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|map = <map lat='52.5' lng='13.34' zoom='9' view='0' float='right' height='300' width='400' country='Germany'/>

==== Rasthof Stolper Heide Option 1: Kurt-Schumacher-Damm ==== Take subway line U6 direction Alt-Tegel and get off at ''Kurt-Schumacher-Platz''. Then walk ≈500 m south along Kurt-Schumacher-Damm to the start of the Autobahn. Alternatively, about 2 minutes away from the subway station there is a ''Jet'' petrol station. You can either ask the drivers who stop there or stand at the road right before it. You can have a free breakfast or dinner before you start in the Sikh temple (gurdwara) that is a 10 minute walk from the petrol station at Kögelstraße 6. ==== Option 2: Prenzlauer Promenade ==== The hitchhikingstreet ''Prenzlauer Promenade'' is called ''Prenzlauer Allee'' in the city centre and becomes the Autobahn A114 next to the S-spot in Henningsdorf Bahn station ''Pankow-Heinersdorf''. From there, just walk 500 m down the bridge and you've got a traffic light as well as two petrol stations (Star and HEM). Additionally, at the last intersection before the Autobahn starts, there's another petrol station (Shell) on ''Rothenbachstraße''next to the traffic lights. It may be worth checking out which of these three is the cheapest and most frequented one on a given day – usually one of the two former. Be aware that the staff at the Shell station might tell you to leave their property and threaten to call the police.  There is usually a lot of traffic on this road, so you could also hitch with a sign. Coming from 'Rasthof Stolper Heide'Pankow-Heinersdorf'' , 50 m before the first petrol station, there is also a shoulder where cars can stop and people waiting at the best option traffic lights are able to reach [[see you. Much of the traffic here is local, but there is also significant traffic towards Hamburg]], [[and Rostock]] . Try to get a lift to at least the first petrol station on the Autobahn ("Linumer Bruch"). ==== Option 3: Raststätte Stolper Heide ==== This Raststätte is ideal in the sense that you end up starting to hitchhike directly from a petrol station in which there are a fair few people heading to the big cities in Germany's North or [[Scandinavia]]. : You are going can easily get a direct ride to Hamburg from here, and, with a little patience, to have Rostock. If you want to go on catch a 2 km walk certain ferry in total (part Rostock or have other basic time constraints, please note that getting to this spot from the centre of which involves gorgeous forests...)Berlin may take two hours or even longer; Option 1 is likely faster and may work just as well.  '''If you start from any district in West Berlin''', take S-Bahn station S25 towards ''Hennigsdorf'' and get off at ''Heiligensee'' (S25 towards Henningsdorf, 2AB or BC ticket required).30 € ticketTurn left from the station (so that you face North), and walk down up ''Ruppiner Chaussee northwards about 200 meters and '' for 300 m. Then turn right on an asphalt walking path (− there's a sign saying "Berliner Mauerweg"). Follow the path for 10-15 minutes1. Cross 2 km, crossing the bridge over the motorway Autobahn. Immediately turn left down a little path – you can stay close to the Autobahn in order not to lose it and you will quickly see a short railing on pathway that you can follow to the Raststätte. There is a small fence to the your leftof the path which you have to jump at some point; the easiest place is probably to the right of a green fenced enclosure about half way to the Raststätte. You can easily jump over and then The walk down from the bridge is about 1.5 km. '''If you start from any district in East Berlin''', a faster way than the little hill one described above is taking S-Bahn S8, get off at ''Hohen Neuendorf'' (ABC or BC ticket required), change to bus 809 (direction: ''Hennigsdorf, F.-Wolf-Str.'') and get off at ''Stolpe (OHV), Autobahnbrücke''. Head for the traffic light and turn onto the road on the right (the one opposite of the motorwayon-ramp), and follow it until it makes a left turn; here, enter the forest and keep walking in parallel to the Autobahn, which will take you straight to the Raststätte's on-ramp for vehicles heading North.  [[File:Hitch ber north stolper heide 2023. Walk png|200px|thumb|right|How to walk from Frohnau station to Raststätte Stolper Heide]] If you for some reason don't have or want to get a ticket including tariff zone C, you may also take S-Bahn S1 (direction: ''Oranienburg'') to ''Frohnau''. Getting off there, head to ''Ludolfingerplatz'', a small green square surrounded by a roundabout immediately west of the station, and start walking along ''Maximiliankorso'', the first road branching off on the right. Keep walking until the small intersection with ''Hainbuchenstraße'' (there's a bus stop with the way for about 600/700msame name), if you and walk over the road with this name, following it until its very end: It makes a sharp bend at the end of a cemetary (on your right) and a forest in front of you. Enter the forest, walk until a path in branches off to your right and turn there. At the end of the woods branch, you should see a golf course. Turn left and just keep walking straight now, which will take you to the Raststätte's fence. This route is about 3.64 km long and will be take roughly an hour. ==== For [[Scandinavia]] bound hitchhikers ==== ''' Direction Denmark''': The ferries leave 15 km north of Rostock at Warnemünde and from [[Puttgarden]], from Berlin generally people head for the ferry at [[Rostock]] but it leaves more seldom, and if you are offered the right ride you could go to the [[Puttgarden]] one instead, which is a good option especially if you are only transitting through [[Denmark]] to [[Sweden]] seeing as on the wrong side of Rostock - Gedser ferry there is very little Sweden bound traffic.''' Direction [[Puttgarden]]''': From Berlin is possible if you are offered a ride to''' Direction Hamburg-Stillhorn''': If you can get a tall green fence ride to this gas station you can walk under the highway and have hitchhike the other direction towards [[Lübeck]] - however, only people living in the southern part of the city are likely to go backpass by here. The large petrol ''' Direction Lübeck''': It is possible to accept a ride either to Lübeck or to the Neustadt gas station just north of the city (but that is theremore rare). In case you can get dropped off at the onramp leading out of central Lübeck in direction Neustadt, wait for a ride that will take you at least to the gas station 10 km north. '''Direction [[Århus]]''': You can easily get also accept a direct ride towards [[Flensburg]] and some hitchhikers have even been known to accept such rides and then going to [[Copenhagen]] through Kolding and [[Odense]]. Also it is possible to reach both South western [[Norway]] with the ferries from [[HamburgHirtshals]] (Hitchable??) and [[Göteborg]], [[Sweden]] with the ferry from here[[Fredrikstad]].(Update May 2011 - '''Direction Sweden''': You doncan also head for one of the direct ferries to [[Trelleborg]], leaving from either [[Rostock]] or Travemünde near [[Lübeck]]. The ferry from Sassnitz on Rügen has been discontinued. '''Stockholm''' has a direct night ferry from Rostock 3 times a week running since autumn 2021. Currently they charge per vehicle and passengers so you couldn't have join a crew, but passenger tickets go for 28€ so might still be worth it. === Northeast towards [[Szczecin]], [[Gdańsk|Gdansk]] (Danzig) {{Autobahn|11}} === Getting onto the A11 is easiest by starting to hitch on road B2, a major thoroughfare which somewhat bisects the city from the Southwest to the Northeast; the B2 merges into the A11 beyond the motorway junction with the A10. The following options suggest different spots along the B2, option 1 being the closest/shortest one when coming from the city centre and option 4 being the one furthest away/taking the longest time respectively. ==== Option 1: Berliner Allee ==== Take tram M4 (direction: ''Hohenschönhausen, Zingster Str.'') to ''Weißer See'', get off there and walk 150 m along ''Berliner Allee'' to jump over the railing bus lay- you could follow by, following the pathsame direction. Many cars at this intersection have Polish license plates and are heading northeast, some as far as Gdansk. Using a Szczecin sign will surely persuade a Polish driver to stop, because though be prepared to mix your languages and refer to cities by their Polish names. ==== Option 2: Darßer Brücke ==== Get to ''Weißer See'' as described in option 1 and walk 1 km north along ''Berliner Allee'' (the fence street name changing to ''Malchower Chaussee'' roughly at where the Star petrol station is opened at ) to the place just before where ''Darßer Straße'' passes over ''Malchower Chaussee''. It's a long, straight road where people don't drive too fast and where there are a couple of pockets for cars to stop. There's less local traffic and a higher concentration of relevant traffic. If you have a public transport ticket anyway, check online if it's worth waiting to get to the endbus stop ''Nüßlerstr./Feldtmannstr.'' (bus lines 255 and 259)to save yourself most of the walking.

