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|pop = 512587.000857

|motorways = [[A9 (Germany){{Ade|A9]], [[A14 (Germany)9}} {{Ade|A14]]14}}

'''Leipzig''' is a the biggest city in the [[Germany|German]] ''Bundesland'' [[Saxony]], and is famous for its alternative scene. Check out Plagwitz, Südvorstadt, the "Eisenbahnstraße" (most dangerous street in Germany according to some newspapers) and Connewitz if you're there.

== Hitching Out ===== North towards [[Berlin]], [[Magdeburg]], South towards [[München]] =Hitchhiking out ==

;First optionTake the bus #131 from the city center === North towards ''Dölzig'' and get out at ''Holländische Mühle'', one stop before the ''Nova Eventis'' center. This spot is some meters before the direct ramp onto the [[A9 (Germany)|A9Berlin]]. Try to find your ride here , South towards [[Berlin]] or [[Munich|München]]!{{Ade|9}} ===

==== Option 2 ====It's also possible to get to the spot described above with tram #7 in direction ''Böhlitz-Ehrenberg''. Get out at the tram stop ''Georg-Schwartz-Strasse/Merseburger Strasse''. From there, walk back some 10m towards the main road and walk right towards the ''Aral'' petrol station, across the road from which you can catch a ride to the A9. Follow If you don't like the spot, follow the road for 200m until you passed a ''Lidl'' supermarket, and after that some meters further you'll find a bus stop (''Lindenau Friedhof''). From there you can easily hitchhike a ride towards ''Dölzig'' and/or the highwaymotorway. Make sure to get out at the last traffic lights before the highwaymotorway. Just behind the traffic lights, thereThere's a small bay bus stop where cars you can stop hitchhike easily. A sign might be useful. Hitchhiking ~800m further directly at the [[on-ramp]] is pretty dangerous, there's no place for cars to stop and traffic passes by pretty fast.

;Third option==== Option 3 ====There is also You can take a nice petrol station on train from the B2Main Station, Leipzig-Gohlis, it's the last petrol station for people coming from the city centerLeipzig-Coppiplatz, Leipzig-Möckern or Leipzig-Leutzsch (?Regional Express "RB")that goes to "Weißenfels". Take tram 14 Get off at "Rückmarsdorf". From there you walk north straight up to ''Messegelände''. Go back in direction of the previous tram stop (big street ''Alte Dübener Landstraße''), cross that leads to the Street ({{Ade|9}}. It''Messe-Allee'') s about 300 m and the way is intuitive. You can either start from there or follow the bike pathstreet westwards for about 500 m where you find a car seller for Renault. It underpasses the railway There is plenty of space to stop and pick you finally get up. If people only go to ''Zschortauer Straße''Dölzig take the lift. Turn left, there The spot at the back entrance to the petrol station Busstaion Südstraße (first option) is almost immediately on the rightslightly better. [http://mapsThe great advantage of this option is that you get to Rückmarsdorf very fast.googleEspecially if you live close to one of the trainstops mentioned above you're ready to start hitkchhiking in some 10 minutes (vs.com/maps?f=d&saddr=Merkurpromenade+%405127 minutes busride from the Main Station in Bus #131).398124,+12.395444&daddr=Alte+D%C3%BCbener+Landstra%C3%9Fe+%4051.394559,+12.394547+toRemember that the train only goes once an hour (March 2015:Graf-Zeppelin-Ring+%4051.391742,+12.393601+toFrom the Main Station at xx:51.385792,12.390143&hl=en&geocode=7430204521375212132,51.398124,12.395444%3B7331407810391153862,51.394559,12.394547%3B3946222946419670169,51.391742,12.393601%3B&mra=mi&mrcr=2&mrsp=3&sz=15&dirflg=w&sll=51.387263,12.394252&sspn=0.019845,0.046821&ie=UTF8&t=47 h&z=15 Google Maps] doesn't know about the bike path but you can see it in satellite viewfrom track 6).

