4
edits
Changes
Paris
,→East towards Metz, Strasbourg, Luxembourg, Germany {{Afr|4}}
{{Hitchhiking Zine nomination}}
Good to know if you're starting to stink up in the City of Lights: the Municipality provides [https://www.paris.fr/pages/les-bains-douches-municipaux-138 free shower facilities ] in 17 locations around Paris. Note they are BYOT (bring your own toiletry)====Aire La Courneuve==Hitching in ==
During rush hours, it is possible (but illegal) to be quickly dropped on the ring road. This is most probably the best way useful if your ride is not willing to get out of it to '''Belgium''' by hitching at drop you (which is often the gas station [http://maps.google.es/maps?f=d&hl=es&geocode=5837971829389385952,48.934623,2.393732%3B3201522175225020794,48.920638,2.410383&saddr=Aire+de+Service+de+La+Courneuve+%4048.934790,+2.393710&daddr=&mra=mr&sll=48.918269,2.403388&sspn=0.013649,0.040169&ie=UTF8&ll=48.933157,2.396951&spn=0.006823,0case).020084&t=k&z=16&om=1is Aire de Service de La Courneuve]. BUT: if you take a closer look at Within the gas station on google mapsring area, you will see that there is a wall surrounding this gas station, but do not think that you cannot get on it from outside are definitely linked to the highway, because it is:whole regular fare subway system.
===Porte de la ChapelleNorth/Northeast towards [[England]], [[Lille]] and [[Belgium]] {{afr|1}} ===That's where the A1 starts and the local drivers say that they often see hitchhikers, so apparently it does work:) It worked for us as well, though I think Charles de Gaulle might be a better(faster;) ) option. Anyway, to get there take the metro no12 to Porte de la Chapelle, and there walk to the roundabout. You can try getting a ride on the roundabout(there are traffic lights there so the cars have to stop) or you can stand on the oposite side, facing the roundabout, where the highway starts.
These are classified by cost in public transportation from Paris''I waited 2 hours here getting nothing until somebody finally took me to Aire La Courneuve (see abovecentre. There is a bonus pro-tip at the bottom involving Arras :) where I was only 5 minutes.''
===A4 East, towards [[Metz]], [[Strasbourg]], [[Luxembourg]], [[Germany]]===The first gas station is close to RER A station Bussy St. Georges. From there you walk south for about Option 1 km (you can ask at the counter) along a bigger road, which will lead you to a roundabout. You can try from there, but the gas station is just a bit more than 2 km from there. You can walk on the grass field next to the highway. The gas station is called "La Ferrière". An alternate route to reach the gas station is to walk through the industrial zone of Bussy, right south of the railway, then reach the bridge over the highway and then follow on the grass until the gas station that is quite near. This avoids walking in the grass (annoying especially in winter and when raining) and instead most of the walk will be on a road, and you will save some time. You can follow [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&saddr=gare,+bussy+saint+georges,+france&daddr=chemin+Porte de+la+rue+pavee,+bussy+saint+georges,+france&sll=48.831899,2.723193&sspn=0.01291,0.040169&ie=UTF8&z=15&llChapelle =48.831814,2.726369&spn=0.01291,0.040169&t=h&om=0 this route] on Google Maps - the gas station can be seen right of the bridge on the south side of the map.
====Another Option2: Motorway services Aire La Courneuve ====Take the RER Line A (Red) in direction Boissy St Legere until the station Nogent Sur Marne (~ 2€). There, leave the station in direction Rue "Joinville" and follow the sign to the A4. Its about 30 minutes by foot. If someone stops ask if they can take you at least to the next gas station, there is no toll (péage) to get there so it's likely you will get at least to there.
===A11 South-west to [[Le Mans]], [[Nantes]], [[Rennes]] and all parts of [[Brittany]]= Option 3: Charles de Gaulle ====This highway splits from the A10 near Dourdan. There are several possibilities go get on this road:
===Metro System= Option 4: Motorway services Aire de Vémars Est====Ticket checks never occur on metro trains and inspectors always seem to employ 1 of 2 approaches: They form a line inside a metro tunnel or station exit and check all travellers, since the staff are uniformed these checks are easy to see from a distance unless they decide to hide around a corner. The second technique involves plainsclothes inspectors watching the gates and busting those jumping over, they'll either stop the fareless directly or radio ahead to uniformed inspectors who will ask to see a valid ticket.
