Breakdown on the A5

From the Hattenbach triangle to Weil am Rhein

The A5 begins at the Hattenbach triangle near Bad Hersfeld, where it continues the A7's main carriageway coming from Kassel, heading south-west. In addition to the junction's normal ramps, there's a truck lane bypassing the route split. It crosses Hesse and Baden-Württemberg and ends at the Swiss border near Basel, where the Gotthard motorway A2 continues. Over this length, the route's character changes a great deal. In a breakdown, don't just say "A5": tell us the interchange, triangle or exit, and your direction of travel.

The Knüll and Vogelsberg: steep, winding, four lanes

The four-lane route first crosses the southern foothills of the Knüll mountains, steep and winding. At the Rimberg it reaches about 500 metres above sea level, the highest point of the entire route. A long descent follows into the Schwalm valley towards Alsfeld, then the northern Vogelsberg area, along the Felda and Ohm rivers. At the Reiskirchen triangle, the A480 branches west. At the Gambach interchange it crosses the A45. There are no ramps from north to west or vice versa there, so traffic heading west must use the A480 and the Gießen ring. Important for you: on this connection you often can't tell which direction an exit leads. Tell us your direction of travel.

The Wetterau and Frankfurt: eight lanes, heavy traffic

South of the Gambach interchange, the A5 has six lanes and runs along the edge of the Wetterau, past Butzbach and Bad Nauheim. Near Friedberg follows a hilly stretch by the Winterstein, the easternmost foothill of the Taunus, then a descent into the Upper Rhine lowlands. At the Bad Homburg interchange it crosses the A661, at the Frankfurt-Nordwest interchange the A66, and at the Frankfurt-West interchange the A648. The eight-lane motorway crosses the Main in the Griesheim district and reaches the A3 at the Frankfurter Kreuz. More information is at Towing Service Frankfurt and A3.

The airport and Darmstadt

East of Frankfurt Airport's runways, the A5 is eight lanes again, and the new Terminal 3 connects via a multi-part exit. It then runs in a straight line through woodland to Darmstadt, where the A672 leads into the city centre. At the Darmstadt interchange, the main carriageway swaps with that of the A67, which runs parallel from here on; the eight-lane section ends there, and the A5 returns to four lanes. If you break down in this area, state which of the two carriageways, A5 or A67, you're on.

The Bergstraße, Heidelberg, Walldorf

South of Darmstadt, the A5 runs along the Hessian and later Baden Bergstraße, with the Odenwald hills rising to the east out of the Upper Rhine rift. The parallel A67 runs several kilometres further west on the original 1930s route, closer to the Rhine. Between Heppenheim and Hemsbach it crosses the state border between Hesse and Baden-Württemberg. Near Weinheim it crosses the A659, near Dossenheim it crosses the Neckar, and near Heidelberg it crosses the A656. At the Walldorf interchange, the parallel run with the A6 ends, and the Odenwald gives way to the Kraichgau.

Karlsruhe to Offenburg

From Walldorf to Karlsruhe, the A5 has six lanes and carries heavy traffic. It runs through the Lußhardt forest, past Bruchsal through the Kinzig-Murg trench, and reaches Karlsruhe. After the Südtangente connection, the A8 branches east. The A5 then bypasses Karlsruhe to the south, passing Ettlingen along the edge of the northern Black Forest to Rastatt. Near Baden-Baden, the B500 forms an important link to the French motorway network, and at Appenweier the B28 is the main connection to Strasbourg. Near Offenburg, the six-lane section ends and the A5 continues with four lanes. For exits 43 to 56, see our page Breakdown on the A5 between Karlsruhe and Offenburg.

Freiburg, the Rhine bank, Basel

Near Lahr the motorway briefly swings towards the Rhine; the Europa-Park in Rust has its own exit. It then follows the Dreisam towards Freiburg, with the Kaiserstuhl rising to the west. South of Freiburg it passes the Tuniberg to Bad Krozingen and then runs through the Auwald forest right along the right bank of the Rhine, largely parallel to the French border. Past Neuenburg, a short motorway stretch branches to the French Autoroute A36. Near Bad Bellingen the motorway runs on the hillside directly above the Rhine. At the Weil am Rhein triangle, the A98 branches off as a northern bypass of Basel, followed by the joint customs facility, which lies entirely on German territory. In a breakdown near the border, additional rules apply for continuing your journey, more in our guide (German) Breakdown in the border area.

What we do on the A5

We take your call or WhatsApp message and organise the help. Faster is based in Antwerp, Belgium; partners on the ground drive out on the A5. We don't give a fixed arrival time, since it depends on the section, traffic and weather. General steps: Breaking down on the motorway.

How to describe your location on the A5

• Direction of travel: towards Basel, or towards Frankfurt/Kassel.
• Last or next interchange, triangle, or exit.
• Where the A5 and A67 run parallel near Darmstadt: which carriageway you're on.
• The landscape or feature: Bergstraße, riverbank, hillside stretch, customs facility.

All motorway pages: Breakdown help on the motorway (German). Other routes: A7, A3.