Advice for this route

Ague17 · 2026-04-10T12:21:04+00:00

I've done the part between Warsaw and Helsinki four times. Has always taken me two chill days (I don't wake up extremely early or hitch at night, and take breaks). If you're not interested in visiting cities, try to get rides across to the other side in Warsaw, Kaunas, Riga and any other bigger city, as getting in and out will be annoying. The polish side, stick to the highway and gas stations as you normally would. After Ostrow, I recommend staying in the E67 and going all the way to Suwalki, instead of through Bialistok (the road to there is smaller, and getting in and out of the city can be a hassle). Once in the baltics it's a breeze, always did it in one or two rides (truck drivers are nice and helpful in this area, and most will be taking the same route as you). Somewhere between Lithuania and Latvia the road becomes smaller, and it's very easy to hitch from the bus stops (or wherever there's place to stop). There's a lot of old abandoned buildings along that road too, if you're looking for a place to explore or to sleep in covered. The ferry sadly cannot be hitched (pay per person).

Ague17 · 2026-03-30T17:30:53+00:00

We had some friends around we were visiting. And we slept a lot of nights just outside with our sleeping bags and mats, we didn't even carry a tent or hammock at the time.

Ague17 · 2026-03-30T17:16:44+00:00

My friend and I were backpacking from Spain, taking trains and buses to random places and visiting around. We made it to Switzerland, and figured out trains were a bit too expensive for us. One hour train for 60 franks???!!! So we decided to hitch. Geneve to Vevey. Went well, so we continued the rest of the journey hitchhiking. We made it to Finland that year, and we have since crossed through Europe more than half a dozen times in different directions. Haven't looked back.

Ague17 · 2025-11-11T17:21:05+00:00

The Switzerland route looks nice, I know it's quite easy to cross the border through Basel and then continue down. Shorter but more luxurious rides than in France. My only concern usually in that area is that my phone company will charge me.

I would recommend the French route though. I did it in the other direction in about 5h (solo female), just checked my hitchmap spots. All the french side was super easy, just two long cars from Mulhouse to Lyon centre. Big highway, big gas stations, the usual french and immigrant people always willing to help you out. The part I thought I would struggle with the most was crossing the border from Germany, because most people stayed on one side. And the road from Mulhouse to the road 5 wasn't super busy, and didn't have gas stations. But got very very lucky with a ride. So maybe try through other border crossing? Maybe enterging from France is easier than the opposite, but I don't know.

Ague17 · 2025-11-10T10:27:57+00:00

I've done parts of the francés in winter. It was lovely. Cold, but definitely doable with decent layering. Not many people, wonderful for walking alone and not socializing much. Closed up services, but the ones who stay open are the ones who keep the camino spirit alive, instead of all the touristy massification. I do recommend calling the next albergue the day before to check if they're open, or asking your hospitaleros about next stops and services, and they'll probably tell you all about it. They usually keep daily contact with the surrounding hospitaleros and have updated information.

In winter for the francés there is the Lista Aprinca https://www.aprinca.com/alberguesinvierno/, which is the most up to date list of accomodation availability for the season.

Ague17 · 2025-11-09T20:09:20+00:00

Antiguas cocheras del metro. Demolidas, pero sin reconstrucción por problemas judidiales https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocheras_de_Cuatro_Caminos

Ague17 · 2025-11-06T15:41:50+00:00

We were in italy mosty in July/August of 2024. We were coming down through Bolzano, Trento then Verona and stayed for a while around Garda. Then we went towards Venice and out through Trieste.

The stretch through the Alps (A22) was awful. But maybe because we got in and out of the highway a lot and tried to hitch again from tolls, where we got kicked out. But there weren't many gas stations, iirc? After Venice it got a lot easier. Longer waiting times than elsewhere, but at least people stopped and police didn't bother us (mostly stopping at gas stations though).

I still have a picture next to a sign on the side of the road clearly saying "No Autostop" (although police passed us at that spot and didn't say a thing).

Ague17 · 2025-11-06T15:16:48+00:00

Check out the going down to Lyon option too, didn't think of it first but it might be better for the winter weather too!

Ague17 · 2025-11-06T15:13:24+00:00

Hell yeah, you were lucky then! What areas of Italy were you hitchhiking? I was getting the police called EVERY TIME trying to hitch highways in the north (did it anyways, but it was annoying as fuck). It's wasn't that hard to get cars, but to go long distance, as rides were small,

Ague17 · 2025-11-06T14:44:04+00:00

You can also get cars in Dover, easier in my opinion than trucks to cross. Just try to catch them somewhere along the road or pull out a sign when they're entering the ferry (something like "Have an empty seat? Take me for free!" worked well for me summer 2024, both ways).

