Enschede

Enschede
<map lat='52.22065572' lng='6.8815612792968' zoom='12' view='3' height='250' />
Information
Country:	Netherlands
Province:	Overijssel
Population:	154,311 (01 Jun 2007)
Major roads:	A1, A35
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Enschede is a city in the east of the Netherlands. There was a liftershalte, a spot for hitchhikers, on the Westerval, at the Parkweg (direction A35). It disappeared somehow in 2006.

Hitching Out

East towards Germany

Option 1 along the highway towards Osnabrück

There is an A1 ramp in Oldenzaal-Zuid. This is around 6 km north of Enschede. You can get there by taking the bus line 60 or 62 to Oldenzaal at the central bus station in Enschede. The price is 2,50 Euro.

Get out of the bus at "Hanzepoort", cross the street and go 50m to the right. There you can stand on the ramp up to the Dutch Highway A1 (German A30) to Bad Bentheim / Osnabrück. Average waiting time is 7 minutes, most people go to Germany, mostly to Nordhorn or Bad Bentheim near the border. This ramp is the 2nd last before the German border, so try to get to the parking area at the border, there you can find trucks that are going more east to Osnabrück, Hannover or Berlin. If you like going faster, check out the article for the A30, maybe you better can catch a ride towards the ramp Nordhorn/Bentheim and from there get faster eastwards.

Option 2 via Gronau and towards Münster

For hitchhiking towards Münster take bus #1 (costs EUR 1,20) towards Wesselerbrink and get out at TC Tubantia. There you can already see the highway in front of you, just walk the 500 meters up to the ramp. At this spot the highway A35 begins. For hitchhiking towards Gronau use the space in front of the traffic lights or walk a bit down the ramp.

West towards Hengelo, Apeldoorn, Utrecht, Amsterdam

To get on the A35 you just have to go to the Zuiderval. Take bus #2 Helmerhoek and get out at the P+R Zuiderval and walk to the higway (100 meters). There are traffic lights and enough space for cars to stop. Use a sign with Deventer and get a lift to the gas station before Deventer.

On-ramp Oldenzaal-Zuid towards Germany.

All other directions

If you are at the University of Twente, try this: Go to the entry of the University, go the "Auke Vleerstraat" straightforward for around one kilometer (crossing two traffic circles, two bridges). After the second bridge you'll find traffic lights. Directly behind these traffic lights is a bus bay where you can stand perfectly to show all coming cars that you need a lift up on to the A35 to the east (Gronau (Germany) or to the west to Hengelo (Highway A1).

Sleeping

It's possible to camp somewhere on the University campus, if you ask the security guys at the campus entry kindly to put your tent on a hidden spot somewhere between the trees. There's much green on the campus, only thing will be geese that are hanging around there. ;) Otherwise, you also can contact platschi via couchsurfing or bewelcome. Same username there. Might always have some place for hitchhikers to crash.