A very close-by spot that saves you the 2 km walk==== Option 3: Get off one station earlier, ''Schulzendorf'' (S25 towards Henningsdorf, 2.30€ ticket). Get out from the front of the train, and out of the station, follow Ruppiner Chaussee north, and take the first right (Schulzendorfer Straße). And there you are, on the motorway access ramp, 5 min walk from the station. However, at this spot the access ramp is quite narrow, and there is not a good place for cars to stop safely. There is also a curve in the road, and cars are travelling quickly, so this spot might be dangerous for you and the drivers. You can take ''any'' ride. If the car doesn't go your way, he can drop you off at the petrol station "Rasthof Stolper Heide" some kilometers up the road.Am Luchgraben ====

==== Prenzlauer Promenade ====The street most cost-effective – though not fastest – option might be taking bus line 259 to the stop '''Prenzlauer Promenade'Am Luchgraben'' , which is called ''Prenzlauer Allee'' in conveniently located a few metres before the city centre and becomes the Autobahn A114 next to the ''S-Bahn'' station ''Pankow-Heinersdorf'border, meaning you're still within tariff zone B. From there, just walk 500m down the bridge and youThere've got s a traffic-light as well as two petrol stations, both on the patch of dirt/concrete right side for the drivers going towards the Autobahn. It may be worth walking next to the second petrol station as it's cheaper and more frequented. However, it might happen crossed-out Berlin sign (indicating that one is leaving the staff at this second (Shellcity limits) station tell you where people can easily stop; many, if not the majority of cars passing here will be going to leave their property and threaten you to call the policeNorthwestern Poland.

