Interrailing Around Europe
- Vicky
- Mar 25, 2021
- 11 min read
Updated: Mar 27, 2021
Sep 2019 - Dec 2019 |
I visited 18 countries and explored 45 cities and towns during my three month trip, travelling mainly via train and hopping on the occasional ferry.
L'Oceanogràfic, Valencia
With the UK going into many many lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic, I have really had time to reflect on my travels. I feel extremely lucky to have been able to embark on this journey, never did I take a day for granted. Wanting to write about my experience for awhile, I have finally plucked up the courage to publish my Europe itinerary. I'm hoping that this will help people who want to undergo such a trip and are stuck on certain aspects of their plans. Plus give useful tips to first time travellers.
Please bare in mind that all my travel information was pre Covid, so travel restriction may apply.
Contents
The Basic Itinerary
London, United Kingdom (starting point)
Paris, France (3 nights)
Barcelona, Spain (3 nights)
Madrid, Spain (3 nights)
Lisbon, Portugal (3 nights)
Porto, Portugal (1 night)
Seville, Spain (2 nights)
Valencia, Spain (2 nights)
Marseille, France (1 night)
Nice, France (2 nights)
Monte Carlo, France (day trip)
Lyon, France (1 night)
Geneva, Switzerland (1 night)
Bern, Switzerland (1 night)
Zurich, Switzerland (1 night)
Milan, Italy (2 nights)
Turin, Italy (1 night)
Florence, Italy (3 nights)
Pisa, Italy (day trip)
Rome, Italy (3 nights)
Vatican City, Italy (day trip)
Naples, Italy (2 nights)
Venice, Italy (2 nights)
Verona, Italy (day trip)
Lake Garda, Italy (1 night)
Split, Croatia (2 nights)
Dubrovnik, Croatia (2 nights)
Plitvice Lakes, Croatia (1 night)
Zagreb, Croatia (2 nights)
Budapest, Hungry (3 nights)
Bratislava, Slovakia (1 night)
Vienna, Austria (2 nights)
Munich, Germany (2 nights)
Prague, Czech Republic (3 nights)
Krakow, Poland (2 nights)
Warsaw, Poland (2 nights)
Berlin, Germany (2 nights)
Stockholm, Sweden (2 nights)
Oslo, Norway (2 nights)
Gothenburg, Sweden (1 night)
Copenhagen, Denmark (2 nights)
Hamburg, Germany (2 nights)
Frankfurt, Germany (2 nights)
Cologne, Germany (2 nights)
Amsterdam, Netherlands (2 nights)
Bruges, Belgium (2 nights)
Brussels, Belgium (2 nights)
St. Michaelis Church, Hamburg
The Budget
Interrail Pass
The biggest chunk of money that I spent in one go for this trip was the Interrail pass itself. Buying the ticket was very straightforward and the Interrail website is full of helpful information. Unlike a lot of travel companies, I felt that Interrail really do have their customers best interests at heart; there's no hidden fees or terms, everything is upfront and clear.
Interrail price the tickets in four categories:
Youth (12yrs - 27yrs)
Adult (28yrs +)
Child (4yrs - 11yrs)
Senor (60yrs+)
You're able to buy an Interrail pass that's specific to one country or a 'Global Pass' which means that you can travel to all the European countries that are signed up to Interrail. They do a range of pass durations, starting from 15 days to 3 months. They also do passes where you can travel a certain amount of times during a set period, for example; '6 days within 1 month'. This type of pass will be cheaper than a one month continuous pass. You can also chose to travel 1st class or 2nd class, obviously 1st class will have its perks but it does come at a higher cost. It's safe to say that there will be a pass for everyone!
The pass I got was the '3 months continuous, 2nd class'. I choose this pass because I didn't want to be restricted to a certain amount of travel days and there were so many places I wanted to visit I knew I'd be away for awhile. I was lucky enough to purchase my pass when Interrail were having one of their annual sales, 20% off all passes! All in all my pass cost me £466 (Originally £582).
Here's a link to the Interrail's official site.
Dorm-room View, Nice
Daily Budget
From the start I set myself a very strict target of spending £30 a day, this included my accommodation! I knew that a big chunk of my travel had been paid for through the pass and all I needed to fork out on in that department was train seat reservations and ferry tickets (that come at a discounted price having an Interrail pass). Therefore, I didn't think that this budget was too far fetched.
Overall Cost
All together my spends came to roughly £2,500.
With the addition of my pass, my whole trip came to £2,966.
Money Tips
Stay in Hostels - sleeping in a dorm room is one of the cheapest forms of accommodation when travelling. Plus some offer free breakfast or meals!
