Thinking of doing a 2-3 week trip round Europe - not a fan of flying

[DanielDeronda]

I went inter railing many moons ago, after my A-levels, & now in my 50s would like to do something similar.

I want to try & visit as many new countries as possible, did London-Paris-Nice-Rome-Copenhagen- Amsterdam--London, in about 3wks.

I love Italy, France, not really done Spain or Portugal except for day trips watching Liverpool.

But zim looking at an itinerary with other new countries.

What sort of tickets available? And could anyone recommend an itinerary? My previous trip was on a strict budget, hostels, overnight trains. Now I have a higher income, can splash the cash a bit on more luxury.

Need something to look forward to in the summer.

 

[jfollows]

Interrail.eu | 1 rail pass, 33 countries

Travel across Europe and discover 33 countries by train with Interrail. Enjoy the best rail travel experience in Europe with our Interrail Pass!

www.interrail.eu

 

[rvdborgt]

Also recommended:

InterRail pass guide | How InterRail passes work | Prices, how to buy a pass

How to use an InterRail train pass to explore Europe. How do InterRail passes work? InterRail pass or point-to-point tickets? When must you make train reservations with an InterRail pass. InterRail types & prices. Buy your InterRail train pass online

www.seat61.com

 

[mad_rich]

I love Italy, France, not really done Spain or Portugal except for day trips watching Liverpool.

When people ask about Interrail, my usual advice is to avoid it if you're going to France, Spain and Italy! You'll need reservations for most trains you want to take i those countries, sometimes quite pricey - especially international ones - and sometimes a right pain to get. (Portugal too, but less of a problem)

That's not to say don't use a pass there, but I would be much more inclined to advise it for going east.

Interrail has some good suggested itineraries, which you can use for inspiration. But another option is to just book the Eurostar to Brussels and play it by ear. That is one of the benefits of the pass after all

Trip ideas

Get inspired for your Interrail adventure with recommended train routes and insider tips to Europe's most popular cities.

www.interrail.eu

 

[The exile]

My 50th birthday treat for myself ended up as Interrail Milan - Zurich - Belgrade - Bar - Belgrade - Budapest - Bratislava - Prague - Nuremberg - Berlin (a few years ago now). I flew the start and home legs from/ to the Uk, but no need to.

 

[30907]

Remember you now get two days' included travel in GB to get across the channel - not so good from Reading, but...

 

[43096]

Remember you now get two days' included travel in GB to get across the channel - not so good from Reading, but...

But those two days are part of your overall allowance. Unless you can use them along with a decent segment in Europe they are a waste of a day's travel - mainland European railways are far more enjoyable!

 

[nwales58]

If using Interrail this time, I find travelling around on spec rather than fully pre-planned good. You can adapt to the weather.

Consider n days in 1/2 month pass if you don’t want to feel you have to use it every day.

TGVs in France cost Eur 10 or 20 supplement, Frecce in Italy 13, OK to go a long way but expensive otherwise.

But Regional trains in Italy only cost Eur 35 for a 3 day pass, 59 for 5 days (excluding Lombardy), much cheaper than an Interrail day. So I’d use s 4 day Interrail to get there then a regional pass.

 

[dutchflyer]

As noted-same topic comes up here so many times:
1.try to avoid, if at all possible, main summer season: overcrowded, hot, also a beloved time, long daylight to do all kind of repairs and trackworks by the railways=making disturbance and put you in rail-replace buses
2.there are usually 2-3 x in the yr sales for that pass-giving a % off, there is no need to buy the pass many monthes advance, but esp. for UK=GB: making the REServ on that €* in/out of that island cannot be left till too late=´sold out´ for the quotum
3.also the far north: NO - SE - FI-quite good train systems, comfy, need to REServe all seats for the IC-trains, but often easy to do via www
4.for those so inclined: try to make use of the Overnight trains in couchette (cheap dorm) or sleeper, NightJet (run by OeBB= Austrian) best known, Eastern EUR also still has a fair lot, Seat61 is a good source of info, and using passdays is then a true bargain: only day of dep. counts
5.for those serious intending to make as many miles/KMs as can do and on the cheap, also to visit various other transpo systems: a combo of a Pass with X days in a month + some local cheap daypasses/or whatever is likely then best choice
6.for those having more €€ and thinking it may be worth it: those freebees one gets in 1st on exBR/ATOC are NOT usual on the continent. Some systems-IF they have them at all, will even bar you from using their specific lounges. Many local/regional trains only will have 2nd cl anyway.
Its also fairly tipical then to be seated among crowds of shouting Americans who all believe that only 1st cl passes could even be considered if one only dare to stay in Hilton or Sheraton HTLs-if just for the mileage one then gets
7.there is also a long time running forum from EU/INterrial itself: community.eurail, that answers all the common Qs one tends to have and is esp good for 1st time and uncertain users