==== KurtTake S-Schumacher-Damm ====If you want to hitchhike towards [[Hamburg]] or [[Schwerin]] on the A24 it is the best to go with the U6 towards Bahn S2 (direction: ''Alt-TegelBernau'' ) and get off at ''Kurt-Schumacher-PlatzBuch''. From there, catch a bus that goes to ''Schwanebeck, Dorf'' and then start walking towards (approx. 10 min). Several buses will go there so check the time table there or ask the driver or someone else. Note that you will need a ticket including tariff zone C, as Schwanebeck is located outside of the border of Berlin. Next, you'll have to walk the main road of the motorwayvillage into southern direction. It's about 1. About 2 minutes away from km to the Uon-Bahn station ramp; before that there is a ''Jet'' petrol stationwhere one can already ask drivers. You can either ask 'll need the on-ramp towards the East, that means coming from Schwanebeck, you have to pass by the first on-ramp which leads towards the West. There, standing behind the safety fence, you are visible to all drivers who queue up at the traffic light from both sides. It is not very easy for drivers to stop there or stand at by but just before the actual on ramp cars can pull over, as they are not on full speed and a little firm area off the road right before allows to stop. On your sign you should write "A11" as it's not the actual on-ramp for the A11, but rather to the "Berliner Ring" (A10); the A11 branches off the A10 about a kilometre after this on-ramp. If your driver is not going to your destination but follows the A11 for a while, ask to be dropped off at Raststätte "Buckowsee", which is located some 35 km after the A11 begins. This Raststätte is the only one on the A11 and afterwards on A20 (Update January 2009: Spot is open again!leading towards [[Stralsund]] or [[Rügen]]), but a very busy one. From here you should try to find your final ride.

=== North East South towards [[SzczecinLeipzig]], [[GdanskMunich]] (Danzig) {{Autobahn|119}} and West towards [[Magdeburg]], [[Hannover]] {{Autobahn|2}} ===

==== Berliner Allee Option 1: Raststätte Grunewald ====Borough Pankow, part Weißensee: Take the tram M4 to ''Berliner Allee/Indira-Gandhi-Str.'' which can be caught at Alexanderplatz. Then walk along the ''Berliner Allee'' just around the half circle of the road and find a decent place where cars can pull over. Many cars at this intersection have Polish License and are heading North East, some as far as Gdansk. Use a sign with the city ''[[Szczecin]]'' and surely a Polish driver will stop, though be prepared to mix your languages and refer to cities by there Polish names. Check the map for the street view.

=== South towards [[Leipzig]] {{Autobahn|9}} Take S-Bahn S7 (direction: ''Potsdam Hbf''), or S1 (direction: ''Wannsee''), and West towards [[Magdeburg]]get out at ''Nikolassee''. Walk out of the train station, cross the bridge and you'll see the [[Hannoverpetrol station hitchhiking|petrol station]] {{Autobahn|2}} ===to the right. You can talk to drivers at the petrol station or on the parking lot.

==== Rasthof Michendorf ====* '''This one also works for South or East!''' Just 30 minutes by ''Regionalbahn'' (train) south west of Berlin. This spot is the most direct option. You easily both faster and cheaper to get hitches to the south or west as well as to the east ([[Poland]]). Take a train (e.g. RE7 to [[Dessau]], check [httpthan option 2://wwwMichendorf.fahrinfo-berlin.de/Fahrinfo/bin/ fahrinfo-berlin.de] for route information.) You will need 25 minutes from the center Hauptbahnhof (ABC 3.00 EURBerlin Main Station). Get off at the train station ''Michendorf''. Leave the station at the left side on an AB ticket, compared to ~1 hour (in direction of including the trainwalk). Turn right into the Potsdamer Straße, at the bus stop, and walk for 20 minutes straight on itan ABC ticket to Michendorf.

Alternatively you can get here by bus 643 or 608 from [[Potsdam]] Hbf which also passes the train station in Michendorf. Get off at "Michendorf Abzweig Wildenbruch", There is a lot of long distance traffic heading south and walk south west , with high chances of finding a ride for the final stretch at least several hundred kilometres. However, it is '''not''' a good spot to the service stationhitch East.

To go west or south ([[Magdeburg]]If you find nobody heading in your direction, [[Hannover]] or [[Leipzig]]you can also get a short lift until Michendorf and try your luck there, [[Munich]]) turn right into Feldstraße and follow it till you see the [[service station]]. Enter via the green emergency doorbut this is usually not necessary.

If you want ==== Option 2: Raststätte Michendorf ==== According to the experiences of several hitchhikers, this is a good spot to go east towards [[Poland]] East – but '''not''' West or [[Dresden]] turn right after the tunnel South. Take regional train RE7 (itdirection: ''Dessau'') from Berlin's a small sandy track through a woodcentre or RB37 (direction: ''Beelitz Stadt'') from ''Berlin-Wannsee'' station and get off at ''Michendorf'' (ABC/BC ticket required). Follow Leave the track station at the left side (in direction of the train). Turn right into ''Potsdamer Straße'' and walk south 1.3 km. Turn right into ''Feldstraße'' and follow it until you are at see the [[rest area|Raststätte]]. Enter via the green emergency door or walk a bit further to the McDonalds restaurant at , as the noise protection wall ends there. ''User [[rest areaUser:Rebew|Rebew]]and a friend tried hitchhiking from here on several occasions and had no luck going anywhere West. The petrol station There is after the McDonalds not a lot of traffic and seems to be better for getting it will yield only short rides, Leipzig at most (2021).''

