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|motorways = [[A4 (Germany){{Autobahn|A4]],[[A9 (Germany)4}} {{Autobahn|A9]]9}}

'''Jena''' is a lively student city in Germany, in the region of [[Thuringia]]. It is a university city with around 100.000 inhabitants.

= Hitching Out Hitchhiking out =Hitching out of Jena is not a piece of cake but not impossible either. Basicly there are two motorways to start: The A9 heading North ([[Berlin]])-South ([[Munich]]) and the A4 crossing from west ([[Frankfurt]]) to east ([[Dresden]]).

== A4: East-West==The A4 passes Hitching out of Jena straight at its eastern style southern edge: Lobedais not easy, but neither is it impossible. You can either start hitching directly here or take the train and a 3km walk to "Rasthof Teufelstal" (~20 km from Jena). If It really depends on what direction you want to start hitching straight from Jena go. Essentially there are several places two motorways from which to start, the A9 going north-south from [[Berlin]] to [[Munich]], and the A4 going east-west from [[Frankfurt]] to [[Dresden]].

=== Start in Jena ===The best place to do this is in the tunnel underneath the East towards [[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.towards [[Dresden]] {{Autobahn|4}} ==

Note: 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. There were major reconstructions of is an ARAL gas station directly at the of the Highway around Jena and most ramps, so this information may be outdated!on-ramp towards [[Dresden]].

=== Trainride to Rasthof Teufelstal Starting in Jena === If you are generally not that lucky thumbing down cars and you would like to start your jouney 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.

== A9: North-South ==The A9 as a main north south magistrale passes Starting straight from Jena aprox. 25 km in is not very easy but not impossible either, all is starting from the easteastern style Lobeda. As it is probably difficult (though still an option) to use the above described For all following options to start on take 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 tram until "Hermsdorfer KreuzEmil Wölk Straße" straight on the motorway, start at a petrol station in Eisenberg or hitch towards the A9 on local roadsLobeda.

=== = 1. Petrol Station ====If you prefer the option to ask folks at petrol stations you can try the Aral station close to the Mc Donalds in the "Gewerbegebiet Lobeda Süd". To get here walk along the small footpath besides the Stadtrodaer Straße (5 min from the tram station). Be aware that even though the stations is quite busy, most of the traffic seems to go to villages nearby so you may have to wait for a while until you get a lift (for example for 4h on a Saturday afternoon). ==== 2. On-ramps ====For those trying their luck via thumb and sign, I would suggest waiting straight at the pedestrian traffic lights directly on the on-ramp in direction Frankfurt. Cars will stop at the red light (possibly induced by you ;-) ) and have time to think about picking you up. Hitching east (Gera, A9,...) your best option is the on-ramp opposite the Aral station. Even though the cars from Jena will not use it, there is a good place to stop here for cars in contrast to the route used by cars from Jena. ==== 3. Bus station ====There is a big bus station ("Arbeitsamt") straight on the "Stadtrodaer Straße "so cars can stop here easily. Everybody leaving Jena for the A4 will pass you and the traffic lights will cause cars to stop and think about picking you up. Its 2 minutes from the tram station "Emil Wölk Straße" directly at the bridge of "Erlanger Alle" over "Stadtrodaer Straße". Make sure that you carry a sign!  All these options may involve long waiting times (>1h) so, especially if you are not female, you should consider the other options described that get you straight to rest places on the highway. === 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]] {{Autobahn|9}} == 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. === Starting from Jena ===

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"''. Most of the rides either get you to the A9 onramp, [[Leipzig]] or [[Berlin]].

=== 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 (->direction [[Gera]]), 444 (->direction Stadtroda) or 427 (->direction 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 StadtrodeStadtroda) 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 [[Munich|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. = Hitching in =Ask you driver to get off at the off-ramp "Jena-Zentrum", afterwards turn towards "Zenrum" on "Stadtrodaer Straße" and to turn right on the first turn off (towards "Klinikum"). You will immediately reach the tram station "Platanenstraße" (45 3-5 minutesdetour).   = Sleeping = There is a youth hostel in Jena, the cheapest bed is 18€ a night (Jan 2019).Be sure to get there 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 McD's at the service station, although not 24h is open until midnight, and opens again 7 the next morning. If you leave McD'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 McD'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.The only shop open 24/7 in Jena is a "Backwerk" right at Löbdergraben in the city centre. == Nomadwiki & Trashwiki == {{nomadwiki}}