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If you're coming from the ferries and you don't manage to get a ride to [[Paris]], then get ANY ride from the boat and get off at the first service station to change there. It's very difficult to get a ride from Calais as most people at intersections/on-ramps are not leaving the town. I spent maybe 6 or 7 hours trying to get a ride with no luck (July 2017). I got the train to Étaples and had much better luck the following day.
The first service station after Calais is 60km (!) away. Some cars stop there (not too many) If you're coming from the ferries and it seems more people are going you don't manage to get a ride to the direction of [[Reims]] than towards [[Paris]]. There is another then get ANY ride from the boat and get off at the first service station some 20km further down the same highway (20km before [[Arras]]), but it is much smaller and much more quiet. (Lots of trucks to change there, but the truckers are all sleeping). Be advised that employees at such small places will most likely speak no English.
If your driver is extremely kind, or if you find someone living in Arras who might be willing to make the extra effort, there is another service station at ''Wancourt'', some 10km away from Arras on the Option 1 A1 highway in the direction of Paris. (There is a bridge so that cars can change direction if your driver is not actually going towards Paris, although your driver will have to drop you off some 300m before the station in order to be able to turn around, otherwise there's no turning point closer to the station.)
Mostly trucks Train to Audruicq walk 5 km to La Montoire there is SMALL Aire de Zutkerque rest stop here, almost all of them Option 2 A16 highway Hitchike to sleep, but Escalles town and walk 7 km to Hauteville there should be a few cars and it is highly likely that any cars stopping here are Total fuel station on their way to Paris. There A16 highway (walking there from Calais is a place to get some food and a toilet, but other than that it's not a massive service station. 15 km)
[[User:Alexanderanderson|Alexanderanderson]] says: It is now (2016) very difficult to get picked up at this roundabout, due to the refugee situation. I waited an unbelievable 16 hours, and heard somebody else, more recently, got moved on by the police. It's also hard to get any truckers to pick you up in any of the lorry parks around. Would advise to get to a petrol station, or better yet, to not stop in Calais at all and just get through in any direction before finding another ride. If you're coming off the ferry, get your ride out the other side when you're on it or waiting to board.
→South towards Paris
Note: Dunkerque port is not in Dunkerque but a few miles out. Also there are only a couple of ferries that leave per day from there which makes hitching difficult.
== Hitchhiking out Out ==
<map lat='50.95' lng='1.848' zoom='11' view='3' float='right'/>
=== South towards Paris ===
=== South, East towards everywhere ===
To get out of the ferry terminal, the best trick is to follow the signs for the motorway to Lille and eventually you'll get to a big roundabout with the road leading uphill with a bay where vehicles can stop next to the "no pedestrians" signs that all the other hitchers have written all about :) stand by the signs and you'll get a brave trucker to stop for you. Almost all car traffic heads south Paris way, and it's a nightmare getting back onto the motorway if you come off there, so try to flag down someone with a sign saying D or PL. Standing at the roundabout itself is quite tragic as you will be watching migrants trying to get into England constantly running up and down trying to sneak into a truck.
If you're going far and/or don't care about speed so much, there's a huge ''lorry park'' on the motorway a few kilometres from Calais from where you can easily get direct lifts to many places all over Europe ([[Belgium]], [[Netherlands]], [[England]], [[Germany]], [[Poland]], [[Spain]], [[Czech Republic]], [[Austria]] and [[Turkey]] should easily be possible). Be aware that a truck is legally only allowed to have one driver and one passenger (except if there's more seats), so it's a lot harder to find a ride for two people hitching together. If you are just hitching into [[Belgium]] you're probably better off finding a ride while on the ferry, to a petrol station in [[Belgium]].
Turkish lorry drivers are often very kind and help you searching for a lift. You often ask one of them and he talks to all his fellow countrymen – you often ask all of them by asking one and end up having dinner with them :-). Their German is often better than their English but they really try to do their best to communicate.
There is also a service station with free showers.
You can also get out of the city centre towards the highway N°16 next to the McDonalds at Rue Gutenberg (bus stop Galerie Saint Pierre, bus #02). Don't stay directly at the McD, but go through the tunnel under the highway and stand right in the bend that leads the cars directly onto the highway. Cars are not too fast here and can stop easily - most of them will go to Dunkerque (Dunkirk), if you want to cross the border to Belgium, it could be better to wait for a car that goes straight until De Panne or Ostende. At Dunkirk the situation with migrants is similar to Calais and you might have to wait for a very long at the highway for the next lift (updated 2019).
== Extra information ==