==== Raststätte Grunewald Option 3: AVUS / Messedamm access lane ====For going South or West you can try the '''Raststätte Grunewald'''. Take the ''S-Bahn'' train ''S7'' towards ''Potsdam'' or ''S1'' towards ''Wannsee'' and get out at ''Nikolasee''. Walk out of the train station, cross the bridge and you'll see the [[petrol station]] next to you. Usually you will encounter some other hitchhikers ("I stood there with 14 other Hitchhikers on a sunny Monday morning, 9 o`clock. Maybe Grunewald is a HH place, that is too well known!" --Bocia), but normally you get a car at the petrol station within a few minutes − at least to ''Michendorf''! Also standing at the traffic lights before the [[on-ramp]] seems to be useful!

==== Trampstelle [[Potsdam]] ====There A good spot to stand with a sign is at the access lane onto the A115 (AVUS) from ''Messedamm''. The access lane is a local campaign for an official hitchhiking spot part of the ''Funkturm'' junction which connects the A115 and A100. The exact place to stand is at the acceleration lane of the road connecting the ''Messedamm'' with the A115 in Potsdama U-turn around a quiet parking area at ''Messedamm''. From S-Bahn station ''Westkreuz'', walk north along ''Halenseestraße'', and cross the road at the big intersection onto ''Messedamm''. After 100 meters, there is the quiet parking area at your left hand side. Walk across the carpark. To reach the place to hitch from, they made a petition climb the traffic barrier between the carpark and won the acceleration lane: [https://osm.org/go/0MZuR0mAF?m= This] is the exact location. Hitchhiking is prohibited here as the location is behind the Autobahn sign, but the risk is worth it. From S-Bahn station ''Messe Nord/ICC'' it :)The hitchhiking spot is planned now slightly further, but easier to find. Walk to ''Messedamm'', follow it south and will be established soonat the next intersection turn right, then you'll find the quiet parking area after 100 meters on your left hand side.

==== Aral at Kaiserdamm =South towards [[Dresden]] and [[Cottbus]] {{Autobahn|13}} ===Another option is the ''Aral'' petrol station at '''Kaiserdamm''' near the central bus station. Take U2 to ''Kaiserdamm'' (if you come from direction ''Zoo'') and go out in the driving direction. Leave the station on the left exit. After 50m there's the petrol station. It depends on the day, sometimes it's very easy to get away there, sometimes it's harder.

=== South towards [[Dresden]] {{Autobahn|Firest rest stop once out of Berlin is 25 km away Raststätte Am Kahlberg Ost on highway 13}} and East towards [[Frankfurt (Oder)]], [[Poland]] {{Autobahn|12}} ===

Take S-Bahn S9 or S45 to ''Altglienicke''. When getting off, you'll see there is a road that runs parallel on your left-hand side to the S-Bahn line (if you are facing south), and a red light. To get there, leave the platform by using the footbridge and turning right at the staircase (walk over the road running parallel). On the right side, There are 2 ways will be a pathway that goes down to the road - it's a little windy path that will eventually take you there. You will come to the road that runs parallel to the S-Bahn track (over which you just walked) and on that road is the red light that does not seem to have any shoulder space. But do not be confused. This is the BEST PLACE to stand and get an immediate ride. Cross the road to stand at the red light on the SBahn Track side. You can ask cars every time they stop for the red light. The red light is 100 m before the right hand onramp of entering the upper mentioned motorways:''Autobahn going to Cottbus or Dresden.

''1. From entrances to the new A113 motorway:''==== [[Airport]] Berlin-Schönefeld Option 2: A100 Autobahn junction Tempelhof ====It's possible to hitchhike at the on-ramp next to the airport ''(Flughafen) Berlin-Schönefeld''. You can reach the airport with S-Bahn S9 and some [[Deutsche Bahn|DB]] trains. You can not only find lifts mostly towards Dresden or Poland. It's probably the best spot within reach by S and U-Bahn to hitchhike to Poland. Stand right before the ramp with a 'PL' sign. The ramp is pretty small, but you can walk up some 15-20m behind the ''Autobahn'' sign so people can stop along the side of the road safely. Watch the speed of cars coming from the right hidden corner onto the ramp, it's a tricky on-ramp, can be dangerous so hitch carefully here.

:One hitchhiker waited here Take U-Bahn U6 or S-Bahn S41, S42, S45, S46, or S47 to Tempelhof. Turn right (south) along Tempelhofer Damm for 6 hours without success. Have a look at 200 m to the [[Talk:Berlin|discussion page]]A100 junction.

