The Ultimate Guide To Interrailing for a Great Travelling Experience in 2023

In recent times, interrailing has become a travelling rite of passage. Whether you’re a student on a tight budget or you just fancy seeing the sites of Europe via train, there’s a version of interrailing to suit everyone.

Europe has become the perfect destination for travellers to glide from city to city by train or bus due to the many popular destinations packed together tightly on the continent.

So, if you’re interested in planning the ultimate interrailing experience for your following summer holidays, stay tuned!

What Is Interrailing?

In recent years, you may have noticed friends or family members on social media visiting multiple cities across Europe over a few weeks, travelling around by train, and carrying backpacks that are often bigger than they are! This is interrailing in a nutshell!

The concept of interrailing dates back to 1972, when the interrail pass was first introduced. Initially, the pass was introduced to encourage young European people to explore their neighbouring countries and expand their horizons. 

In the 50 years since then, over 10 million travellers have purchased an interrail pass and spent their summer holidays seeing the sites of Europe, one train station at a time. Interrailing passes are now available for Youths, Students, Adults, and Senior Citizens. 

As a greater number of countries and transport organisations have signed on and partnered with the Interrail brand, travelling by train has become more popular than ever. For those wanting a more sustainable way to travel, interrailing provides a more environmentally friendly alternative to travelling by plane.

Who Is Eligible For An Interrailing Pass?

You are eligible for an interrailing pass if you are a member of one of the following groups:

• If you are a citizen of a country participating in the interrail scheme. These countries include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Great Britain, Hungary, Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, and Turkey.
• If you are a legal resident of a participating country in the interrail scheme.

• To qualify for a Youth interrail pass, you must be 28 or younger on the first day your pass is valid.
• Please note: If you live in a country that does not participate in the interrail scheme, you can purchase a Eurail pass instead. This is similar to an interrailing pass and has almost all the same benefits. 

How Do I Book An Interrailing Holiday?

Planning your interrailing holiday can appear overwhelming. With over 33 destinations, selecting the right pass for your trip is essential. Interrail offers a Global Pass, “the most flexible way to travel in 33 countries”.

Various interrailing passes are available depending on the length of your proposed trip. 

These include:

• 7 days within 1 month- The most popular interrailing pass available
• 5 days within 1 month
• 4 days within 1 month

• 15 days within 2 months
• 10 days within 2 months

• 15 days
• 22 days
• 1 month
• 2 months
• 3 months

Once you have decided how long you want to travel, you can select the interrailing pass that works best for you. 

You can purchase your interrail ticket up to 11 months before the intended starting date of your trip, so don’t hesitate. Once you’ve worked out the details of how many countries you would like to visit and how long you have to do this, don’t delay—buy your ticket! This could be the first step to planning your trip’s finer details.

Is Interrailing An Expensive Way To See Europe?

Like everything in life, interrailing can be done as cheaply or as expensively. Suppose you’re a student planning your interrailing trip on a budget. In that case, we recommend setting a daily budget to ensure you can properly manage your finances for your trip.

To keep tabs on your spending, we also recommend noting how much you spend on average per day. Account for things like eating and drinking out, excursions, public transport 

For those interrailing on a budget, cheaper accommodation alternatives, such as hostels, are also available, which we will discuss in detail later in this article.

We recommend getting most of your currency before heading off on your interrailing adventure to save on potential exchange rate fees. This saves time and money searching for bank links and losing money to fees charged to get out on poor exchange rates. This way, you can also shop around for the best exchange rate for your money.

If you want to plan an interrailing holiday but are worried it’s catered more towards students, you couldn’t be further from the truth. While interrailing holidays are taken mainly by students or those of student ages, anyone can enjoy an interrailing trip across Europe—the only difference is that you may be able to travel more comfortably than someone on a student budget.

For those seeking the interrailing experience they never had in their teenage years or early twenties, you can purchase a youth pass (if you are under 28) or an adult pass if you are 29 or above. 

Rather than filtering accommodation options online to find the most affordable hostel, you can opt for a more comfortable place to stay, such as a hotel or an Airbnb. You can also upgrade your interrail pass to a first-class ticket to ensure the time spent travelling across Europe’s cities by train is as pleasant as possible.