On your left, the A1 will be clearly visible as will the Aire de Vémars Ouest petrol station. From here, it is another 1.25km to any given entrance.
==== Bonus Tip: Arras Service Station====
Heading north on the A1, there is a fantastic AUTOGRILL Aire de Wancourt Est service station just outside Arras [https://goo.gl/maps/2suUznoe5C42], with people heading pretty much everywhere. You can get rides to the UK (Chunnel), Lille, Belgium, Netherlands. Many difference license plates (GB, F, B, NL, D, E) and lots of opportunities.
=== East towards [[Metz]], [[Strasbourg]], [[Luxembourg]], [[Germany]] {{Afr|4}} ===
==== Option 1. From within the city limits: Quai de Bercy ====
Cheap, as you will only need a metro ticket and pretty fast too.
You can also try to hitch directly from within Paris rather than taking the train for at least half an hour and then walking.
Take the metro line 14 to Bercy and exit towards Boulevard de Bercy, take the Boulevard down to the bridge where it intersects with Quai de Bercy. Standing on Quai de Bercy it is advisable to have a sign indicating you want to get onto the A4. When cars stop, ask if they are going all the way to the toll station (péage), many drivers turn off the A4 before that but there are not really any convenient places to continue hitch-hiking from before the toll station.
Update:
- currently line 14 is not working
- standing anywhere on the street following the direction of the arena (south east) is not really recommended, instead walk to the bridge Pont Charles de Gaulle: use a sign „A4“ and wait on the Quai de la Rapée just nearby the bridge, there is also space for cars to stop -> get a lift to the last petrol station before the toll station
-> A lot of cars from Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and France are stopping here (some going to or coming back from Disneyland ;))
==== Option 2. Motorway junction slip-road ====
This one is close to Paris, faster and cheaper to get to, but still in the megapolis. Starting from there, you're likely to end up either at the petrol station described below or at the péage. Not good at night.
Take the RER Line A (Red) in the direction of Boissy St Legere until the station Nogent Sur Marne. Leave the station in direction of Rue Joinville and follow the sign to the A4. It is a 30 minute walk. There is a red light before the slip road (on-ramp). Lots of traffic, possibility to stop on the ramp for brave drivers.
Ask if your driver can take you at least to the next petrol station Aire De Ferrières which is within the free motorway network. Gare de Péage de Coutevroult toll gate is a bit further.
==== Option 3: Motorway service station Aire De Ferrières ====
Take RER A to station Bussy-Saint-Georges. You can also get to this RER A station by taking bus 4 or 44 from metro station Gutenberg. Walk 2 km Avenue Marie Curie till Rue Pavée turn down until street crosses A4 highway and after this turn left rest stop is next to you. Right side from there is Decathlon Logistics France if you get lost
'''ATTENTION'''
The bridge leads into the forest and getting onto the motorway might be a bit difficult, the reason being that you have to squeeze yourself to be able to pass through the narrow space between the bridge and the fence.Moreover,you have to descend onto the motorway through an overgrown grass.An alternative is to take bus 46 at Busy-Saint-Georges station in the direction of Gare de Val d'Europe,or same bus at Gare de Val d'Europe in the direction of Torcy(this is important because the bus is infrequent and might be useful to catch it at the other side if wait time is long).From Bussy-Saint-Georges you'll ride 4 stops and from Gare de Val d'Europe, 5 stops,alight at Bout Pêcheret and walk back in the direction the bus came from if you took it from Bussy-Saint-Georges and vice-versa. Continue walking on the [[D10]] road to cross the motorway and turn right on the road leading directly to the service station.
=== Getting South or Southwest {{Afr|6}}, {{Afr|10}}, or {{Afr|11}} ===
These spots are close enough to the city to be getting traffic in all southern directions.
==== Option 1: Porte d'Orléans ====
Once the most famous hitchhiking spot in France, this spot isn't bad nowadays, but it isn't great either. The good thing is that drivers aren't surprised to see people there, and that you don't need to get out of Paris in faraway suburbs.
