Difference between revisions of "Germany"

From Hitchwiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
m
(The Ruhr area warning)
(23 intermediate revisions by 10 users not shown)
Line 6: Line 6:
 
|pop = 82,314,900
 
|pop = 82,314,900
 
|currency = Euro (€)
 
|currency = Euro (€)
|hitch = <rating country='de' />
+
|hitch = <good>
 
|BW = DE
 
|BW = DE
 
}}
 
}}
Line 16: Line 16:
 
== Road types ==
 
== Road types ==
 
To hitchhike efficiently in Germany it is good to know the three different kinds of roads between cities and towns. By descending speed these are:
 
To hitchhike efficiently in Germany it is good to know the three different kinds of roads between cities and towns. By descending speed these are:
* motorways or expressways called ''Autobahn'' with no speed limit
+
* motorways or expressways called ''Autobahn'' with no general speed limit (there can still be signs with speed limits)
 
* federal roads called ''Bundesstraße''
 
* federal roads called ''Bundesstraße''
 
* country roads called ''Landstraße''
 
* country roads called ''Landstraße''
Line 35: Line 35:
  
 
==== Getting onto the autobahn ====
 
==== Getting onto the autobahn ====
 
 
[[File:Zeichen 330.svg|thumb|right|100px|The on-ramp sign of an autobahn]]
 
[[File:Zeichen 330.svg|thumb|right|100px|The on-ramp sign of an autobahn]]
  
Line 41: Line 40:
  
 
==== Service stations and rest areas ====
 
==== Service stations and rest areas ====
 
 
You have various possibilities for being dropped off along the autobahn to look for your next ride. As petrol station hitchhiking is faster, try to avoid being dropped at on-ramps where you have to thumb. On the autobahn, it is preferable to be dropped off at a service station instead of a rest area as rest areas have much less cars stopping.  
 
You have various possibilities for being dropped off along the autobahn to look for your next ride. As petrol station hitchhiking is faster, try to avoid being dropped at on-ramps where you have to thumb. On the autobahn, it is preferable to be dropped off at a service station instead of a rest area as rest areas have much less cars stopping.  
  
Line 54: Line 52:
  
 
Their general speed limit is 100 km/h and they usually have no emergency lane so they are difficult to thumb. To get a ride either try petrol stations or choose a place where have a lot of space to see you and stop or where they are going slower, e.g. town exits. Police might consider it illegal to thumb in sites where cars cannot stop without putting the traffic in danger.
 
Their general speed limit is 100 km/h and they usually have no emergency lane so they are difficult to thumb. To get a ride either try petrol stations or choose a place where have a lot of space to see you and stop or where they are going slower, e.g. town exits. Police might consider it illegal to thumb in sites where cars cannot stop without putting the traffic in danger.
 +
 +
[[File:Zeichen 331.1 - Kraftfahrstraße, StVO 2013.svg|thumb|right|150px|A fraffic sign indicating the beginning of a ''Kraftfahrstraße'']]To make it more complicated some of the ''Bundesstraßen'' are a so called ''Kraftfahrstraße''. For them most of the ''Autobahn''-rules apply (e.g. no pedestrians and bikes allowed). You can recognise a ''Kraftfahrstraße'' by the sign of a white car in front of a blue backround.
 +
  
 
=== Smaller federal ''Landstraße'' roads ===
 
=== Smaller federal ''Landstraße'' roads ===
  
 
These roads are not numbered on traffic signs and usually connect minor towns. As most of them have lower speed limits thumbing is likely to work. As they might not have a lot of traffic coming through they should only be used for getting from and to you final destination.
 
These roads are not numbered on traffic signs and usually connect minor towns. As most of them have lower speed limits thumbing is likely to work. As they might not have a lot of traffic coming through they should only be used for getting from and to you final destination.
 +
 +
== The Ruhr area warning ==
 +
 +
When hitch hiking towards and from Belgium, be carreful passing the Ruhr area (Dortmund, Essen, Duisburg). Once you get in, it's difficult to get out. Raststättes are rare and passing traffic avoids this region. We tried on several places and had to take the train to pass this area (lost 5 hours). There are sufficient work arounds to avoid this area. See also the hitchwiki page of the [[Ruhr Area]].
  
