Difference between revisions of "Germany"

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Hitchhiking in general is legal in Germany. It is only forbidden to hitchhike on the 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.
 
Hitchhiking in general is legal in Germany. It is only forbidden to hitchhike on the 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 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).
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Police in general is 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 your criminal history).
  
 
=== License plates ===
 
=== License plates ===
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=== Crossing the border ===
 
=== Crossing the border ===
Germany has signed a [[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 border checks at all anymore.
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Germany has signed a [[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 anymore. 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 in a truck. (Switzerland has joined the Schengen Agreement in 2009!)
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At the Swiss border, there are still custom controls, but that will probably only affect you if you are on a truck. (Switzerland has joined the Schengen Agreement in 2009!)
  
 
=== Maps ===
 
=== Maps ===
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Hitchhiker [[User:Platschi|Platschi]] suggests that the ''Aral Straßen-Atlas Deutschland & Europa'' can be very good for hitchhiking trips, too: it contains a detailed map of Germany and of the bordering countries, with city maps of the biggest German cities, and all service stations located on motorways. Price: EUR 7,95. Available on all ''Aral'' service stations, and in German bookstores.
 
Hitchhiker [[User:Platschi|Platschi]] suggests that the ''Aral Straßen-Atlas Deutschland & Europa'' can be very good for hitchhiking trips, too: it contains a detailed map of Germany and of the bordering countries, with city maps of the biggest German cities, and all service stations located on motorways. Price: EUR 7,95. Available on all ''Aral'' service stations, and in German bookstores.
  
=== Eating ===
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=== Food ===
Try to avoid eating on motorway [[rest area|service stations]] if you want to save money and to have a good taste of food. These restaurants are notoriously expensive (very often you have to pay for the toilet, too) and the food quality is quite low.
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==== Autobahn ====
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Try to avoid eating on a motorway [[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.
  
At some service stations with a [[Sanifair]] system you get a EUR 0,50 coupon for the toilet which you can use as a valid equivalent to monetary payment when buying things at the petrol station shop or in the restaurant. If you're lucky you can also find thrown away [http://hitchwiki.org/en/Image:Sanifair_voucher.jpg Sanifair vouchers] for free.
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At some service stations with a [[Sanifair]] system you get a EUR 0,50 coupon as part of the service fee, which you can redeem when buying things at the petrol station shop or in the restaurant. If you're lucky you can also find thrown away [http://hitchwiki.org/en/Image:Sanifair_voucher.jpg Sanifair vouchers] for free.
  
Nearly everywhere in Germany you can drink water from the tap.
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[[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!
  
 +
Drinking tap water is safe allover the country.
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 +
==== Off the autobahn ====
 
Keep in mind that most shops (including supermarkets) are not allowed to be open on Sundays. There are no 24h-shops, although non-stop petrol stations often offer some food choices (very limited, though).
 
Keep in mind that most shops (including supermarkets) are not allowed to be open on Sundays. There are no 24h-shops, although non-stop petrol stations often offer some food choices (very limited, though).
 
   
 
   
When in bigger cities, you can usually get the cheapest food at Turkish and Italian restaurants.
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You can usually get inexpensive but good food at Turkish and Italian takeaways.
  
 
See [http://trashwiki.org/en/Germany trashwiki] for info on dumpster diving for free food in Germany.
 
See [http://trashwiki.org/en/Germany trashwiki] for info on dumpster diving for free food in Germany.
  
=== Speaking ===
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=== Language ===
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Despite German being the major language, (with over 95% of the population speaking it as a first language [http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/european_languages/countries/germany.shtml]) 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.
 +
 
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==== Learning to speak German ====
 
Have a look at the phrasebook [[German|here]].
 
Have a look at the phrasebook [[German|here]].
  
== Trains ==
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=== Railways ===
See [[Deutsche Bahn]].
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The country has an expansive 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]
 +
See also [[Deutsche Bahn]].
  
 
== Practical links ==
 
== Practical links ==

Revision as of 10:21, 8 June 2011

Flag of Germany Germany
Information
Language: German
Capital: Berlin
Population: 82,314,900
Currency: Euro (€)
Hitchability: <rating country='de' />
Meet fellow hitchhikers on Trustroots
<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. 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 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 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 Autobahn on-ramps.

Many German motorways have no speed limits, therefore 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 a motorway. In Germany most trucks aren't allowed on motorways on Sundays or public holidays before 22:00.

If you travel a specific motorway, have a look at the "German motorways" 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.

Legal stuff

Hitchhiking in general is legal in Germany. It is only forbidden to hitchhike on the 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 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 your criminal history).

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).

Crossing the border

Germany has signed a 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 anymore. 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. (Switzerland has joined the Schengen Agreement in 2009!)

Maps

Tiziano hitching from Berlin to Munich

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 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: 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 1:350.000. Bigger city maps are included, too. You can usually get these maps in local bookstores for about EUR 8.

Hitchhiker Platschi suggests that the Aral Straßen-Atlas Deutschland & Europa can be very good for hitchhiking trips, too: it contains a detailed map of Germany and of the bordering countries, with city maps of the biggest German cities, and all service stations located on motorways. Price: EUR 7,95. Available on all Aral service stations, and in German bookstores.

Food

Autobahn

Try to avoid eating on a motorway 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.

At some service stations with a Sanifair system you get a EUR 0,50 coupon as part of the service fee, which you can redeem when buying things at the petrol station shop or in the restaurant. If you're lucky you can also find thrown away Sanifair vouchers for free.

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!

Drinking tap water is safe allover the country.

Off the autobahn

Keep in mind that most shops (including supermarkets) are not allowed to be open on Sundays. There are no 24h-shops, although non-stop petrol stations often offer some food choices (very limited, though).

You can usually get inexpensive but good food at Turkish and Italian takeaways.

See trashwiki for info on dumpster diving for free food in Germany.

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

Have a look at the phrasebook here.

Railways

The country has an expansive railway network. As an alternative to the standard fare, you may also check offers and sales, for example regional or seasonal tickets. [2] See also Deutsche Bahn.

Practical links



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


wikipedia:Germany trash:Germany digi:Germany