Autobahn-Tempolimit
The longest straights on German Autobahns
A derestricted stretch only helps if the road actually runs straight. We analysed the entire German Autobahn network and found the longest sections where the road really does go straight ahead – split into two- and three-lane carriageways, with coordinates and junctions.
Contents
What counts as a "straight"?
"Straight ahead" is a matter of interpretation. An Autobahn rarely takes a sharp kink; it usually sweeps through the landscape in wide arcs. To keep the ranking honest we set a fixed rule: a section counts as straight for as long as its heading deviates by no more than 5° from the starting course. That rules out both the sudden kink and the slow drift into a curve.
5° sounds like very little, but on the road it is exactly what still feels like "straight ahead": you hold the wheel steady and never have to lift off the throttle. Measurement is per carriageway, because each direction is its own line. And we only count where you are actually allowed to drive unrestricted – sections with a limit or a variable gantry are left out.
Ranking: three-lane Autobahns
Three lanes per direction, unrestricted and as straight as possible – that is the combination for relaxed fast driving, because slower traffic can keep right. The longest such straights:
| Autobahn | Length | Section | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| A 9 | 7.3 km | Thurland → Bitterfeld-Wolfen | Saxony-Anhalt |
| ↳ Measured on the southbound carriageway (towards Munich/Leipzig). You join at the Thurland junction and stay on the straight until Bitterfeld-Wolfen; the northbound side already eases into a curve there. | |||
| A 9 | 7.0 km | Nürnberg-Feucht interchange → Allersberg | Bavaria |
| ↳ Southbound carriageway (towards Munich). To catch the full straight, get in at the Nürnberg-Feucht interchange; the next exit is Allersberg. | |||
| A 2 | 6.5 km | Wollin → Ziesar | Brandenburg |
| ↳ Westbound carriageway (towards Hanover). Join at Wollin, straight run to the Ziesar exit. | |||
| A 9 | 5.7 km | Weißenfels → Naumburg | Saxony-Anhalt |
| ↳ Southbound carriageway (towards Munich). From Weißenfels it runs dead straight to Naumburg. | |||
| A 67 | 5.6 km | Viernheim triangle → Lorsch | Hesse |
| ↳ Northbound carriageway (towards Frankfurt). Coming from the Viernheim triangle (A6), the straight lies ahead of you up to the Lorsch exit. | |||
Coordinates of the start points to look up on the map (latitude, longitude): A9 Thurland 51.70647, 12.21192 · A9 Feucht 49.34174, 11.20372 · A2 Wollin 52.27797, 12.43526 · A9 Weißenfels 51.17084, 11.99872 · A67 Viernheim 49.58998, 8.56090.
Ranking: two-lane Autobahns
Two-lane Autobahns tend to run through the more thinly populated north and east – and that is exactly where the absolute straight-line records are. The former Reichsautobahn Berlin–Stettin, today the A11, sets the benchmark.
| Autobahn | Length | Section | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| A 11 | 8.5 km | Pfingstberg → Joachimsthal | Brandenburg |
| ↳ Germany's longest straight, measured southbound (towards Berlin). Join at Pfingstberg, then 8.5 km without a notable curve to Joachimsthal. The northbound side (towards Szczecin/Prenzlau) runs almost identically straight. | |||
| A 24 | 8.2 km | Zarrentin → Wittenburg | Meckl.-Vorpommern |
| ↳ Eastbound carriageway (towards Berlin). From the Zarrentin junction it runs straight to Wittenburg. | |||
| A 11 | 8.0 km | Penkun → Schmölln | Meckl.-Vorpommern |
| ↳ Southbound carriageway (towards Berlin). Join at Penkun near the Polish border, straight run to Schmölln. | |||
| A 44 | 7.8 km | Erwitte/Anröchte → Geseke | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| ↳ Eastbound carriageway (towards Kassel). From Erwitte/Anröchte the straight runs to the Geseke exit. | |||
| A 31 | 5.7 km | Dörpen → Lathen | Lower Saxony |
| ↳ Northbound carriageway (towards Emden/Leer). Join at Dörpen, straight run to the Lathen exit. | |||
Coordinates of the start points (latitude, longitude): A11 Pfingstberg 53.08888, 13.84932 · A24 Zarrentin 53.49899, 11.07168 · A11 Penkun 53.31505, 14.26619 · A44 Erwitte 51.58535, 8.35686 · A31 Dörpen 52.93113, 7.25411.
