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{{Infobox German Location
|country = Germany
|map = <map lat='52.5' lng='13.34' zoom='9' view='0' float='right' height='300' width='400' country='Germany'/>
|pop = 3,405,483 (31 Juli 2007)
|state = Berlin
|BW = DE/Land%20Berlin/Berlin
}}
'''Berlin''' is the capital of [[Germany]].
== Public transport ==
Despite its size and unless going from one edge of an outer suburb to one on the opposite side of the city, going from one point to another within Berlin seldom takes more than one hour. Use [https://www.vbb.de/en VBB.de] to find out how to get from one location to another within Berlin and also the surrounding state of [[Brandenburg]]. Berlin operates on a fairly simple tariff zone system: Zone A is anywhere within the suburban train ring (''Ringbahn'' / S-Bahn lines S41 and S42), zone B from the ring to the administrative borders of the city, and zone C is a defined area of Brandenburg in proximity to the city (somewhat confined by the terminal stops of the S-Bahn).
As of April 2023, the current prices for a single adult, one-way ticket are: €3.20 (tariff zones AB), €3.80 (tariff zones BC) and €4.00 (tariff zones ABC). There is a plethora of concession, daily, group and other discounted tickets too, check the VBB or [https://www.bvg.de/en BVG] website for more information.
== Hitchhiking out ==
=== Northwest towards [[Hamburg]], [[Rostock]] and [[Scandinavia]] {{Autobahn|24}} ===
==== Rasthof Stolper Heide Option 1: Kurt-Schumacher-Damm ====The hitchhikingTake subway line U6 direction Alt-Tegel and get off at ''Kurt-Schumacher-Platz''. Then walk ≈500 m south along Kurt-Schumacher-spot Damm to the start of the Autobahn. Alternatively, about 2 minutes away from the subway station there is a ''Jet'' petrol station. You can either ask the drivers who stop there or stand at the road right before it. You can have a free breakfast or dinner before you start in Henningsdorf the Sikh temple (gurdwara) that is a 10 minute walk from the petrol station at Kögelstraße 6. ==== Option 2: Prenzlauer Promenade ==== The street ''Prenzlauer Promenade'' is called ''Prenzlauer Allee'' in the city centre and becomes the Autobahn A114 next to the S-Bahn station ''Rasthof Stolper HeidePankow-Heinersdorf''. From there, just walk 500 m down the bridge and you' ve got a traffic light as well as two petrol stations ([http://hitchwikiStar and HEM).org/maps/?place=2153 map]Additionally, at the last intersection before the Autobahn starts, there's another petrol station (Shell) on ''Rothenbachstraße'' next to the traffic lights. It may be worth checking out which of these three is the cheapest and most frequented one on a given day – usually one of the two former. Be aware that the staff at the Shell station might tell you to leave their property and threaten to call the police. There is usually a lot of traffic on this road, so you could also hitch with a sign. Coming from ''Pankow-Heinersdorf'', 50 m before the first petrol station, there is also a shoulder where cars can stop and people waiting at the best option traffic lights are able to reach [[see you. Much of the traffic here is local, but there is also significant traffic towards Hamburg]], [[and Rostock]] . Try to get a lift to at least the first petrol station on the Autobahn ("Linumer Bruch"). ==== Option 3: Raststätte Stolper Heide ==== This Raststätte is ideal in the sense that you end up starting to hitchhike directly from a petrol station in which there are a fair few people heading to the big cities in Germany's North or [[Scandinavia]]. : You are going can easily get a direct ride to Hamburg from here, and, with a little patience, to have Rostock. If you want to go on catch a 2 km walk certain ferry in totalRostock or have other basic time constraints, please note that getting to this spot from the centre of Berlin may take two hours or even longer; Option 1 is likely faster and may work just as well. '''If you start from any district in West Berlin''', take S-Bahn station S25 towards ''Hennigsdorf'' and get off at ''Heiligensee'' (S25 towards Henningsdorf, EUR 2AB or BC ticket required).30 ticketTurn left from the station (so that you face North), and walk down up ''Ruppiner Chaussee northwards (left when coming out of the station about '' for 300 meters and m. Then turn right on an asphalt walking path (− there's a sign saying "Berliner Mauerweg"). Follow