What Is Interrailing? Passes & Benefits Explained

If you’re landing on this page, you’ve probably heard of interrailing (no doubt from a friend who’s returned with plenty of stories) but you might be wondering exactly what it is. In this blog I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about Interrail Passes and how it works.

1. Explaining interrailing
2. The difference between the Interrail Pass & Eurail Pass
3. Countries available with an Interrail Pass
4. Benefits of interrailing

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What is interrailing?

Interrailing is travelling by train through Europe. It’s facilited by an Interrail Pass or Eurail Pass and allows for easy overground travel through up to 33 countries.

Interrail Pass Vs. Eurail Pass – what’s the difference?

An important point to note is that you don’t have to live in a country that’s part of the European Union to buy an Interrail Pass, so long as you live in a country that is geographically part of Europe. That means Brits like me can buy Interrail tickets.

The Eurail Pass on the other hand is available to people who live outside of Europe. Meaning it’s a great option for people living in the USA, Australia and more to still enjoy the benefits of train travel in Europe.

What countries are available with an Interrail or Eurail Pass?

The passes allow for travel across most of Europe – 33 countries to be specific. Taking you as far west as Portugal all the way over to Turkey in the eastern most point. Discover the full list of countries you could travel to below:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Bosnia Herzegovina
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Great Britain
• Greece
• Hungary
• Ireland
• Italy
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• North Macedonia
• Montenegro
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Serbia
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Turkey

What are the benefits of interrailing?

Where do I begin!? Honestly train hopping across Europe was one of the best experiences of my life so I could go on about about all the great aspects. But let’s look at 5 main reasons why I would recommend interrailing at least once in your life.

1. Complete flexibility

Starting with the biggest hitter first, the greatest benefit of interrailing is the unparalled freedom. Unlike travelling by aeroplane or boat, you can generally hop on and off trains as and when you like.

For instance, if you were travelling across Germany by train and you started pulling into the Black Forest region and fancied a slice of Black Forest Gateaux, you could legitimately get off, head to a café and indulge your craving. It’s that kind of spontenaity that interrailing allows for and makes it an incredible experience.

Similarly, if you visited somewhere that turned out not to be your cup of tea, you could easily get back on the train and head to your next destination. As most of the trains don’t require seat reservations, you can head wherever you like without much advance planning or prep.

2. Lower emission travel

With climate change a constant concern for most of us, it can make travelling for the joy of it seem a little irresponsible. We know that travel by air in particular generates larger emissions while travel by car isn’t as efficient as public transport.

Which is where train travel comes in. In comparison to other modes of transport, per passenger emissions are much lower when travelling by train as they can carry so many more people further distances on less fuel.

Which is why if you’re conscious about cutting your own carbon footprint, interrailing could be a great option to scratch your travel itch without flying.

3. Panoramic views

One thing I absolutely love about train travel is that it’s essentially sightseeing in itself. Particularly if you’re headed across mountainous regions, on coastal tracks or through lush valleys like those in Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia.

You can sit back and soak up the views, watching the landscape transform before your eyes. Even if you’re not getting off the train in certain countries or regions, you’ll still see so much of the area just from your window. So if you’re keen to see of much of Europe as possible, I’d definitely recommend thinking about interrailing.

4. Cultural immersion

Unlike travelling by aeroplane and sitting in an international airport with an obligatory Starbucks, when you travel by train you’ll get a much better flavour for the culture. For one, not everything will be in English so you’ll be forced to adapt and learn more of the local language. This was especially challenging (but fun, I promise!) in Serbia with the Cyrillic alphabet.

You’ll also experience differences in the role train travel plays in different countries. For instance in Italy it’s a major highway from north to south, while in Germany the car reigns supreme and their train system isn’t as developed.

Then there’s the food – if you’re hopping off at different stations they’ll generally always have slightly different cafés, restaurants and small shops. So when you’re changing trains you’ll have the chance to sample the local cuisine as you go. We loved grabbing huge local pastries in Naples while we waited for our next train. And in Dijon we hopped off to sample some empanadas – admittedly not a local food but an opportunity to chat to the owner about his recommendations for the area. An experience we wouldn’t have had otherwise!

5. It’s slower

You might still be thinking – okay that’s great but if I could fly and be in Croatia in a couple of hours, why would I spend so much longer on a train. For me I think slower travel is actually a benefit if you can afford a longer break. Not only does it give you extra time to plan, read and generally chill out but I think it actually makes you appreciate the destination so much more.

You’ll arrive relaxed with no airport stress hanging over you, ready to enter holiday/travel mode having seen some great views along the way. Need I say more!

With that, I hope you have a better understanding of exactly what interrailing is, the pass options and how it works. Plus, a little insight into why interrailing is a great option for your next holiday or travel adventure. Happy travelling!

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