Interrail Europe: Is It Still Worth It? The Honest 3-Week Guide

The Interrail Guide for Adults Who Want to Do It Properly

Interrail has a reputation as a student thing — a rite of passage for 22-year-olds with backpacks and no fixed plans. This reputation is both accurate and misleading. The pass is genuinely excellent for students. It is also genuinely excellent for adults who want to travel Europe by train without the complexity of booking individual tickets for every leg.

What it is not is simple. The Interrail system has quirks, traps, and hidden costs that catch out first-time users. Here is how to avoid them.

The Pass Options: Which One to Buy

Global Pass vs One Country Pass

The Global Pass covers 33 European countries and is what most people mean when they say "Interrail." It makes sense if you're visiting 3+ countries or travelling long distances.

The One Country Pass covers a single country and is better value if you're spending most of your time in one place. The Italy One Country Pass, for example, is excellent for a 2-week Italian trip.

Continuous vs Flexi

Continuous passes give you unlimited travel for a set number of consecutive days (15 days, 22 days, 1 month, 2 months, 3 months). Best for long trips where you're moving frequently.

Flexi passes give you a set number of travel days within a 1 or 2-month window (4, 5, 7, or 10 days). Best for trips where you're spending several days in each place and not moving every day.

Victoria's recommendation for most adults: The 7-day Flexi pass within 1 month. It covers a 3-4 country trip with a few days in each place, and the 1-month window gives you flexibility to adjust your plans.

1st Class vs 2nd Class

The price difference is approximately 50%. On most European trains, 2nd class is perfectly comfortable — modern seats, air conditioning, power sockets. The exceptions: overnight trains (where a 1st class couchette is significantly more comfortable) and high-speed trains in France and Spain (where 1st class gets you a wider seat and more legroom).

Victoria's recommendation: 2nd class for most trips. Upgrade to 1st class only if you're doing multiple overnight trains.

The Reservation Trap: The Most Important Thing to Know

Your Interrail pass does not cover seat reservations. This is the single most common source of confusion and unexpected cost for Interrail travellers.

On many European trains — particularly high-speed trains — you must book a seat reservation in addition to your pass. The reservation costs €3-35 depending on the train and country.

Where Reservations Are Mandatory

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The Eurostar problem: The Eurostar (London-Paris/Brussels) requires a reservation that costs €30-50 on top of your pass. This is often more expensive than booking a budget Eurostar ticket directly. Check both options before assuming the pass is cheaper.

How to Book Reservations

Book through the Rail Planner app (the official Interrail app) or directly on the national rail website of the country you're travelling in. Book as early as possible — reservation slots on popular trains sell out weeks in advance.

The Best Interrail Routes

The Classic (3-4 weeks)

London → Paris → Barcelona → Nice → Rome → Venice → Vienna → Prague → Berlin → Amsterdam → London

This is the route that has been done by generations of Interrailers, and it remains excellent. Each city is worth 2-3 days. The train journeys are scenic (Paris-Barcelona through the Pyrenees, Nice-Rome along the Ligurian coast). The total distance is approximately 5,000km.

Practical notes:

The Balkans Route (2-3 weeks)

Vienna → Budapest → Belgrade → Sarajevo → Dubrovnik → Split → Zagreb → Ljubljana → Venice

The most underrated Interrail route. The Balkans are extraordinary — cheap, beautiful, and genuinely different from Western Europe. The trains are slower (this is not a high-speed route), but the scenery is spectacular and the cities are fascinating.

Note: Some Balkans countries (Bosnia, Serbia) are not covered by the Global Pass. Check the current coverage before booking.

The Scandinavia Route (2-3 weeks)

Copenhagen → Oslo → Bergen → Flåm → Myrdal → Stockholm → Helsinki

The most expensive Interrail route (Scandinavia is expensive), but the most dramatic scenery. The Bergen Railway and the Flåm Railway are among the most beautiful train journeys in the world. The overnight ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki is an experience in itself.

Night Trains: The Renaissance

European night trains are having a moment. After decades of decline, new routes are opening and existing routes are being upgraded. The appeal: you travel while you sleep, saving both time and a night's accommodation.

The Best Night Train Routes

Vienna → Paris (Nightjet): 14 hours, departs 19:30, arrives 09:00. Couchette from €59, private sleeper from €149. One of the best night train experiences in Europe.

Amsterdam → Vienna (Nightjet): 14 hours, departs 20:30, arrives 10:30. The new Nightjet fleet has excellent private compartments.

Brussels → Vienna (Nightjet): New route, excellent reviews.

Stockholm → Hamburg: The classic Scandinavian night train, now operated by Snälltåget.

Night Train Tips

The Cities: Worth a Full Day vs Half a Day vs Skip

Worth 3+ Days

Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Vienna, Prague, Amsterdam, Berlin, Budapest, Lisbon

Worth 2 Days

Venice (beautiful but small), Florence (compact but dense), Dubrovnik (stunning but touristy), Ljubljana (charming and underrated), Ghent (better than Bruges)

Worth 1 Day

Brussels (good food, not much else), Bruges (beautiful but done in a day), Cologne (the cathedral, then move on)

Overrated

Pisa (the tower, nothing else), Monaco (expensive and soulless), San Marino (a novelty, not a destination)

Packing for Train Travel

Train travel has different packing requirements than flying. You don't have weight limits, but you do have to carry your bag on and off trains, up and down stairs, and through crowded stations.

The rule: If you can't carry your bag comfortably for 10 minutes, it's too heavy.

What you actually need:

What you don't need:

Victoria's Favourite Interrail Moment

I was on the overnight train from Vienna to Paris, in a private sleeper compartment. It was 11pm. The train was moving through the Austrian Alps. I had a glass of wine from the dining car, the mountains were visible in the moonlight through the window, and I had nowhere to be until 9am the next morning.

That is the thing about train travel that flying can never replicate: the journey is part of the experience. You are not in transit. You are travelling.

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*Book hotels along your Interrail route on Booking.com. For city experiences and guided tours, use Viator.*