 
== Legal stuff ==
 
== Legal stuff ==
Hitchhiking in general is legal in Germany. It is only forbidden to hitchhike on the Autobahn itself, meaning you standing on the autobahn or its emergency lane. You are perfectly fine stopping at service stations and asking the people but keep in mind that service stations are private property / leases. It occasionally happened that owners try to get rid of hichthikers at "their" service station. If that happens, just move to the parking space and hitchhike there.
+
Hitchhiking in general is legal in Germany. It is only forbidden to hitchhike on the Autobahn itself, meaning you standing on the autobahn or its emergency lane. It is also forbidden to walk on a ''Kraftfahrstraße''. You are perfectly fine stopping at service stations and asking the people but keep in mind that service stations are private property / leases. It occasionally happened that owners try to get rid of hichthikers at "their" service station. If that happens, just move to the parking space and hitchhike there.
 
If you want to start hitching at the on-ramps, make sure you stand before the rectangular blue sign indicating the start of the autobahn.
 
If you want to start hitching at the on-ramps, make sure you stand before the rectangular blue sign indicating the start of the autobahn.
  
Line 66: Line 71:
  
 
=== Car registration/number plates ===
 
=== Car registration/number plates ===
You can  determine where a car is registered by its number plates. While tehre are certain plates on rented cars. (Europcar has „HH“ (Hamburg), Avis – „EU“ (Euskirchen), Sixt – „M“ (Munich), Hertz „DN-H“ (Düren)), other plates are associated with areas [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_der_Kfz-Kennzeichen_in_Deutschland - DE], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plates_of_Germany EN].  The first letter is usually the district where it is registered. In addition, there is a little patch beside the number which tells you what state that number plate isbelongs to too. this is useful if you do not know the district letters.
+
You can  determine where a car is registered by its number plates. While tehre are certain plates on rented cars. (Europcar has „HH“ (Hamburg), Avis – „EU“ (Euskirchen), Sixt – „M“ (Munich), Hertz „DN-H“ (Düren)), other plates are associated with areas [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_der_Kfz-Kennzeichen_in_Deutschland - DE], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plates_of_Germany EN].  The first letter is usually the district where it is registered. In addition, there is a little patch beside the number which tells you what state that number plate belongs to, which is useful if you do not know the district letters.
 
 
 
 
=== Crossing the border ===
 
Germany has signed the [[Schengen Agreement]] which means that borders with other Schengen countries are open. Since 2009, all neighbouring countries are Schengen members as well, so there are no fixed border controls any more. At times, there are mobile checks by the police or customs, especially in border regions or on the Autobahn.
 
 
 
At the Swiss border, there are still custom controls, but that will probably only affect you if you are on a truck.
 
 
 
'''Update January 2016'''
 
 
 
Because of the refugee crisis in Europe some countries have reintroduced border controls. In Germany this will especially affect the borders with Austria and Denmark. Prepare for traffic jams at the border and keep your passport ready.
 
  
 
== License plates ==
 
== License plates ==
 
There are between one and three letters on a license plate which show the city or region where the car is registered. For example, look for license plates starting with '''B''' if you're hitching to [[Berlin]]. Have a look at the articles on Wikipedia for more information: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_car_number_plates German car number plates] (in English) and [http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_der_Kfz-Kennzeichen_in_Deutschland Liste der Kfz-Kennzeichen in Deutschland] (in German).
 
There are between one and three letters on a license plate which show the city or region where the car is registered. For example, look for license plates starting with '''B''' if you're hitching to [[Berlin]]. Have a look at the articles on Wikipedia for more information: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_car_number_plates German car number plates] (in English) and [http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_der_Kfz-Kennzeichen_in_Deutschland Liste der Kfz-Kennzeichen in Deutschland] (in German).
 +
 +
Note that it is no longer required to change plates if you move, so a HH (Hamburg) car may very well belong to someone living in München (M). At the moment this is not yet a big problem, but in due course it may lead to the situation that license plates become as useless as those in many other countries for determining the direction a car might be going...
  
 
== Maps ==
 
== Maps ==
Line 86: Line 83:
 
For more information look here: [http://www.tank.rast.de/standorte/servicenetz/index.php tank.rast.de]. For a good map to print out and bring with you that has all the service stations on it have a look here: [http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/684/rastekarte.jpg/ Rastekarte]. This is the same one you will find at the service stations as big overview maps, more often than not those can be nicked very easily as well.
 
For more information look here: [http://www.tank.rast.de/standorte/servicenetz/index.php tank.rast.de]. For a good map to print out and bring with you that has all the service stations on it have a look here: [http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/684/rastekarte.jpg/ Rastekarte]. This is the same one you will find at the service stations as big overview maps, more often than not those can be nicked very easily as well.
  
