How To Budget For A 3 Month Interrail Trip [2026 Prices]
If you’re planning an interrail trip of any length, budgeting is a key part of the process. But if you’re wanting to travel for longer than a couple of weeks and take advantage of Interrail’s three month global pass then making sure you have the funds to get there with minimal stress is even more important.
Having had the time of my life on a three month interrail trip, I’m ready to breakdown exactly how much you can expect to spend on everything from your Interrail pass and seat reservations to accommodation, food and activities. Plus, I’ll share an insight into how this differs for budget versus mid-range options so you can make the decision that’s right for you. Continue reading from the top and learn how much I spent or use the options below to jump to the sections you’re most interested in!
Before we get into the juicy detail, if you’re curious to see my full three month interrail itinerary and route – click here to discover my top tips and destinations.
- Up-front costs: Your Interrail pass
- On-the-go costs: Seat reservations
- Planning your route
- Accommodation costs by country
- Food + drink costs by country
- Activity costs
- Miscellaneous costs + considerations
- Your total cost (+ how much I spent!)
Up-front costs: Your Interrail pass
First things first, you need to account for the cost of your Interrail pass. As we said, if you’re planning to travel for three months, you’ll need a three month Global Pass. This gives you unlimited train travel in all 33 participating countries for three months straight. The good news is, this is essentially ALL your transport covered for the entire trip as often subway and metro trains are included in your ticket as well as ferry offers if needed.
The current cost of these passes is: €956 / £820.
Please note that if you live outside of Europe, you’ll need a three month Global Eurail Pass: $1,061.
TOP TIP: Interrail and Eurail often have sales – particularly around Black Friday and Cyber Monday as well as summer sales where you can save up to 25%. This is how I bought my pass and saved me over £200 so it’s worth looking out for them. The best way to get notified is to sign up to their newsletter or follow them on Instagram.
Now, that’s your pass sorted and we’re sitting at around €720 / £615 / $795 assuming you got your pass in the sale. Now it’s time to look at seat reservations!
On-the-go train costs: Seat reservations
While your train ticket is covered in your Interrail pass, seat reservations aren’t and on some lines have to be bought for an extra fee. Again, the good news here is for most trains you don’t need a seat reservation, it’s only the high speed lines connecting some major cities, international routes or night trains.
Of the 161 train journeys I took, I needed a seat reservation for under 10 of them so it shouldn’t be a major part of your budget – just something to consider so you’re not caught out. Also bear in mind, a lot of seat reservations are optional, only pay for the ones that are mandatory.
Now, let’s look at the average prices:
| Train Type Seat Reservation | 2024 Average Price |
|---|---|
| Domestic high speed trains connecting cities in the same country | €10 / £8.50 / $11 |
| International high speed trains connecting multiple countries | €15 / £13 / $16 |
| International night trains | €20 / £17 / $22 |
These prices are averages and will vary depending on the route that you’re taking – some reservations will cost more and some will cost less. But generally speaking expect to spend in the region of the following over three months: €90-€175 / £75-£150 / $95-$190.
TOP TIP: Try to book seat reservations in off peak times. I found generally reservation fees increased during rush hour so dodge the crowds and save some cash by booking in advance on weekends, daytime hours or later in the evening.
Now that’s your Interrail pass and seat reservations accounted for, we’re up to a potential cost of around €852 / £725 / $920.
Planning your route
Now it’s time to talk routes as this will massively impact how much you’ll spend in three months. With the Global Interrail pass you have access to routes through up to 33 countries which is an incredible opportunity. During my trip I visited 17 countries (you can find them all here), but you could visit more or less than that depending on your priorities and budget.
The difference in costs across Europe is great and it’s something to consider if you’re on a tighter budget. But if there’s somewhere on your wish list that is a little bit more pricey, don’t be put off visiting as there are ways to bring the cost down.
Here’s how I would rank the different countries and regions on a scale of expensive to affordable to start your thinking before we dive into the details…
| Country / Region | Affordability |
|---|---|
| The Balkans, Turkey, Poland, the Baltics, Romania, Czech Republic and Serbia. | Most affordable |
| Italy (outside of Rome), Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Greece (depending on location), Hungary, Portugal and Ireland. | Mid-range affordability |
| Scandinavia, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, UK, Germany, Belgium, France and Austria. | Least affordable |
Accommodation costs by country
Now let’s get into your daily spending, of which the biggest chunk is likely to be accommodation. As we mentioned, the cost of hostels, AirBnBs and hotels varies greatly across Europe so again, where you choose to travel will affect how much you’ll spend.
But once you have an idea of your route, you can use the averages below to help you figure out roughly how much you can expect to spend on a dorm bed in a hostel or a mid-range private room.
For example, if you plan to spend your three months in cheaper countries in the Balkans like Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia (which by the way would be an incredible itinerary) – you’d expect to spend £1,300 – £1,500 in 90 nights. Whereas spending more time in Scandinavia and central Europe would push this cost up higher quickly.