=== East North towards [[DresdenBerlin]] ===Take the Tram #15 from the city center towards ''Meusdorf'' and get out at the last station. Go 250 Meters further to the next bus stop. This is the best spot to [[DresdenMagdeburg]] over A38 and A14/A4.[[Hamburg]] {{Ade|14}} ===

It's incredibly easy There is a brilliant spot to blackride in Leipzigask people for lifts at an "Aral"-petrol station which is the last one before the Autobahn {{Ade|14}} that also leads onto the {{Ade|9}} to Berlin.

== Overnight ==There are several youth hostels Take tram 16 with or without a 2,40 Euro-Ticket in Leipzig. There is one about a mile out the direction of the city. ItMessegelände and get off at "Hornbach Baumarkt" from here it's easily walkable, just head out left from a 15min walk to the train stationbut it's main entrance, and follow worth it. Walk in the road round to same direction as the right. Keep walking past a head shop, tram and take a left, then a an immediate right on a street that runs parallel. Keep walking to onto "Dübener Landstraße" along the end parking lot of the road, then turn left over big hardware store. After passing the bridge over the train tracksB2 it becomes Nathusiusstraße. After Keep walking straight until you reach Ztschortauer Straße where you've walked over the train tracks, there's an interesting little village made up of wendy houses. Walk through this, heading to the far corner. Turn right, turn left and walk parallel with another 300 metres until you see the train tracks. You should she an old pub in the middle of an HLM type housing estate. Make a note of it, because it does fantastic food. Carry on for about another 200 yards, then hang a left. The youth hostel is "Aral"-petrol station on the your left, just on a small service road.