On the website: www.autobahnatlas-online.de you can find detailed listings of all Autobahnen, with all drive-ups, interchanges, all types of rest stops, tunnels, and bridges along their ways, with exact kilometer allegations. This comes along handy when hopping from station to station.
+
On the website: www.autobahnatlas-online.de you can find detailed listings of all Autobahnen, with all drive-ups, interchanges, all types of rest stops, tunnels, and bridges along their ways, with exact kilometer allegations. This comes along handy when hopping from station to station.
 
 
== Food and drink ==
 
{{move_to_nomadwiki}}
 
Drinking tap water is safe all over the country. You can usually get inexpensive but good food at Italian and Turkish takeaways, the latter ones have ''Döner'' or ''Kebap'' written on them. Typical German fast food shops are marked with ''Imbiss'' signs and sell cheap sausages and French fries. Keep in mind that most shops including some supermarkets close at 20:00 and on Sundays, although many supermarkets might be open until 22:00 during weekdays. Petrol stations, 24-h shops and kiosks have a very limited food choice and are more expensive. As a free alternative you can try dumpster diving. More information on this can be found in the [http://trashwiki.org/en/Germany trashwiki article on Germany].
 
 
 
In nearly every town there are alternative centres where people cook for everybody. The price for a warm dish is between zero and 2 Euro. Have a look at the [http://deu.anarchopedia.org/VoK%C3%BC list here]. (German)
 
 
 
=== Bahnhof Mission ===
 
Even on every big railwaystation you can find Bahnhof Mission. This is charity christian organisation that can help you in different needs. Don't abuse them so much because mostly it's for homeless people but if you need feel free to come. They can give you advices where you can find free food or free place to sleep, because they know all charity organisations that operates in the city. You can make a call from their phones, charge your devices, have rest in their room, warm yourself in the cold period. Sometimes they have some food (usually sandwiches) and free tea/coffee. They do not allow to leave your luggage. Usually they open 24 hours with some breaks for cleaning during the day. Sometimes you can stay there for a night, you can put your sleeping bag on the floor (but it depends of the workers), it's not the mandatory.
 
 
 
=== Eating on the Autobahn ===
 
Try to avoid eating on autobahn [[rest area|service stations]] if you want to save money and if have a good taste of food. These restaurants are notoriously expensive and the food quality is quite low. If you're lucky you can find thrown away [http://hitchwiki.org/en/Image:Sanifair_voucher.jpg Sanifair vouchers] of the toilet system. You get a cumulative 0.50 euro rebate for them in the shop.
 
 
 
== Getting Clothes ==
 
In Germany there are shops where you can bring unused clothes in a good state and/or take new clothes home. It does not cost anything. A list of these shops is available [http://www.umsonstladen.de/ here]. (German)
 
 
 
== Hygiene ==
 
Most toilets on the service stations are maintained by [[Sanifair]] and are clean. You get a 0.50 euro coupon as part of the 0.70 euro service fee, which you can redeem when buying things at the petrol station shop or in the restaurant. [[User:Pathofdhamma|Pathofdhamma]] suggest to seize the moment and jump the barrier if there are no people or cameras around. The turnstyle is only blocked for the inwards direction. With some luck and smooth moves, you can sneak in. Turn it towards you, walk one step; turn it again, walk another step: you are in!
 
 
 
There are showers in most ''Raststätte'' and ''Autohof'' service stations on and near the autobahn. Prices are between 2 euro and 5 euro.
 
 
 
== Telephone and Internet ==
 
 
 
=== Telephone ===
 
 
 
{| style = "float:right"
 
| [[File:Station multimedia Allemagne 2006.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Public surf terminal with telephone]]
 
|}
 
{| style = "float:right"
 
| [[File:TelefonzelleFrankfurt060422.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Different kinds of phone booths]]
 
|}
 
Phone booths that accept coins are still available all over Germany. The older ones are yellow, the newer ones are mostly glass and display a pink T. They are more expensive than using a prepaid card for your cell phone. A nice feature is that you can send SMS, faxes and e-mails even with the oldest types. However, input is a bit cumbersome and in one test it took at half a week to deliver a text message. In some cities there is cheaper ones from other operators than those from "pink T" (i.e. T-Com aka Deutsche Telekom).
 