Simply use your planned route to start mapping your costs for each country…
| Country | Average Price Per Night: Budget (Dorm Bed) | Average Price Per Night: Mid-Range (Private Room) |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | €24 / £20 / $26 | €28/ £25 / $31 |
| Belgium | €30 / £26 / $33 | €41 / £35 / $45 |
| Bosnia Herzegovina | €13 / £12 / $15 | €21 / £18 / $23 |
| Bulgaria | €15 / £13 / $16 | €16 / £13 / $17 |
| Croatia | €28 / £24 / $30 | €33 / £28 / $36 |
| Czech Republic | €18 / £16 / $20 | €31 / £27 / $34 |
| Denmark | €26 / £22 / $28 | €27 / £23 / $29 |
| Estonia | €18 / £15 / $19 | €18 / £15 / $19 |
| Finland | €32 / £28 / $35 (you read that right – in Finland, dorms are more expensive) | €28 / £24 / $30 |
| France | €32 / £28 / $35 | €41 / £35 / $45 |
| Germany | €28 / £24 / $30 | €32 / £28 / $35 |
| Great Britain | €28 / £24 / $30 | €41 / £35 / $45 |
| Greece | €23 / £20 / $25 | €28 / £24 / $30 |
| Hungary | €13 / £12 / $15 | €20 / £17 / $22 |
| Ireland | €29 / £25 / $32 | €45 / £39 / $49 |
| Italy | €28 / £24 / $30 | €36 / £31 / $39 |
| Latvia | €18 / £16 / $20 | €19 / £17 / $21 |
| Lithuania | €17 / £14 / $18 | €18 / £16 / $20 |
| Luxembourg | €39 / £35 / $42 | €77 / £66 / $84 |
| Montenegro | €18 / £16 / $20 | €19 / £17 / $21 |
| Netherlands | €26 / £22 / $28 | €32 / £28 / $35 |
| North Macedonia | €11 / £9 / $12 | €13 / £12 / $15 |
| Norway | €37 / £31 / $40 | €40 / £34 / $44 |
| Poland | €15 / £13 / $16 | €23 / £20 / $25 |
| Portugal | €21 / £18 / $23 | €28 / £24 / $30 |
| Romania | €18 / £15 / $19 | €21 / £18 / $23 |
| Serbia | €15 / £13 / $16 | €15 / £13 / $16 |
| Slovakia | €16 / £13 / $17 | €31 / £27 / $34 |
| Slovenia | €26 / £22 / $28 | €28 / £24 / $31 |
| Spain | €24 / £20 / $26 | €34 / £29 / $37 |
| Sweden | €25 / £21 / $27 | €31 / £27 / $34 |
| Switzerland | €56 / £48 / $61 | €62 / £52 / $67 |
| Turkey | €18 / £16 / $20 | €23 / £20 / $25 |
TOP TIP: Booking your accommodation through apps like Booking.com can help you save money as you travel. The more you use their site to book everything from hotels and guest houses to hostels and private apartments, the more they reward you. You’ll climb their rewards ladder quickly and soon see offers of up to 20% off your stay plus extra free breakfasts and other perks. I’ve personally used Booking.com for years and find that now it usually always has the cheapest prices and will usually come with extra benefits.
Food + drink costs by country
Once you’ve got a handle on your accommodation costs, it’s time to think about your other main expense – food and drink. Again, I’ve broken this down into average costs per country so you can see how it would change as you travel.
As with all of these, just because somewhere is more expensive doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go there, just that you could offset a more expensive country by visiting one that’s cheaper before or after. For instance travelling from Luxembourg into Germany you’ll start making more savings.
TOP TIP: The more packed lunches and easy breakfasts you can make yourself with food from the supermarket or grocery store the more money you’re going to save. Generally we had a rule that we would only eat one meal out per day – either lunch or dinner. Then satisfy our need to sample more local treats with a coffee and pastry out. We tried to book accommodation that had cooking facilities so we could make breakfast, packed lunches and/or dinner ourselves. You save a tonne this way!
But let’s dive in – again map the costs to your route to continue calculating your cost.
Activity costs
The third chunk of your daily spending is likely to go on activities. Whether that’s museum entry fees, street food tasting tours, bungee jumping or wildlife spotting, the key thing is to identify your must-do activities. The ones that if you didn’t do on this trip you’d be pretty disappointed.
By thinking in advance about the bigger investment activities you’d love to do, you can start factoring them into your planning. On a day-to-day basis it’s likely you’ll see a lot for free or low cost entry to exhibits and tastings so we you need to identify those bigger ticket experiences sooner to account for them.
