A30 (Germany)

The A30 is a short and boring motorway (129 km) in Germany. It connects the Dutch A1 (beginning in Amsterdam) with Germany and ends up in Bad Oeynhausen. It is an important section of the connection between Amsterdam and Berlin.

The A30 is a part of the E30 from Cork in Ireland to Ufa in Russia.

It crosses the A31 (Emden - Bottrop) near Schüttdorf, the A1 (Heiligenhafen - Saarbrücken) and the A33(Osnabrück - Paderborn) in Osnabrück. At it's end in Bad Oeynhausen it is possible to go over to the A2, but you have to cross the whole city. A direct connection A30 -> A2 is planned and seems to be finished in April 2010.

Traveling along the A30 is different. Coming from the Netherlands, it is very easy to get rides at least towards Hannover or Osnabrück. The part between Bad Bentheim (where it begins) until Osnabrück seems to be hard to hitchhike, especially towards the Netherlands the traffic will be less. From Osnabrück til Bad Oeynhausen you will find enough traffic because of the cars coming from the A1 going towards Hannover.

There is only ONE petrol station located along this highway (Tankstelle Grönegau) near Melle between Osnabrück and Bad Oeynhausen. A second Raststätte is located at the border between Germany and the Netherlands, but without a petrol station. Some maps will tell you that there is a petrol station at Brockbachtal between Ibbenbüren and Osnabrück. That's a goddam joke, but nevertheless a good parking area for hitchhiking, even without a service station.

Hitching the A30

Coming from the Netherlands, towards East

• (1) Border crossing Bad Bentheim At the border you'll find a big parking area for trucks, a police station and toilets. There's a bridge to walk over the highway to a restaurant on the other side of the road and another parking area (for people going into the Netherlands). Hitchhiking there is quite easy if you prefer trucks. Many trucks stops there and will give you a ride when they start their journey through Germany. Don't expect too much cars on the parking area, there is no petrol station and many people just don't want to stop because the police is hanging around there. Sometimes they close the border and check every car that is coming into Germany. If so, don't panic but be happy, because all cars have to pass the parking area, ideal for hitchhiking. Unfortunately, the police is not announcing the border controls. Rating: Average/Good

• (2) Ramp Gildehaus This is the first German ramp behind the border. Next to the ramp you'll find a small industrial park, but not many cars. Try to avoid this ramp if you want to go eastwards. If you only get a lift until here, try to ask the driver to let you out at the border or the next parking area just 3 kilometer further. Rating: Bad

• (2a) Parking area: Bentheimer Wald Just 3 km behind the 1st ramp drivers will recognize a small parking area with a toilet building. Hitchhiking from here is okay, some trucks stopping here and maybe some travellers from the Netherlands want to make a first stop in Germany. Just prepare yourself for waiting some 40-50 minutes, the A30 is sometimes very empty and then cars on this parking area are rare. Maybe you can ask one of the many passing border police cars to give you a ride. Questions about you and your stay in the Netherlands to find out if you have Marihuana with you are normal, especially when you are a hitchhiker somewhere on the road from Amsterdam to Germany :-) Just relax and stay cool, the guys from the border police also do. Mostly. :-) Rating: Average

• (3) Ramp Nordhorn / Bad Bentheim Small traffic-island to stand on, some space for cars to stop behind. platschi was standing here several times and got lifts within only some minutes. Rating:Good

• (4) Ramp Schüttdorf-Nord This ramp is quite small, there is not much space to stop cars when they go onto the highway. No hard shoulder to stand on, just a tiny traffic island. But if there is not much traffic (and that seems to be quite often), people can and will stop for you. It is directly at the highway junction, so take care where people are going to! Rating: Average

• (5) Kreuz Schüttdorf (highway junction) You can't get out here, and if you do so: it's illegal! Take care, often border police driving around this junction. Here the A30 crosses the A31.

• (6) Ramp Salzbergen ?

• (6a) Parking area: Emstal The 2nd parking area along the A30. It is smaller than the first one, but it seems that more cars stop here. It has no petrol station, only a small toilet building and some space for parking. Nevertheless a god spot to get lifts. If people are only going towards Rheine, try to get out here! Rating: Good

• (7) Ramp: Rheine-Nord Avoid this ramp! It is on a nice spot with traffic lights and much cars passing, but there is no place to stand. No hard shoulder or anything to let the cars stop for you. You only can ask drivers when they are standing at the traffic lights, but stopping for them mostly is too dangerous. Rating: Bad

Ramp along the A30 (here: OS-Nahne) with hard shoulder.

• (8) Ramp Rheine Another ramp to avoid. Not much traffic going on here, and it's outside of the city towards the countryside. Also standing here seems not to be that good because of a missing hard shoulder, but maybe better to stop cars (that are facing you with more than 70 km/h per hour, so take care!) here than at the last ramp. If it's impossible here, try to go around 500m down towards Rheine, there's a traffic light and a restaurant where you maybe can ask people that are stopping. Rating: Average/Bad

• (9) Ramp Rheine-Kanalhafen Small ramp next to a tiny industrial park. Some traffic going on towards Osnabrück, but again not much space to stop cars. Best option is to stand on the traffic island and smile to every passing car saying you want to go out of here. Might help, waiting time depends. Never try on a Sunday, but on normal working days some trucks maybe stop for you. Rating: Average

• (10) Ramp Hörstel This ramp is located behind a bridge where mostly some cars are parked, so it is sometimes difficult for you to see coming cars (also for them!) just before they head in the ramp. Best would also be here to stand on the traffic island, make yourself visible and try to catch some people going to Osnabrück or further. Seems to be not that difficult. Rating: Good/Average
• (11a) Ramp Ibbenbüren-West This is a new ramp. Not much traffic, mostly from an (not yet existing) industrial park. Rating: N/A

• (11b) Ramp Ibbenbüren 2 well-known fastfood restaurants next to the ramp, much traffic in both directions. Stand before the ramp, but expect not that much space to stop cars. Maybe stay before or behind the roundabout with a sign OS (for Osnabrück). Rating: Average/Good

• (12) Ramp Laggenbeck ?

• (12a) Parking Area: Brockbachtal Parking area with no gas station or restaurant. Some maps will tell you that, but that's a lie. A gas station is planned for the next decade, but no constructions yet. In 2005 it was reconstructed into a bigger parking area. Nevertheless enough traffic eastwards, sometimes people get los there thinking there's a gas station. Luck for you! Rating: Good

• (13) Ramp Lotte Enough space for you to stand on, but few traffic. Rating: Bad

• (14) Kreuz Lotte (highway junction) Here the A1 crosses the A30. It's of course not allowed to stand here, so if you want to go north towards Hamburg or south direction Münster or Ruhr Area, be sure to get off the A30 here!

• (15) Ramp Hasbergen-Gaste ?

• (16) Ramp Osnabrück-Hellern There's a big traffic light, but it's hard to stop traffic there, even the ramp is very small and no hard shoulder to stand on. Only possibility is the small way for cars coming from the left side. Rating: Bad

• (17) Ramp Osnabrück-Sutthausen ?

• (18) Ramp Osnabrück-Nahne Perfect ramp, take a look at the Osnabrück page for closer information. Nice hard shoulder to stand on! But take care, there are 2 ramps for going eastwards. Rating: Very Good