Arnhem

Arnhem is a city in the east of the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland. Hitchhiking out of this city is fairly average.

West: A12 (Utrecht, Amsterdam)
guaka site, wikitalk, coming from Nijmegen, walked from the center towards the Amsterdamseweg where he quickly hitched a ride at a bus stop right after the city borders. If that wouldn't have worked fast enough he would have continued walking towards the on-ramp of the A12.



North: A50 (Apeldoorn, Hengelo and Northern Germany)

 * A Total petrol station on the Apeldoornseweg (see map) north of busstop 'Moscowa' is a good place to head north on the A50 towards Apeldoorn. When travelling to Northern German cities like Bremen, Hamburg or Berlin, this would be the preferred route (using Dutch motorways A50 northbound and A1 eastbound). You can take a bus 91 toward Apeldoorn from Arnhem station here. It's a few 100 meters further up the road than the bus stop.

Ostkreuz left from here on a trip to Berlin and caught a ride to an A1 service station after 15 minutes. He came across many people actually taking the A12 toward Utrecht from here.
 * Secondly, there is a bridge 300 meters down the road from the Moscowa busstop. There is some room for cars to stop, but they might see you too late. If you prefer using a sign, this is an OK spot. 'A50' or 'Apeldoorn' would be a usefull sign.

East: A12 (Ruhr Area (Oberhausen, Düsseldorf) and Southern Germany)

 * One good option is a petrol station on the IJsseloordweg (N325, in the south-east of town, see map). From the city centre the walk can be long, but bus number 5 will take you close. (Walking there is impossible, but getting a lift for the last bit was easy for user Soccie.) The traffic there is busy, and much of it will be going directly to Germany via the A12. However if the driver is not going as far as Germany, ask for a ride to a ride to motorway service station 'Oudbroeken' - it's on the A12 between exits 28 and 29. This petrol station is probably the best option available - use it if you can.
 * The Total pertrol station on the north side of the city (see above) on the Apeldoornseweg is also usefull for heading toward the A12.
 * There is a petrol station in the south of Velp, 100 metres away from the 'Velperbroek' roundabout (the junction of the A12 and A348 motorways).
 * Another option is to try your luck on the Velperbroek roundabout itself (see map). Although the hard shoulder is small, there is still a small amount of space on the sliproad leading to the motorway, and cars may stop here.
 * There is also a petrol station about 40 minutes' walk east from the town centre (see map). It's more difficult but still possible to get a ride from here.

Bear in mind that although vehicles have free passage from the Netherlands into Germany, this is still an international border and chances of getting rides are rarer than usual. Beware that IJsseloordweg and the other spots mentioned are all some distance away from Arnhem city centre.

Tom had large problems hitchhiking out of Arnhem, as the IJsseloordweg petrol station was out of service when he was around (summer 2006). Also, he noticed an unusually high proportion of older drivers (over 60 years of age), and of gangs of youths showing off their modified saloons. Certainly no-one was interested in giving a lift, and definitely not over the German border. Any attempts were met with sour looks from the pensioners, and middle fingers from the youths.

Ostkreuz used the IJsseloordweg petrol station to go to Düsseldorf in August 2012. It was a long long walk from the closest busstop and the last 300-400 meters were through high grass. The station was open though, and the first person he spoke to took him to a petrol station on the A12 eastbound (Oudbroeken).

The A12 is a major route into Germany, and it's worth sticking at Arnhem to get a ride. But if you do get frustrated and want a change of scenery, then it may be worth accepting a lift to Nijmegen (very close to the border), and negotiating with the driver to make a short diversion and take you over the border. The roads on the German side of the border are secondary roads, but seem to be fairly effective for hitchhiking. See Nijmegen. trash:Arnhem

South: A325, A15, A50 (Nijmegen, Eindhoven, Rotterdam)
Be sure to study the routes of motorways in the Arnhem-Nijmegen area before you leave as they can be tricky to navigate when hitching. There are many intersections and not that many service stations in this region. If you're headed to Eindhoven or Rotterdam, you'll have to go toward Nijmegen first.


 * A good starting point is a BP petrol station on the Eldenseweg (on the south bank of the Rhine river). This station is a few turns away from the minor motorway A325 toward Nijmegen. Use this station as a stepping stone to get to the A325. Not many people will be headed further away than Nijmegen. To get to the BP service area from the Arnhem railway station, take trolley 7 toward Rijkerswoerd or buses 31 (Weezenhof) or 36 (Heteren) and get out at 'Transferium'. Turn back the way the bus came and cross the big intersection, but watch out, as there are no pedestrian crossings here. Be advised that bus stop 'Fonteinstraat' is actually closer to the BP pump, but is seperated from the buslane by a busy road with a guardrail in the middle.
 * A few kilometers down the A325 you will find a Shell station called 'Kempke' where more long distance drivers make a stop. You will have to hitch here from the above mentioned station, as it is nearly impossible to get here any other way.
 * From 'Kempke' you should only accept rides that take you past the many intersections in this area. For direction Rotterdam that should be service station 'Varakker' on the A15. For direction Eindhoven and Den Bosch this should be 'Ganzenven' on the A50.

Arnhem