Avoiding the Autobahn in Germany

Some sections of the Autobahn have speed limits and advisory speed limits. Sections with speed limits are usually the urban areas. The important rules are to never pass on the RIGHT [correction], always signal lane changes and slower traffic should use the slow (right lanes). If you avoid the fast (left lanes) you should be good.

And the non-Autobahn roads have strict speed limits and automatic radar cameras.

It is not all crazy speeds. If you stay in the right lane you can cruise along at a comfortable 140-150 km (85-90 mph). Great for areas where you want to cover large areas without stopping or few sights.

If you're not comfortable driving on the autobahn you should not consider driving in Germany at all. The rules and regulations that make driving at speed possible are the main reasons people from other countries have problems.

And seriously, if you think it's hard driving on those great roads you don't want to try driving on the secondary roads, most of which are one lane in each direction. Germans drive faster and more aggressively than most Americans, and will pass on blind curves, leave you with no shoulder to pull over to, and keep you stuck behind farm equipment and local delivery vans.

You should also consider that there are a lot more traffic cameras in Germany, and if you drive badly it can financially impact your vacation.

You can use Bundesstraßen (long-distance roads managed by federal state) instead of Autobahnen. They are always marked with "B" on maps. Often they are close to Autobahnen because it were the streets which were there before the Autobahn :-)

Just as example: From Hamburg to Berlin you can use Autobahn A24 or Bundesstraße 5 (B5).

Info 1: In Germany the population is living more in South and West Germany - therefore the streets are more filled up than in the North or Northeast.

Info 2: 30% of German Autobahn have speed limits, e.g. approaching through or around cities.

Tip: If you want to try driving Autobahn choose a Sunday or Saturday when most trucks are not allowed to drive. On Sundays shops are closed, so no shopping traffic.

"The important rules are to never pass on the left." The opposite is true: Never pass on the right.

Yes. Correction is never pass on RIGHT. Must have been a case of dyslexia.

Driving in Germany is fantastic and whilst the concept of the Autobahn may sound intimidating it really isn't. If you're in the fast lane and pootle about like my wife did when we first visited Germany then be prepared for some objections from the drivers behind you. If you don't like to drive fast and not keen on Porsche, BMW or Audi drivers bearing down on you with no apparent intention of braking then you can simply stick to the inside lane and take a more leisurely approach.

Driving through the more rural roads is even more fun, it's a far better driving experience than in the US or certain parts of Southern Europe (well, most parts of Southern Europe).

Time to see again Tom Hanks talking about German Autobahn, from minute 4:00 it gets very funny. And if you drive 100 km/h and someone passes you with a 280 to 300 km/h and a strong engine it sounds similar to that.

Driving on the Autobahn is really not an issue, not intimidating at all. Not everyone is going to be going 140 mph, I think their insurance won’t cover beyond a certain speed. Just stay out of the left lane. I drove US speed limit there in 2006 and had no problem. If you do mess up and and linger in the fast lane you will get people flashing their lights at you though. We saw the aftermath of a bad crash where a truck driver had been ejected from a window and it was very unsettling. A broken front window and a lot of shook up people standing on the side of the road. We did not even see the person who was ejected, presumably dead, but the sad memory still lingers with me. I have heard there are horrific crashes but if you stay out of the fast lane you’ll be fine.

Road fatalities per 100,000 inhabitants per year (2015):
Germany 4.1, USA 12.4. Apparently not an appropriate topic for horror stories.

I think you want the column that controls for distance driven. Germany still comes out better but not by as much. This only supports the point that there is no need for apprehension.

I don't think road fatalities per inhabitant is a very meaningful statistic, but per 1 Billion vehicle km (Germany 4.1, US 7.3) is. I think the reason for the lower rate in Germany is that German drivers are better trained. In the US, about all you have to do to get a driver's license is to prove you can parallel park.

I've driven (once) in Germany and ridden as a passenger numerous times, including one 320 km trip in 2 hrs (essentially at 100 mph) in bumper-to-bumper traffic. I wouldn't be afraid to drive in Germany, but I don't think it is such a special and exciting experience either. What concerns me is Americans who entertain a Walter Mitty fantasy of driving on the autobahn at speeds higher than that for which they are qualified.

As for the Romantic Road, I did it in 2007 using only public transportation (trains and buses). So for the sections by bus, I got to see the actual road up close. It's a very ordinary, windy 2 lane country road with speed limits. And there was too much truck, bus, and farm equipment traffic. It won't be at all dangerous if you obey the speed limits; as I remember, most sections are about 50 kph (31 mph). The only real danger would be boredom.

The Romantic Road and Black Forest are great places to see by not using the autobahn.

However, if you plan to drive from one large city to another and not do sightseeing, the Autobahn would still bayous best bet.

Most of the highways off the autobahn were laid out centuries ago and not designed for speed or transit.

For example if you planned to drive from Frankfurt to Stuttgart without stopping, the autobahn would be best.

If you do drive on the autobahn, be sure to move to the right lane if you are going slower than traffic. You are required to move over if approached from the rear by a faster vehicle.

The B25 is the road which runs through the Romantic Road towns. I've driven on it - or portions of it - many times.

I'd disagree that it is mostly 50 kph. It is mostly the national speed limit which is 100 kph in open countryside and 50 kph in towns. It also has a fairly high number of roads crossing it, and in common with most German roads the speed is reduced to 70 kph for every junction. There are also a fair number of times that the tourist train line crosses and recrosses the road on level crossings and they have reduced speeds too.

So while the governing speed limit is not 50 kph, there is a lot of up and down. That is true for most German B roads unless they have been dualed and made limited access - not true for most.

