Breakdown on the A8

Three sections, one name

The A8 begins in the Saarland on the Schengen viaduct at the German-Luxembourg border. It's made up of three disconnected sections: the western one from Luxembourg to Pirmasens, the middle one from Karlsruhe to Munich, and the southern one from Munich to the Austrian border. This matters for your location: "on the A8 near Stuttgart" and "on the A8 in the Saarland" are two very different routes. Tell us the section, the direction, and a junction.

The Saarland and the Palatinate: Schengen to Pirmasens

Shortly after the Schengen viaduct, the A8 climbs winding out of the Moselle valley into the Saargau, running right along the French border past Perl. It passes under a ridge in the Pellinger Berg tunnel, follows the Saar valley to just past Dillingen, and joins the A620 at the Saarlouis triangle. Passing north of Saarlouis, it runs by the Ford plant and the Dillinger Hütte steelworks; at the Saarbrücken interchange it crosses the A1, and at the Friedrichsthal triangle the A623 branches off. Between Neunkirchen and Zweibrücken, the A8 has a reduced cross-section and, for about five kilometres between Limbach and Einöd, no hard shoulder at all. Breaking down there means standing with no shoulder to pull onto, which matters for securing the scene, more in our guide (German) Breaking down on the motorway. Near Zweibrücken it runs right through the town centre, and at the Pirmasens-Winzeln exit the ramps branch left, since a triangle was originally planned there.

Karlsruhe to Pforzheim: a 7.5 percent climb

The middle section begins at the Karlsruhe triangle, where the A8 branches east off the A5. Right after that, a notable 7.5 percent climb takes it out of the Upper Rhine lowlands onto the northernmost foothills of the Black Forest. After descending into the Pfinz valley near Nöttingen, another winding climb follows. It passes north of Pforzheim, then crosses the Enz valley on a tight bend with steep gradients. In a breakdown on such stretches: pay special attention to your brakes and to securing the scene, see Brakes failing. More on Karlsruhe: Towing Service Karlsruhe.

Stuttgart: eight lanes at the interchange and on the Filder

At the Leonberg triangle, the A81 branches north, and both motorways share an eight-lane route south-west of Stuttgart, climbing the Glemswald. At the Stuttgart interchange the routes split, with the A81 heading south and the short A831 towards central Stuttgart. The A8 then runs onto the Filder, a plateau south of the city. The Degerloch exit is built like an interchange and links the A8 with the motorway-standard B27, a second route into the centre. The airport and trade-fair grounds follow immediately after. The Messeparkhaus car park, built in 2007, spans the motorway as a bridge. More on the city: Towing Service Stuttgart.

The Swabian Alb: the Alb climb, the Lämmerbuckel tunnel, the highest point

Near Aichelberg begins the steep climb onto the Alb, whose first stage ends near Gruibingen, where a one-sided noise-protection tunnel was built. Past the Mühlhausen exit, the two directional carriageways run separately: the Munich-bound one above the Fils valley, the Karlsruhe-bound one above the Gosbach valley on the Drackenstein slope. Heading towards Munich, the route runs through the 625-metre Lämmerbuckel tunnel. Near Hohenstadt the two carriageways rejoin. On the Alb plateau, the A8 crosses the European main watershed between the Rhine and the Danube and reaches 785 metres above sea level, the highest point on its entire route. The new Wendlingen–Ulm high-speed rail line runs parallel almost to Ulm. Check traffic radio for current closures and conditions.

Ulm, Augsburg, Munich

At the Ulm/Elchingen interchange it crosses the A7. Past Leipheim, the A8 crosses the Danube and runs through the Holzwinkel in the Augsburg-Westliche Wälder nature park. Wide valleys of the Günz, Kammel, Mindel, Zusam and Schmutter rivers alternate with forested hills. It reaches the Lech plain and Augsburg, crossing the Lech in the northern part of the city. Before Munich, just past Sulzemoos, the Munich gravel plain begins. At the München-Eschenried triangle, a link road branches to the A99, where most traffic leaves the A8. At the München-West interchange it crosses the A99, and shortly after, the middle section ends at a roundabout in the Obermenzing district.

Munich to Salzburg: the third section

In the south-eastern part of Munich, the third section begins at the Innsbrucker Ring/Rosenheimer Straße junction, the last section of the Mittlerer Ring not yet built free of at-grade crossings. After about two kilometres and the München-Perlach exit, the motorway drops to just four lanes. Between Neubiberg and Unterhaching, a 327-metre tunnel passes under the former Neubiberg airfield. At the München-Süd interchange, the A8 meets the A995 and the ending A99. Traffic becomes noticeably denser after that. It continues through several large forest areas towards Holzkirchen, over the Mangfall valley near Weyarn on a bridge 68 metres high, past the Seehamer See into the Leitzach valley, then climbs steeply near Irschenberg to the Inntal triangle and on towards Salzburg. More on the city: Towing Service Munich.

What we do on the A8

We organise roadside assistance and towing. Faster is based in Antwerp, Belgium; partners on the ground drive out on the A8. We don't give a fixed arrival time, since it depends on the section, traffic, gradient and weather. We stay your point of contact on the phone.

How to describe your location on the A8

• Section and direction of travel, for example towards Stuttgart or towards Salzburg.
• Last or next junction: triangle, interchange, or exit.
• Notable features: tunnel, climb, no hard shoulder, separated carriageways.
• The area: the Alb, the Filder, the Holzwinkel, the Alpine foothills.

All motorway pages: Breakdown help on the motorway (German). Other routes: A5, A7.