 

[rf_ioliver]

3.also the far north: NO - SE - FI-quite good train systems, comfy, need to REServe all seats for the IC-trains, but often easy to do via www

At least for Finland, the seat reservation is in the basic price. If you do travel and take a longer journey (2h+) then I recommend playing the extra for either the seating area about the restaurant car, or, for the Extra class (quiet area). Use the VR app for travel - everything is electronic here more or less. Food can be ordered to the seat via the app.

 

[Watershed]

But those two days are part of your overall allowance. Unless you can use them along with a decent segment in Europe they are a waste of a day's travel - mainland European railways are far more enjoyable!

Even if not enjoyable (and I entirely agree on that) it can still work out a lot cheaper to use the Interrail domestic days for the UK element of your travel.

Especially so for the OP given they will be using Eurostar, where the cost/value of a day's Interrail validity plus passholder fare generally adds up to considerably less than the public fare.

 

[rvdborgt]

3.also the far north: NO - SE - FI-quite good train systems, comfy, need to REServe all seats for the IC-trains, but often easy to do via www

In Finland, pass reservations can only be done at the ticket office (as far as they still exist) or by phone.

At least for Finland, the seat reservation is in the basic price.

Pass reservations however now cost a shameless 25% of the available regular price, which can become quite expensive.

 

[peteb]

My advice would be consider a continuous inter-rail if you're going for an extended period & want to be flexible about travel days. Otherwise you'll be torn between using a valuable travel day, staying put or paying extra to travel. Travelling on local or regional trains is a great way to really see a country and meet people. Of course EC and IC trains are needed to cover long distances and you usually have to reserve these before the day of travel which can limit flexibility.

Having said that I did a great inter-rail trip last year using a mix of a global pass (gets you to and from the continent for €30 supplement on Eurostar from anywhere on mainland GB), and the DB monthly pass (easy to buy online and cancel subscription see other threads).

Agree that inter-rail is frustrating in Iberia as virtually everything in Spain required a reservation as do IC and AP trains in Portugal. However scenic routes like the Duoro take it reservation free, so inter-rail is brilliant for a few days there. But getting to Portugal by train is a lengthy process!!

If you don't like flying the option to pop back to the UK every now and then isn't an option. I found that really helpful however because I could go a long way to eg: to Romania by train but avoid retracing my route on the return. Flying also can deposit you somewhere far away with the aim of getting back to UK by rail.

I'd definitely use Swiss trains on inter-rail as they are so expensive otherwise, and it is possible to stay cheaply in Italy, Germany or France and do big circular day trips to Switzerland using inter-rail. The major scenic routes are valid and second class is perfect for those except maybe at the height of summer or peak ski season.

For Italy I'd just buy tickets on the Trenitalia website. It's quite interesting to use and you can get find great routes, roundabout routes and select trains which might be loco hauled if that's your thing. I tended only to buy in advance for longer journeys eg: Arrezo to Naples, everything else on the day.

Enjoy your travels!

 

[otter11]

For what it's worth, if you did want to do Spain/Portugal - we did this in September using interrail and had a great time! Lots of slow trains getting to Portugal but it is quite an adventure.

Outbound we went via Vigo and the line from there into northern Portugal. On the return we came back from Lisbon via Badajoz. Both routes are explained well on the Seat61 website.

Yes almost all Spanish trains need reservations, but for MD and regional trains these are very cheap or free and we found it super easy getting all the reservations done at the ticket office in Barcelona Sants. I just clearly wrote a list of all the reservations needed, and it was done in around 5 minutes. The clerk at the ticket office spoke perfect English. Appreciate in busy times of summer some of the trains may well sell out.

Even getting to Barcelona you can save some money on reservations by getting the Nuit couchette train to the Spanish border (saving 1 night of accommodation too) and this adds to the adventure further!

If you do decide to do this and want further advice feel free to PM me

 

[185]

Sometimes flying (usually about for £10) means we get to see more by train without the messing around of Eurostar and running across Paris. I get it... flying is not for everyone, but we've got to see so much more, and saved so much time and cash because of it. We did Gibraltar-UK and Athens-UK by land in the last couple of years, albeit starting off with the airborne equivalent of Megabus.

 

[Route115?]

