Riga Berlin hitchhiking

I was the one who suggested the train to Jelgeva, which is what I did last
winter. It was soooo easy to hitch from Jelgava, which is a very small
town, and thr train station is very close to the starting points of two big
highways.

2008/8/19 Benjamin Sims

> Hi,
>
> Hitchwiki is pretty good on this... http://www.hitchwiki.org/en/Riga
>
> I hitched out of Riga last summer, and I think the option we went with
> was the one involving the #23 bus. It went ok (although once you cross
> into Lithuania its a different story, but perhaps we just had bad
> luck)
>
> Ben
>
>
> On Tue, Aug 19, 2008 at 8:33 AM, felix golcher
> wrote:
> > dear friends,
> >
> > I plan, want to and have to hitchhike from Riga to Berlin on friday.
> >
> > Does anyone know a good place to start? Any recommendations regarding
> > hitchhiking in the baltics in general? Anything to avoid in between?
> > Warsawa maybe?
> >
> > Maybe one of you knows a place in the net where all these questions are
> > already answered. digihitch was not such a success in this special case.
> >
> > my best wishes out to anyone of you!
> > felix
> >
> >
>
>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi,

Hitchwiki is pretty good on this... http://www.hitchwiki.org/en/Riga

I hitched out of Riga last summer, and I think the option we went with
was the one involving the #23 bus. It went ok (although once you cross
into Lithuania its a different story, but perhaps we just had bad
luck)

Ben

On Tue, Aug 19, 2008 at 8:33 AM, felix golcher <fegol> wrote:
> dear friends,
>
> I plan, want to and have to hitchhike from Riga to Berlin on friday.
>
> Does anyone know a good place to start? Any recommendations regarding
> hitchhiking in the baltics in general? Anything to avoid in between?
> Warsawa maybe?
>
> Maybe one of you knows a place in the net where all these questions \are
> already answered. digihitch was not such a success in this special case.
>
> my best wishes out to anyone of you!
> felix
>
>

The best checkpoints on the way are probably the border crossings. Sometimes I read that it can be good to wait on the Lithuanian-Polish border for a driver who's taking you all the way to the German border. Depends, of traffic situation for example. I think on the Lithuanian-Polish border I would wait until I got a car going at least to Warsaw. Of course Warsaw can be a bit difficult to pass, but not really (!), there is no good alternative around. Check Warsaw in Hitchwiki and Liftershalte.info, there is a good spot on the national road going west, somewhere close to the last stop of a tram line, I don't remember the number.

Hi felix,

i don't know about good hitch palces, but you can check these websites for
car sharing and some tips as well
http://hitchhiker.50megs.com/
http://www.digihitch.com
http://www.hitchhikers.org
http://www.hitch-hiking.org/
http://europe.bugride.com/
www.mitfahrgelegenheit.de
http://www.mitfahrzentrale.de/
http://www.autostop.lt/main.php
Good luck
Michael

2008/8/19, felix golcher <fegol>:
>
> dear friends,
>
> I plan, want to and have to hitchhike from Riga to Berlin on friday.
>
> Does anyone know a good place to start? Any recommendations regarding
> hitchhiking in the baltics in general? Anything to avoid in between?
> Warsawa maybe?
>
\> Maybe one of you knows a place in the net where all these questions are
> already answered. digihitch was not such a success in this special case.
>
> my best wishes out to anyone of you!
> felix
>
>

--
Michael

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hey Felix,

try:
www.hitchbase.com
www.hitchwiki.org
maps.hitchwiki.org

Hope that helps.
Philipp

felix golcher wrote:
> dear friends,
>
> I plan, want to and have to hitchhike from Riga to Berlin on friday.
>
> Does anyone know a good place to start? Any recommendations regarding
> hitchhiking in the baltics in general? Anything to avoid in between?
> Warsawa maybe?
>
> Maybe one of you knows a place in the net where all these questions are
> already answered. digihitch was not such a success in this special case.
>
> my best wishes out to anyone of you!
> felix
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> May you never have a cramp in the thumb...

I hitched from Riga to Minsk on the 21st of August 2008. I took the #23 bus to "Turn into Balozhi" stop (costs Ls 0.40, about $1 or UK£0.50), and hitched from a place just beyond the bus stop (it's illegal for cars to stop at the bus stops even to pick up or drop off passengers!) - got a lift fairly quickly.

With regards to Jelgava - the train (not as frequent as a bus) costs Ls 0.95, and it was not convenient for me to hitch from there, as the town is not on A7 itself.

I only had to wait twice in Lithuania. The first time on the Kaunas Ring Road - people did not stop for a while. Actually, a random van stopped about 200m ahead of me as I was walking - it turned out the driver just stopped to have a sandwich, but they took me to Vilnius. From there a couple of Belarusian guys took me to the border.