the path for 10-15 minutes1. Cross 2 km, crossing the bridge over the motorway and Autobahn. Immediately turn left - down a little path – you can stay close to the motorway Autobahn in order not to lose it and quickly you will quickly see a pathway that you can follow to this Rasthofthe Raststätte. As There is a small fence to the left of the path which you get closer have to jump at some point; the easiest place is probably to the right of a green fenced enclosure about half way to the exit for Raststätte. The walk from the service stationbridge is about 1.5 km. '''If you start from any district in East Berlin''', you will see a tall green fence faster way than the one described above is taking S- it is possible but inadvisable Bahn S8, get off at ''Hohen Neuendorf'' (ABC or BC ticket required), change to jump thisbus 809 (direction: alternatively ''Hennigsdorf, F.-Wolf-Str.'') and get off at ''Stolpe (OHV), Autobahnbrücke''. Head for the traffic light and turn onto the road on the correct side right (the one opposite of the motorway on-ramp), and follow it before until it starts makes a left turn; here, enter the forest and keep walking in parallel to the Autobahn, which will take you straight to the Raststätte's on-ramp for vehicles heading North. [[File:Hitch ber north stolper heide 2023.png|200px|thumb|right|How to walk from Frohnau station to Raststätte Stolper Heide]] If you for some reason don't have or after want to get a ticket including tariff zone C, you may also take S-Bahn S1 (direction: ''Oranienburg'') to ''Frohnau''. Getting off there, head to ''Ludolfingerplatz'', a small green square surrounded by a roundabout immediately west of the station, and start walking along ''Maximiliankorso'', the first road branching off on the right. Keep walking until the small intersection with ''Hainbuchenstraße'' (there's a bus stop with the same name), and walk over the road with this name, following it endsuntil its very end: It makes a sharp bend at the end of a cemetary (on your right) and a forest in front of you. You can easily get Enter the forest, walk until a path branches off to your right and turn there. At the end of the branch, you should see a direct ride golf course. Turn left and just keep walking straight now, which will take you to the Raststätte's fence. This route is about 3.64 km long and will take roughly an hour. ==== For [[HamburgScandinavia]] from here.bound hitchhikers ====
==== Prenzlauer Promenade ====The street '''Prenzlauer Promenade''' is called ''Prenzlauer Allee'' in the city centre and becomes the Autobahn A114 next to the ''S-Bahn'' station ''Pankow-Heinersdorf''. From there, just walk 500m down the bridge and you've got a traffic-light as well as two petrol stations, both on the right side for the drivers going Northeast towards the Autobahn. It may be worth walking to the second petrol station as it's cheaper and more frequented. However[[Szczecin]], it might happen that the staff at this second [[Gdańsk|Gdansk]] (ShellDanzig) station tell you to leave their property and threaten you to call the police.{{Autobahn|11}} ===
==== Kurt-Schumacher-Damm Option 1: Berliner Allee ====If you want to hitchhike towards [[Hamburg]] or [[Schwerin]] on the A24 it is the best to go with the U6 towards ''Alt-Tegel'' and get off at ''Kurt-Schumacher-Platz'' and then start walking towards the motorway. About 2 minutes away from the U-Bahn station there is a ''Jet'' petrol station. You can either ask the drivers who stop there or stand at the road right before it. (Update January 2009: Spot is open again!)* [[User:MaxHermens]] says: It's best to ask drivers if they are going on the motorway, and if so, if they can take you to the abovementioned Stolperheide. Then you can avoid the long walk and start hitching straight away.
==== Berliner Allee Option 2: Darßer Brücke ====Borough Pankow, part Weißensee: Take the tram M4 to ''Berliner Allee/Indira-Gandhi-Str.'' which can be caught at Alexanderplatz. Then walk along the ''Berliner Allee'' just around the half circle of the road and find a decent place where cars can pull over. Many cars at this intersection have Polish License and are heading North East, some as far as Gdansk. Use a sign with the city ''[[Szczecin]]'' and surely a Polish driver will stop, though be prepared to mix your languages and refer to cities by there Polish names. Check the map for the street view.