==== Tempelhof Option 3: B96a Schöneweide ====Maybe Tempelhof used to be a good place to hitch hike in the past but now it seems impossible to catch a ride there - there is simply no space for a car to stop (or we failed to find a spot which i doubt because we searched the whole neighbourhood). If you still want to test it yourself here is how to get there:The [[airport]] is easy to reach with S-Bahn and U-Bahn. Once there simply follow the sign towards Dresden (A100). There are two red lights, for people coming from north and south, so they have time to see you. You should ask for A113 or A13, or simply if they are going in the way to Ikea, and get dropped on the petrol station before the big mall (before Waltersdorf, check map also). Bus #263 from S-Bahn station Grünau also goes to/near this petrol station. '''Please read the discussion page'''!

''2[[File:Berlin-schoeneweide. From jpg|thumb|right|230px|Hitchhikers next to the 96a road (not that much Raststätte in use after opening the A113):''Schöneweide.]]

==== Schöneweide ====[[File:Berlin-schoeneweide.jpg|thumb|right|230px|Hitchhikers next to the service station in Schöneweide.]]Take a train to the S-Bahn station S8, S9, S41, S42, S45, S4, S47, or S85 to ''Schöneweide'', get out there and . Then walk east out of the station East, turn right on onto Michael-Brückner -Straße and after 300 meter m, you'll find two big [[service station]]s − although the [[Autobahn]] is far away these are mostly the last possibilities for cars to get petrolstations. The place was once crowded with hitchhikers but is normally empty now and works fine! Locals tend to stop at the second petrol station because it's usually cheaper. Also, behind this petrol station is a Burger King "Restaurant". If you choose your spot well, you can show a sign both to cars Most people stops on the street who could stop at the Burger King entrance (but often drive too fast though) and to people leaving the second petrol station or entering Burger King.

===== OpinionsOption 4: A100 Auffahrt Siemensdamm =====* However the attendants at the service station will ask you to look for your ride elsewhere and may even call the police. The road leading to the [[Autobahn]] is a no stopping zone, so the best solution is to stand near the Burger King, where a driver can pull in. There is no better spot further up the road toward the [[Autobahn]]. * 2008-08-24: I used this petrol stations quite often and never had problems. What the hell did you do? -[[User:atopia|Ben]]* I tried both the gas station and by using a sign to stop cars from the street. First of all most people weren't traveling to Dresden and even if they were they were very hesitant to give you a ride if you ask them. For all the time I spent there, two other hitchhikers came and they also had no luck. I eventually gave up and had to pay for the bus. I'm not sure if that's a good spot.* as of August 2010 I consider this the best spot for hitching to Dresden. Living in Dresden and going to Berlin for weekend-trips quite often it worked fine for me as well as for others visiting from Berlin. The catch might be it was almost always Sunday afternoons though. So if you take that into account you should be fine getting a lift to Dresden from Schöneweide, given the number of people returning to Dresden for the start of the week. Both standing by the side of the road with a sign as well as asking people at the petrol station turned out well for me.* We hitch hiked at the gas station by asking people. (the second, the first was rather empty). Most of the people who get gas over there stay local or are kind of rude. Using a sign we got a hitch after 20 minutes to Dresden.

===== Illegally =Option 5: Test option ====Alternatively go to the S-Bahn station ''Altglienicke''. Leave the platform illegally at the east end, then hike over the rails, which will bring you to the B96. The road is also named ''Am Seegraben''. There is a wide emergency lane and a speed limit of 50 km/h. Use a sign to get a lift to [[Dresden]] (DD), [[Braunschweig]] (BS), [[Hannover]](H), ''[[Berlin#Rasthof Michendorf|Rasthof Michendorf]]'' or [[Frankfurt (Oder)]] (FF) / [[Poland]] ([[Poznan]]). It is not allowed to hitchhike on that spot, though it's very likely that you will obtain a good lift in short time. Remember: Running over the rails can cost you something around 25 Euro if they catch you.

'''Attention'''Cars are driving too fast and you'll bring yourself in dangerWaldeck West rest stop road 117 next to bus 263 stop Waltersdorf (bei Berlin), Gaspumpstation. People start honking also...'''so better not using this hitchhike spot'''. After a while the police appeared and sent us 5 km walk away. (August 2009)from Eichwalde s--[[User:Wukk|Wukk]] 12:32, 22 October 2009 (UTC)bahn stop S8 and S46 goes there