Interrailing is simply a convenient, economical and environmentally friendly way to see Europe’s sites in a flexible way that suits you. Who says there has to be an age limit for those who can enjoy such an experience?! 

What Is The Best Way To Plan An Interrailing Holiday?

Planning an interrailing holiday can, at first, appear incredibly daunting. With all of the locations across Europe to consider, the timings of each stop, and other aspects such as daily budget and which cities may be more expensive to stay in, there are plenty of points to consider before nailing down plans, including flight and accommodation bookings.

Here at Connolly Cove, we recommend taking the following steps to plan your ideal interrailing itinerary:

• Firstly, we recommend planning a route. This doesn’t have to be set in stone, as one of the key benefits of travelling Europe with an interrail pass is that your plans can remain somewhat flexible until the last minute without any additional costs incurred (unless you have pre-booked seats or accommodation for your next stop).

Listing the locations which interest you the most is always a great place to start. This way, you can prioritise the areas you want to see the most and plan the rest of your trip around this. 

Once you have listed the countries you want to visit as part of your interrailing trip, we recommend pinning these on a map of your choice (Google Maps or a good, old-fashioned fold-out map). This will help you visualise your routes and see which stops are close together. It will also help you organise the order of your stops and where it’s best to stop and start, as you’ll need flights to and from these locations. 

• Once you have planned your proposed interrailing route, we recommend booking your flights, at least to your first stop. This will help cement your plans and could be the push you need to finish arranging the rest of your trip. 

• Next, we recommend reviewing your accommodation options and booking these as soon as possible. 

If you want your plans to remain flexible throughout the time you spend interrailing, we recommend booking the accommodation for your next stop 2-3 days before you are due to arrive. However, it’s important to note that if you are interrailing on a budget, booking accommodation at the last minute may be more costly than booking in advance would usually be. 

If you are confident that the route you have planned is the route you will be travelling on your trip, we recommend booking all of your accommodation before your adventure begins. This way, there is no stress that there may be a lack of accommodation available at your destination when the time comes. 

Where Is The Best Place To Stay While Interrailing?

Depending on the budget you set before planning your interrailing adventure, there are multiple options to consider staying in during your trip. These include:

• Hotels: There are many different hotel options to consider while interrailing. If you are a budget-conscious student, many budget hotel options are available across Europe. Some hotels even offer breakfast included in the price, which could help you save a few pounds throughout your trip.

If budgeting isn’t your top priority, why not choose a comfortable hotel in each city? That way, you can get out and explore during the day whilst enjoying a peaceful sleep in your room at night. We recommend hotel stays for couples or families for interrailing, as these groups often prefer quieter settings than larger groups.

• Hostels: Numerous hostels are available in every major European city nowadays. While interrailing, hostels are perfect for bigger groups as they often offer visitors dormitory-style rooms with options to sleep groups ranging from four to twenty people. 

Before selecting a hostel, we recommend checking Booking.com and Trip Advisor reviews to ensure your book accommodation is safe. Depending on the cost per night, most hostels offer safety lockers to ensure your belongings remain intact while you are out and about exploring. 

Hostels range from budget accommodation to boutique hostels with private rooms—with some in-depth research, it’s possible to find a great hostel to suit every traveller!

• AirBnB: The rise in the number of people renting out their entire homes or spare rooms has increased the number of users signing up for the AirBnB accommodation platform. 

In simple terms, AirBnB gives individuals wanting to rent out a space a platform to do this. Travellers seeking somewhere to stay can quickly type in their location, the date of their trip, and how many travellers will be joining them. They are instantly connected to hundreds of accommodation options.

AirBnB is traditionally much more affordable than hotel stays; however, unique or luxury properties, or properties with added amenities such as hot tubs, swimming pools, or close proximity to beaches and town centres, can be equally as expensive as hotels. 

We recommend checking out AirBnB for accommodation options while interrailing. If you’re interested in living like a local during your trip, some AirBnB hosts are extremely hands-on, giving their guests advice on where to eat, drink, and visit during their stay. 