=== South towards [[Leipzig]] {{Autobahn|9}} and West towards [[Magdeburg]], [[Hannover]] {{Autobahn|2}} = Option 3: Am Luchgraben ====
[[File:IMG 5392.JPG|thumb|250px|right|[[Tiziano]] hitching from Berlin to [[Munich]]]]
==== Raststätte Grunewald Option 3: AVUS / Messedamm access lane ====For going South or West you can try A good spot to stand with a sign is at the access lane onto the A115 (AVUS) from ''Messedamm''. The access lane is a part of the 'Raststätte Grunewald'Funkturm''junction which connects the A115 and A100. Take The exact place to stand is at the acceleration lane of the road connecting the ''Messedamm'' with the A115 in a U-turn around a quiet parking area at ''Messedamm''. From S-Bahnstation ''Westkreuz'', walk north along ''Halenseestraße'' train , and cross the road at the big intersection onto ''Messedamm'S7'. After 100 meters, there is the quiet parking area at your left hand side. Walk across the carpark. To reach the place to hitch from, climb the traffic barrier between the carpark and the acceleration lane: [https://osm.org/go/0MZuR0mAF?m= This] is the exact location. Hitchhiking is prohibited here as the location is behind the Autobahn sign, but the risk is worth it. From S-Bahn station ' towards 'Messe Nord/ICC'Potsdam'it is slightly further, but easier to find. Walk to ' or 'Messedamm'S1', follow it south and at the next intersection turn right, then you' ll find the quiet parking area after 100 meters on your left hand side. === South towards [[Dresden]] and [[Cottbus]] {{Autobahn|13}} === Firest rest stop once out of Berlin is 25 km away Raststätte Am Kahlberg Ost on highway 13 ==== Option 1: B96a Altglienicke ==== Take S-Bahn S9 or S45 to ''WannseeAltglienicke'' . When getting off, you'll see there is a road that runs parallel on your left-hand side to the S-Bahn line (if you are facing south), and a red light. To get there, leave the platform by using the footbridge and turning right at the staircase (walk over the road running parallel). On the right side, There will be a pathway that goes down to the road - it's a little windy path that will eventually take you there. You will come to the road that runs parallel to the S-Bahn track (over which you just walked) and on that road is the red light that does not seem to have any shoulder space. But do not be confused. This is the BEST PLACE to stand and get out an immediate ride. Cross the road to stand at the red light on the SBahn Track side. You can ask cars every time they stop for the red light. The red light is 100 m before the right hand onramp of the Autobahn going to Cottbus or Dresden. ==== Option 2: A100 Autobahn junction Tempelhof ==== Take U-Bahn U6 or S-Bahn S41, S42, S45, S46, or S47 to Tempelhof. Turn right (south) along Tempelhofer Damm for 200 m to the A100 junction. ==== Option 3: B96a Schöneweide ==== [[File:Berlin-schoeneweide.jpg|thumb|right|230px|Hitchhikers next to the Raststätte in Schöneweide.]] Take S-Bahn S8, S9, S41, S42, S45, S4, S47, or S85 to ''NikolaseeSchöneweide''. Walk Then walk east out of the train station, cross the bridge turn right onto Michael-Brückner-Straße and after 300 m, you'll see find two petrol stations. Most people stops on second ==== Option 4: A100 Auffahrt Siemensdamm ==== Get to station "U Siemensdamm" and directly in front of the junction "Siemensdamm" (at least towards south) there is a crossing of the streets "Siemensdamm" and "Nikolaus-Groß-Weg" with traffic lights. Moving away from the motorway there is a long line of parking spots, perfect to getting picked up. I've made the experience that directly at the traffic lights it's hard but a bit further it can work. It is probably a great spot towards AVUS and north as well. ==== Option 5: Test option ==== Waldeck West rest stop road 117 next to bus 263 stop Waltersdorf (bei Berlin), Gaspumpstation. 