Cook Yourself - buying lunch and dinner in a supermarket (Lidl was my go to, they're everywhere!) and then making/cooking it in the hostels will save you so much money. I travelled with my boyfriend which made the cost of food even less as we halved everything. Pasta and rice will become your best friend!
Research What's Free and When - many attractions such as museums have a day and time when they're free. The queues will be bigger but it's worth it for the money you'll save. Some attractions offer free tickets to EU citizens aged up to 25, I got into the Louvre for free!
Don't Buy Water - so many European cities have drinkable water fountains readily available to everyone.
Work Out How Long to Stay - when researching which places to visit make sure you check how expensive it is. This is why I only spent one night at each city in Switzerland, I had plenty of time to sightsee but the hostel prices didn't justify another night in each.
Open a Travel Account - I researched several travel friendly accounts and decided to go with Starling. I was able to use the debit card in every country with no charges, plus I got a decent exchange rate!
Be Lenient - becoming too ridiget on your budget can become more ruinous than good. Some days I spent more than £30 and others I spent less. A number of big cities will cost you more than your budget but other places will be cheaper.
Walls of Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik
Travel Advice
Your Own Country - Interrail passes come with a strict rule that you can only exit and enter your home country once during the period of your pass. This is something to bare in mind when planning your route. Since the UK is an island, I didn't find this an issue but I can imagine this being a pain if you lived in mainland Europe.
Facebook Pages - before I bought my pass I joined a Facebook group dedicated to Interrail. The amount of information on there was so helpful! With people constantly posting their itineraries, it really helped me shape mine. People would also post information about certain train lines and disturbances which saved me several times.
Interrail App - Interrail have a free app where you can input your trip and it will come up with all the information you need. The app itself has a lot of bad press but I never had an issue with it. It really helped me plan my route and make sure my journeys were actually possible. It also shows you what stops you make before your destination which really came in handy on late trains or when I didn't understand the language.
Seat Reservations - it's really important to note that some train lines require a seat reservation before you board or else they'll throw you off the train. The Interrail app does tell you if your journey requires one. The first thing I would do when I arrived at a station was buy my reservation ticket for my next destination. Overall, I found the station staff really friendly and informative. I travelled in the low season and therefore didn't have a problem in getting the reservations I wanted but be aware that this can be an issue when travelling at peak times.
Some Journeys Will Be Long - not all the train routes will go to where you want them to directly, you should expect to make some station changes on route. I travelled on several sleeper trains which was an amazing experience but the thought of a ten hour train journey did throw me off at first. The longest journey I took was a total of 25 hours! It was my trip from Dubrovnik to Plitvice Lakes National Park. I had to take a bus to Split, then a sleeper train to Zagreb, then wait 9 hours to get a bus to Plitvice. It wasn't as bad as it sounds.
Santa Monaca, Florence
Research and Plan - I would always look up ticket prices and how to buy them before I went to an attraction and in some cities I'm glad I did. When I visited the Vatican City there were what felt like hundreds of people trying to sell me tickets or telling me to go one way when I was going the other. I got dragged into a tourist shop and was given a price of 80 euro for an all inclusive ticket. However, I'd researched the prices of the Vatican attractions and knew that St. Peter Basilica was free and the Vatican Museum cost around 15 euro for a walk in ticket.
Pack Light - I carried a 60+5l backpack, so packing light was a must! I did struggle to pack light at first. To help prevent overpacking, lay out all the things you intend to pack and half it (half it again if you can)! I can't rate packing cubes enough, they make packing and unpacking in hostels so easy and quick. Plus you can categorise your cubes which is an added bonus! Remember to leave space for all the souvenirs you'll pick up along the way.
Ferries - it's good to bare in mind that ferries become less frequent out of season. I travelled on two ferries during my trip; Ancona - Split, Travemunde - Malmo. Both of my ferry experiences were really good and affordable.
Staglgasse, Vienna
Europe Hostel Advice
Hostelworld - I mainly booked my hostels through the HostelWorld app. I found the site very helpful as it compares all the hostel prices, shows you the hostels on a map, and allows people to review so you can base your decision off of other people's experiences.
Book Hostels Near Stations - I made the error of initially booking hostels as close to the centre as I could but this came at a cost of a lengthy walk, getting lost and carrying my backpack throughout it all. It especially wasn't enjoyable when arriving late at night. Plenty of amazing hostels are located right near the stations which means you can quickly dump your stuff and get out exploring.
Check Amenities - Hostelworld shows you all the amenities that a hostel has. Make sure you check them! I made the mistake of not doing this when booking my hostel in Geneva. I'd already bought my pasta in France for cheap ready to go into Switzerland only to find that my Geneva hostel didn't have self-catering facilities. Safe to say my dinner set me back a bit.
