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[[Image:2003 Hitch-hiking in Germany.jpg|thumb|left|250px|[[User:Sigurdas|Sigurdas]] thumbing towards Nuernberg, 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 (highway 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 re-fuel and some rest. There you will often find [[maps]] (both of Germany and Europe in general) that indicate every single gas 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. Highway ramps usually is 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.
Many German highways have no speed limits, therefore you might wanna 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.
=== Maps ===
[[Image:IMG 5392.JPG|thumb|250px|right|[[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 gas petrol stations marked on it. For that, go to any gas petrol station located on a highway and ask for an "Autobahn-Guide" - it is for free. You'll get a booklet describing all services on German motorways and including a map with an overview of all highway gas petrol stations and other service areas. For more information look here: [http://www.tank.rast.de/standorte/servicenetz/index.php 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 gas petrol station, hotel, restaurant, or a parking place on German motorways. The scale is equal to 1:350000. Bigger city maps are included, too. You can usually get these maps in local bookstores for about EUR 8.
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 highways. Price: EUR 7,95. Available on all ''Aral'' service stations, and in German bookstores.
Nearly everywhere in Germany you can drink water from the tap.
Keep in mind that most shops (including supermarkets) are not allowed to be open on Sundays. There are no 24h-shops, although non-stop gas 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.
=== Practical links ===
* [http://deu.anarchopedia.org/index.php/Deutschland:Trampstellen Hitchhiking spots in Germany], in German, on a GFDL wiki
* [http://www.hitch-hiking.org / www.hitch-hiking.org], general information on hitchhiking (in English and German)
* [http://www.liftershalte.info/?country=DE A map with good/bad places to hitchhike]
* [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Autobahn_1-999.png Overview of highways in Germany]
