Thanks to Interrail, you can discover Europe very easily by train. What are great routes and how to plan an Interrail trip? A blog full of tips!
If you’re looking for an adventurous and flexible way to explore Europe, an Interrail trip might be for you. With an Interrail pass, you can enjoy unlimited train travel throughout Europe and enjoy the beautiful landscapes, vibrant cities, and diverse cultures.
But what is the best way to plan such a trip? I traveled across Europe for about a month and a half with Interrail and in this article, I’ll give you helpful tips and a few itinerary options to plan your perfect Interrail adventure.
What is Interrail?
Interrail is a pass that allows unlimited train travel in 33 European countries. It is specially designed for travelers who like to be flexible and visit different destinations without committing to one specific itinerary.
With an Interrail pass, you can choose from several types of passes, such as the Global Pass (valid in all participating countries) or a One Country Pass (valid in one specific country).
Interrail vs. Eurail
Interrail and Eurail are two terms often used when it comes to train travel within Europe. The main difference between Interrail and Eurail is who the passes are for.
- Interrail: For residents of Europe (including Turkey and Russia).
- Eurail: For travelers from outside Europe.
Other than that, the prices are the same and the passes also work pretty much the same. There are a few minor differences. For example, an Interrail pass allows you to enter or exit the country of origin only once (i.e., as a Dutchman, you are not allowed unlimited travel through the Netherlands with your Interrail pass), there is no such restriction with the Eurail pass.
How to plan an Interrail trip: helpful tips
Before you leave on your Interrail adventure, it is important to do some prep work and think carefully about which destinations you want to visit and how much time you want to set aside for this. These are some helpful tips for planning your Interrail trip to perfection.
Determine your route
This is perhaps the most fun thing to do: determine your route. Make a list of the countries and cities you want to visit. Keep in mind the distances between destinations and choose a logical order. It is also important to consider how much time you want to spend in each city.
This certainly does not have to be in detail yet, but it is helpful to know approximately where you want to go and how long you want to stay somewhere.
Plan your travel time
Interrail passes are available for different periods, such as 2 weeks, 3 weeks, or 1 month. In addition, you can also choose a pass that is valid only in a certain country or throughout Europe. And to make things even trickier, you can also choose how often you want to travel with the pass. Is that, say, four times in a month? Or do you want to travel by train 10 times in two months?
If you know roughly where you want to go and how often you want to take the train to get around, it’s a lot easier to select the right pass.
Unlimited travel is also another option. These passes are obviously the most expensive, but then you also have the most freedom. I myself had a pass for two months with unlimited travel, which allowed me to easily determine and adjust my itinerary during my trip.
Interrail passes can be purchased through the official website of Interrail or via Rail Europe.
Research train connections
You’ve figured out your Interrail pass, now it’s time to plan your trip! While the idea of spontaneous travel with Interrail is a lot of fun, unfortunately, it doesn’t work so easily. In fact, in many countries you have to reserve seats for most trains (including France, Spain, and Italy) and those seats for Interrail travelers are limited. Check this website for a map of countries where you need to reserve trains.
It is therefore wise to check carefully what train connections there are between your chosen destinations and note the departure and arrival times. Make sure you have enough time to transfer to other trains. In doing so, also check whether you need to make a reservation or not. You can plan routes very conveniently with the app, this usually also tells you if you need to reserve a seat or not.
Should you need to reserve certain trains, please do so as soon as possible.
Book accommodations
Also not spontaneous, but wise: book accommodations in advance in the cities where you want to stay longer to avoid disappointment. For shorter stops, you can often look locally for available options, although it can be difficult to find anything on weekends in tourist towns.
Personally, I almost always book my accommodations through Booking.com. Then you can often cancel for free and get discounts the more you book. Want to sleep in hostels during your interrail trip? You can find these in addition to Booking.com on Hostelworld.
Interrail itineraries
Now that you know how to plan your Interrail trip, it’s time to get some inspiration for fine destinations. Below I give you different options for 2, 3, and 4 weeks. As I live in The Netherlands myself, the start or the endpoint is in The Netherlands. But you can always adjust the trip to your liking.