Say Hello - the best advice I was given about staying in a hostel was to say hello as soon as you walk into the dorm. This gives people a chance to say hello back and start a conversation, plus it gets rid of that awkward 'are they approachable' phase.
It's Okay To Not Get Involved - the majority of Europe hostels I stayed in offered a pub crawl. It's okay to not do them all. Hostels are so versatile, you can go out and mingle or stay in and chill, no one will judge.
Go Small - there are so many family run hostels in Europe. I stayed in chain hostels and family run ones. The chain hostels did their job but family run hostels are just next level. I stayed at one in Dubrovnik and it was such a home from home experience. The hostel was three small dorm rooms and a kitchen attached to the families house. The father happily picked us up and dropped us off at the bus station. He drove the scenic route to give us some information about the town. The mother offered to do a load of washing for us as well.
Location - all the hostels I stayed in were well located. I never felt like I was in an unsafe area nor did I feel that people who weren't staying could enter the hostel or dorms. Every hostel offered a free walking tour plus the staff were happy to answer any questions I had or book any tours I wanted to go on. Obviously I encountered some unsavoury characters but that shouldn't reflect on the hostel itself.
Backpackers - I did encounter a few people who were interrailing along my journey but not as many as I thought. I don't know if this was because I travelled out of season though. I did notice that a lot of people who stayed in the dorms were only there for a short holiday, so it meant that I didn't see them after leaving. However, it was so fun meeting people from all walks of life and listening to so many people's travel plans and experiences.
Juliet's Balcony, Verona
My Highlights
Florence
The beautiful city of Florence was by far the best place I visited. I'd never been to Italy prior to this trip, but now I really do understand the hype. I loved that Florence wasn't as touristy as Rome and that I could wander around safely without being harassed by tour guides and restaurant staff. The food was to die for and did not break the bank! I visited in October, which meant the city had a glowing golden light all throughout the day. The hostel I stayed in shared a wall to an opera house and every night dead on 10pm the amazing sound of a classic italian orchestra and singing flooded the dorms. I remember on my first night I was walking down the narrow roads twisting and turning with no destination in mind, I turned a tight corner and was shocked to find the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore sat there in all its glory, completely beautiful. To me, Florence is a must to anyone visiting Italy.
Plitvice Lakes National Park
The famous Croatian national park is worth a visit. The lakes are the purest and cleanest waters I have ever seen in my life. There is a helpful map at the information desk which lays out several paths you can take and how long it takes to complete each path. Each route has a different starting and ending point which means that people aren't all grouped in one area. You even get to take a boat ride in one of the biggest lakes which allows you to have a clear view of the park itself. The paths are mainly made out of wood and sit in the lakes themselves which makes exploring the park that bit more exciting. The ticket only set me back £9 too, but this was because I went out of season.
Bern
Switzerland itself is truly beautiful but its capital Bern really took me by surprise. It felt less like a city and more like a quaint little town. The architecture was like no other I'd seen before, everything felt so natural and calm. A good thing to note about Switzerland is that you get a free travel pass when you arrive in your hostel. Plus the chocolate there is the best I've ever had, they present the chocolate in slabs and then just snap off bits according to how much you want to pay.
The History
There is so much history in Europe and I learnt so much during my trip. Travelling around Italy I was able to learn so much about Romans and see the stunning architecture they left behind. Every city and town I went to in Italy seemed to have moulded itself around the grand Roman structures, it was amazing. The route I took also meant that I visited a lot of WW2 history sites. When I was in Czech Republic there were many people remembering the independence of their country from the Soviet Union. I also visited the Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camps, it was such a harrowing experience but it was really informative. After learning all of this on WW2, my visit to Berlin meant that I was much more informed on the West and East Berlin divide and the important monuments that played a part in the war.
Old Town, Prague
Things I'd Do Differently
Go Less 'Mainstream'
As you can see by itinerary, I went to many capital cities and well known places in Europe. I had never visited these places before and therefore was glad that I went. However, I wish that I'd added less touristy places so that I was able to get a real feel for the country I was in.
Stress Less About The Budget
Because this was my first time backpacking I was really strict on my spends as I thought this meant that I was properly backpacking. Don't get me wrong I didn't cut out meals or stay in holes just to go under budget. However, I do think it's worth living it up in luxury sometimes as that itself is an experience.
Be More Spontaneous
I was so excited to go on this trip that I pre-planned my whole route. I did add some other places on the way due to people's recommendations but for the most of it the trip was planned with procesion. I did meet a few backpackers who would decide their next destination when they saw fit and take it day by day. I wish that I could be that type of traveller but I'm just not, I enjoy planning and being organised in every inch on my life.
Schonbrunner Gardens, Vienna
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