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Potsdam is the capital of the federal state Brandenburg. It is located 20 kilometers southwest of Berlin.

Potsdam
<map lat='52.39' lng='13.07' zoom='11' view='0' />
Information
Country:
Flag of Germany
Germany
State:
Coat of arms of Brandenburg.png
Brandenburg
Population: 148,691 (Oct 2006)
Licence plate: P
Major roads: A 10, A 115
More info: Hitchbase
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Contents

Hitchhiking out

West A 2, Hannover, Dortmund

Try the recommendations for Berlin and take a train there. It is cheap enough and absolutely worth it. A good place should be the Raststätte Grunewald.

Raststätte Michendorf is not advisable for going West.

East A 12, Frankfurt an der Oder, Poland or Southeast A 13, Cottbus, Dresden, Prague or South A 9, Leipzig, München, Frankfurt am Main

Michendorf

From the railway station go along the street Brauhausberg for 400 mat the end of the parking lane is the spot which leads to Michendorf, where the service stations Michendorf Nord and Michendorf Süd are situated. If you arrive with the suburban train, you can take the buses 608, 643 or N43 until stop Michendorf, Abzweig Wildenbruch, you follow the old main street for 50 meters and then go right into Feldstraße, after 600 m you see on your left side a green wall, which has a door in it, that is the way to Michendorf Nord. Some buses end in Michendorf-West, then you have to leave the bus at Saarmunder Straße

The path to Michendorf Süd is at the B2 behind the motorway, by bus you reach there with buses 643 or N43 until Michendorf, Bergheide.

An alternative to reach Michendorf is to take DB regional train RE7 or OE33 and get off at Michendorf Station. The walk from the station takes around 20 minutes. There are three supermarkets on the way to the Autobahn.

Rastplatz am Stern (Parforceheide)

Even though this is only a rest area and not a proper service station, you can catch quite a few rides here. While most of them are going to Potsdam, you can find many drivers taking a short stop before going South or West. Because it is so close to the city, it is worth trying here first and if it fails, catching a ride to Michendorf which should not be too hard.

There is a gas station on the way, where you can also approach drivers, or thumb at the exit of the city to get to an on-ramp of the L40 in Stahnsdorf.

North A 24, Hamburg, Copenhagen or Rostock

Take the suburban train (S-Bahn) S8/S4/S85 to the stop 'Pankow-Heinersdorf' close to 'Prenzlauer Promenade' on B109. From the traffic light close to the Autobahn on-ramp (still on B109) it normally only takes minutes until you can find a driver. A 114 leads close after Berlin on 'Berliner Ring' (A 10) which leads after ten minutes to the Autobahn Berlin-Hamburg/Berlin-Rostock. The way here can take one hour from Potsdam as Pankow is in the north of Berlin.

Another good place to try is Raststätte Stolper Heide in the North of Berlin. I got a ride to Rostock within 30 minutes, Hamburg would probably be faster.

Nomadwiki & Trashwiki

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