Equally, if you’d prefer to stay private during your trip, most hosts will leave you unless you communicate with them first via the Airbnb app. 

Of course, as with everything, we’d also encourage you to check the reviews for each listing on AirBnB before booking to ensure the area, accommodation, and terms of the host are suitable for your stay. 

What Should I Pack For Interrailing? 

Before going interrailing, it’s important to assemble a list of essential items you’ll need during your trip, especially if you plan to interrail for a more extended period.

Some essential items that we’d recommend you bring on your interrailing trip include:

• Travel Plugs and Extension Lead: You’ll need European travel plugs to charge your electronic devices during your interrailing trip. You can purchase these online or in stores selling luggage and holiday essentials. 

We’d also recommend one traveller in your group bring an extension lead during your interrailing trip. This way, only one travel plug is required, and your devices can be used comfortably without having to sit and wait at the wall for charging to complete or to use electronics such as hairdryers. 

• Locker Locks/Portable Safe: If you are staying in shared accommodations like hostels or Airbnbs, where the hosts will also reside on the property alongside you, you may want to bring something to secure your valuables. 

While most hostels provide lockers for guests to store their valuables, you may not realise that they also expect guests to bring their own locks to secure the lockers.

If you are staying in an Airbnb, it’s always a good idea to check with the host to see if they provide a safe place to store your valuables. If not, stores like Argos and Amazon sell small portable safes that are big enough to store all your essential, valuable items but small enough to transport in your backpack.  

If your accommodation of choice is a hotel, the good news is that most hotels offer guests complimentary safes to store their belongings during their stay. It’s always good to check with your hotel before booking to ensure that this is the case and that you can be prepared if no safes are available. 

• Get A Travel Currency Card: To avoid nasty surprises when cashing out in other countries (such as exchange rate fees), we recommend getting a travel currency card before embarking on your interrailing adventure. 

Cards like Monzo, Revolut, Post Office Travel, and Starling Bank can easily be set up and ordered online. These should be with you in around 3-5 working days and will be ready to add currency. 

Monzo allows you to split bills with your friends and send and receive money from those with or without Monzo accounts. 

Revolut allows you to easily block or freeze your account in the case of lost or stolen cards. Another great benefit of using a Revolut card during your interrailing travels is that you can easily order a duplicate card to be sent to the address you are currently staying at, meaning you can replace your card during your travels without worrying that it can only be sent to your home address!

Starling Bank is also a great travel card to take along with you whilst interrailing for several reasons. Like Monzo, it allows you to easily split bills with your friends, which is the perfect feature for group dinner evenings during your travels. Starling Bank also doesn’t charge you foreign transaction fees when you’re abroad, so you won’t lose out just because you’ve chosen to take cash abroad. 

Please note: Some cash machines abroad charge their fees- this is unrelated to Starling Bank).

• Bring First Aid Essentials: Depending on the route you have chosen for your interrailing trip, some locations may be more expensive for essential items such as painkillers, bandages and plasters than others.

Because of this, we recommend bringing these essentials with you. Bandages and plasters are essential for locations with a lot of walking, as sore or injured feet can impact the activities you have planned for the rest of your stay. We’d also recommend bringing blister patches for short-term pain relief.

Changes in your environment, such as warmer temperatures, can often cause headaches. Because of this, we recommend bringing painkillers to combat any potential aches and pains and to aid any of your group who may feel unwell during your trip.

• Don’t Forget Your Travel Insurance: Travel insurance is one essential item that no interrail traveller should forget. 

In case of emergencies such as an illness, injury or hospital stay, your health insurance will ensure you receive the treatment or prescriptions needed to recover without paying a fortune.

For a good deal on travel insurance, we recommend searching on price comparison websites such as Compare The Market or MoneySupermarket.com.  

Has The Interrailing Scheme Been Affected By Brexit?

If you live in the United Kingdom and are worried that Brexit may impact your potential travelling plans to go interrailing, fear not, as the interrail pass will not be affected by Brexit. 

