Interrail Planning Made Easy(ish)
Ok, so you've just bought an Interrail pass (or Eurail if you're from outside Europe).
What now?
As liberating as the whole concept of the pass is (hop on whenever you want! flexibility! trains, woo!) please don't count on just "figuring it out" when you get there. The pass does have some restrictions and hoops you need to jump through depending which country you're in (hey France, what's good?)
In addition to this - Europe is big by the way! Take the Hamburg to Vienna route for example. Yes, Germany and Austria look right next to each other on the map, but it's gonna cost you a 12-hour overnight train plus reservation fees if you fancy having a bed for the duration.
When your pass comes through the post it comes with a handy wee map of the train network which I honestly found really helpful as a guide on what was possible. Also it's kind of analogue and retro which fits the theme of a train trip, love it.
Study this map - it will give you an idea of the most direct train routes between destinations which is crucial for keeping transfers down to a minimum. I've found transfers to be unnecessary points of failure, which can eat into your time in a big way and also get you stuck in Milan when you're dressed for Switzerland - a recipe for sweat and bad hair. AVOID.
The map helped me tie together some of my must-see destinations with others along the way I wouldn't have thought of. Need to get from Salzburg to Paris - where can I stop on the way? Basel. Boom, simples.
You'll also need to think about timings, as some routes only run once a day and it's never fun to arrive somewhere new in the middle of the night. I used the official Rail Planner app for this and I'm not exaggerating when I say it was literally my lifeline throughout the trip.
Some more great Interrail planning resources:
The Man in Seat 61 - this guy trains. Loads of info on train routes, reservations, rail companies - a literal train traveller's bible.
Interrail Planner - lets you chart your route on the map in such a visually satisfying way. You can also tell it how many nights you'll be spending in each location so you can plan your time out pretty efficiently.
Interrail Reservations Portal - some journeys will require you to make a reservation, it's almost unavoidable. Much of this can be done online, although some tickets will need to be posted out to you (like for the ÖBB Nightjet I took), so make sure you check the official guidance and leave plenty of time in advance to make these arrangements.
Once you've done your initial route planning, you need to think about where you're going to sleep. In my next post, we're gonna talk about hostels.
Thanks for reading guys, see you next time!
Tierney 😘
What now?
As liberating as the whole concept of the pass is (hop on whenever you want! flexibility! trains, woo!) please don't count on just "figuring it out" when you get there. The pass does have some restrictions and hoops you need to jump through depending which country you're in (hey France, what's good?)
In addition to this - Europe is big by the way! Take the Hamburg to Vienna route for example. Yes, Germany and Austria look right next to each other on the map, but it's gonna cost you a 12-hour overnight train plus reservation fees if you fancy having a bed for the duration.
When your pass comes through the post it comes with a handy wee map of the train network which I honestly found really helpful as a guide on what was possible. Also it's kind of analogue and retro which fits the theme of a train trip, love it.
The map helped me tie together some of my must-see destinations with others along the way I wouldn't have thought of. Need to get from Salzburg to Paris - where can I stop on the way? Basel. Boom, simples.
You'll also need to think about timings, as some routes only run once a day and it's never fun to arrive somewhere new in the middle of the night. I used the official Rail Planner app for this and I'm not exaggerating when I say it was literally my lifeline throughout the trip.
Some more great Interrail planning resources:
The Man in Seat 61 - this guy trains. Loads of info on train routes, reservations, rail companies - a literal train traveller's bible.
Interrail Planner - lets you chart your route on the map in such a visually satisfying way. You can also tell it how many nights you'll be spending in each location so you can plan your time out pretty efficiently.
Interrail Reservations Portal - some journeys will require you to make a reservation, it's almost unavoidable. Much of this can be done online, although some tickets will need to be posted out to you (like for the ÖBB Nightjet I took), so make sure you check the official guidance and leave plenty of time in advance to make these arrangements.
Once you've done your initial route planning, you need to think about where you're going to sleep. In my next post, we're gonna talk about hostels.
Thanks for reading guys, see you next time!
Tierney 😘
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