Porte d'Orléans is the terminal subway station of line 4. There is an entry on the ''périphérique'' ring road where lots of people are later heading South. The best place is besides the "Novotel" building or (better) opposite it at the traffic lights. Be warned, traffic here is heavy and fast moving. If you have much baggage or more than one person I would not fancy your chances here. Waiting at the petrol station or even the adjacent war memorial will not give you the best traffic.
Note : I think that the place in front of the hotel is pretty bad. Very hard for the cars to stop there. It's better to stand before, at the red lights. I stood near the gas station at the lights, you miss all the cars not coming from inside Paris, but it's way easier for the cars to see you and to stop.
Make sure to specify with a sign specifying that you go to Orléans or Chartres (if you are heading Southwest - A10 or A11), and that the driver will leave you at least at the péage de Saint Arnoult or before that at Limours-Janvry service station. Beware, just after the "péage", the motorway separates between A10 and A11. If you are heading directly South onto the A6, have a sign (you may try Lyon or Fontainebleau) and make sure to be left at Aire De Lisses rest stop, roughly 35 km further, a little bit after Evry (drivers to Evry are not enough for you).
==== Option 2: Porte d'Italie ====
Similarly Porte d'Italie which is not far from Porte d'Orleans is a good place to hitch from. Additionally if you walk down the exit to the traffic lights, there is an overhead bypass which can keep you dry in the rain.
=== South towards [[Lyon]], [[Marseille]], [[Barcelona]], [[Italy]] {{Afr|6}} ===
==== Option 1: Motorway services Aire De Lisses ====
This option costs EUR 5.85 (but possible to have ride without ticket also), a zone 1–5 ticket and takes roughly 75 minutes. Aire de Lisses is the first service area on the A6, situated about 35 km South of Paris. It can save you time because you avoid all outbound traffic not really heading your direction, being located after all the motorway branch-offs.
Get the RER D towards Melun via Corbeil. Be careful to get on the right train as there are 2 routes for RER D towards Melun. Tthe ID of the train you need was ZIP or ZOP (All trains on RER lines have a 4 letter ID depending on stations served). If it's too confusing get whatever train that goes to Corbeil Essonne and from there, whatever train that goes to Melun. Get off at the station Gare de Villabé the second after Corbeil-Essonnes.
Otherwise, you can take the RER D to Évry-Courcouronnes centre, and from there Bus 415 in direction of Villabé. Get off at stop Ikea the gas station will be a five minute walk away. There is a fence you have to climb to get to the station.
Note: There is no barrier at Villabé and so you can pay the standard central Paris fare to get into the metro network and then just ride out there.
==== Option 2: Motorway services Aire de Nemours ====
You can take a train to Nemours Saint Pierre (transilien R from Gare de Lyon, a ticket costs about 10 euros) and walk 45min to the AUTOGRILL Aire de Nemours A6 service area / Shell fuel station. Then you're already on a paying section (no local traffic), far out from Paris (80km), and can get a ride to Châlon, Mâcon or Lyon in a few minutes.
=== South-West to [[Orléans|Orleans]], [[Bordeaux]], [[Spain]] {{afr|10}} & West to [[Le Mans]], [[Nantes]], [[Rennes]], [[Bretagne|Brittany]] {{afr|11}} ===
The A10 and A11 motorways follow the route of the '''A6''' (see above) from Paris, and split from it near Antony/Rungis. Then, before the A10 and the A11 split up, there is the service station of Limours-Janvry near Briis-sous-Forges and a [[péage]] near St-Arnoult, 40 km Southwest of Paris. Whichever spot you choose, ask the driver to take you at least until the Limours-Janvry service station or the péage of St-Arnoult. From these places, you can find a driver who takes you on the A10 or the A11 depending on which way you want to go.
==== Option 1: Pont de Sevres ====
[[File:ParisOut.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Hitching after the bridge]]
This option costs the price of an underground ticket. It takes you to the beginning of the N118 road which connects to the A10-A11 in about 25 km.
Take the subway 9 to Pont De Sevres, its end station. You start walking towards the bridge, where you can see the signs towards Nantes, Bordeaux, etc. The hitchhiking spot is just before the bridge, at the red lights. You can try with the cars coming from the direction of the metro station, and also with the cars which came along the river and are turning left to get to the bridge.
