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A30 (Germany)

Earth > Europe > Western Europe > Germany > A30 (Germany)

The A30 is a short motorway (129 km) in Germany. It connects the Dutch A1 (beginning in Amsterdam) with Germany and ends up in Bad Oeynhausen. It is an important section of the connection between Amsterdam and Berlin.

The A30 is a part of the E30 from Cork in Ireland to Ufa in Russia.

It crosses the A31 (Emden - Bottrop) near Schüttorf, the A1 (Heiligenhafen - Saarbrücken) and the A33 (Osnabrück - Paderborn) in Osnabrück. At its end in Bad Oeynhausen it is possible to go over to the A2, but you have to cross the whole city. A direct connection A30 -> A2 is planned and seems to be finished in 2015/2016.

The construction of this last part of the A30 began October 2008.

Travelling along the A30 seems different but it's not. Coming from the Netherlands, hitching at the service station Het Lonnekermeer near Hengelo is easy for getting rides at least towards Osnabrück or even further. The part between Bad Bentheim (where the motorway begins) until Osnabrück seems to be a bit more difficult to hitchhike, especially towards the Netherlands the traffic will be a bit less. It might be much easier to jump between two or three on-ramps (usual traffic: Bad Bentheim, Rheine-Nord, Ibbenbüren) instead of denying cars in hope for longer rides. Enschede-Osnabrück can be done like this within 1.5 hours or even faster. From Osnabrück on towards Bad Oeynhausen you will find enough traffic.

<map lat='52.234' lng='7.970' zoom='9' view='0' country='Germany' width='800' height='220'/>

Hitching the A30

Legend:   (very good) |   (good) |   (average) |   (bad) |   (senseless)
You find included the information how well you can cross between the two service stations on the opposite sides of the highway.   indicates a tunnel/bridge,   indicates a service road nearby (including direction, and walking time in minutes) and   indicates an impossibility of crossing safely.


 West

 East

Border Crossing Bad Bentheim A 1
   Rastplatz Bentheimer Wald.   (average)

At the border you'll find a big parking area for trucks, a police station and toilets. There's a bridge to walk over the motorway to a restaurant on the other side of the road and another parking area (for people going into the Netherlands). Hitchhiking there is quite easy if you prefer trucks. Many trucks stop there and will give you a ride when they start their journey through Germany. Don't expect too much cars on the parking area, there is no petrol station and many people just don't want to stop because the police is hanging around there. Sometimes they close the border and check every car that is coming into Germany. If so, don't panic but be happy, because all cars have to pass the parking area, ideal for hitchhiking. Unfortunately, the police is not announcing the border controls.

  Bridge    
  (average) (2)   Gildehaus   (average)
  Waldseite Süd   (average)

Just 3 km behind the 1st ramp drivers will recognize a small parking area with a toilet building. Hitchhiking from here is OK, some trucks stopping here and maybe some travellers from the Netherlands want to make a first stop in Germany. Just prepare yourself for waiting some 40-50 minutes, the A30 is sometimes very empty and then cars on this parking area are rare. Maybe you can ask one of the many passing border police cars to give you a ride. Questions about you and your stay in the Netherlands to find out if you have marijuana with you are normal, especially when you are a hitchhiker somewhere on the road from Amsterdam to Germany :-) Just relax and stay cool, the guys from the border police also do. Mostly. :-)

  west 15   Waldseite Nord
  (very good) Small traffic-island to stand on, some space for cars to stop behind. Platschi was standing here lots of times and got lifts within only some minutes in direction Rheine or further. (3)   Nordhorn   (average) Not much traffic going, mostly locals heading towards Oldenzaal, which is a much better place to hitch already. Platschi's waiting time eastwards: average 5 minutes, westwards average 40 minutes. A lot of traffic here on weekdays between 15:00 and 16:00!
  (bad) (4)   Schüttorf-Nord   (bad)
(5)   Schüttorf
  (average) (6)   Salzbergen   (bad)
  Emstal   (average)   Between 20   Emstal   (good)
  (bad) This ramp is on a nice spot with traffic lights and much cars passing, but there is no place to stand if going towards Osnabrück. No hard shoulder or anything to let the cars stop for you, only some small space when you walk up the ramp for some meters. The place is doable, though, with waiting times mostly not longer than 10 minutes. (7)   Rheine-Nord   (good) If you want, you can force cars to stop by pushing the button at the traffic lights. Mostly rides towards Bad Bentheim on-ramp or south direction Oberhausen, waiting time differs from 5 to 40 minutes.
  (average) If it's impossible here, try to go around 500m down towards Rheine, there's a traffic light and a restaurant where you can ask people that are stopping. (8)   Rheine   (average) If it's impossible here, try to go around 500m down towards Rheine, there's a traffic light and a restaurant where you can ask people that are stopping.
  (average) (9)   Rheine-Kanalhafen   (average)
  (very good) This ramp is located behind a bridge where mostly some cars are parked, so it is sometimes difficult for you to see coming cars (also for them!) just before they head in the ramp. Best would also be here to stand on the traffic island, make yourself visible and try to catch some people going to Ibbenbüren, Osnabrück or further. (10)   Hörstel   (good)
  (average) (11a)   Ibbenbüren-West   (bad)
  (very good) Stand along the hard shoulder of the ramp, there's plenty of space for cars to stop! A sign OS (for Osnabrück) might help wonders. (11b)   Ibbenbüren   (good)Stand at the 3rd exit of the roundabout.
  (average) (12)   Laggenbeck  
      Raststätte Brockbachtal Süd   (average)   East 15       Raststätte Brockbachtal Nord   (good)
  (senseless) (13)   Lotte   (senseless)
(14)   Kreuz Lotte/Osnabruck A 1
  (average) (15)   Hasbergen-Gaste When you can't find a ride onto the A 1. Get out here, hitch/walk your way to the roundabout ~500m north, there at the bus station hitch your way towards Atter. Just before Atter the road makes a sharp 90 degree corner, get out there. Walk into the little road northwards and follow it through the forest for some 1,5 km. At the end, just behind the railway crossing, you'll find yourself at a big factory and a service station. Walk up the road and you'll see the on-ramp OS-Hafen at the A1, where you can easily hitch a ride along the A1 north/south.   (bad)
  (bad) (16)   Osnabruck-Hellern   (bad)
  (bad) (17)   Osnabruck-Sutthausen   (bad)
  (very good) (18)   Osnabruck-Nahne   (very good)
(19)     Kreuz Osnabrück-Süd * connection to the A 33
  (average) (20)   Natbergen   (average)
  (average) (21)   Bissendorf   (average)
  Parkplatz Rottkamp-Süd   West 15   Parkplatz Rottkamp-Nord
(22)   Gesmold
(23)   Melle-West
  (very good) (24)   Melle-Ost
      Raststätte Gronegau Süd   East 30       Raststätte Gronegau Süd
(25)   Riemsloh
(26)   Bruchmühlen
(27)   Bünde
(28)   Hiddenhausen
(29)   Kirchlengern
(30)   Löhne
(31)   Dreieck-Löhne
(32)   Bad Oeynhausen-Nord
(33)   Dehme
(34)   Bad Oeynhausen-Ost
(35)   Kreuz Bad Oeynhausen, Connection to A 2


German highways

Major highways: A1A2A3A4A5A6A7A8A9

Minor highways: A10A11A12A13A14A15A17A19A20A21A23A24A25A26A27A28A29A30A31A33A37A38A39A40A42A43A44A45A46A48A49A52A57A59A60A61A62A63A64A65A66A67A70A71A72A73A81A92A93A94A95A96A98A99