What Is Interrail and How Do You Do It? - Interrail Tour

Does the idea of setting off to explore Europe appeal to you too? How about combining this trip with a lovely, lovely train journey? Everyone says something about this, and it's hard not to get confused! In this post, while telling you about the Europe tour I did with a 22-day unlimited Interrail ticket, I'll talk about the points you should pay attention to when it comes to Interrail.

The Interrail Decision

Our sentences that went "we'll start from Rome, then we'll see Paris, Barcelona, Ibiza" feel like yesterday. With tips for first-timers, here's my Interrail adventure!

Imagine you're setting off on a trip and you'll travel around almost half of Europe. I thought I'd either do it with the energy of my first year at university or, what with internships and the career struggle, I'd hardly manage it. Of course, going alone at just 20 takes courage. So I tell friends from school, and almost everyone says let's do it, "We'll do this, we'll go that way"... Of course, once things get serious, not many people are left. Finally May comes and summer plans were becoming clear. I was going to do summer school. Oğuzhan and Kağan said we'll go after summer school, and the first excitement and first plans had begun.

You fill up with a different, fluttering excitement. Admittedly, 5 years have passed, and on every trip I'm always excited and curious as if it were my first, but this trip is special.

After my America Work&Travel experience in summer 2011, convincing my family about the Interrail trip had been quite hard. I was the rightful and happy winner of a struggle that lasted about a month. Well, Oğuzhan was in Eskişehir and Kağan in İzmir, so making the plan from a distance would be hard. In phone calls we settled the cities we wanted to go to. The rest, like building the route, booking hostels and how many days to stay where, was left to me. :) For some reason I can say that ever since I was little I've been obsessively particular about plans and schedules.

What Is Interrail?

It's a common ticket for travellers, created through an agreement between Europe's state railway operators and some private railway companies. So what are the advantages of Interrail, and what does it give us?

• Interrail takes us travellers to the places we dream of in Europe economically, and gives the freedom to go wherever you want by train.
• Using just 1 train ticket, you can experience Europe's important tourist sights, cities and beaches.
• While discovering new cultures, food and architecture, it lets you get to know different cultures! :)

We can say the Interrail journey, giving the freedom to stop at any station you like and the chance to create your own story, is the best option for us independent travellers thirsty for adventure.

In short, it's a train ticket you need to buy, valid in 30 countries on the European continent on the dates you choose. A way of travelling in which you can visit these 30 countries by paying for a single ticket.

Which Countries Is Interrail Valid In

When you buy the Interrail ticket, they give you a booklet with a map of Europe's railway lines and the countries where it's valid. Let's still write the valid countries here:

Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Croatia, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy, Montenegro, Luxembourg, Hungary, the Republic of Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Greece. You can also look at the valid countries I mentioned above on the map.

Note: If you want to visit England, Scotland and Ireland, since the Schengen Visa isn't valid in these countries, you need to apply for a separate visa.

What Do You Need to Buy an Interrail Ticket?

Actually, the only condition for buying a ticket is having a passport. If you have a passport, the only remaining condition to buy the ticket and travel freely in European countries is that you need to get a Schengen Visa.

Interrail Ticket First or Schengen Visa First?

There's no single right answer here. In 2012, our situation was like this:

Since I have a green passport, honestly I never had to deal with these things. But Oğuzhan and Kağan first bought the Interrail ticket and then applied for Schengen. As I said, do whichever makes sense to you. But having an Interrail ticket when you go to the visa application is an advantage. By the way, Interrail tickets aren't limited in number, and they don't run out. Rest easy about that.

Where Do You Buy an Interrail Ticket?

Various places in Turkey can sell Interrail tickets. My suggestion is to buy your Interrail tickets through TCDD or the company Gençtur. You can buy safely from either. In our day the youth age limit was 26; nowadays ages 12-27 are grouped as youth, 28-59 as adult and over 60 as senior.

I'd also like to announce here that I'll be doing my second Interrail tour in the spring-summer of 2018. This time I didn't buy my tickets in Turkey. Official site: I bought it there with a 15% discount, and they delivered the ticket by courier. Don't have doubts about buying online: the ticket reached me from way over there in a short time, about 1 week.