Asking people for a lift towards Berlin on the {{Ade|9}} or towards Magdeburg on the {{Ade|14}} (which is also the way to go for Hamburg) usually works just fine here.The first rest stop going north from here will be '''[[:de:Köckern Ost|Köckern Ost]]''' on the {{Ade|9}}, that isn't too far. On the {{Ade|14}}, it is '''[[:de:Plötzetal Ost|Plötzetal Ost]]''' which is past Halle. Most of the A14 traffic goes to Halle so you might want to get the ride anyway and get off at the non-gas-station rest area that is on the A14, before Halle but after the branch-off to Berlin. === East towards [[Dresden]] {{Ade|14}} {{Ade|38}} ===[[File:Hitching spot leipzig.jpg|thumb|220px|right|Spot in Leipzig described in Option 2 for hitchhiking North or South]] ==== Option 1 ====Take a tram to "Permoser Str./ Torgauer Str." (3/3E direction "Taucha"; or Bus 90 direction "Paunsdorfcenter"; check here: www.lvb.de/timetable). You walk some 50 meters along "Permoser Straße" (the one without tram tracks) and start hitchhiking from there. Drivers already see you from the traffic light and can stop easily on the "white lines". While heading east you'll also find gas stations to ask people directly. ==== Option 2 ====Take a tram to the stop "Paunsdorfer Alle/Permoser Strasse". Show a sign saying "Dresden" and find a good spot on the street towards east which is close to the motorway junction already. There are mixed reports about this spot. ==== Option 3 ====Take the Tram #15 or #2 from the city center towards ''Meusdorf'' and get out at the last station, which is called Meusdorf. Go 250 Meters further to the next bus stop. This is the best spot to [[Dresden]] via {{Ade|38}} and {{Ade|14}}/{{Ade|4}}. === Option 4 ===Onramp to the highway A14, at the crossing of B6 and A14. There is no sidestrip, but it is barely possible for cars to stop. [[File:Tzuiop9c onramp Leipzig A14xB6.jpg|thumb|Onramp to A14 at the crossing with B6, east-end of Permoserstraße]]  ==== Option 5: service area Muldental ====In direction Dresden you then have a service area called "Muldental" since a lot of people turn of before Dresden so that you can use also the rather local traffic (to Grimma or further). === West towards [[Erfurt]], [[Cologne|Köln]], [[Belgium]] {{Ade|4}} ===[[File:CraigChristmasHitch.jpg|thumb|220px|right|Santa Claus [[User:Halt, Stop! Reudnitz kommt.|Craig]] hitching bus stop near ''Leipzig West'' ({{Ade|9}}).]]When heading to Belgium highway number 4 is a decent option. There are no comfortable ways (other than luck) to get on the highway to Kassel {{Ade|38}}. Though if there's somebody taking you to the {{Ade|38}} make sure you get a long lift. There is only one service station [[:de:Rohnetal Nord|Rohnetal Nord]] before reaching the {{Ade|7}} near [[Göttingen]]/[[Kassel]]. You can take bus 131 from Main Station (Leipzig Hauptbahnhof) or Merseburgerstrasse that will take you all the way close to the {{Ade|9}} (alight at B181/Dölzig). At the bus stop you can easily get a lift in all directions. All day long heavy traffic yay ;-) [[User:Halt, Stop! Reudnitz kommt.|Craig]]'s waiting times average at 15 mins for direction [[Cologne]] (West) or [[Nuremberg]] (South), 20 mins direction [[Berlin]] (North). First you have to go south on the {{Ade|9}}, use a sign "A9 Süd", there's a gas station on the highway 30 km south from Leipzig called "Osterfeld". There you can find a ride going West on the {{Ade|4}} . Ask for people going at least to Erfurt. The only service area with gas station on the {{Ade|4}} before Erfurt is called "Eichelborn" and is located BEYOND Jena.The on-ramp on the side away from Leipzig is slightly more spacious (but not spacious) and there was a little more traffic when [[User:Guaka|guaka]] was hitching from there on Thursday around noon.  Right after getting onto the {{Ade|4}} there's a restaurant (but no gas station) called "Teufelstal" that's okay during the day ([[User:Guaka|guaka]] found a long ride to almost Giessen from there). == Hitching In ==When coming through the {{Ade|14}} it is fairly easy to get off at Leipzig Nord-Ost or Leipzig-Ost, where you have possibilities for the driver to turn around and the tram is within 1 km reach. If coming from south-east, lot of drivers go in via {{Ade|38}}. In both cases you can use the directions given in the two optionjs for getting onto {{Ade|14}} direction Dresden.Otherwise, options are the airport where a train is going regularly into the city.  If traveling the {{Ade|9}}, you can best get off at Leipzig-West. The driver can go off to "Einkaufszentrum", then let you out at Nova Eventis. There you can easily get a car to the center just hitchhike anywhere near the exit for Leipzig at the parking with a sign "LE".  Hitchhiker [[User:Halt, Stop! Reudnitz kommt.|Craig]] would rather recommend to ask drivers going off to ''Leipzig''. The road directions are not separated on that side anymore and there is a perfect spot (bus stop) for hitching into the city plus drivers can easily make u-turn going back to the highway. [[Korn|Korn]] mentions, that you can catch a ride from here even in the night pretty easy. If you get off earlier and don´t want to walk that far, there is also a huge keeping area on the right side, after you left the highway and underpass the bridge. It is also the first possible point for cars to make a u-turn and get back on the highway. == Public transport / Blackriding - Riding with and without a ticket ==

Using public transportation without a ticket is fairly easy in Leipzig. Getting caughtwithout a ticket:* fine is 40 60 EUR, payable by bank transfer in about 10 days

* You can invalidate existing validate tickets in both trams and bussesbuses, the machines ''beep'' when you do so (''check if there is a ticket stamping machine in the rear of the bus, AFAIR that's usually the case but better make sure'')* Inside most trams, there's a ticket machine that gives you a stamped ticket (''just hanging around there won't serve as excuse if you're controledget busted'')

* Most transportation rules for German public transport are along the lines that you have to present a valid ticket if you're asked to do so (''I have not checked specifically for Leipzig'')

* If you did've got an unstamped ticket, you can (and should) argue that you just forgot didn't know about validating it - the tourist act usually works * After 20:00, you usually need to stamp it before get in buses at the front and have a valid ticked nonethelessshow your ticket to the bus driver