5 km walk away from Eichwalde s-bahn stop S8 and S46 goes there === East towards [[petrol station hitchhikingPoland]] {{Autobahn|10}} {{E|petrol station30}} === If you are hitching in the direction of [[Wroclaw]], [[Katowice]] or [[Krakow]] right of , youmight find the route-page from [[:Category:Route_Berlin_-_Kraków|Berlin to Kraków]] useful. Usually Once you get a ride in Germany direction to Poland you can hitchhike before or after places where people pay for higway (polish name bramki). One side will encounter some other hitchhikershave a parking place and its free to hitchike there. ==== Option 1: Raststätte Michendorf / least walking ==== Take a regional train (e.g. RE7 direction Dessau, but normally you check fahrinfo-berlin.de for route information) from the centre and get off at Michendorf (requires BC/ABC ticket). Leave the station at the left side (in direction of the train). Turn right into the Potsdamer Straße and walk south ≈1.7 km on Potsdamer Straße until it ends (it bends right and is called An der Autobahn then). Keep walking straight ahead on a car footpath and cross the tunnel under the Autobahn A10. After the tunnel, turn right on a sandy path through the forest. Follow the track until you are at the Mcdonalds at the [rest area. The petrol station within is after the restaurant and seems to be better for getting rides. Your best bet is to either ask truckers (although they might not know English) or stand by the exit with a few minutes − sign that says "Polska". Alternative: Take bus 643 from ''Potsdam Hbf'', direction Busendorf, and get off at least to ''Michendorf, Bergheide''! Also standing at . Walk back 40 m in the direction the bus came from to the junction. There will be a small road going to the left, through the traffic lights before forest. Follow this road for ≈1 km to the Mcdonalds/Raststätte. ==== Option 2: Raststätte Am Fichtenplan ==== '''S-Bahn + 1 stop with train + 5 km walking''' [[on-rampFile:Berlinout.jpg|thumb|alt=E30 ''[[E30]]''.]] seems Take S-bahn S2 to the end station ''Blankenfelde''. From there, take any regional train one stop to ''Dahlewitz''. Turn right from the station and walk southeast ≈4 km along Bahnhofstrasse/L40 until you cross over the Autobahn A10/E30 bridge. Head down to the Autobahn and walk 1 km east to the big Aral petrol station. Walking on the Autobahn is illegal, so if you want to avoid the risk of getting caught, continue walking straight on the L40 after crossing the bridge for 1.6 km. There will be usefula small road on the left heading to the Autobahn. Walk north 850 m along this road until the start of the bridge over the Autobahn. Climb down to the field and walk east 300 m, parallel with the Autobahn, until you reach the Raststätte. (There is a fence to with holes in it before/next to Raststätte). See the map on the right. You need to walk 5 to 6 km, but the place is very good!
''There are 2 ways of entering 'A)''' From train stop ''S Blankenfelde'' catch bus 792, check [https://www.vbb.de/en VBB.de] in advance to find out about the departure times. If you’ve bought a ticket including tariff zone C to get to ''Blankenfelde'', it’ll also cover the bus fare. When looking for the upper mentioned motorways:bus at ''Blankenfelde''station, the displayed direction doesn’t matter as this is the initial/final stop of this line.
''2. 'B)''' From the 96a road eastern Berlin, go to ''S Königs Wusterhausen'', catch bus 730 to ''Brusendorf, Kreuzung'' (not that much in use after opening the A11315 min ride with same C zone ticket):''and walk Wilhelm-Pieck-Strase 100 metres and turn left on gravel road. You will see rest stop from there
==== Schöneweide Option 3: Raststätte Seeberg West====[[File:Berlin-schoeneweide.jpg|thumb|right|230px|Hitchhikers next to the service station in Schöneweide.]]Take a train to the S-Bahn station ''Schöneweide'', get out there and walk out of the station East, turn right on Michael-Brückner Straße and after 300 meter you'll find two big [[rest area|service stations]] − although the is far away these are mostly the last possibilities for cars to get petrol. The place was once crowded with hitchhikers but is normally empty now and works fine! Locals tend to stop at the second petrol station because it's usually cheaper. Also, behind this petrol station is a Burger King "Restaurant". If you choose your spot well, you can show a sign both to cars on the street who could stop at the Burger King entrance (but often drive too fast though) and to people leaving the second petrol station or entering Burger King.