How Much Should an Interrail Budget Be?

Of course, as with every choice on every trip, the budget will vary from person to person. Since expensive-cheap criteria change with living standards and travel preferences change too, it's inevitable that the Interrail budget changes as well. But generally, since you visit many countries in a very short time, even during the trip you get better at managing a limited budget over time. You create alternatives for some things you bought more freely at first, you learn cheaper supermarkets. Or you meet new people and cut accommodation costs by staying at their homes... Still, even though it varies from person to person, I definitely suggest making a rough plan in advance.

The ticket prices you see above go up a little every year. For example, in 2012 I bought the 22-day continuous ticket for 322€. Looking at prices now, they've risen to around 385€. Not to mention exchange rate changes. On top of all this, there's an opportunity you shouldn't miss: if your Interrail decision for the next year is firm, take advantage of the Interrail ticket discount held between October and November.

How Can You Get an Interrail Ticket Cheaply?

Looking at the table with Interrail ticket prices below, let's assume you bought the ticket for travelling 5 days within 15 days, valid between 1 and 15 June. This means that within these 15 days you can travel by train using your ticket on any 5 days you like. This choice can vary from plan to plan. I'd advise you to buy whichever ticket fits your travel plan best.

What matters here is buying a ticket that fits your start and end dates. You need to set the start date as the date you'll make your first train journey rather than the date your trip begins. For example, I arrived in Rome on 16 August 2012. After visiting Rome for 3 days we were going to move on to Florence. So I started my Interrail ticket on 19 August. With Flex tickets, for example when getting on the train to Florence, you need to write the date you're using the train and the train number on your Interrail ticket. That's all there is to the Flex ticket! :)

Another way to get the ticket cheaply, if you'll be travelling within one country, is to use the All Interrail One Country Pass option. Here prices vary from country to country. For single-country tickets there are 3 days in 1 month, 4 days in 1 month, 6 days in 1 month and 8 days in 1 month tickets.

Ticket prices for 6 days and 8 days in 1 month, as of November 2017:

You can find current ticket prices by clicking the link.

Where Can I Find Train Times?

For this there's a wonderful app that didn't exist in our day: RailPlanner.

Now with this app you can make travel plans quite easily. If you like, you can click the link to look at trains' departure-arrival times, or you can build your plan by ordering the timetable book for December-June or July-November trains from the link, or by downloading the most preferred method, the RailPlanner app, to your iPhone or Android phone.

Can We Use the Interrail Ticket Only on Trains?

In 2012 we bought a plane ticket to get from Barcelona to Ibiza. Back then we couldn't use the Interrail ticket on ferries, but over time the Interrail ticket expanded its reach so much that it can now be used on most ferries too. For detailed information on which ferries you can use it on, I'm leaving the link here.

Above, the One Country Pass tickets have a Greek Islands option. So apart from trains we can use it on certain ferry routes too. For example, you can also use it between Stockholm and Helsinki. You can check the ferries you can use on the Interrail map, updated every year. Apart from ferries, you can also use it in some museums or on buses. You can see the details in the 'Benefits' section of the "RailPlanner" app.

What Is the Reservation Fee and Where Do You Pay It?

We've come to the most annoying part of the Interrail ticket. Another part you pay for besides the price of the ticket is the reservation fee, that is, the reservation charge. For this fee, paid most often on night trains, I can give an example like this:

Let's say you'll go from Amsterdam to Stuttgart by night train. Night trains reach their destination in 7-8 hours. Night train codes are usually named CNL (City Night Line), and an additional payment is needed. So where did this extra fee come from? Besides people using Interrail tickets, local people living in the country use these trains too, so a specific seat is reserved for you. The reservation fee paid for this starts at 1-2€ and can go up to 30-40€. You need to be sharp on this part. :)

Here's what we did: we arrived in Paris and we'd move on to Brussels 2 days later. As soon as we arrived in Paris, we'd find out at the train station about the train to Brussels 2 days later and make a reservation. Of course, we'd try our luck by telling the clerk we didn't want to pay an "extra reservation fee", and if needed we'd ask about the possibility of going without paying on a journey 1-2 hours longer. Over 29 days, the amount I paid, including night trains, came to 70€. I don't know about other examples, but I think it's a good figure. Because on night trains I chose the sleeper carriage. That way I didn't pay for a hostel either. :)

In the general logic of the Interrail ticket, there's no seat set aside for you. You can get on any train you like, but since no seat is set aside for you, if the train is full you can be taken off it. If you want to reserve a seat for yourself on the routes you want to go, by paying the reservation fee you can sit in that seat without any fear of being moved.

