Changes

If you are generally not that lucky thumbing down cars and you would like to start your jouney straight at the Highwaymotorway, the easiest option is to travel to Rasthof Teufelstal which is located at the A4 approx. 15 km east of Jena. From here it should be no problem to ask people for lifts east or west. To get there either take the local train from Jena West towards Gera and get off at "Papiermühle". From here it is a (scenic) 3 km hike first east along the valley and then south to the small village of Bollberg. From here you either cross the fields directly to the Rasthof if heading west or cross the Highway motorway (walk towards Mörsdorf after Böllberg) and head east at the other side for hitching east.

The A9 as a main north south magistrale passes Jena aprox. 25 km in the east. As it is probably difficult (though still an option) to use the above described options to start on the A4 and then change on the A9 you are probably better off aiming at the A9 straight away. You could either travel to the petrol station "Hermsdorfer Kreuz" straight on the highwaymotorway, start at a petrol station in Eisenberg or hitch towards the A9 on local roads.

If you are a die hard hitchhiker and want to start hicthing hitching in Jena you can hitch along local roads towards the A9. This makes sense as many locals (especially if heading north at the A9) also take the local roads instead of the A4 to get to the A9. You should aim at getting a lift as far as Eisenberg as here is a good petrol station really close to the A9.

Eisenberg lies ~25km east of Jena straight at the A9.There is a good petrol station directly at the highway motorway in a commercial area which is a good start to ask for lifts. To get here by puplic public transport take bus 431 from Jena and get off at "Gewerbegebiet, Petersberg bei Eisenberg" (45 minutes).