Benelux, Germany & Switzerland are Interail friendly. Sadly German trains aren't that reliable these days so allow extrea time but i would suggest something along the lines:

London - Amsterdam possibly stopping at Brussels

Amsterdam - Switzerland via Germany, plenty of stopover possibilities - Cologne, Berlin, Munich, etc. One word of warning, not all German private operators accept Interrail, though many do. I wanted to travel along the Rhine using the old route between Mainz & Cologne. The ICs now use the far less scenic east bank route for much of the journey so I thought I would try to local service from Mainz to Koblenz it it appeared that Interrail wasn't valid. (I'm happy to take advice on this & the best way to make the journey if anyone knows better.)

You do not have to pay a supplement on ICE trains in Belgium or the Netherlands but you do when travelling by Eurostar (what used to be Thalys).

Spend a lot of time in Switzerland - the railways are really good & there are plenty of scenic routes and the seats line up with the windows! You could spend a week there and only scratch the surface. Interrail is also valid on most (not all) Swiss private railways.

Switzerland - Italy, plenty of options, I would recommend the Gottard mountain route (use the SOB) & also the Bernina line.

I haven't travelled much in Italy or Eastern Europe, others can offer advice.

Once you have paid the Eurostar fare there should not be any additional charges, except possibly for Italy

Do your research. The interrail site & seat61.com offer a lot of advice.

I would recommend Interrail - why not treat yourself and travel first if you can afford it.

 

[railfan99]

As noted-same topic comes up here so many times:
1.try to avoid, if at all possible, main summer season: overcrowded, hot, also a beloved time, long daylight to do all kind of repairs and trackworks by the railways=making disturbance and put you in rail-replace buses
2.there are usually 2-3 x in the yr sales for that pass-giving a % off, there is no need to buy the pass many monthes advance, but esp. for UK=GB: making the REServ on that €* in/out of that island cannot be left till too late=´sold out´ for the quotum

I believe the next Interrail and Eurailpass sale commences on 11 March 2025.

Agree re avoiding summer. Far better to travel in May or especially September if you can arrange.

Why not consider the overnight train from Milan to Sicily's Palermo or Syracuse? This is a 20 hour trip that gives you Europe's last remaining train ferry. I did it three months ago.

 

[peteb]

Do check for major holiday dates in the countries you intend to travel as these can coincide with engineering works and busy trains. For example today 22/2/25 is the start of the Dutch half term, with packed EC, IC and ICE trains headed towards Germany, Switzerland etc.

Whilst you definitely should reserve seats on ICE trains (to avoid having to stand for hours) it's often nicer to get slower but more scenic routes which aren't nearly so full.

 

[rvdborgt]

I believe the next Interrail and Eurailpass sale commences on 11 March 2025.

Eurail never publicly announce sales in advance, but I suppose you have a source for that? They often have a sale in March, so it's not surprising.

 

[DanielDeronda]

I think I've decided to ditch the multi city multi country itinerary & concentrate on 1 country.

I've done parts of most of the major Euro countries but I love Italy, but would consider Spain but maybe outside of Madrid or Barcelona. FranP

France is up there with Italy as my favourite.

I'd be looking at 2wks for trip so 3 or 4 stopovers

I'll look into the country passes & decide from there. Timing flexible so late spring or early autumn to avoid summer months.

I'm looking for a mix of culture, history, good food & sporting events.

 

[30907]

I think I've decided to ditch the multi city multi country itinerary & concentrate on 1 country.

I've done parts of most of the major Euro countries but I love Italy, but would consider Spain but maybe outside of Madrid or Barcelona. FranP

France is up there with Italy as my favourite.

I'd be looking at 2wks for trip so 3 or 4 stopovers

I'll look into the country passes & decide from there. Timing flexible so late spring or early autumn to avoid summer months.

I'm looking for a mix of culture, history, good food & sporting events.

Bear in mind that France, Spain and Italy are not terribly pass-friendly

 

[Nunners]

I think I've decided to ditch the multi city multi country itinerary & concentrate on 1 country.

I've done parts of most of the major Euro countries but I love Italy, but would consider Spain but maybe outside of Madrid or Barcelona. FranP

France is up there with Italy as my favourite.

I'd be looking at 2wks for trip so 3 or 4 stopovers

I'll look into the country passes & decide from there. Timing flexible so late spring or early autumn to avoid summer months.

I'm looking for a mix of culture, history, good food & sporting events.

Also consider the Trenitalia pass if visiting Italy. This includes a fixed number of journeys on Fecciarossa, Intercity and Intercity Notte (the sleepers) in Italy. I would highly recommend it if visiting Sicily - it's extremely good value on the sleepers (~£40/journey in your own cabin).