Where Can I Make a Reservation?

As I said in the point above, you can easily do this at train stations. Nowadays you can also do it on websites. But my suggestion is to go and talk face to face! Maybe you can reach your destination by a different route without paying.

You can find the reservation fees of some trains, though not all, at the link. The information written there isn't definite, but generally the fees listed are what's paid. In short, there's no definite solution without going to the ticket office and finding out. Our post Interrail route planning, where we explain it in detail, is waiting for you.

Can an Interrail Ticket Be Cancelled or Refunded?

If you bought a discounted ticket, just like with plane tickets, you can't cancel. The ticket goes in the bin. But if you bought the ticket without a discount, you can get your ticket price back minus 15%. You can apply for cancellation up to 1 month after the ticket's expiry date and get back 85% of the ticket price.

For example, you have an Interrail ticket valid until 15 August. But let's say some problems came up and you couldn't use the ticket and travel. You can apply by 15 September and get back 85% of the ticket price.

Last Day of the Train Ticket - How Can You Use It on the Last Day?

Normally, the ticket starts at 00.00 on its first day of use and its use ends at 23.59 on the evening of its expiry date. But say the train leaves at 19.00 in the evening and will reach your destination before 04.00 in the morning. In cases like this your ticket can be used. So your ticket, whose use would normally end at 23.59 on the evening of 15 August, can be used on a train that leaves at 20.00 and reaches your destination by 03.59.

If it's 04.00, the ticket can't be used. So fill in the date part paying attention to the day of the arrival time. To avoid conceding a goal at the last moment of the trip, I suggest paying as much attention as possible to this.

Using Night Trains - Writing Them on a Flexible Ticket

When doing Interrail, night trains are the smartest way to save money on accommodation and time.

If your ticket is a Flex ticket, that is 5 days in 15 days, or 7, 10 or 15 days in 1 month, there's a 19-4 rule you need to follow. So how should you apply this rule, and what's the most sensible way to use it?

If you get on a night train after 19.00 and arrive at your destination without changing before 04.00, you need to write the date you got on. If in the same way you get on the train after 19.00 and get off after 04.00 in the morning, you need to write the next day's date.

Let's reinforce this with a small example. You got on the train at 22.30 on the evening of 15 August and got off at 02.30 in the night of 16 August; then you need to write 15 August on the ticket. Likewise, you got on at 22.30 on 15 August and got off at 05.00 in the morning of 16 August. You need to write 16 August on the ticket.

Note 1: The information above applies to night trains or direct trains. With connections you have to write the date and time of each train.

Note 2: This rule applies to ships too. You can write whichever date you like out of the date you board or get off (15 August or 16 August ;) ).

What Should Your Backpack Be Like on Interrail?

You'll be walking for days; well, of course in some places you can leave your bag at the train station, but most of the time it'll be on your back. It's very worthwhile to take only the things you'll need. For this you can also get foldable bags. That way, on your exploration routes with long walks, you have only what you need at hand. Our detailed post on choosing a bag and what to put in it: How to Pack When Going on a Trip?

Depending on the season you plan your trip in, the things you take will of course differ in volume. Actually, if you take clothes that won't leave you cold at night or too hot during the day, the job is solved at the table. Again, taking into account your own build and style, take your must-haves. Plenty of cotton T-shirts, underwear and socks are generally a must:)

How Do You Build an Interrail Route?

Building the route is entirely up to your wishes. Some want to see and explore natural beauty, others want to see and explore cities focused on history and art. For the 2012 Interrail Route I did and the 2018 Scandinavia Interrail Route I planned, you can click the link.

How Should You Protect Money and Belongings During Interrail?