 
 
A cheaper option is to buy a German prepaid SIM card. They are readily available from mobile shops like ''e-plus'', ''Vodafone'' and ''T-mobile''. A lot of supermarket chains like ''Aldi'', ''Netto'' and ''Lidl'' also have their own brands that use the network of the bigger providers. Check beforehand how to register the SIM card. Sometimes the seller wants to see an ID. If you prefer not to give out your real data you might for example buy a SIM card at ''Aldi'', which you can register via Internet with fake data.
 
 
 
If you want to make calls abroad there are some stores offering international phone booths in bigger cities. They are usually located in migration areas and often include an internet café.
 
 
 
=== Internet ===
 
 
 
==== Without laptop or smartphone ====
 
 
 
There are still some Internet cafés in the bigger cities. Rates are around 2 euro per hour.
 
 
 
In most cities you will find pay per use surf terminals like in the image to the right. They offer internet and telephone services.
 
  
==== By laptop or smartphone ====
+
On a longer journey with several route options, [https://www.diercke.de/content/deutschland-stra%C3%9Fenverkehr-978-3-14-100800-5-64-1-1 this map] showing the traffic volume of the different highways might help you deciding which could be faster due to more traffic.
  
There are almost no unsecured Wifi access points in Germany because people might be made responsible for illegal actions done through their internet access.
+
For those using mobile app MAPS.ME, you may download a .kml file with all the service plazas for viewing on your map offline. Considering Germany is extremely well mapped on [https://openstreetmap.org OpenStreetMap], these locations can be assumed to be very accurate and up-to-date. You can view the [https://overpass-turbo.eu/s/MGq data extract here] and click Export > Download as KML and then open the .kml file on your phone to be loaded in MAPS.ME
 
 
Most German prepaid cards also have a data option if you own a smartphone or a surfstick for your laptop, which also can be bought for about 30 euro. It's often better to buy a single day flatrate for two to five euros instead of using the data tariff. Details depend on your provider.
 
 
 
Some ''Burger King'' restaurants offer free Wifi without any registration. At ''McDonalds'' you get free Wifi for one hour per day without consuming anything. Sometimes the restaurants are located on service stations, you can look them up [http://www.mcdonalds.de/metanavigation/mcfinder/mcfinder.cfm here]. Enter a location in the search mask and make sure to check the option ''WLAN'' (abbreviation for Wireless LAN). Once there, connect, type in any address and you will be asked for a valid German mobile number, through which you will receive your access code. Take care: in both cases the connection is not encrypted so anything you send in clear text, e.g. when using a browser or e-mail tool without SSL, can be easily recorded by others nearby.
 
  
 
== Language ==
 
== Language ==
Line 148: Line 97:
 
When asking your drivers for help it pays off to know that the German word ''Straße'' for street contains the weird letter ''ß'' which looks a bit like a B. If you pronounce it like an ''s'' Germans will understand you. Contrary to popular belief the diacritics on Ä, ä, Ö, ö, Ü and ü are not metal umlauts and thus they do affect pronunciation. If in doubt try to pronounce the word as if the diacritics didn't exist. For instance, if you pronounce the city ''Würzburg'' as ''Wurzburg'' you will probably be understood.
 
When asking your drivers for help it pays off to know that the German word ''Straße'' for street contains the weird letter ''ß'' which looks a bit like a B. If you pronounce it like an ''s'' Germans will understand you. Contrary to popular belief the diacritics on Ä, ä, Ö, ö, Ü and ü are not metal umlauts and thus they do affect pronunciation. If in doubt try to pronounce the word as if the diacritics didn't exist. For instance, if you pronounce the city ''Würzburg'' as ''Wurzburg'' you will probably be understood.
  
== Other possibilities of transportation ==
+
== Useful links ==
  
Other cheap possibilities include [[carpooling]] and special offers of the German railways [[Deutsche Bahn]].
+
* [https://warmroads.de/en/hitchhiking-in-17-germany/ Comprehensive guide about hitchhiking in Germany] by [[User:Korn|Korn]] on https://warmroads.de
 +
* [http://deu.anarchopedia.org/index.php/Deutschland:Trampstellen Hitchhiking spots in Germany], in German, on a GFDL wiki
 +
* [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Autobahn_1-999.png Overview of autobahns in Germany]
  
=== Carpooling ===
+
== Trashwiki & Nomadwiki ==
[http://www.mitfahrgelegenheit.de mitfahrgelegenheit.de] once was the most popular website for carpooling. Since they started charging a certain percentage for each ride from the drivers, there are new pages starting to be used more and more. Some of them are: [http://www.blablacar.de blablacar.de] and [http://www.bessermitfahren.de bessermitfahren.de].
 