Interrail has confirmed, “If you’re a UK citizen, you can still travel with an Interrail Pass – this won’t change due to Brexit.” 

Citizens of the United Kingdom don’t require a visa to travel to Europe as long as they are visiting as a tourist and only stay up to 90 days within a 180-day time frame. 

We recommend checking each country you visit as part of your interrailing route to ensure there are no specific entry requirements, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic when vaccine passports were introduced in some countries. 

During some train journies, stops may occur, and local law enforcement may check your identification. These checks are perfectly routine and are nothing to worry about. 

We’d also recommend checking your passport ahead of embarking on your interrailing journey to ensure it is in date for at least six months following your trip. If your passport is close to expiring either during or shortly after your trip, we recommend renewing it ahead of time. 

Do Interrailing Passes Work For Any Other Mode Of Transport?

While the name Interrail suggests the passes may only be eligible for journeys made by train, interrailing travellers will be pleased to hear that some Ferry Lines also support them. 

The Interrail website states, “Interrail Passes include access to several free and discounted European ferry routes and boats.” These include:

• Balearia Ferry runs ferries between mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands, including Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera.
• Blue Star Ferries runs from mainland Greece to the surrounding islands, including Santorini, Kos and Rhodes.
• The Finnlines Ferry operates across  Finland, Sweden and Germany.
• The Fjord Line ferry runs between Denmark and a few different destinations on the shores of Norway.
• Grimaldi Lines ferry allows passengers to travel to Greece, Spain, Italy and the  Island of Sardinia.
• Irish Ferries operate routes between France, Ireland and Wales.
• Minoan Lines ferry offers travellers connections within Greece and between Greece and Italy.
• Polferries gives interrail travellers a discounted rate when travelling between Poland, Sweden, and Denmark.
• SNAV Ferries operate across the Adriatic Sea, connecting travellers from Italy to Croatia and vice versa. Interrail travellers can enjoy 20% off fares with SNAV Ferries.
• Superfast Ferries connects travellers in Italy and Greece, operating across the Adriatic Sea. With an interrail pass valid in either country, travellers can enjoy a 30% discount on fares.
• The Tallink Silja ferry operates across the Baltic Sea, taking travellers to Finland, Sweden, and other parts of Europe. The Tallink Silja website has more information on routes. 
• Viking Line ferries offer interrail travellers an affordable way to see countries such as Finland, Sweden and Estonia.

So, depending on the route you choose during your interrailing adventure, you may see the sights from the comfort of your train carriage or the beautiful landscapes of your chosen destination from the sea!

Tips To Remember Before You Interrail

While planning an interrailing trip may seem overwhelming initially, once you have set out your route and gathered all the essentials, everything else should fall into place. As one final recap, we have put together some of our top tips to remember before you head off on your interrailing adventure:

Don’t Forget To Reserve Your Seats

One of the main things travellers embarking on an interrailing holiday tend to forget is that seat reservations are not included in the price of their interrail pass. Seat reservations should be investigated ahead of their journey to each stop, as some trains require them in order to get a seat.

As the age-old saying goes, if you fail to prepare, prepare to fail, and in this case, if you haven’t pre-booked a seat reservation and the train happens to be booked out, you could end up sitting on the floor for the rest of your journey. 

Make Photocopies Of Your Important Documentation

If you plan to interrail for a few weeks across multiple locations, you will probably end up packing, unpacking and repacking many times during your trip. 

In these instances, it’s easy to misplace necessary documentation such as passports, driving licences, insurance policies, plane tickets and even your interrail paper pass. 

We recommend making photocopies of these and bringing them with you, or even emailing them to yourself as backup to ensure you are covered for the duration of your interrailing trip.

Download Google Translate

Google Translate will be your greatest resource in countries where you may not speak the language. The app allows users to take photos of menus or street signs and translate them into their native language.

You can even use the speaking feature to have Google Translate say the phrase out loud, which helps ensure you pronounce words and phrases correctly.

Most Importantly, Have A Great Time

Interrailing is a unique way to see the beautiful cities Europe has to offer, so we recommend you embrace every city you visit, try to experience as many sites and excursions as possible, and enjoy every moment!