Sure, all types of traffic are allowed, but I've never been particularly bothered by an occasional tractor or truck - at least not for very long. They do reduce your speed while you do have them though.

Hi HK,
The autobahn isnt daunting nor scary. Driving in the U.S is more terrifying. When I lived in Germany, I felt Germans drove better because they practice the rules of the road, or at least from what I saw. As already mentioned, stay in the right lane unless you need to pass. Once you have passed a vehicle, go right back to the right lane. The left lane is not for cruising like the common practice here. If you're in the left lane and see a car approaching at a high speed, get over. They will flash their lights well ahead of time. If their blinker comes on, they mean business.

And like I always say, the fastest car on the autobahn is an Audi station wagon will kids bouncing around the backseat.

When we lived in Germany and I did much driving on the autobahn, at first, I would run my car at 150 KPH, but at that speed, if you make a mistake, then you are toast. The tension of driving at that speed was very high.
I learned that if I dropped down to 130 KPH that I could relax a bit and still get where I was going quickly.

Yes, I remember being passed by cars going in excess of 250 KPH as well as guys on BMW motorcycles!

One thing about German drivers, the are a bit pushy and aggressive, but they do follow the rules of the road.
I do wonder if anyone is caught texting and driving on the autobahn? It is illegal here in Georgia and many states. I don't even use my cellphone while driving. However, I see too many people that do.

I do wonder if anyone is caught texting and driving on the autobahn?

The "tariff" for using a mobile phone is €100 at a minimum and can go up to 150€ plus one month driving ban. On any road. (Spain: from €200, France: from € 135, Italy: from € 160, for the upper limit of €1700 look here; other European countries are listed e.g. here)

We lived in Germany for 6 years with our own cars. A couple things about driving on the autobahns.

When it is hilly, the right lane can sometimes be very slow as trucks have to gear down to climb hills. Pulling out to pass can be tricky as the left lane can be very fast. It can be done but it is irritating.

Driving on fairly flat terrain is easier as everyone can remain up to speed. It is also boring, as expressways can be.

Now I travel by trains when I annually visit. If I wanted to do some local sight seeing by car, I think I would do a limited rental in the area that I wanted to visit. I have liked visiting towns near the "Romantic Road" and in the "Black Forest." You could focus on either or both without much autobahn driving. You can see much in compact areas of Germany.

As someone who has lived and driven in Germany the past 9 years I will give you my take, keeping in mind everyone is individual.

It is true that only some stretches of the Autobahn are without speed limits. However, those can be a bit harrowing. My least favorite is when it's just two lanes. Most days, this means slow semi trucks in the right lane, with cars going as fast as 200 kph in the left lane. This means you're in a constant passing game, because few people are content to go as slow as the semis, but most people do not want to go as fast as the speed demons (inevitably Audis, for whatever reason).

I don't understand people who say it's "less scary" than in the US. I'd take an LA freeway any day over the autobahn, at least I'm guaranteed a relatively sane middle lane (or 5) where most people are doing between 65-80 mph and no one gets mad at you for doing a sensible 70 mph. I'm not a weenie about driving in Europe - France's autoroutes don't bother me by comparison with the autobahn for example - but yeah, I'm not a fan in general. It's just a constant active driving at higher speeds (because to pass you will have to go faster than many people want to) and that's not even accounting for the construction where you're forced right up against the semis with a concrete wall to your side. I hate it.

But for the most part I'm very happy to drive on secondary roads if I have the time. My only complaint is that the lanes are so narrow. But as long as you're not in a hurry, it's a wonderful way to see the scenery and the towns themselves. But it is slow going and you must follow the speed regulations so it's also very much "active driving", but of a less stressful type to me at least.

The Black Forest and the Fairy Tale Route both lend themselves to taking secondary roads so as long as you don't try to cover too much distance per day, I think that could be a very nice trip. Worst case scenario, you might need to take the autobahn for a time for your route, but you can just go slow behind the semis. If you do, keep in mind that German drivers often don't understand the concept of someone in the right lane slowing down to let them merge. They will slow down, so you'll slow down more, and it's like a reverse game of chicken. Germans either speed up or move into the left lane to let people merge.

I agree with Sarah. I had never called it active driving but that's exactly what driving in Germany is. You never fall asleep.

Given a choice, I too prefer the French Autoroutes. Of course you pay for the privilege. Nobody ever said that French Autoroutes are cheap. Except for a decent stretch in the Strasbourg area.

And, as I said upthread, even on the B roads you have that active driving of slowing to 50 in the towns (watch out for the green town name signs which mean you don't have to slow down - yay) and 70s at the crossroads.

I love visiting Germany and I quite like driving there, but the micromanagement gets on my nerves every once in a while.

Any good Navi in car or aftermarket will give you a "No Interstate" option. Some have updated speed camera info (published in Germany). The Autobahn can be stressful if you let it. I'm slowing down from my TTRS days. I would still go for at least 150 HP rental. Autobahn driving can be intensive and absorb your focus (intensive focused concentration at high speeds 160 kph+), but there are stretchers where you can set the cruise. I watch folks doing their 100-130 kph as they own the road, no problem. You have to deal with the 100 (-) kph- truck traffic too, that can be like a right lane pipeline. I sometimes drive an hour longer to avoid traffic around Munich. I'll go with the "Real Time" Navi info/diverts most of the time. The winding road is great! Go with a convertable in warm clear weather!

How did you get on? Did you manage to avoid the Autobahn? For future reference though the reputatiion Germans have for their crazy speeds is actually not very accurate. Germany like all other EU countrys have strict speeding limits even on the Autobahn! You can see here for yourself https://www.bussgeldtabelle.org/autobahn-geblitzt/ .