Jena

Jena
<map lat='50.942' lng='11.715' zoom='10' view='3'/>
Information
Country:	Germany
State:	Thuringia
Population:	102,494 (31 Dec 2006)
Licence plate:	J
Major roads:	A4,A9
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Jena is a city in Germany, in the region of Thuringia.

Hitching out

Hitching out of Jena is not easy, but neither is it impossible. Essentially there are two motorways from which to start, the A9 going north-south from Berlin to Munich, and the A4 going east-west from Frankfurt Dresden.

East towards Frankfurt, west towards Dresden A4

The A4 passes Jena straight at its eastern style southern edge, Lobeda. You can either start hitching directly here or take the train and a 3 km walk to Rasthof Teufelstal (~20 km from Jena). If you want to start hitching straight from Jena there are several places to start.

• Starting in Jena:

The best place to do this is in the tunnel underneath the Frankfurt-Dresden motorway, down the road from a hotel on a roundabout. If in doubt, then just get to the motorway, which heads east to west south of the main town. There are two junctions. One has a construction site just along from it (it looks like they're building a bridge over), and the other doesn't. You want to be at the one that doesn't, unless you're going to Frankfurt, or east. If you find yourself at the wrong junction (there's a big petrol station and a McDonald's), then you need to head west out of the petrol station, parallel to the motorway. Walk along past the MediaMarkt, and turn left. You'll see a bridge over the road, and there's a housing estate opposite. Cross the bridge and head up the hill through the housing estate. Keep going up the hill until you see the main road. Turn right, and walk along the road. The tram forks off to the left, but you should carry on down the hill to a roundabout with a hotel on it. You should be able to see the bridge now. If your lift's going the wrong way, you can quite easily get out at the services, and (south at least), there is an underground tunnel connecting the two service stations about half a mile north of the service station itself.

Note: There were major reconstructions of the of the Highway around Jena and most ramps, so this information may be outdated!

• Trainride to Rasthof Teufelstal:

If you are generally not that lucky thumbing down cars and you would like to start your journey straight at the motorway, 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 motorway (walk towards Mörsdorf after Böllberg) and head east at the other side for hitching east.

North to Berlin, south to Munich

The A9 as a main north south motorway passes Jena approx. 25 km east of the city. 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 motorway, start at a petrol station in Eisenberg or hitch towards the A9 on local roads.

• From Jena:

If you are a die hard hitchhiker and want to start 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.

Take a tram until "Jenzigweg" and thumb down cars at the bus station there. This is easier if you have a sign stating "A9/Eisenberg".

• Hermsdorfer Kreuz:

It should be easy to get a lift at this busy service station. The tricky bit is how to get here from Jena. Either take the local train from Jena West towards Gera and get off in Hermsdorf. From here take the 3-4 km/45 minute walk south through the whole village, past the A4, and finally turning right into the bushes at the Busstop onto the hiking trail towards the "Teufelstal". Alternatively you can take bus 200 (->Gera), 444 (->Stadtroda) or 427 (->Jena/Stadtroda) from the station in Hermsdorf (they go approx. every 30 minutes) and get off at "Hermsdorf Fußweg Rasthof". From here it is a 5 minute walk through the forest. Another option is to take bus 444 straight from Jena (or 427 from Stadtroda) towards Hermsdorf and get off at the same station.

Unlucky hitchhikers who get stuck at Rasthof Teufelstal on the A4 but want to change to the A9 can also do the scenic hike from Teufelstal to Hermsdorfer Kreuz (~4km/1h) Just follow the hiking trail marked with a green stripe which passes south of the service station at Teufelsthal south into the valley and head east uphill at a small junction following the same marks. In case you find a helpful driver ask him/her if he could turn south at the A4/A9 junction (Hermsdorfer Kreuz) onto the A9 towards München, drop you off at the service station, turn around at the ramp "Hermsdorf Süd" and get back onto the A4. This may take him 5-10 minutes.

• From Eisenberg:

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

Sleeping

There is a youth hostel in Jena. Be sure to get there nice and early, because there's no other cheap accommodation in the city. The tram heads there, you should ask somebody for directions. If you get really stuck, the McDonald's at the service station, although not 24h is open until midnight, and opens again 7 the next morning. If you leave McDonald's at midnight, cross the road, and climb the stairs opposite the car dealership on the back of the warehouse, there's a sheltered area where you can camp for the night. It's not warm, but if you go into McDonald's the next morning, you can use the bathroom to wash, and somebody behind the counter might recognize you and sort you out with a cup of tea. Couchsurfing and Hospitality Club are also very active in Jena.