  
=== Railways ===
+
{{nomadwiki}}
The country has an expensive railway network. As an alternative to the standard fare, you may also check offers and sales, for example regional or seasonal tickets. [http://www.bahn.com/i/view/DEU/en/prices/index.shtml]
 
If travelling in a weekend it is possible to buy a ticket valid for unlimited travel for one day on all regional trains for up to 5 persons. See [http://www.bahn.com/i/view/overseas/en/prices/germany/schoenes-wochenende-ticket.shtml]
 
See also [[Deutsche Bahn]].
 
 
 
== Practical links ==
 
* [http://deu.anarchopedia.org/index.php/Deutschland:Trampstellen Hitchhiking spots in Germany], in German, on a GFDL wiki
 
* [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Autobahn_1-999.png Overview of autobahns in Germany]
 
  
 
<!--* [http://www.linksundrechts.com/karten/u_oesterreich.gif Autobahnübersicht Österreich]
 
<!--* [http://www.linksundrechts.com/karten/u_oesterreich.gif Autobahnübersicht Österreich]
Line 179: Line 122:
  
 
{{IsIn|Western Europe}}
 
{{IsIn|Western Europe}}
[[trash:Germany]]
+
 
[[digi:Germany]]
 
__NOTOC__
 
  
 
[[Category:Germany| ]]
 
[[Category:Germany| ]]

Revision as of 15:24, 21 March 2021

Flag of Germany Germany
Information
Language: German
Capital: Berlin
Population: 82,314,900
Currency: Euro (€)
Hitchability: <good>
Meet fellow hitchhikers on Trustroots or BeWelcome
<map lat='51.39920565355378' lng='9.9755859375' zoom='5' view='0' height='320' width='260' float='left' country='Germany' />
Sigurdas thumbing towards Nürnberg, 2003.

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-ramps, service stations, more seldom - parking lots) and local roads. Germans are a little bit suspicious, but nice if you get to know them. Thumbing makes it easier for them to say "no", because they do not even have to look at you. Those who will stop are often people who hitchhiked themselves when they were younger. Many of them have families, jobs and fast cars now. Because of the absence of speed limits on many motorways it's a good country to hitchhike long distances in short time.

Road types

To hitchhike efficiently in Germany it is good to know the three different kinds of roads between cities and towns. By descending speed these are:

  • motorways or expressways called Autobahn with no general speed limit (there can still be signs with speed limits)
  • federal roads called Bundesstraße
  • country roads called Landstraße

Their use in hitchhiking is different and explained below.

Autobahn

For more information, see the article Autobahn.

A traffic sign indicating Autobahn A7

The autobahns in Germany are the fastest links between cities. Their numbers consist of an A and the number of the highway. On traffic signs the A is not mentioned but they can be distinguished by the blue colour of the sign.

The lack of a general speed limit is something most Germans are proud of demonstrating to you and what makes them the best choice for longer distances. Subsequently walking and hitchhiking is illegal on the autobahn and the emergency lane.

As a general rule, you should always stick to the Autobahn as long as possible and try to change between major autobahns as little as possible, even if this means some detours. As soon as you are on the Autobahn and travel between service stations, you are hitching fast and reliable. For more information about this kind of hitchhiking, see the article on petrol station hitchhiking.

As trucks do not travel faster than 90 km/h you might 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 an autobahn. In Germany most trucks aren't allowed on motorways on Sundays or public holidays before 22:00. As most truck drivers stop earlier truck traffic already gets less on Saturday afternoons.

If you travel a specific autobahn, have a look at the autobahn page where you can find very specific information and hints about hitchhiking on German motorway ramps, etc. - for example, the route AmsterdamBerlin along the A2 and A30.

Getting onto the autobahn

The on-ramp sign of an autobahn

To get onto the autobahn either hitch a ride from a city, thumb at the on-ramp before the sign or go to a service station by public transportation and walk there. A good possibility is to look for a street with traffic lights that leads to an autobahn. Wait for the red light, then knock at the windows (do not forget to smile!) and ask for a ride. If you look neither like a homeless nor like a drug dealer, they will be happy to help you.

