Which Interrail Pass should I choose?
Don't worry. We know that there are a lot of different ticket types when it comes to Interrail. Here we'll try to narrow the options for you. If it's still not enough, feel free to reach out to us, and we'll help you choose the right pass for your dream adventure!
Choose the right pass for your Interrail adventure
Choosing the right ticket type for your Interrail adventure can at first sight seem a bit complicated. Should you get a 5-day or continuous pass, for one or two months? And what is a One Country Pass all about?
For that reason, we have made a short guide for you with all the questions you need to ask yourself to figure out what Interrail Pass you should get for your Interrail adventure.
1. Your age
Your age at the time of departure determines which category you fall in and whether you are eligible for a discount. The different categories are:
- Child (4-11): Children aged 4-11 years old can travel for free when travelling together with adults. A maximum of two kids can travel on an Adult Interrail Pass and Child Passes are only available when booking the adult pass. Children under 4 years old always travel free when travelling with adults and here an Interrail Pass is not needed.
- Youth (12-27): Travellers aged between 12 and 27 on the day of their trip get a youth discount on all Interrail passes.
- Adults (28 to 59)
- Senior (60 and over): Travellers 60 or over get a senior discount on all Interrail passes.
2. How long will your trip be?
All passes are valid between 15 days and three months. The most popular passes are valid for a minimum of one month from the day you embark on your first journey, but can last up to a maximum of three months.
3. How many days will you be travelling by train?
This question is more important than the duration of the trip as it helps you answer whether you should go with a flexi pass or the continuous pass. If you plan on travelling by train from destination to destination every day, then you should choose the continuous pass. With this pass you can enjoy unlimited travel as long as your ticket is valid.
If you plan on travelling by train every 2-4 days, and/or are also planning to use other modes of transportation during your trip, then the flexi pass will probably be the right choice. These passes are cheaper compared to the continuous pass, but here you have a fixed number of travel days you can travel within a fixed timeframe (e.g. 5 or 7 days in one month or 10 or 15 days in two months).
How travel days are counted
Most Interrail Passes include a fixed set of travel days within a certain time period (e.g. 30 days). A “travel day” is defined as the day you travel until midnight on the same day.
Example: If your first leg is 08:00, then your travel day starts 08:00 and you can travel until midnight on that day.
Night trains: If your journey starts with a direct non-stop night train, they you only need to log departure time (based on the condition that the train will arrive after midnight). E.g. you get on a train in Berlin 21:00 and it arrives at 09:00 the next morning, it will only count as one travel day since the train is a direct train without stopovers.
4. Are you a backpacker or flashpacker?
You can choose to travel in either 1st and 2nd Class. 1st Class gives you wider seats and is often less crowded and quieter, but comes at an extra cost. 2nd Class is the standard and without the small extra perks you will get by upgrading to 1st Class. Please note that if you buy a 1st Class Pass you also need to buy seat reservations in 1st Class, which sometimes is more expensive than booking in 2nd Class.
5. Where will you be travelling?
If you plan to visit more countries this is less relevant, but in case you only plan to travel in one country, then the One Country Pass could be a great option. Here you can travel just like with the Global Pass, but within a single country and at a lower cost. Reach out to us if you want to know more about availability and pricing for the One Country Passes.
6. When will you be travelling?
Knowing when you are starting your journey (and from where) is not important for choosing the right ticket, but is still an important factor you need to consider before you buy your ticket. The start date and originating country needs to be printed on the Interrail Pass and therefore it’s not possible to buy a ticket without this information.
Note: The Mobile Pass does not require a start date and is therefore a bit more flexible for when you want to start your journey.
7. Which pass should I choose - continuous or flexi?
Basically, there are two different types of Interrail Passes to consider and it all comes down to what type of traveler you are.
If you travel nearly every day then you should go for the Interrail Pass with a continuous validity, to travel on consecutive days.
In case you are staying at each destination for a few days you should consider the Interrail Pass with flexible validity. Example: Interrail Global Pass - 10 days within 1 month. Flexi days do not need to be consecutive.
Seat reservations - everything you need to know
Remember that once you have purchased your Interrail ticket, you may still need to confirm seat reservations on some stretches and that can come at an extra cost, depending on the train company and line you go with. Read more about seat reservations here. You should see the Interrail Pass as the entry ticket to the European train network and then the seat reservation as reserving the actual seat on the specific train. Make sure to calculate seat reservation costs as part of your total trip price (as a general rule add in up to 25% extra).