Interrail itinerary for 2 weeks: beautiful cities and mountains
Start in Utrecht, Netherlands, and then travel to Berlin, Germany. Continue to Prague, Czech Republic, and then travel on to Vienna, Austria. You’ll stay in Austria for a while to admire the mountains in Innsbruck. Travel on to Zurich in Switzerland and from there back to the Netherlands.
In each destination you can stay two or three days, then this is a nice trip for two weeks.
Interrail itinerary for 3 weeks: along the coast
With this trip, you don’t start at home, but in delightful Valencia, on the coast of Spain. In three weeks you will follow the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. You travel north to Barcelona, then train across France via Montpellier and Nice.
Via Monaco, you travel to beautiful Genoa and the lovely Cinque Terre in Italy. After visiting Pisa in Tuscany, travel on to Rome, one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Interrail itinerary for 4 weeks
From the Netherlands, you first travel to Berlin for a few days. Then continue east for a visit to Poland’s capital Warsaw. You then travel south to discover beautiful Krakow. Next, you will travel to Brno, a beautiful city in the Czech Republic.
Via Vienna, you will next travel to Verona in Italy. Here you can take another nice tour of northern Italy, for example to Venice and Bologna, before traveling back to the Netherlands via Milan.
Of course, countless other itineraries are possible and it is important to consider your personal interests and preferences when planning your Interrail trip. Do some research on the sights and activities in the cities and regions you want to visit to see if they match your interests.
Interrail on a budget
Can you Interrail on a budget? I myself didn’t have that much to spend when I went Interrailing, and I had a two-month pass that I wanted to waste. Because of this, I did my best not to make it an overpriced trip. And that certainly did not make for a less enjoyable trip, it was truly an amazing adventure!
Would you also like to take an Interrail trip on a small(er) budget? Here are a few tips to keep your Interrail trip affordable:
- Stay in hostels or guesthouses: Hostels and guesthouses are much cheaper than hotels. Moreover, it also allows you to meet nice people quickly(er).
- Cook your own meals: Eating at restaurants can be expensive, especially if you do it several times a day. Cook your own meals or buy ready-made meals in supermarkets. I myself often did a mix. I would go somewhere for lunch at noon (lunch menus are often a lot cheaper than dinner) and in the evening I would get a salad or cook something myself.
- Stay in one place longer: Moving each day always costs more than staying in one place a little longer. For example, sometimes you get a discount if you stay longer in an accommodation and it’s also easier to get some groceries that you can keep a little longer.
- Avoid big cities on weekends: I noticed that accommodations in large, touristy cities (Madrid and Barcelona, among others) were much more expensive on weekends than during the week. It often saved me a few tens per night to stay in smaller towns on weekends.
- Don’t just travel to the big famous cities: Big cities and capitals tend to be a lot more expensive than smaller towns. And those are just as interesting, perhaps even more fun because you see more of local life.
- Take advantage of free activities and attractions: There are many free activities and attractions in Europe. Do online research to find out what there is to do in the cities you visit. Especially in Switzerland, I hiked a lot. Hiking trails there are incredibly well marked and it is one of the most enjoyable ways to see the country.
- Avoid reservations: Having to make reservations is often a hassle and makes you less flexible. They can also cost quite a bit. If at all possible, travel on trains that do not require reservations.
Frequently asked questions & handy to know
You now have a roadmap and inspiration for an itinerary, but there are a few more things very useful to know if you are going to take an Interrail trip. These are answers to some frequently asked questions about Interrail and some helpful tips.
These were all my Interrail tips for planning an Interrail trip. By preparing well and planning your itinerary carefully, you can enjoy this flexible way of traveling around Europe to the fullest.
Remember to also leave room for spontaneous moments and discoveries along the way. With the tips and itineraries I’ve provided, I hope you’ll soon hit the road for an unforgettable Interrail trip!
More tips for train travel in Europe
It’s great to explore Europe by train. These books will give you even more inspiration for beautiful destinations.
Train travel in Europe (Lonely Planet)
As an avid solo traveler, I travel a lot by train across Europe. I already discovered many beautiful destinations thanks to the railroad and have spent hours on the train in Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, and Croatia, among others. So you can read a lot on this website about destinations that are easily accessible by train. Check out one of these articles:
- Interrailing in Spain: my experience, itinerary & tips
- Northern Italy by train: 2-week itinerary
- Switzerland Bucket List: 15 beautiful places
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