===East towards [[Poland]] {{Autobahn|10}} {{E|30}} = Grünbergallee == If you are hitching in the direction of [[Wroclaw]], [[Katowice]] or [[Krakow]], you might find the route-page from [[:Category:Route_Berlin_-_Kraków|Berlin to Kraków]] useful. Once you get a ride in Germany direction to Poland you can hitchhike before or after places where people pay for higway (polish name bramki). One side will have a parking place and its free to hitchike there. ==== Option 1: Raststätte Michendorf / least walking ==== Take a regional train (e.g. RE7 direction Dessau, check fahrinfo-berlin.de for route information) from the centre and get off at Michendorf (requires BC/ABC ticket). Leave the station at the left side (in direction of the train). Turn right into the Potsdamer Straße and walk south ≈1.7 km on Potsdamer Straße until it ends (it bends right and is called An der Autobahn then). Keep walking straight ahead on a footpath and cross the tunnel under the Autobahn A10. After the tunnel, turn right on a sandy path through the forest. Follow the track until you are at the Mcdonalds at the [rest area. The petrol station is after the restaurant and seems to be better for getting rides. Your best bet is to either ask truckers (although they might not know English) or stand by the exit with a sign that says "Polska".  You can also take Alternative: Take bus 643 from ''Potsdam Hbf'', direction Busendorf, and get off at ''Michendorf, Bergheide''. Walk back 40 m in the direction the bus came from to the junction. There will be a small road going to the left, through the forest. Follow this road for ≈1 km to the Mcdonalds/Raststätte. ==== Option 2: Raststätte Am Fichtenplan ==== '''S-Bahn + 1 stop with train + 5 km walking'''  [[File:Berlinout.jpg|thumb|alt=E30 ''[[E30]]''.]] Take S-bahn S2 to the end station ''Blankenfelde''. From there, take any regional train one stop to ''Dahlewitz''. Turn right from the station further and walk southeast ≈4 km along Bahnhofstrasse/L40 until you cross over the Autobahn A10/E30 bridge. Head down to the Autobahn and walk 1 km east to the big Aral petrol station. Walking on the Autobahn is illegal, so if you want to avoid the risk of getting caught, continue walking straight on the L40 after crossing the bridge for 1.6 km. There will be a small road on the left heading to the Autobahn. Walk north 850 m along this road until the start of the bridge over the Autobahn. Climb down to the field and walk east 300 m, parallel with the Autobahn, until you reach the Raststätte. (There is a fence to with holes in it before/next to Raststätte). See the map on the right. You need to walk 5 to 6 km, but the place is very good!  '''S Grünbergallee-Bahn + 2 stops with train + 5 km walking'''  Take S-bahn S2 to the end station ''Blankenfelde''. From there, take any regional train 2 stops to ''Rangsdorf''. Walk the Kienitzer Str until the crossing with L40 road. Continue walking 500 metres and turn left on the gravel road. Youwill hear the highway and see a rest area through the bushes. Can someone confirm that Kienitzer Dorfstrase almost all lenght have bicycle path next to it?????? '''Train + bus with one C zone ticket'''  [[File:Hitch_ber_pl_fichtenplan_2020.png|200px|thumb|right|How to walk from bus stop Am Weidendamm to Raststätte Am Fichtenplan]] '''A)''' From train stop ''ll S Blankenfelde'' catch bus 792, check [https://www.vbb.de/en VBB.de] in advance to find out about the departure times. If you’ve bought a ticket including tariff zone C to get to ''Blankenfelde'', it’ll also cover the bus fare. When looking for the bus at ''Blankenfelde'' station, the displayed direction doesn’t matter as this is the initial/final stop of this line. Once you’re on the bus, get off at ''Am Weidendamm'', the surrounding area being a business park. Walk towards the Northeast, there’s a crane business on the right hand side that you’ll spot from afar. The main road makes a left turn here, and a dead end road branches off: The latter is the one you have to take, the crane business coming closer and closer. A dirt road starts at the concrete square at the end of this road, and passes the crane business site, the fence of it being on your right. Now proceed to the field, pass the trench and turn left. If you’ve got the right shoes/boots, you may also head across the field diagonally to your left from where you crossed the trench. If you haven’t seen it from the trench, you’ll soon notice a big low causeway ahead of you (if you walked across the field) or on your left (if you followed the field’s edge). You’ll want to be on the causeway, which in fact had a railway line on it many decades ago. Once on the causeway, turn right (South) and simply follow it. You’ll soon be on a forest road near the motorway, and likely also see a big hardwarebridge as well as the Raststätte already. Cross the bridge, turn immediately left and enter the rest area. '''B)''' From eastern Berlin, go to ''S Königs Wusterhausen'', catch bus 730 to ''Brusendorf, Kreuzung'' (15 min ride with same C zone ticket) and walk Wilhelm-Pieck-store Strase 100 metres and turn left on gravel road. You will see rest stop from there ==== Option 3: Raststätte Seeberg West==== [[File:Hitch_ber pl seeberg west.png|200px|thumb|right|How to walk from Hönow station to Seeberg West]] The cheapest, though probably not fastest option to reach ''Raststätte Seeberg West'', is to take subway line U5 to its eastern terminus ''Hönow'' (Berlin AB/BC ticket). Once out of the station, cross ''Mahlsdorfer Straße'' (the road right in front of the station), turn left, and then turn right into the first road that branches off, called ''HornbachAm Barschsee/Am Weiher''. Follow ''Am Weiher'' and keep heading straight; the road continues as ''Am Grünzug'' after crossing ''Hoppegartener Straße'' and eventually as ''Wernergraben''. Once you can see the REWE supermarket, turn right into ''Stöbberstraße'' and follow it until its very end (it becomes ''An der alten Gärtnerei'' past the kindergarten). Turn left into ''Bamberger Straße'' and walk until the main road ''Neuenhagener Chaussee''. Carefully cross ''Neuenhagener Chaussee'' – it’s a busy road with cars going pretty fast – and start walking on the dirt road straight ahead. At some point the road turns right and you have to enter the forested area; the road crosses a stream called ''Zochegraben'' here. The road will now continue to the left whereas on the right you’ll see a small path. Turn left and keep following the dirt road. A few minutes later, after walking besides a field (on your right), there will be two paths to a small natural pool (which, depending on the time of the year, might not have any water in it; you’ll recognise the place though, having some wooden installations as well as a small “sand beach”. There is , you’ll also see a wire fence that follows the direction of the pool if you were to look at it from the dirt road. Walk past the pool on the righthand side – there’s something like a path for a few metres – until you encounter high grass or the overgrown area respectively. From here, the easiest way to continue is to look where the least shrub is and head towards the wire fence. Chances are you’ll be doing some bush-going lane at bashing (again dependent on season), so don’t wear your fanciest clothes. Once besides the wire fence, the grass is not too high and walking becomes easier; keep following the fence, which will make a 90° right turn soon, when a huge field opens in front of you. From there, you’ll already see a big roadpower line. Your destination is a wooden gate near the power pole on the field. Walk along its edge or simply across the field if conditions are favourable, no farmer is around and you’re wearing boots or something similar. Approximately 20 to 30 metres before the power pole, you’ll see the open gate (with nothing but an overgrown area behind it) on the edge of the field. Enter the gate and immediately turn right; walk about ten metres, then turn slightly left (approx. 45°) and keep walking. The shrub is pretty dense in places so again it’s some bush bashing, but a few metres further you’ll already encounter the fence of the Raststätte. If you followed these directions, chances are you’ll already see the gate in the fence to enter the rest area. Just show  Altogether, the walk is a sign saying little bit over 5 km and should take 90 minutes at the most. To skip walking the suburban part in the beginning, you can also take bus 943 (direction: ''S Hoppegarten'') from ''Hönow'' station and get off at ''DresdenThälmannstr.'' , with this bus stop being very close to where the dirt road is starting at ''Neuenhagener Chaussee''. However, the beginning bus only runs once per hour during weekdays and operates in tariff zone C, meaning you'll likely need an additional ticket. At the Raststätte, trucks heading for Poland abound, as well as a fair number of this laneprivate cars with Polish number plates. Sometimes   === East towards [[Kostrzyn]] Poland and [[Frankfurt an der Oder|Frankfurt (Oder)]] === If you are going to Frankfurt/Oder or somewhere else close by, you can ask drivers at try to hitch along the national road B5/B1 instead of taking the highway A12.  Take the S5 to Mahlsdorf and follow Hönewer Straße to the South until the big intersection with the street Alt-Mahlsdorf. After the traffic light there is [https://goo.gl/maps/45v4qR1Np822 enough place to stop]. Cars go quite fast, but often slow down due according to the parking changing traffic lights. There is still a lot of city traffic though. Small walk away also is a Star Tankstelle petrol station (adress Alt-Mahlsdorf 117) Directly before the entrance to the Berlin ringway there is a bus stop & Shell Tankstelle suitable for hitching further. About 10 km after the highway the B1/B5 changes from a fast two lane road to a smaller national road.  === North towards [[Fürstenberg]], [[Neustrelitz]] and [[Neubrandenburg]] === For the hardwareEast part of Mecklenburg -store if they can take you to Western Pomerania the first B96 could be a good option instead of A11/A20, because there's only one petrol station on A11 and none on the Autobahn eastern part of the A20. '''Option 1'''  Go to S Oranienburg (S1, RE from Südkreuz - Hauptbahnhof - Gesundbrunnen, RB Lichtenberg - Hohenschönhausen). From Oranienburg go by bus or walk to Sachsenhausen, Kirche bus stop and continue walking Granseer Straße for 15 minutes and you'll reach the B96. At this point the B96 still looks like a highway. But don't be confused: just a few meters before the onramp Oranienburg-Nord there's a sign saying that Autobahn ends. So cars are allowed to stop north of the ramp. Between Oranienburg and Neubrandenburg just Neustrelitz is just bad for leaving a minutes ridecar. If you're driver goes to Neustrelitz leave the car 2 km before at the last crossroad (connection with B198 to Wesenberg, Mirow)and use the bus stop over there to go on to NB or ask if you driver can drop you off at the North end of Neustrelitz. In every other town/village on that way the B96 goes directly via the town. From So you can get off and look for the next busstop on the B96. Weekend or holidays it might be that there 's nearly no bus via Sachsenhausen, Kirche then you can be luckygo by train to Sachsenhausen (Nordb) and walk 1 km to the spot. Check before on Vbb-Homepage! '''Option 2''' Raststätte Stolper Heide highway rest stop Go by bus 8O9 till stop Stolpe (OHV), tooAutobahnbrücke than 1OO metres back and right side 1 km walk away is Raststätte Stolper Heide highway rest stop on road 111. The road serves just as access to rest stop and starts opposite side from road 111 upramp Or you can walk 4 km from S Bahnhof Hohen Neuendorf starting from Stolper Street than its changes to Hohen Neuendorfer Weg street and all the way to bus stop above.There is a bicycle road next to street 