Enter start and destination and see on the map where your route is unrestricted – and how much time that saves at your desired speed.
The 10-kilometre riddle
Many people expect a dead-straight "race track" of ten kilometres or more somewhere. It does not exist in Germany. Under our strict 5° rule not a single Autobahn breaks that mark – the A11 comes closest at 8.5 km.
Loosen the rule to ±8°, i.e. let gentle bends count as "straight", and then the A11 alone cracks the 10 km: once about 10.4 km in the Wilmersdorfer Forst area (Pfingstberg–Joachimsthal) and once about 10.8 km further north towards Penkun. No other Autobahn manages this, no matter how generously you measure. That makes the A11 undisputedly Germany's straightest Autobahn.
Insider tip: derestricted Bundesstraßen
Unrestricted driving isn't limited to the Autobahn. A few German Bundesstraßen (federal roads) are built as a Kraftfahrstraße – physically divided, grade-separated, Autobahn-like – and carry no speed limit over long stretches. Hardly anyone has them on their radar. The best-known example is the B17 between Landsberg am Lech and Augsburg. But it is far from the longest. More on this in the dedicated guide Unrestricted country roads.
For this analysis we searched OpenStreetMap specifically for federal and expressway
roads tagged maxspeed=none and summed up the continuous unrestricted
stretches:
| Road | unrestricted in one go | Section | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| B 15 | 34.6 km | Landshut interchange – Saalhaupt junction | Lower Bavaria |
| B 9 | 22.3 km | Wörth – Germersheim | Rhineland-Palatinate |
| B 3 | 18.3 km | Gießen – Marburg | Hesse |
| B 45 | 14.7 km | Ober-Roden – Hainstadt | Hesse |
| B 17 | 13.0 km | Landsberg am Lech – Augsburg | Bavaria |
| B 33 | 12.8 km | Hegau interchange – Radolfzell | Baden-Württemberg |
| B 2 | 10.1 km | Roth (near Nuremberg) | Bavaria |
| B 12 | 8.8 km | Waltenhofen – Weitnau | Bavaria (Allgäu) |
Because these roads – unlike the Autobahn – do have on- and off-ramps in between, here is where each unrestricted stretch begins and ends, and in which direction it counts.
B 15 – Landshut interchange → Saalhaupt junction (Lower Bavaria)
Built as an expressway, the B15 between the Landshut interchange (A92) and the Saalhaupt junction (A93) is, at a good 34 km, the longest continuously derestricted Bundesstraße in Germany. Driving towards Regensburg (heading north) you switch onto the B15 at the Landshut interchange and have a clear run to Saalhaupt; towards Landshut the same applies between the Saalhaupt junction and the Landshut interchange. In between there are several junctions such as Ergoldsbach or Neufahrn where you merge and exit without any traffic lights.
B 9 – Wörth → Germersheim (Rhineland-Palatinate)
On the left bank of the Rhine the B9 runs unrestricted for about 22 km. The free stretch starts near Wörth am Rhein and ends at the Germersheim-Mitte junction. Northbound (towards Germersheim/Speyer) you join near Wörth; southbound (towards Karlsruhe/Wörth) you leave the free stretch again at Germersheim. North of Germersheim a speed limit takes over.
B 3 – Gießener Nordkreuz → Marburg-Süd (Hesse)
Between Gießen and Marburg the B3 is built to Autobahn standard. The continuous free stretch runs from the Gießener Nordkreuz (A480/A485) to the Marburg-Süd junction. Towards Marburg (heading north) you merge at the Nordkreuz; towards Gießen (heading south) the free stretch ends at the Marburg-Süd on-ramp.
