A30 (Germany)

The A30 is a short 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 Schüttorf, 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 2014.

The construction of this last part of the A30 began October 2008.

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 a bit more difficult to hitchhike, especially towards the Netherlands the traffic will be a bit 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.

<map lat='52.234' lng='7.970' zoom='9' view='0' width='800' height='220'/>

Hitching the A30

Legend:  (very good) |  (good) |  (average) |  (bad) |  (senseless)

--> A1 (Netherlands)

• (1) Border crossing Bad Bentheim (average)
  • 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.
• (2) Gildehaus (good) -- (bad)
  • 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 westwards. 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. Only possibility to hitch is on a traffic island. After hitchhiking this spot several times it's not that bad than thought. Traffic towards the Netherlands is rare, but quite a lot traffic going towards the next ramp Nordhorn/Bad Bentheim in direction Germany. Platschi waited five times for going towards the next ramp or further: 3x 5 minutes, 1x 10 minutes, 1x 15 minutes. Doable!
• Bentheimer Wald (average)
  • 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. :-)
• (3) Nordhorn / Bad Bentheim (very good) -- (good)
  • 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. Good for both directions, towards Schüttorf or further much faster than towards the Netherlands, not much traffic going there. But possible for sure. Platschi's waiting time eastwards: average 5 minutes, westwards average 15 minutes. A lot of traffic here on weekdays between 3 and 4 pm!
• (4) Schüttorf-Nord (average) -- (bad)
  • 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! Platschi was standing here twice and got rides eastwards within seconds. For the other direction towards NL, you're definitely wrong. Nobody is going up here for that direction, better try to hitch through the city towards Bad Bentheim and take the ramp there!
• (5) Schüttorf (highway junction) (senseless)
  • 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) Salzbergen (average)
  • Quite small and tight ramp at the beginning of a little village. Few traffic, but platschi had luck in December 2007 and got a ride within 5 minutes towards Osnabrück. Within this time three cars drove eastwarts, but havn't seen any cars direction Netherlands. In January 2008 he waited for a ride into the other direction (NL) but recognized that 80% of the traffic went into direction Osnabrück. It seems that only a small bunch of cars is going onto the highway at all. Expect some longer waiting time. In Sep 08, he got a ride offer from here towards Amsterdam within 5 minutes. Luck?
• Emstal (average)
  

  Ramp (here: Rheine-Kanalhafen) with traffic island.
  • 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!
• (7) Rheine-Nord (bad) -- (very good)
  • This ramp is on a nice spot with traffic lights and much cars passing, but there is no place to stand if going towards Hannover. 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. Maybe then try it at the nearby Autohof, just some 100m down the street you'll see the petrol station. For the other direction towards NL it's good, also with space to stop cars. If you want, you can force cars to stop by pushing the button at the traffic lights :-)

(Roadworks) - Ramp Rheine is currently closed because of roadworks. Expect traffic jams between Rheine-Nord and Rheine-Kanalhafen until November 2008.

• (8) Rheine (bad)
  • 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.
• (9) Rheine-Kanalhafen (average)
  • 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 it should be possible to get rides at least towards Rheine-Nord within 20-30 minutes, sometimes faster.
• (10) Hörstel (good)
  • 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. For going towards the Netherlands it's a bit more difficult, most cars only ride towards Rheine. Best is to catch a ride to Rheine-Nord.
• (11a) Ibbenbüren-West (average)- (bad)
  • This is a new ramp. Not much traffic, mostly from an (not yet existing) industrial park. You can hitchhike on top of the bridge, so cars will recognize you early and can stop while going up the bridge.
• (11b) Ibbenbüren (good)
  • 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). For direction NL, just stand at the 3rd exit of the roundabout! Good spot though.
• (12) Laggenbeck
  • At this ramp there's enough space to stand on the hard shoulder.
• Brockbachtal (good)
  • 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 lost there thinking there's a gas station. Luck for you!
• (13) Lotte (senseless)
  • Well, enough space for you to stand on, but nearly no traffic.
• (14) Lotte (highway junction)

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

• • 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) Hasbergen-Gaste (average) - (bad)
  • This is the ramp where many people go up coming from the nearby IKEA. There's a traffic island where you can stand on inbetween the traffic lights, but it's quite dangerous for cars to stop. No hard shoulder or any grass to stand on. On weekdays there might be a lot of traffic going only to the other nearby ramps of Osnabrück. Try your luck, platschi got a ride on a Sunday after 5 minutes waiting towards the ramp of Nahne. If you get stuck here, it might be also possible to ask people at the parking area of IKEA. A sign might be useful (even if it only says OS-Nahne!)
• (16) Osnabrück-Hellern (bad) -- (bad)
  • For going east: 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 safe possibility is the small way for cars coming from the left side. But anyway, it's possible. Platschi hitchhiked here twice and got rides within ~30min towards the next ramp in Nahne. For direction west, it's even harder, traffic ist fast and if they stop, it's dangerous because of drivers coming from behind can't overtake them properly. Also no hard shoulder on the ramp itself.
• (17) Osnabrück-Sutthausen ?
• (18) Osnabrück-Nahne (very good)
  • 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. Best is to take the one for traffic coming out of OS.
• (19) Osnabrück-Süd (highway junction)
  • Here the A33 crosses the A30. It's not allowed to stand here, so if you want to go south towards Bielefeld, try to get out at the ramp in Nahne!
• (20) Natbergen (average)
  • Ramp has enough space to stand on, traffic is normal, mostly going towards Melle.
• (21) Bissendorf ?
• (22) Gesmold ?
• (23) Melle-West ?
• (24) Melle-Ost ?
• Service station Grönegau (good)
  • The only service station along the A30. Your spot for hitching further towards Bad Oeynhausen or the Netherlands. Quite good, always some traffic there, many Polish trucks going towards NL.
• (25) Riemsloh ?

(Roadworks) - Ramp Bruchmühlen closed in both direction until 6 November 2008 because of roadworks!

• (26) Bruchmühlen ?
• (27) Bünde ?
• (28) Hiddenhausen ?
• (29) Kirchlengern ?
• (30) Löhne ?
• (31) Dreieck-Löhne (senseless)
  • No way!
• (32) Gohfeld ?

--> A2 (Germany)