How to plan a multi-stop Interrail train trip across Europe with kids

07/02/2023


Interrailing



As some of you may know last year I took my boys on of the best adventures we have had so far, a multi-country interrail train trip around Europe. We managed to visit 5 different countries over the span of 3 weeks and travelled on multiple trains including high-speed, intercities, local trains and even a sleeper train and we had a blast, from start to finish. 

This wasn't my first experience of Interrailing, I had done it before having kids so I had some idea of the importance of checking if you needed reservations prior to boarding or checking in advance if there was even space on a sleeper train as these regularly sell out weeks beforehand. 


What is an Interrail Pass?

In a nutshell, it's a train ticket that allows you to travel on almost all trains in Europe, with access to 40 railway & ferry companies across 33 countries. If you plan to do a multi-country trip in Europe it's the most convenient and cost-efficient way to go about it. However some trains, especially high-speed and intercities require an additional seat reservation at an additional cost - this cost will be a lot less than a standard ticket and on our trip, these supplements ranged from €3 to €44 per person - although the €44 was for our private couchette on a sleeper train but to give a little more context our supplement for the Eurostar was €30, while Eurostar tickets normally cost around €150 for one way. Many of the trains however don't require any booking or reservations and you literally just jump on and show your ticket to the train guard when they come around. 


Who is an Interrail Pass for?

Anyone or any age, living in Europe can use an Interrail pass! Some people seem to think that Interrailing is just for students, but this simply isn't the case. They offer passes for all ages including children (under 12's get a free pass with a parent), Youth (12-27yrs),  Adults and Seniors (60+).  They also have 2nd and 1st class options.


Florence Italy


Which pass should I pick

The main two options are a Global Pass (valid in 33 European countries) or a One Country Pass - so this all depends on your personal needs and if you plan on visiting 2 or more countries, the Global pass will be best suited. 

Secondly, you need a rough idea of how many travel days you require - a travel day allows you unlimited travel within that one day. The most popular Global pass is the 7 travel days within 1 month which is perfect for visiting around 6 destinations. The one we used was 10 travel days within 2 months, although we used 9 of those 10 travel days in 3 weeks - so it's all down to your personal needs. 


1. Research & familiarise yourself with the European Rail Network

One of the first things you want to do is download a PDF of the European Rail Network, there is one on the Interrail website and this will also include the Ferry routes included in the pass. This will give you an idea of connections and what routes are actually possible. I would also highly recommend checking out the website "Man in Seat 61" which offers a fantastic insight into different routes including photos of the different trains, times and expected costs. (if you not interrailing) 


2. Decided together what your Must-Visit destinations are

As this was very much a family trip, I made sure to involve my boys in the planning stages and try and fit in everyone's wishlist in terms of destinations, of course, you can't do it all so we wrote down what destinations were non-negotiable and which ones were flexible. As interrailing can be quite demanding on one physically (negotiating trains and stations with heavy luggage can be a lot at times) so ensuring everyone was happy with the final route was important to me. 

We knew we wanted to visit the Cinque Terre & Rome as well as any German city, this alone gave me a base to work from. I put together 3 different routes, took into account time spent on the trains, accommodation costs etc & slowly eliminated 2 of the routes before settling on our final one. 


3. Use the Interrail App and Website planner

Even if you are not Interrailing and simply looking at train times or routes, the Interrail website/app has a fantastic planner, providing up-to-date rail times, routes, transfers and how to buy tickets and seat reservations - this will be key in your planning. Bahn.com is also useful for train times, platforms and night jet tickets. 


4. Take advantage of Interrail discounts

Not only does Interrail give you access to thousands of train routes across Europe, but it also provides some pretty useful discounts with its travel partners - these include discounts for tours, attractions and accommodation. We made use of their 10% off at Meininger Hostels which was a nice extra saving. 


Hostel in Rome
Our private family room in a hostel in Rome


5. Extra tips on booking budget-friendly accommodation

We stayed in a combination of backpackers and hostels, a self-catering apartment and budget-friendly hotels during our trip. My budget was £100 per night for all of us, preferably with breakfast, location was important as I didn't want to be pulling heavy luggage across a city with two children so it had to be central. Some places came in as low as £50 and others were £120 per night but on average came in on budget and doing plenty of research on each play before staying meant that we were really happy with all of our choices.

Firstly sign up to booking.com for free membership - it offers 10% off to members on tons of hotels & properties and use topcashback alongside your booking as you get around 4% cash back on every booking. I also used an app called Hopper for one of my bookings as it offered me a joining voucher and the best-discounted price. I also used Hostelworld website but it's always worth checking the price on Hostelworld as well as direct with the hostel as sometimes booking direct you get the best rate. 

I have heard about people having issues while interrailing and 99% of the time it was due to a lack of planning or making sure if a reservation was needed. Interrailing is a fantastic experience that I would recommend to everyone but do take your time to plan your route as much as you can before you go. 