While the list of options to share in this blog would be endless, here are some key experiences I paid for that were worth every penny across Europe that you might want to plan for…
- Paragliding over the Dolomites, Italy – €150 / £125 / $160
- Entry to St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican museum to see the Sistine Chapel, Vatican City – €30 / £25 / $33
- Entry to the Duomo in Florence, Italy – €30 / £25 / $33
- Entry to Pompeii, Italy – €22 / £19 / $24
- Entry to the Colosseum, Italy – €16 / £14 / $17
- Entry to thermal baths, Hungary – €44 / £38 / $48
- White water rafting in Slovenia – €45 / £39 / $49
- Entry to the Skocjan Caves, Slovenia – €16 / £14 / $17
- Day trip to Krka waterfalls from Split, Croatia – €35 / £30 / $38
- Boat trip on Lake Skadar to see waterlilies – Montenegro – €30 / $26 / $33
- Entry to Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany – €18 / £15 / $20
- Renting kayaks on the Stockholm archipelago, Sweden – €35 / £30 / $38
- Guided via ferrata in Norway – €145 / £125 / $158
TOP TIP: To find the best local experiences at the best prices, I really recommend GetYourGuide. They prioritise tours and trips offered by local people with the best knowledge and so far every activity I’ve booked has been incredible. You can learn more and find the best reviewed tours across Europe here.
Miscellaneous costs + considerations
Once your core costs are covered, it’s smart to budget a little extra for additional costs along the way. For me, these were a mix of nice-to-haves and essentials including:
Travel insurance:
I wouldn’t advise making any foreign trip without travel insurance. While an EHIC card (for Europeans in Europe) will cover some medical costs, if you do fall ill on your travels you could end up with a hefty bill. Plus, if you’re planning to do any skiing, watersports or other more dangerous activities, you’re unlikely to be covered at all so having a plan in place is key to a stress-free trip.
And it’s not just medical cover that travel insurance provides – in the case of interrailing you don’t need to worry about cancelled flights but you can still cover property theft and laptop/mobile damage. I used World Nomads to get three months complete insurance for under €230 / £200 / $250.
eSIMs:
Depending on your mobile plan, you might be able to use your data as normal throughout Europe. But as a Brit since brexit, our data usage is generally capped on the continent so I made use of easy eSIMs from Airalo to swap to local SIM cards virtually. You can learn more about them and my other must-have travel apps here.
You can buy one eSIM which covers 39 European countries for 90 days with 50GB of data for €92 / £80 / $100 so you never need to worry about running out!
Souvenirs + gifts:
Now you might be thinking, okay a couple of postcards and a few stamps, that’s not a lot to budget for. But trust me, once you’re wandering beautiful Italian ceramics markets or cool Scandi beanies from Norway you’re going to want to buy a few keepsakes to remember your trip.
Depending on how interested in a little retail therapy you are, and how much you can actually fit in your rucksack, I would budget about €60 / £50 / $63.
Toiletries + medicines:
Last but by no means least, in three months you’re likely to get through a couple tubes of toothpaste, a bottle of shampoo and other essentials. And hopefully you won’t but you might catch a cold or have a headache or two so be prepared that you might want to get some medicines. This doesn’t need to be set out in your budget, it can fall into your daily spending alongside food and drink but it’s just something to keep in mind as extra expenditure.
Calculating your total cost (+ how much I spent!)
After taking into account your Interrail pass, seat reservations, and average accommodation, food and activity costs with wiggle room for miscellaneous spending, three months of interrailing could cost you as little as €3,500 / £3,000 / $3,800 for budget options in cheaper countries. For a mid-range trip with time in more expensive countries, you’re likely to spend upwards of €5,800 / £5,000 / $6,400.
Doing this trip with my partner, in total together we spent just under £12,000 (around £5,800 each) + two Interrail passes. This was based on a £60/day budget for two people sharing a room or in two hostel dorm beds. Generally we found sticking to this budget for all costs relatively easy outside of Belgium, France and Scandinavia and using the top tips mentioned throughout this blog. We just decided to break our budget for a few key experiences!
There we have it – your complete guide to budgeting for your three month interrail trip. I hope this has helped you to understand the costs of a longer-term interrail trip and plan your epic adventure more accurately.
While it’s natural that you’ll over or under spend on some days, having a firm foundation to save for will ensure you’re less stressed about money while travelling and can relax and enjoy your trip!
Did you find this guide helpful? Please consider buying me a coffee to support my blog, thank you!
More interrail guides + tips
Ultimate 3 month European interrail trip itinerary 2026
Discover my ultimate tried and tested long-distance train route through Europe with inside tips and advice.
8 easy ways to save money while interrailing
Discover my tried and tested tips for saving money on everything from accommodation and food to activities and SIM cards while interrailing.
Best local guides
For the best guided experiences across Europe, I’d really recommend GetYourGuide, you can find their full range here.
Best one week Portugal interrail itinerary: Faro, Lisbon & Porto
Discover my perfect interrail route for the best week in Portugal – from tickets and passes to the best places to stay and things to see.
5 things I wish someone told me before my first interrail trip
Discover the lessons I learnt the hard way so you don’t have to!
Easy eSIMs
To make sure you still have mobile data for maps and other travel essentials, discover the easiest eSIMs from Airalo. I’ve used them all over the world for easy connection. Discover their affordable Europe plans here.
