The InterRail pass is a railway ticket (Railroad Pass), available to European residents. Residents of countries outside Europe can purchase the Eurail pass.[1]
The traditional InterRail Pass is now called the InterRail Global Pass. It allows for unlimited rail travel in and between all participating countries for a certain period of time.
The InterRail One Country Pass allows for unlimited rail travel in a specific country.
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The Global Pass is valid in all participating European countries: Austria, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom. In addition railways run through Monaco and Liechtenstein being operated by the national railways of France and Austria respectively. In addition, InterRail global passes include ferry crossings from Patras and Igoumenitsa (Greece) to Ancona and Bari (Italy) operated by Superfast Ferries and Blue Star Ferries (fuel surcharges, port taxes, high season supplements as well as cabin accommodation are extra).
The InterRail passes are not valid on railways in Albania, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine. There are no railways in Andorra, Cyprus, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Iceland, Malta or San Marino. L'Hospitalet-Près-l'Andorre in France is the closest railway station for Andorra. Rimini in Italy is the closest station for San Marino.
Originally with the Global Pass one could hop on most trains in most countries without the need of any additional ticketing. In recent years numerous rail operators have started making exceptions - taken as a whole these tortuous conditions[2][3][4] somewhat compromise the original idea of ease of spur-of-the-moment travel across Europe.
For example in Italy only local and regional trains are without supplement, InterCity trains require a supplement of 3 euros per journey and seat reservations have become compulsory. For Eurostar Italia & Eurostar City trains a supplement 10-20 euros per journey must be paid.[5]
Taken together with the daily price of the Interrail Global Pass, these supplements can often make travel more expensive than simply buying local tickets - especially in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea and Eastern Europe.
In France, SNCF not only charge a supplement for InterCity trains, but in addition have a limited quota of seats per train for Interrail Pass holders. If this quota is full, you may not board even if there are free seats.[6]
In Belgium, boarding of the Thalys train from Brussels to Amsterdam, to Paris or to Cologne requires a 37 to 62 Euro supplement in 2nd Class.[7]
A contrast to this is Germany where almost all of the luxury high-speed InterCity trains can still be boarded without the hassle of queueing for additional tickets or supplements of any kind.[8]
The pass is not valid in the traveller's own country of residence. That rule exists to avoid people buying InterRail for work commuting and business travel, for which there may be passes at prices several times that of InterRail. However, travel to one's own border is often available at a discount - depending on your country of residence.[9]
| Validity | 2nd Class | Price per day | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 days in 10 | 169 | 17 - 34 euro | price calculated for 10 and 5 days |
| 10 days in 22 | 249 | 11 - 25 euro | price calculated for 22 and 10 days |
| 15 days | 289 | 19 euro | - |
| 22 days | 319 | 15 euro | - |
| 1 month | 409 | 13 - 15 euro | depends of no. of days in month 31 - 28 |
| Validity | 2nd Class | Price per day | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 days in 10 | 259 | 26 - 52 euro | price calculated for 10 and 5 days |
| 10 days in 22 | 369 | 17 - 37 euro | price calculated for 22 and 10 days |
| 15 days | 409 | 27 euro | - |
| 22 days | 479 | 22 euro | - |
| 1 month | 619 | 20 - 22 euro | depends of no. of days in month 31 - 28 |
The One Country Pass is available for each of the following countries, except the traveler's country of residence:
Countries with price level 1 (highest):
Countries with price level 2:
Countries with price level 3:
Countries with price level 4:
Countries with price level 5:
There are no separate passes for Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, instead there is one for the whole Benelux (price level 3). It is also available for residents in Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, but for them it is only valid in the two countries which are not the country of residence. The "Greece Plus" ticket includes ferry transfer between Greece and Italy. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro don't take part in the Inter Rail One-Country Pass offer.
There is a discount for people under 26, and a supplement for first class.
| Valid | Within | Price in Euro | Price per Valid Day | Price per "Within" Day | Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 days | 1 month | 115 | 38 | 4 | country with price level 3 |
| 4 days | 1 month | 145 | 36 | 5 | country with price level 3 |
| 6 days | 1 month | 195 | 33 | 6 | country with price level 3 |
| 8 days | 1 month | 235 | 29 | 8 | country with price level 3 |
| 3 days | 1 month | 199 | 66 | 6 | country with price level 1 (highest) |
| 4 days | 1 month | 219 | 55 | 7 | country with price level 1 (highest) |
| 6 days | 1 month | 279 | 47 | 9 | country with price level 1 (highest) |
| 8 days | 1 month | 309 | 39 | 10 | country with price level 1 (highest) |
| 5 days | 10 days | 259 | 52 | 26 | all countries |
| 10 days | 22 days | 369 | 37 | 17 | all countries |
| 15 days | 15 days | 409 | 27 | 27 | all countries |
| 22 days | 22 days | 479 | 22 | 22 | all countries |
| 1 month | 1 month | 619 | 20 or 21 | 20 or 21 | all countries |
While standardly a day is from 0:00 to 24:00, validity for a day is extended to include a night train from 19:00 on the day before, except on the evening before the first day of the "within" period.
Many high speed trains require reserving and sometimes payment of an extra fee either sold as a supplement or passholder fare.[12] Examples include:
Further information on supplements on daytime high speed trains can be obtained from the official InterRail site.
Many overnight trains in Europe require reservations with extra costs for sleeping accommodation such as couchettes or in sleeping cars, and some may not have any non-sleeper cars. However, a direct overnight train leaving after 7pm only requires you to fill in one line of your pass, for the following day. This rule cannot be used if that day would be the first one on which your pass is valid.
InterRail is normally only valid on the national railway system of the countries concerned. In many countries there are private railway systems some of which offer a reduction to InterRail Pass holders. Normally the reductions are between 25% and 50%.
The passes are available to those who have been legal residents (not travelling on a visa or military personnel living on a base) for at least six months in any of the 30 countries of the IRC, or in any of certain neighbouring countries[14]:
As of April 2005[update], the IRC included 30 countries, organized into eight zones:
The cost of the pass was based on the zones included and the traveler's age. 16-day passes included one zone, 22-day passes covered any two zones, and month-long passes covered all zones.