Interrail Europe

* Disclaimer - Interrail provided us adult and youth pass (children under 12 are free) however every other element of the trip - accommodation, food, activities, supplements and reservations were covered by myself. 



21 comments:

  1. Oh wow it looks like you had so much fun. I love traveling with an Interrail pass.

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  2. This has been something i have been thinking of (to myself) for some time now...what an adventure with the kids!

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  3. We love to travel by train and find it a lot less stressful as well, although it is usually my husband who sorts travel arrangements

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  4. I have been planning my Europe adventure fro a long time. This is the best timing to know about Interrail Pass.

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  5. I go to europe yearly, I love it!!! I've never heard of Interrail pass, it seems awesome!

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  6. This sounds like so much fun. My kids have never been on a train but I need to change that!

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  7. This is something my family and I are planning to do. Thanks for the great information.

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  8. It sounds like this would make a fun family adventure. I'd probably stick to hotels though and find a deal.

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  9. It's totally different traveling with little ones but great tips here. I'm sure this will be so helpful for parents.

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  10. Although I travelled a lot during my childhood and took a gap year between school and university, I do still regret never having interrailed around Europe! Especially as I love trains! THanks for clarifying that the Interrail pass is not only for students but available to anyone, I didn't realise! Also good to learn that it gives discounts to travel partners as well. Perhaps it's something we will finally book in our 50s!

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  11. Thanks for sharing your guide, this sounds great. I love to travel by train and this sounds very appealing!

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  12. I love tis post and cannot wait to get over to Europe for a visit! We will hit Portugal and Spain first as I found out via a DNA test that I have 28% Iberian in me and I had absolutely no idea!

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  13. I've been contemplating on buying an Interrail pass since quite some time now. The only issue is that the long-haul high-speed trains are not covered in it and I'm unsure if I'll be able to plan a trip without it. Good to know that the supplement is not as expensive as I thought it would be. Combining Italy & Germany in one trip is quite interesting. Thanks for sharing the expenses of the accommodations as well. I should go ahead and buy one.

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  14. We love to travel by train in Europe and often don’t even think of renting a car. And our kids just loved train travel. We have checked on Interrail Passes before and it did not fit for our travel plans. But we would certainly check for each trip. And always goose a reservation to know we had a seat picked. Fun to involve the kids in planning the stops and things to see along the way. Good to know that there are also discounts for travel partners. All great reasons to travel by train in Europe with kids.

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  15. I am from Germany and when I was young, interrailing through Europe was the thing you did, when you turned 18 (or, if your parents let you travel alone earlier). I like it, that Interrail came back in a more mature and organized version. And acutally I would love to go on another interrail trip through Europe. Great that it is a good option for families too.

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  16. It sounds like Interrail has changed a lot since I last did it, during my student years. It's great to know that now the passes are for adults as well, and that they also offer discounts at their accommodation partners. That is definitely very useful. The app with the planner is a great idea as well, that didn't exist back in my student years. I remember that the planner was a paper map with all the routes the Interrail covered.

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  17. Puloma Bhattacharya14 February 2023 at 15:44

    Interrail pass looks like an awesome way to travel to different countries across Europe and allows you to ride from highspeed, intercities to sleeper trains. I think buying a global pass is definitely a good idea if you want to travel to more than one country.And having access to 40 railway and ferry companies across 33 countries seems like good deal especially for those traveling with kids under 12 years of age.Also the interrail app provides all the information on rail routes, transfers, buying, tickets and seat reservation in advance .Also availing the interrail discounts for booking tours and accommodations looks feasible to me.

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  18. Puloma Bhattacharya14 February 2023 at 15:45

    Interrail pass looks like an awesome way to travel to different countries across Europe and allows you to ride from highspeed, intercities to sleeper trains. I think buying a global pass is definitely a good idea if you want to travel to more than one country.And having access to 40 railway and ferry companies across 33 countries seems like good deal especially for those traveling with kids under 12 years of age.Also the interrail app provides all the information on rail routes, transfers, buying, tickets and seat reservation in advance .Also availing the interrail discounts for booking tours and accommodations looks feasible to me.

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  19. Your family trip was awesome! The experience of interrailing seems fantastic and convenient. Your advice is quite useful because I haven't had an interrail pass before. Much appreciated!

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  20. This sounds exciting! We enjoy traveling by train and the thought of being able to visit multiple countries is such an adventure. Will find time to check the resources you shared and start planning. Bookmarking your post for future reference.

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  21. I think it would be wonderful to explore Europe by train. We had the opportunity to use the trains a little in Spain and in France. It is a very efficient way to travel and enjoy the scenery at the same time. You have great tips for finding budget accommodations too -- so important when traveling with children especially.

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Lovely comments

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