Service stations and rest areas

You have various possibilities for being dropped off along the autobahn to look for your next ride. As petrol station hitchhiking is faster, try to avoid being dropped at on-ramps where you have to thumb. On the autobahn, it is preferable to be dropped off at a service station instead of a rest area as rest areas have much less cars stopping.

Autobahn traffic sign of an Autohof

The Raststätte is the usual choice for hitchhiking because most cars tend to refuel there. Make sure your Raststätte has not just a restaurant but also a petrol stations because more people stop there and they leave quicker. Most Raststätten are on both sides of the autobahn and there is often a bridge or tunnel nearby to cross. Therefore you might consider hitchhiking to a Raststätte in the opposite direction first to get onto the highway quicker. At the entrance of the petrol station shop there are usually map stands that show the surrounding area and other service stations in Germany.

With a few exceptions all service stations can be entered by foot from the side and feature an unlocked door in the fence or wall.

The off-autobahn Autohof is a local fuel station that is marked on traffic signs on the autobahn. Food and fuel is cheaper there but most car drivers don't bother and thus mostly trucks stop there. This means that they are okay on weekdays but have to be avoided on Saturday evenings and Sundays at all cost. Another disadvantage for continuing on the autobahn is that local traffic also stops at the Autohof.

Federal Bundesstraße roads

A traffic sign indicating Bundesstraße B42

The federal Bundesstraße roads are indicated by yellow signs and carry numbers like B6 or B49. Like in the case of the autobahn the B is not written on traffic signs, but federal roads can be distinguished by the yellow colour of the sign. As they are smaller and carry more local traffic they should only be used to get from and to the autobahn, though there are a few exceptions to the rule.

Their general speed limit is 100 km/h and they usually have no emergency lane so they are difficult to thumb. To get a ride either try petrol stations or choose a place where have a lot of space to see you and stop or where they are going slower, e.g. town exits. Police might consider it illegal to thumb in sites where cars cannot stop without putting the traffic in danger.

A fraffic sign indicating the beginning of a Kraftfahrstraße

To make it more complicated some of the Bundesstraßen are a so called Kraftfahrstraße. For them most of the Autobahn-rules apply (e.g. no pedestrians and bikes allowed). You can recognise a Kraftfahrstraße by the sign of a white car in front of a blue backround.


Smaller federal Landstraße roads

These roads are not numbered on traffic signs and usually connect minor towns. As most of them have lower speed limits thumbing is likely to work. As they might not have a lot of traffic coming through they should only be used for getting from and to you final destination.

The Ruhr area warning

When hitch hiking towards and from Belgium, be carreful passing the Ruhr area (Dortmund, Essen, Duisburg). Once you get in, it's difficult to get out. Raststättes are rare and passing traffic avoids this region. We tried on several places and had to take the train to pass this area (lost 5 hours). There are sufficient work arounds to avoid this area. See also the hitchwiki page of the Ruhr Area.

Legal stuff

Hitchhiking in general is legal in Germany. It is only forbidden to hitchhike on the Autobahn itself, meaning you standing on the autobahn or its emergency lane. It is also forbidden to walk on a Kraftfahrstraße. You are perfectly fine stopping at service stations and asking the people but keep in mind that service stations are private property / leases. It occasionally happened that owners try to get rid of hichthikers at "their" service station. If that happens, just move to the parking space and hitchhike there. If you want to start hitching at the on-ramps, make sure you stand before the rectangular blue sign indicating the start of the autobahn.

Just like other people, police may or may not be friendly towards hitchhikers. It is said that police controls are more frequent in the southern states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. As a foreigner you have to carry your passport at all times; a national ID card is sufficient if you are from another EU country. If you are being checked, be friendly, show it to them and they will leave you alone.

Car registration/number plates

You can determine where a car is registered by its number plates. While tehre are certain plates on rented cars. (Europcar has „HH“ (Hamburg), Avis – „EU“ (Euskirchen), Sixt – „M“ (Munich), Hertz „DN-H“ (Düren)), other plates are associated with areas - DE, EN. The first letter is usually the district where it is registered. In addition, there is a little patch beside the number which tells you what state that number plate belongs to, which is useful if you do not know the district letters.

License plates

There are between one and three letters on a license plate which show the city or region where the car is registered. For example, look for license plates starting with B if you're hitching to Berlin. Have a look at the articles on Wikipedia for more information: German car number plates (in English) and Liste der Kfz-Kennzeichen in Deutschland (in German).