Pavel/Paul

----- Original Message ----
From: Michael Kolman <mikikookcom>
To: hitching@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, 19 August, 2008 23:06:16
Subject: Re: [hh] Riga Berlin hitchhiking

Hi felix,

i don't know about good hitch palces, but you can check these websites for
car sharing and some tips as well
http://hitchhiker. 50megs.com/
http://www.digihitc h.com
http://www.hitchhik ers.org
http://www.hitch- hiking.org/
http://europe. bugride.com/
www.mitfahrgelegenh eit.de
http://www.mitfahrz entrale.de/
http://www.autostop .lt/main. php
Good luck
Michael

2008/8/19, felix golcher <fegol>:
>
> dear friends,
>
> I plan, want to and have to hitchhike from Riga to Berlin on friday.
>
> Does anyone know a good place to start? Any recommendations regarding
> hitchhiking in the baltics in general? Anything to avoid in between?
> Warsawa maybe?
>
> Maybe one of you knows a place in the net where all these questions are
> already answered. digihitch was not such a success in this special case.
>
> my best wishes out to anyone of you!
> felix
>
>

--
Michael

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hello,
at the moment i stay in berlin iwanna go the next days down to geneva switzerland arrive at the28th in the evening night or 29th in the morning.
Do you have any tips for the trip. Also for accomadiation.
What are ure experience with that thing.

niko
--
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On Fri, Sep 26, 2008 at 11:15, Niko Cremer <> wrote:
> Hello,
> at the moment i stay in berlin iwanna go the next days down to geneva
> switzerland arrive at the28th in the evening night or 29th in the morning.
> Do you have any tips for the trip. Also for accomadiation.
> What are ure experience with that thing.

Please DO not hijack other threads with completely other content. This
thread was about Riga-Berlin and NOT Berlin-Geneva, next time start
your own thread.

Look on Google maps, stick to the route they suggest, it's pretty
optimal. Start on Raststaette Michendorf next to Berlin and hitch from
one raststaette to the next. Never done this NE-2-SW trip myself, but
based on experience, I'd say it's doable in a day if you start early
in the morning. If you're less experienced, it might take two days.

Robert

The usual advice advice is : Check on hitchbase etc
 
My personal experience - hh'ed from Berlin to Munich starting from Michendorf service area.
Just going to Michendorf by public transport can be .. sort of time consuming - check for a direct train , instead of changing at Wannsee train station.
 
The confusing thing about Michendorf to know which is the correct side for your direction - for hitchhiking southbound its the northern side - where traffic goes to the West.
 
Michendorf service area has a kind of "Berlin Wall" construction , to protect the vulnerable truckers from dangerous hitchhikers.  Fortunately a closet hitchhiking sympathizer on the construction board has managed to have a little door included, to enter this fortress -  have to walk ca 300 - 400 meters along the wall , before you come across it.
 
 The most direct way , as suggested by Google maps :  Berlin Geneva -  is via Nuremberg - Stuutgart - Basle
 
A9 Berlin - Munich is usually a very fast hike -  my experience is 6 hours  ( that was a one-go lift)- 8 hours ( 1 hour in traffic jam included).
 
>From Basle down to Geneva - you need to follow the A1 direction Lausanne / Geneva.
 
The problem might be, that your drivers follows instead the A2 direction Zurich, or for Italy at junction Neuendorf)
There is a trick : Get off at the little service station ca 2 - 3 km after the motorway junction. Now walk back ca 1 km , until you come to a little motorway bridge . Climb down to the little  countryroad underneath and "undercross" the motorway. Now you can go to the little service station Gunzgen , and get a lift to Berne/Lausann/Geneva.
 
Alternative to hitchhiking on the Motorway: hitchhike to Munich, then follow the B12 down to the Bodensee ( Lake Constanz)  - very nive scenery. Follow the route Bregenz, Andermatt, Brig, Sierre direction Martigny. Then you can either co over t to France , via Chamonix to Geneva, or around the lake Geneva.
It might take you a day or one-and-a half longer, but you will cross over the most impressive mountain passes in Europe ( Oberalp / Furka) and see the great Alps - unforgetable. Did it all down to Chamonix - if the hhiking afterwards is a bit to slow, simple take the train to Geneva , as I did - costs around 10 - 15  Euros.
 

--- On Fri, 9/26/08, Robert Prins <> wrote:

From: Robert Prins <robert.ah.prins@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [hh] hitchiking berlin geneva genf ch
To: hitching@yahoogroups.com
Date: Friday, September 26, 2008, 10:27 AM

On Fri, Sep 26, 2008 at 11:15, Niko Cremer <> wrote:
> Hello,
> at the moment i stay in berlin iwanna go the next days down to geneva
> switzerland arrive at the28th in the evening night or 29th in the morning.
> Do you have any tips for the trip. Also for accomadiation.
> What are ure experience with that thing.

Please DO not hijack other threads with completely other content. This
thread was about Riga-Berlin and NOT Berlin-Geneva, next time start
your own thread.

Look on Google maps, stick to the route they suggest, it's pretty
optimal. Start on Raststaette Michendorf next to Berlin and hitch from
one raststaette to the next. Never done this NE-2-SW trip myself, but
based on experience, I'd say it's doable in a day if you start early
in the morning. If you're less experienced, it might take two days.

Robert

------------------------------------

May you never have a cramp in the thumb...
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i

--- On Sat, 9/27/08, felix golcher <> wrote:

From: felix golcher <>
Subject: Re: [hh] hitchiking berlin geneva genf ch // just an anecdote
To: hitching@yahoogroups.com
Date: Saturday, September 27, 2008, 4:26 PM

Werner Kraft schrieb mir das folgende am 09/27/2008 04:38 PM:
> A9 Berlin - Munich is usually a very fast hike - my experience is 6
> hours ( that was a one-go lift)- 8 hours ( 1 hour in traffic jam
> included).

once upon a time I had a more extreme experience with 16 hours.
everything went wrong, including suddenly closed petrol stations, two
complete closures of the highway and two 40 ton truck drivers losing
their way in the middle of the night and in the middle of nowhere.

best from berlin,
felix

------------------------------------

May you never have a cramp in the thumb...
--

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