Getting into Berlin since the ring is big and maybe you are on a ride that's only passing by. Good option is to get out at...  === The Ruhr area Highway 10 (Warsaw > Amsterdam) ===When hitch hiking towards Berlin Get off at ''Rasthof Michendorf'' (after all the ring interchanges). There is a bridge over the Autobahn nearby so if you are coming even from Poland you can jump over and easily find someone going into the city. Alternatively, you can walk into Michendorf itself, which takes about 30 min. Just head north from the petrol stations (you can go under the Autobahn from Belgiumthe southern petrol station From Michendorf, avoid passing you can take a train for EUR 3.30 to the Ruhr area centre of Berlin (Dortmundthe ABC ticket, Essenwhich is valid for 2 hours, Duisburgso you can also use metro, bus etc. when in Berlin). Once The last train everyday is at 00:21. So don't leave the petrol station if you get inthere after 00:00. Also, if you end up having to sleep over there, that train station is definitely not really suitable for sleeping; however, itnear the petrol station there's difficult to a 24 hours restaurant called "Restaurant Michendorf Nord", you can charge your phone there and probably sleep in the downstairs toilet for disabled people. Or get outof at "Königs Wusterhausen"/"Wildau". Service stations are rare and passing traffic avoids this regionThe exit is one exit after the "Schönefelder Kreuz" on the A10 direction Poland. We tried on several places and had I consider it as the quickest to take get in Berlin from the South! Maybe your driver can drop you in the village at the S-Bahn otherwise here is the train independent version: If you want to pass this area (lost 5 hours)get off in Königs Wusterhausen, the best opportunity is a bit a freestyle one. 2 km after the exit for "Königs Wusterhausen" there is 150 m long bridge called Wildauer Brücke. There are sufficient work arounds If your driver is ready to avoid this areastop there he can drop you directly after the bridge on the hard shoulder. See also If you pay antention you will find a small door in the noise barrier. Open the door, go down the stairs, you will find the road for Königswusterhausen. Walk 20 min and you will be at the hitchwiki page of S-Bahn station, the last S-Bahn for Berlin is at 00:41! Map [https://goo.gl/maps/grprFELW7rM2 here]. Alternatively you can take the same road in the other direction [Ruhrgebiet|Ruhr Area]https://goo.gl/maps/XhvjZqX9rks map]and go to the S-Bahn station Wildau.  === A115 - Spanische Allee ===