==== Option 2: Motorway junction Massy Palaiseau ====
This option costs Eur 4.90, a ticket for zones 1-4. This option is useful to get out of the ring roads and get directly on the A10 after all the branch-offs.
Take RER B to Massey-Palaiseau station. Walk down Avenue Carnot along the Massy-Palaiseau railway towards the ''autoroute''. After a while there you will see a long stretch of a road with lots of space for cars. Keep going and you will reach a roundabout. If you keep following this road, you will reach the motorway entrance underneath a bridge. Make sure to get a ride to the first ''barrière de péage'' (30+ km) at St-Arnoult or to the Limours-Janvry service station 5 km down the road.
'''Edit July 2022''' this does not work! There is pretty much zero car traffic, at least when I was there. If you're starting in Massy-Palaiseau you're better off thumbing at [https://goo.gl/maps/bbD5WGkiKeFqSFzBA this roundabout]. I didn't wait too long here and got a ride straight to Le Mans.
==== Option 3: Motorway service station Limours-Janvry ====
The first service station on the motorway is called Limours-Janvry and it is situated 2kms northeast of the village Briis-sous-Forges. To get there you need to take RER B to Massy-Palaiseau. From there take bus 91.03 to Briis-sous-Forges. It runs about 3 times an hour on weekdays, once an hour on Saturdays, and there are no buses on Sundays. Then walk northeast along the small local road Route D'Invilliers.
Briis-sous-Forges to the petrol station [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=D131&daddr=Aire+de+Service+de+Limours-Janvry&geocode=FT3X5QIdxnEgAA%3BFZke5gIdK7wgAA&hl=en&mra=ltm&dirflg=w&sll=48.64455,2.16575&sspn=0.115917,0.338173&ie=UTF8&ll=48.626839,2.135124&spn=0.028989,0.084543&t=h&z=14 map]
==== Option 4: Péage de Saint-Arnoult ====
You can take the RER C train to Dourdan. There are no controls on the exit, so if you are on the cheap, you need to pay only the basic metro ticket (some EUR 1.33) to get into the underground network in Paris. Once in Dourdan, cross the railroad track and turn left and then go straight on the D836 until you reach the péage after 4-5 kilometers. You should be able to hitch a car as there are many passing by and the French take easily on small routes if they see you walking. Get off just after the road crosses the autoroute, go left and in a short while, you will reach the péage. Look at the map beforehand! You have much higher chances here then anywhere else, there are lots of cars going through.
=== West towards Rouen, Le Havre, Caen {{Afr|13}} ===
==== Inside Paris ====
Quai André Citroën, under the ring road overpass. A lot of traffic on Fridays and Saturdays as many inhabitants of the 15th and 7th arrondissements go to Normandy for the weekend. As a result, this spot is very effective on these days (20 to 30 min on average) but much worse at other times (expect to wait one and half hours).
Porte d'Auteuil, at the last traffic light to the entrance of the A13, or even right under the "no pedestrians" sign on the shoulder to the motorway just after the light, where cars haven't picked up much speed yet and can see you well. Ask drivers to take you (at least) to Morainvilliers petrol station in Poissy.
==== In the suburbs ====
'''Option 1''' Autoroute A13 Gare de Péage de Buchelay toll
Take Transilien J suburban train from Saint-Lazare station. The fare is €8 but you may not be controlled. Get off in (not Mantes Station). There's a 30 minute walk to the toll gate. You can search Innovaparc bus stop place is next to there
'''Option 2''' South Area Morainvilliers rest area
Take Transilien J or RER A from Paris and get off at Poissy. Take bus 20 to bus stop Auberg. There's one bus every hour on weekdays, fewer than that on Saturdays and it doesn't run on Sundays.
== Airports ==
'''[[Charles de Gaulle airport]]''' / '''[[Orly airport]]''' / '''[[Beauvais]]''' airport
== Nomadwiki & Trashwiki ==
{{nomadwiki}}
[[File:888_signs.jpg|thumb|240px|right|A small collection of the "Paris" signs for the [[Project 888]] where over 150 hitchhikers gathered and camped in front of the Eiffel Tower.]]
{{Excellent}}
{{hitchbase_city|169}}
{{IsIn|France}}
[[Category:France]]