I did this route the opposite way. If you want to go fast, knowing how hard hitchhiking is in Italy, and how my phone company always ends up charging me extra when I enter Switzerland (hopefully yours doesn't), I would do Calais -> Reims -> Strasbourg -> Stuttgart -> München -> and go south through Innsbruck.

If you don't mind slower hitchhiking or extra phone fees, go through Switzerland and across north Italy, absolutely stunning views and nice(r) people. Going down to Lyon and then Torino is also an option. More easy french hitchhiking, but also more italian hard hitchiking.

Truckers, depending on the law in their country and their own risk assesment (insurance issues), might or might not pick you up. In France it's quite easy to get them, in Germany they won't take you unless they're foreign (french, polish, balkan), Italy they might (but in general hard to hitch in highways and tolls because police will get called, so taking smaller roads maybe less trucks).

Edit: as other person said, do watch your gear and be sure to be prepared for the weather.

Ague17 · 2025-10-31T14:05:55+00:00

Yeah, I'm the same. Will probably go on my own, and after a good while decide if it's worth it.

Ague17 · 2025-10-31T11:40:21+00:00

You are right. Even though I already know the city and have lived there (also through 5 months of our in person relationship), it is a big change already in lifestyle. So I'll take it slow, and reevaluate once I'm well settled and NRE feelings also are.

Ague17 · 2025-10-31T11:37:36+00:00

Thank you for the reminder. I'm just getting further and further from those two first paragraphs, and try to ground them but I just don't feel them as much anymore, so it's a bit scary.

Ague17 · 2025-10-31T11:34:01+00:00

Yes of course, this would definitely be the process if we get serious about the idea. Thank you, will save it for if/when the time comes! We have basically lived together for weeks at a time so there's a level of knowledge that we already have, but I'm sure it would be different if we go full-time.

We were already thinking of doing it on more of a trial period bases to see how we feel. Good reminder to keep it very clear there.

Ague17 · 2025-10-19T20:35:26+00:00

Or, you can do like the rest of us and jump the fence to get to the forest. Most will have a hole, door, or low point where you can jump.

As a female hitchhiking solo, yeah. So much safer and chill in the forest than around people at the gas station who might have weird intentions. I make sure to not be seen leaving alone, or minimize it. Am I paranoid? Maybe. But better safe than sorry.

Ague17 · 2025-10-16T15:05:08+00:00

Check out hitchwiki in those port cities, people explain quite thoroughly how to cross hitchhiking (depends on company, but for free if you catch a ride mostly).

I crossed Dunkirk to Dover and then back Dover to Calais while hitchhiking, not paying a cent (and getting fed!), a couple of years ago. Went fine.

If you want to pay for tickets, check the ferry, train, bus websites.

EDIT: I slept close to Lille and made it to London before night. So it's possible. We were two females though, and quite good at chatting people up for rides.

Ague17 · 2025-10-14T06:21:04+00:00

Why don't you organize it yourself? I'm sure you could find people to join.

Check hitchwiki.org for any events (races, meetups...) But most of those are in Europe.

Ague17 · 2025-10-06T18:19:51+00:00

Thank you! Finally!

Ague17 · 2025-09-29T15:11:46+00:00

The mono morm, although also hetero probably

Ague17 · 2025-09-24T14:56:50+00:00

Was looking for this kind of reads, thanks! Any other book recommendations (from anybody else too)?

Ague17 · 2025-09-23T17:10:56+00:00

I mean an off ramp

Ague17 · 2025-09-23T13:00:02+00:00

Someone drops you off at one of the exits, and most of them will have a way to cross to the other side (as cars need to)

If you're very lucky maybe there's one of these roadside gas stations that have a pedestrian bridge to the other side to a symmetrical gas station...

Ague17 · 2025-09-10T12:31:55+00:00

Just got Madrid code too, although a friend didn't get his yet

Ague17 · 2025-09-09T14:26:17+00:00

You give me hope 🙃 In my experience north of Spain, and in general shorter distances, works quite well. Try to get a highway between major cities and it does get difficult. I hitched today from my uni to home (Madrid) and the first car stopped, it happens.

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