B 45 – Ober-Roden → Hainstadt (Hesse)
South-east of Frankfurt the B45 carries no limit for nearly 15 km, from Rödermark-Ober-Roden to Hainstadt near Hanau. Towards Hanau (heading north) the free stretch begins at Ober-Roden; towards Dieburg (heading south) it ends there again. Its northern end at Hainstadt leads into the Hanau/Seligenstadt area.
B 17 – Landsberg am Lech → Augsburg (Bavaria)
The best-known example: the B17 between Landsberg-West and Klosterlechfeld on the doorstep of Augsburg, about 13 km unrestricted. Towards Augsburg (heading north) you join at Landsberg-West; towards Landsberg (heading south) you leave the free stretch at Klosterlechfeld. Further north, in the Augsburg urban area, a speed limit applies again.
B 33 – Hegau interchange → Radolfzell (Baden-Württemberg)
On the western shore of Lake Constance the B33 is free for nearly 13 km, from the Hegau interchange (A81) to Radolfzell. Towards Radolfzell/Konstanz (heading east) the stretch begins at the interchange; towards Singen (heading west) it ends there and feeds into the A81.
B 2 – Roth area (Bavaria)
South of Nuremberg the B2 stays unrestricted for a good 10 km around Roth, between the Roth and Roth-Ost junctions. Towards Nuremberg (heading north) you join at Roth-Ost; towards Weißenburg (heading south) you leave the free stretch at Roth.
B 12 – Waltenhofen → Weitnau (Allgäu)
West of Kempten the B12 is free as an expressway for nearly 9 km, from Waltenhofen to Hellengerst towards Weitnau. Towards Weitnau/Isny (heading west) the stretch begins at Waltenhofen; towards Kempten (heading east) it ends there again.
Start coordinates to look up (latitude, longitude): B15 48.60689, 12.23012 · B9 49.04438, 8.27759 · B3 50.63156, 8.71573 · B45 49.95830, 8.84610 · B17 48.04960, 10.83661 · B33 47.80195, 8.86176 · B2 49.33188, 11.06378 · B12 47.66696, 10.19218.
Important: no speed limit is not a green light. Unlike on the Autobahn, on-ramps and exits cross more often here, and oncoming traffic is sometimes separated only by a crash barrier. The advisory speed of 130 kph applies as a benchmark on Autobahn-like expressways too – anyone driving faster and getting involved in a crash risks partial liability.
How the numbers are made
The basis is our own analysis of the freely available OpenStreetMap data. For the
Autobahns we split all unrestricted carriageways (maxspeed=none, without
variable overhead gantries) by lane count, stitched them into continuous lines and
then checked point by point how long the heading stays within 5° of the starting
course. For the Bundesstraßen the same OpenStreetMap data is used via an Overpass
query. This is a data-based analysis of the state of the map data, not an official
survey – when in doubt the sign on the ground always wins.
Frequently asked questions
What is the longest straight on a German Autobahn?
The A11 in Brandenburg at about 8.5 km between the Pfingstberg and Joachimsthal junctions. It is the longest stretch on which the road deviates by no more than 5° from its course.
Is there a 10 km straight Autobahn in Germany?
Strictly measured, no. Only if you let gentle bends up to 8° count as straight does the A11 reach a good 10 km. No other Autobahn achieves this.
Which Bundesstraße is the longest without a speed limit?
According to the map data the B15 in Lower Bavaria with about 34 km continuously unrestricted, ahead of the B9 in Rhineland-Palatinate at a good 22 km. The well-known B17 Landsberg–Augsburg reaches about 13 km in one go.
Can you really go flat out on a derestricted Bundesstraße?
There is no fixed limit, but the advisory speed of 130 kph serves as a benchmark. Expressways are Autobahn-like, but often have more junctions – extra caution is warranted.
Data basis: our own analysis of OpenStreetMap data (Autobahns from our own network database, Bundesstraßen via an Overpass query), as of August 2026. Straight definition: course deviation ≤ 5° from the starting course, measured per carriageway. Not an official survey.