictions, like in [[France]], of when trucks are allowed on a motorway. In Germany most trucks aren't allowed on motorways on Sundays or public holidays before 22:00.

Hitchhiking in general is legal in Germany. It is only forbidden to hitchhike on the highway Autobahn itself, meaning you standing on the highway (or its emergency lane). You are perfectly fine stopping at service stations and asking the people. If you want to start hitching at the highway ramps, make sure you stand before the rectangular blue sign indicating the start of the highway.

Police in general is really suspicous suspicious of hitchhikers, especially in the southern states of [[Bavaria]] or [[Baden-Württemberg]]. Be polite and show them your ID (which you should always carry while hitching in Germany) and they will leave you alone (after checking that you are no criminal).

Germany has signed a [[Schengen Agreement]] which means that borders with other Schengen countries are open. Since 2009, all neighbour neighbouring countries are Schengen members as well, so there are no border checks at all anymore.

If you're not staying in Germany for long you can hitch through having any map of Germany that has motorway petrol stations marked on it. For that, go to any petrol station located on a motorway and ask for an "Autobahn-Guide" - it is for free. You'll get a booklet describing all services on German motorways and including a map with an overview of all motorway petrol stations and other service areas. For more information look here: [http://www.tank.rast.de/standorte/servicenetz/index.php tank.rast.de]. While on a petrol station, you can also find more detailed maps for ~5 Euro.

Recommended maps for hitchhiking are '''Michelin Regional''', the orange ones with the numbers 541-546. There are six of these maps, each covering a different part of Germany. They are very detailed and show every single petrol station, hotel, restaurant, or a parking place on German motorways. The scale is equal to 1:350000350.000. Bigger city maps are included, too. You can usually get these maps in local bookstores for about EUR 8.