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What Is the Interrail Pass?
Thanks to Europe’s extensive railway network, the Interrail Pass is the most convenient way to travel across Europe. An Interrail pass offers “unlimited” train travel (and some ferries) across 33 countries.
On your travel days, you simply search for your desired train connection, add that connection onto your ticket and board the train. It is that simple.
As a youth (ages 12–27) you get a 25% Interrail youth discount off the adult price of every pass.
What Pass Should I Buy?
There are three types of Interrail passes available. The Global Pass, One Country Pass and the Interrail Plus Pass.
Interrail Plus Pass
The Interrail Plus Pass is a relatively new pass which includes your seat reservation on all your journeys. However, I would not recommend this pass. The extra almost €100 you pay is not worth it. Seat reservations on trains in Europe are only mandatory for a select few countries on their high speed rail lines and some sleeper trains.
Global Pass
The Global Pass is the perfect pass if you are planning on travelling to multiple countries. The Global Pass allows you to use the high speed, regional train systems and some ferries in all 33 participating countries across Europe.
*If you are planning on travelling to Eastern Europe, I would not recommend buying any Interrail Pass because of the lack of rail infrastructure. More on that here.
Access the Interrail Validity map here:
There are two types of Global Passes: Flexi Pass and Continuous Pass
Flexi Pass:
You can use these passes on whatever days within a certain period of time. For example, the most popular flexi pass allows you to have 7 travel days of your choice within a time period of a month. Each of these travel days allows unlimited train travel.
| Pass Type | Price(EUR €) |
|---|---|
| 4 days within 1 month | €212.00 |
| 5 days within 1 month | €239.00 |
| 7 days within 1 month | €286.00 |
| 10 days within 2 months | €335.00 |
| 15 days within 2 months | €415.00 |
More info on the Flexi Pass can be found here.
Continuous Passes
These passes can only be used on consecutive days. For example, the cheapest continuous pass allows for 15 days of consecutive travel, meaning once you activate the pass, you can use it everyday but only for 15 days in a row. I wouldn’t recommend this pass unless you have the money, are an incredibly spontaneous traveller and travelling for 2-3 months.
| Pass Type | Price(EUR €) |
|---|---|
| 15 days in a row | €357.00 |
| 22 days in a row | €440.00 |
| 1 month in a row | €522.00 |
| 2 months in a row | €620.00 |
| 3 months in a row | €717.00 |
More info on the Continuous Pass can be found here.
One Country Pass
The One Country Pass is the perfect pass if you’re planning on travelling one country at a time – from top to bottom. They allow you to ride on all local, regional and high-speed rail, and get discounts on some ferries, hotels and city cards.
The One Country Pass is available in the following countries:
Combo One-Country Passes
Combo One-Country Passes are passes that allow you to travel to a group of countries in a certain region for the price of one. There are three combo one-country passes available:
Interrail Benelux Pass:
The Interrail Benelux Pass gives you access to the rail networks in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxumbourg. However, both of these countries offer cheap train tickets anyways, so I would not recommend buying this pass unless you want to be able to travel multiple times in a day with no restrictions. Luxembourg also offers free public transport country-wide.
Interrail Nordic Pass
The Interrail Nordic Pass offers access to four countries: Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland. If you are planning on exploring the Nordics, this is the perfect pass. Train tickets are generally expensive in all four of these countries, so the Interrail pass is almost always worth it.
Interrail Greek Islands Pass
The Interrail Greek Islands Pass is arguably the best, most stress free way to explore the Greek Islands. Interrail offers two options: a 4 day or 6 day pass.
- The 4 day pass allows 4 domestic travel days (seat reservations are required but are free) on ferries across the Greek Islands.
- The 6 day pass allows for 2 international travel days from participating Italian ports (Venice, Ancona, Bari, Brindisi) and then 4 travel days across the Greek islands.
- For all the information you possibly need, head to the FAQ’s for the Interrail Greek Islands Pass.
Things to Look Out For with Interrail
Heading to Eastern Europe?
If you’re heading to Eastern Europe (with the exception of Poland), my recommendation is to skip the Interrail Pass entirely. Rail infrastructure across Eastern Europe is relatively under-developed compared to the north and west of the continent.
On top of that, bus services like FlixBus are often faster and significantly cheaper than trains in the region. 3 to 5 hours bus rides in Eastern Europe can sometimes cost as low as €5.
Use websites like compareabus.com to find the best deals on buses.
Seat Reservations
In countries like France, Spain and Italy, you’ll need a mandatory seat reservation to board high-speed services such as the TGV, Eurostar, Renfe AVE, and Frecciarossa. These can cost anywhere from €5 to €40.