Note that it is no longer required to change plates if you move, so a HH (Hamburg) car may very well belong to someone living in München (M). At the moment this is not yet a big problem, but in due course it may lead to the situation that license plates become as useless as those in many other countries for determining the direction a car might be going...

Maps

Tiziano hitching from Berlin to Munich

Recommended maps for Germany are listed in this article. You can easily hitch through Germany with just a map that has all service stations along the Autobahn on it. There are maps at many service stations in a little free booklet which are quite misleading, they do not contain all service stations, just the ones belonging to one of the big companies running them. For more information look here: tank.rast.de. For a good map to print out and bring with you that has all the service stations on it have a look here: Rastekarte. This is the same one you will find at the service stations as big overview maps, more often than not those can be nicked very easily as well.

On the website: www.autobahnatlas-online.de you can find detailed listings of all Autobahnen, with all drive-ups, interchanges, all types of rest stops, tunnels, and bridges along their ways, with exact kilometer allegations. This comes along handy when hopping from station to station.

On a longer journey with several route options, this map showing the traffic volume of the different highways might help you deciding which could be faster due to more traffic.

For those using mobile app MAPS.ME, you may download a .kml file with all the service plazas for viewing on your map offline. Considering Germany is extremely well mapped on OpenStreetMap, these locations can be assumed to be very accurate and up-to-date. You can view the data extract here and click Export > Download as KML and then open the .kml file on your phone to be loaded in MAPS.ME

Language

Despite German being the major language, (with over 95% of the population speaking it as a first language [1]) you will find that many Germans speak English or French as a second language. Other common languages in the country are Turkish, Russian and Arabic.

Learning to speak German

The basic hitchhiker needs can be satisfied by a look at the phrasebook here.

When asking your drivers for help it pays off to know that the German word Straße for street contains the weird letter ß which looks a bit like a B. If you pronounce it like an s Germans will understand you. Contrary to popular belief the diacritics on Ä, ä, Ö, ö, Ü and ü are not metal umlauts and thus they do affect pronunciation. If in doubt try to pronounce the word as if the diacritics didn't exist. For instance, if you pronounce the city Würzburg as Wurzburg you will probably be understood.

Useful links

Trashwiki & Nomadwiki

Check Nomadwiki for info on accommodation, showers etc. or Trashwiki for dumpsters...and share your wisdom :)


German highways

Major highways: A1A2A3A4A5A6A7A8A9

Minor highways: A10A11A12A13A14A15A17A19A20A21A23A24A25A26A27A28A29A30A31A33A37A38A39A40A42A43A44A45A46A48A49A52A57A59A60A61A62A63A64A65A66A67A70A71A72A73A81A92A93A94A95A96A98A99

German cities with more than 100.000 inhabitants

> 2.000.000: Berlin

1.000.000–2.000.000: HamburgMünchenKöln

500.000–1.000.000: BremenDortmundDresdenDuisburgDüsseldorfEssenFrankfurt am MainHannoverLeipzigNürnbergStuttgart

300.000–500.000: BielefeldBochumBonnMannheimWuppertal

100.000–300.000: AachenAugsburgBergisch-GladbachBottropBraunschweigBremerhavenChemnitzCottbusDarmstadtErfurtErlangenFreiburg im BreisgauFürthGelsenkirchenGeraGöttingenHagenHalle (Saale)HeidelbergHeilbronnHerneIngolstadtJenaKarlsruheKasselKoblenzKielKrefeldLeverkusenLübeckLudwigshafenMagdeburgMainzMoersMönchengladbachMülheimMünsterNeussOberhausenOffenbachOsnabrückPaderbornPforzheimPotsdamRecklinghausenRegensburgRemscheidReutlingenRostockSaarbrückenSalzgitterSiegenSolingenUlmWiesbadenWittenWolfsburgWürzburg

If you search cities with less than 100.000 inhabitants, have a look at the seperate Federal State articles. You find them at the bottom of this page.

Flag of Germany Federal States of Germany

Baden-WürttembergBayern (Bavaria) • BrandenburgHessen (Hesse) • Mecklenburg-VorpommernNiedersachsen (Lower Saxony) • Nordrhein-Westfalen (North Rhine-Westphalia) • Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate) • SaarlandSachsen (Saxony) • Sachsen-Anhalt (Saxony-Anhalt) • Schleswig-HolsteinThüringen (Thuringia)

City states: BerlinBremenHamburg