On almost all the trips I've made, I prefer to use a credit card as much as I can. Of course I don't leave without taking cash, but while travelling I generally prefer to use a credit card. On my first Interrail trip we'd sewn something like a belt. It tied around your waist inside shorts and trousers, and cash and a credit card fit in it. Solutions like this are now ready-made everywhere, or you can show off your skills and make one easily.

On the trip I made in 2012 I had about 1000€ in cash on me. When changing money into euros in Turkey, I had it done as 4*200 + 1*100 + 1*50 + 2*20 + 1*10. While I hid the 900 part in the belt inside my shorts, the rest was in normal pockets. Since using a wallet on trips doesn't make much sense to me, I never chose to take one on routes like this.

As for using a credit card, no commission is taken anymore like before. Your purchase amount is converted at the bank into Turkish Lira or US dollars at the rate of that moment. You can use it with ease.

Again, as a second safety method we suggest a debit card. If you have that with you too, you can instantly withdraw cash from your accounts in Turkey; just change some euros before you go and put them in the account, and you're set. Carrying cash in tourist areas scares us no matter what:)

Where Should You Start Interrail?

For a cheaper trip, some buy a 1-month unlimited ticket and set off by train from Turkey too. Others say time is important to me and do the outbound and return by plane. If you're going to choose the plane, you can read my cheap flight tickets post. I was one of those who did the long stretch by plane :)

Can You Spend the Night at a Train Station?

Don't believe the trend of "I'll take a sleeping bag and sleep at the train station instead of staying in a hostel"! In Europe many train stations close between 23.00-01.00 at night. And they open between 04.00-06.00. If you say you'll stay outside at night with a sleeping bag, no problem, but definitely don't make your plan around the idea of sleeping at the train station!

During 29 days of Interrail I could only sleep inside a station in Budapest. Even that was after begging the security guard to let me in. He'd let me sleep in the Luggage Room. :) It's not adventure or anything, it's plain misery :D

When we left most of the money we had in Ibiza, we cancelled all the reservations from there to Paris. We were put off the train at Hendaye station and slept in a sheltered corner near the train station. There were 3 of us and we made a sleep plan. While 2 people slept, 1 person would keep watch for 1 hour. That way, in 6 hours everyone could sleep 4 hours.

Apart from that, in Madrid we spent the night on chairs in the square, and on the way to Paris, so as not to pay the reservation fee, we spent the night right by the train station in the city of Rennes.

How Many People Should Go on Interrail?

We actually thought about this quite a lot. We went as 3 people. One reason was not to be stuck at 50%-50% when we needed to make a decision, and to easily choose one of two options by a 2/3 vote. Of course you can go in a bigger group or go alone. I experienced both. Both have their pros and cons; you need to experience them, I think!

While we were still building the route, my friends had said they'd join for the 20-day part. Well, naturally I wanted to complete the route in my head and move on from Amsterdam to Central Europe to explore there too. Our 20-day trip as far as Amsterdam was the 3 friends; after Amsterdam, I did the route of Stuttgart, Berlin, Dresden, Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, Krakow, Prague and Munich alone.

Even if you're left alone, set off without losing your courage and keep going!

Leaving Your Bag at the Train Station, but How?

Walking constantly with bags weighing between 15-20 kilograms isn't really possible. The weather is hot, the sun is overhead, and inevitably you want to leave the bag to cool off. Almost all train stations have either code-locked cabinets called 'Lockers', or luggage rooms (Luggage Room) where security staff take your bags. Depending on the situation at the train station, you have to choose one of the two. Generally, when we left our bags we paid a fee ranging from 2-5€ per person.

Since train stations close, don't leave picking up your luggage until late. When dropping off your bag, don't forget to check with the attendant if there is one, or what's written on the machine you pay at.

For Interrail and other trips, our post on how to pack a bag, and what a bag should be like, is here..

Dear travel-loving friends, definitely don't waste your university years. Lots of people may be telling you this while suggesting lots of things. But it really is the perfect time to travel! I hope what I've written above is useful to you; if I've been able to encourage you even a little, how happy I am.

Spring, winter or summer, it doesn't matter: find 2-3 friends you can trust who won't leave you halfway, and plan your trip! Or work out your own route and set off!

You won't believe the experiences you'll have!

There's more! Details of the tour Berna and I did in summer 2018..

Details of the Scandinavia tour are coming soon..