 

[trei2k]

Eurail never publicly announce sales in advance, but I suppose you have a source for that? They often have a sale in March, so it's not surprising.

Zugpost.org has a nice page with all the historical sales and details: https://zugpost.org/interrail-sale/. (In German)

Recent sales (translated via Google translate from Zugpost.org):

November 2024: Save & Donate Sale
July 2024: Summer Sale
February 2024: Spring Sale
November 2023: Save & Donate Sale
March 2023: Spring Sale
December 2022: Winter Sale
November 2022: Black Friday
Sale May 2022: 50 years of Interrail
December 2021: Winter Sale
November 2021: Black Friday Sale

It will be interesting to see if there is another sale soon!

 

[railfan99]

Eurail never publicly announce sales in advance, but I suppose you have a source for that? They often have a sale in March, so it's not surprising.

Yes, I have a reliable source, but not sure how he knows.

 

[rvdborgt]

Yes, I have a reliable source, but not sure how he knows.

I think all resellers are notified in advance so they can prepare. NMBS/SNCB sometimes published a product sheet in advance, but that always got taken offline once Eurail noticed.

 

[DanielDeronda]

I've narrowed down the cities I'd like to visit. I'm a vegetarian so it's important that vegetarian food options are available, outside of pizza & pasta..

So in no particular order

TURIN
MILAN
FLORENCE
ROME
NAPLES
SICILY
BARI (PUGLIA REGION)

I roughly know the geography of Italy that Turin, Milan & Florence are all in Northern Italy & the others in the South.

I'd be looking at a 2-3 week trip. What would be the best way to structure my itinerary so I get the most from the Trenitalia pass? Think would be best to go to Turin first

And are there any nice day trips from any of these cities?

 

[Watershed]

I've narrowed down the cities I'd like to visit. I'm a vegetarian so it's important that vegetarian food options are available, outside of pizza & pasta..

So in no particular order

TURIN
MILAN
FLORENCE
ROME
NAPLES
SICILY
BARI (PUGLIA REGION)

I roughly know the geography of Italy that Turin, Milan & Florence are all in Northern Italy & the others in the South.

I'd be looking at a 2-3 week trip. What would be the best way to structure my itinerary so I get the most from the Trenitalia pass? Think would be best to go to Turin first

And are there any nice day trips from any of these cities?

For Bari I can highly recommend a visit to Polignano a Mare, around 20-30 minutes east along the coast. You get gorgeous cliff-top views after meandering through the maze of narrow pedestrian streets. It's almost more beautiful (and probably busier) after sunset.

The city of Bari itself doesn't have that much of interest, but it isn't a bad place to be based for a few days as there are plenty of interesting private railways in the region. Rather limited timetables on some of them, mind.

Matera is definitely also worth a visit, an archetypical old Italian hillside town. Ostuni and Alberobello too; the latter is designated a UNESCO World Heritage site for its trulli (domed white houses).

 

[nwales58]

And are there any nice day trips from any of these cities?

You know Italy ... there'll be more than you can do in 3 weeks.

Milan area: loads of discussion in other threads recently.

South of Florence I'd go via Siena.

But then there are the lines through the mountains: (Perugia-)Spoleto-Terni-L'Aquila-Sulmona with the odd train down to Cassino to get to Naples. Beware there are a few non-Trenitalia services, Umbria in particular. A lot depends on the weather.

Random suggestions in the south. Caserta, just outside Naples: the Reggia and its infinity view are a statement of how grand the Bourbons once were. Heading south from Naples, Paestum, south of Salerno with station close to the site, is Herculaneum but without the crowds. For narrow gauge amusement, FdC from Cosenza (how many NG platforms?) up to Rogliano (worth wandering up to the Duomo) or however far it's operating.

From Sicily up to Bari consider stopping in Taranto. Don't be depressed by the road from the station, once you're on the island (Borgo Antico) get into the back streets. Although Castello Aragonese tells you to pre-register (it's military, needs your passport), I've gone in at the start of a tour time without, successfully.

As well as Matera etc above, Brindisi worth a wander, and Lecce more so. If away from the main lines beware FSE although now part of Trenitalia does not (or did not) accept Trenitalia passes.

Average hotels get grottier as you get south of Naples but some are nice.

 

[railfan99]

Milan, Turin and to a lesser extent Rome have excellent trams - a great way to see the cities. The Robert Schwand Urban Rail (dot) net site has details of these , plus the metros.

Milan has a reputation for being "unsafe" - I didn't find it so.