It is also important to note that seat reservations are limited, so if you are travelling between major tourist hotspots in the busy summer months, it is important to reserve your seat well in advance.
You can make seat reservations through the Interrail website, or also on websites like B-Europe.
TIP: If you’re travelling from France to Germany (and vice-versa) on an ICE/TGV, book your seat reservation through the Deutsche Bahn (DB) app/website – it is much cheaper than third-party booking sites.
In countries where seat reservations aren’t mandatory – like Germany, Austria, Switzerland – and you would still like to reserve a seat, always book seat reservations through the national railway network and not Interrail. Booking through Interrail offers convenience, but booking through the national railway network will save you money.
Download the Train App for Each Country
The Interrail Rail Planner App can oftentimes be extremely unreliable when showing delays and connection times. I would recommend downloading the apps of national railway companies of the countries you’re visiting. By checking the train connections on the apps of the national railway companies, you get the most up to date and reliable information.
Some National Railway Network Apps:
- 🇦🇹 Austria: ÖBB
- 🇧🇪 Belgium: SNCB
- 🇫🇷 France: SNCF
- 🇩🇪 Germany: Deutsche Bahn
- 🇮🇪 Ireland: Irish Rail
- 🇮🇹 Italy: Trenitalia
- 🇳🇱 Netherlands: NS
- 🇵🇹 Portugal CP
- 🇪🇸 Spain: Renfe
- 🇨🇭 Switzerland: SBB
- 🇬🇧 UK: National Rail
Local Transport is Not Covered
Another important thing to remember is that the Interrail Pass does not cover local public transport in cities. That means you cannot use the local city underground/subways, trams and busses. Make sure you buy a separate ticket to get around the cities.
TIP: If you are planning on visiting a city for more than one day, look out for city cards. Many European cities have “City Cards”, which offer free public transport, discounts into various museums, and discounts to other cultural attractions. Simply google “[your city] city card”, for example “Vienna city card”)
Always Activate Your Ticket Before You Get Onboard
Some travellers try to get away with activating their ticket only when they spot a conductor – or only when the conductor reaches their carriage – to save a “day” of travel on their pass. However, occasionally conductors will ask to check what time the ticket was activated.
If your ticket was activated after your journey had started – and you’ve been caught – you could face fines of €50-€150. This is also stated in the terms and conditions of your pass, so there is no getting out of it.
Buying the Pass
At Checkout
Once you have an itinerary or plan for your Europe trip, you can simply go and choose the pass you want here. Once you have chosen your pass, simply add it to your cart and checkout.
When you check out, you will be asked for two things: whether you want a Mobile Pass, and Refund Protection.
Always choose a Mobile Pass, and I always Skip Refund Protection.
The reasons I skip refund protection is:
- Once you buy your pass, you have 11 months to activate it – more than enough time
- Even after the 7-day 100% refundable period, you will still get 90% of your purchase back if you want a refund.
Once you select both options, you simply insert your passport details, personal details and pay.
Before you Get Onboard: How to Get Your Train Specific Tickets?
It is really simple. First, you need to go to the “Planner” in the Interrail Rail Planner app.
From there, all you do is:
- Search your route.
- Select the train and time you want to take it.
- Press “Save journey”.
- Add it to one of your trips, or create a new one.
Once you have saved your journey onto “My Trip”, click on the “My Trip” section on the app and you will be taken to all your trips. You then select your trip and you will be taken to your selected train.
Once you have found your train journey, simply touch the QR code on the top right of the route, press “use travel day” if you haven’t already, and your ticket will be available to use.
It really is that simple… If you’re still confused visit the Official Interrail website on How to use your Interrail Pass.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely. A Interrail pass saves you the stress of booking your tickets one by one and gives you the flexibility to change plans on the go.
A youth (ages 12–27) Interrail Global Pass starts at around €212 for 4 travel days within 1 month. Prices go up depending on how many travel days you choose and whether you buy a flexi or continuous pass. Check the latest prices on the official Interrail website.
Eurail has now rebranded under Interrail. It is now one pass under one brand Interrail. Nothing about the pass has changed, simply thats its the name has merged into Interrail.
It depends on the country. In France, Spain, and Italy, seat reservations are mandatory on high-speed trains (TGV, Renfe AVE, Frecciarossa) and cost €5–€40. In most other countries, reservations are optional. You can book mandatory seat reservations through the Interrail app.
Yes. The UK is one of the 33 countries included in the Interrail Global Pass. Just remember Eurostar trains (London to Paris/Brussels/Amsterdam) require a separate, mandatory seat reservation on top of your pass. All other trains in the UK do not require mandatory seat reservations.