At the Raststätte, trucks heading for Poland abound, as well as a fair number of private cars with Polish number plates. === East towards [[Kostrzyn]] Poland and [[Frankfurt an der Oder|Frankfurt (Oder)]] === If you are only going to Frankfurt/Oder or somewhere else close by, you can try to hitch along the national road B5/B1 instead of taking the highway A12. Take the S5 to Mahlsdorf and follow Hönewer Straße to the South until the big intersection with the street Alt-Mahlsdorf. After the traffic light there is [https://goo.gl/maps/45v4qR1Np822 enough place to stop]. Cars go quite fast, but often slow down due according to the changing traffic lights. There is still a lot of city traffic though. Small walk away also is a Star Tankstelle petrol station (adress Alt-Mahlsdorf 117) Directly before the entrance to the Berlin ringway there is a bus stop & Shell Tankstelle suitable for hitching further. About 10 km after the highway the B1/B5 changes from a fast two lane road to a smaller national road. === North towards [[Fürstenberg]], [[Neustrelitz]] and [[Neubrandenburg]] === For the East part of Mecklenburg - Western Pomerania the B96 could be a good option instead of A11/A20, because there's only one petrol station on A11 and none on the eastern part of the A20. '''Option 1''' Go to S Oranienburg (S1, RE from Südkreuz - Hauptbahnhof - Gesundbrunnen, RB Lichtenberg - Hohenschönhausen). From Oranienburg go by bus or walk to Sachsenhausen, Kirche bus stop and continue walking Granseer Straße for 15 minutes and you'll reach the B96. At this point the B96 still looks like a highway. But don't be confused: just a few meters before the onramp Oranienburg-Nord there's a sign saying that Autobahn ends. So cars are allowed to stop north of the ramp. Between Oranienburg and Neubrandenburg just Neustrelitz is bad for leaving a car. If you're driver goes to Neustrelitz leave the car 2 km before at the last crossroad (connection with B198 to Wesenberg, Mirow) and use the bus stop over there to go on to NB or ask if you driver can drop you off at the North end of Neustrelitz. In every other town/village on that way the B96 goes directly via the town. So you can get off and look for the next busstop on the B96. Weekend or holidays it might be that there's nearly no bus via Sachsenhausen, Kirche then you can go by train to Sachsenhausen (Nordb) and walk 1 km to the spot. Check before on Vbb-Homepage! '''Option 2''' Raststätte Stolper Heide highway rest stop Go by bus 8O9 till stop Stolpe (OHV), Autobahnbrücke than 1OO metres back and right side 1 km walk away is Raststätte Stolper Heide highway rest stop on road 111. The road serves just as access to rest stop and starts opposite side from road 111 upramp Or you can walk 4 km from S Bahnhof Hohen Neuendorf starting from Stolper Street than its changes to Hohen Neuendorfer Weg street and all the way to bus stop above. There is a bicycle road next to street
== Hitching In ==
Getting into Berlin since the ring is big and maybe you are on a ride that's only passing by. Good option is to get out at... === The Ruhr area Highway 10 (Warsaw > Amsterdam) ===When hitch hiking towards Berlin Get off at ''Rasthof Michendorf'' (after all the ring interchanges). There is a bridge over the Autobahn nearby so if you are coming even from Belgium, avoid passing Poland you can jump over and easily find someone going into the Ruhr area (Dortmundcity. Alternatively, Essenyou can walk into Michendorf itself, Duisburg)which takes about 30 min. Once Just head north from the petrol stations (you get incan go under the Autobahn from the southern petrol station From Michendorf, it's difficult to get outyou can take a train for EUR 3. Service stations are rare and passing traffic avoids this region. We tried on several places and had 30 to take the train to pass this area centre of Berlin (lost 5 the ABC ticket, which is valid for 2 hours, so you can also use metro, bus etc. when in Berlin). There are sufficient work arounds The last train everyday is at 00:21. So don't leave the petrol station if you get there after 00:00. Also, if you end up having to avoid this area. See also sleep over there, that train station is definitely not really suitable for sleeping; however, near the hitchwiki page of petrol station there's a 24 hours restaurant called "Restaurant Michendorf Nord", you can charge your phone there and probably sleep in the [[Ruhr Area]]downstairs toilet for disabled people.
[[Category:Autobahn|Autobahn]]