Interrailing Tips for This Year

Interrailing around Europe is one of the most exciting, spontaneous trips you can take. You can book trains as and when you please, explore some of the most iconic cities in the world and enjoy food more than you have before.

If you’re new to interrailing, here are a few tips for your travels to avoid any bad surprises!

What is Interrailing?

Interrailing refers to a travel experience that allows individuals to explore multiple countries in Europe using a single rail pass. The Interrail Pass provides unlimited train travel within a specified period, typically ranging from a few days to a month. It is available to European residents, allowing them to hop on and off trains across various destinations, making it a flexible and cost-effective way to travel around Europe.

For non-European residents, there is a similar program called Eurail. Both Interrail and Eurail passes offer an extensive network of trains, connecting major cities and scenic routes, and are popular among tourists, especially those seeking adventure and the freedom to travel across different cultures and landscapes.

Booking Travel

While your interrail ticket gets you around Europe at a great price there are a few things to consider when you're travelling around. Some countries/cities require a fee to book the travel, so there are some additional costs to consider after you’ve booked your interrail pass. It isn’t the case everywhere, but if you’re travelling from Barcelona to Rome, it's a very long train and to make sure people don’t bail at the last minute, they take a hefty €60 - €90 fee just to confirm the booking. That tends to be the most expensive travel, whereas other places that are closer to one another only charge €10 - €20 and some are free.

Booking Accommodation

Planning out your trip is an essential part of interrailing. Making sure you have your hotels/ hostels booked, and checking the reviews and the locations helps you to enjoy your time in every city. While most hostels will accept a last-minute booking, there are times in the year when thousands of people are travelling, so it's best to plan ahead and have your accommodation booked. While you’ll likely be looking for the best prices, be sure to check the reviews and the format of the hostel. If you’re comfortable with it, many have dormitories/ shared rooms so just make sure you know what you’re booking.

Interrailing Essentials

Backpack, passports and all the other essentials can sometimes sound fairly obvious but there are some other things to consider before you head off. Time is very important when travelling, making sure you get to the train station on time, a premium watch strap is always good so you don’t have to take it off if you go swimming or in the shower. Swimwear for the unexpected beach trips, multivitamins for places that might not be giving your body full nourishment. A couple of power banks are also super useful for some of the other trains you might have to use that don’t have charging stations.

Which Countries?

Picking which cities to visit can be tough, and it all varies on how long your overall trip is. Usually, it’s suggested that you give yourself 2 full days to explore as a minimum. But for larger cities like Rome, Prague and Paris, you’ll want to make sure you’ve got enough time to explore everything. You can change train times/ days while you’re away so you don’t have to worry too much about the planning, but having a rough idea of all the countries and days will assure you that you get the most out of your trip! It also means you can plan out where you buy your European souvenirs from!

Popular destinations tend to be Barcelona, Rome, Venice, Budapest, Prague, Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin. But there are dozens.