=== East and West ===The best is to You can get off at the exit ''Rasthof MichendorfSpanische Allee'' (after all the ring interchanges). There is a bridge over if your driver takes the Autobahn nearby so if you are coming from [[PolandA115_(Germany)|A115]] you can jump over and easily find someone going passing by Potsdam to get into the city. Alternatively, when which most people do that are coming from the east about 2 km before West. From the interchange "Berlin Zentrum" (itstation ''Nikolassee''s really not a good idea right next to get off at interchanges on it you can take the autobahn)S-Bahn to ''Zoologischer Garten'', there is an exit for ''[[Königs Wusterhausen]]Friedrichstraße'' or ''Warschauer Straße''from where you can go anywhere. There will be a lot of commercial shopping buildings you will see just before It is usually faster to do so unless your driver really goes directly into your neighbourhood, because you need more or less the same time by public transport to exit and go anywhere in Berlin from this spot as you are exiting will see with the McDonaldscar. Then, if you Also your driver can't find a ride going into Berlin (which could be rare actually) walk about 1 km into easily go off the nearest town. There is a bus going to Berlin for 1 EURhighway and back onto it.

==The Ruhr area warning = Drink ===At ''Hauptbahnhof'' the McDonalds has free refills, pick up a cup and get high on fizzy drinks. === Internet access ===Sidewalk express (internet) is located in the food court at ''Hauptbahnhof'', pick up some of the leftover receipts and enter the code, there is usually some time left. This is the internet I'm using now.

=== Public transport ===Blackriding is possibleWhen hitch hiking towards Berlin from Belgium, albeit risky. Controllers are very frequent and wear civil clothesavoid passing the Ruhr area (Dortmund, Essen, so they cannot be noticed before the doors are closedDuisburg). And since they do not receive hourly wage but salary depending on how many people they catch, playing the "dumb tourist" will have no effect on them; they want Once you get in their record. The good news is that even if they ask you to pay the fine on the spot (40 euros), you can say you donit't have the money and then you have two weeks s difficult to pay itget out. Or, give them a false address Raststättes are rare and just never pay itpassing traffic avoids this region. First time you also may have a good chance We tried on several places and had to decrease your fine when you write a letter take the train to the S-Bahn officepass this area (lost 5 hours. It´s wise There are sufficient work arounds to mention things like it was an unlucky coincident, you´ve been overwhelmed by avoid this area. See also the city and the mass hitchwiki page of people and that you usually pay for the good and ecological public transport.[[Ruhr Area]].. :)