The Interrail Pass includes high-speed trains, night trains, and slower regional trains that trundle through the countrysides of 33 European countries.
Photo by Daniele Sgura/Pexels
This article was originally published in 2019 and most recently on September 9, 2026, with current information.
If you’re planning a multi-city tour of the European continent and will rely on trains to get around, you may want to consider purchasing an Interrail Pass (which changed its name from Eurail Pass on September 9, 2026). It can be your golden ticket to a seemingly limitless number of train rides across Europe. The Interrail Pass is a single document that allows anyone to travel by train all over 33 European countries, across roughly 125,00 miles. Your trips must occur over a specified period of time, and the pass eliminates the need to buy individual point-to-point tickets.
You can use an Interrail Pass for riding local, high-speed, and even night trains. In addition to the flexibility and time-saving benefits it affords, traveling with one can also save you money, depending on your travel plans. If you’re the type to book train travel far in advance, you can likely find individual train tickets for less than the cost of an Interrail Pass. If you prefer to travel on the fly, you may appreciate the flexibility of a Interrail Pass. I used Interrail (then called Eurail) for years before I moved to France, and I loved that I could decide a day or two in advance where I would be going next. Although high-speed and night trains require seat reservations, the price of seat reservations doesn’t increase the closer you get to travel date.
Interrail Pass prices start from $328 for four days in one month and from $552 for 15 days in a row. An Interrail Pass can be worth it if you want to have the flexibility to hop on the train without considering the cost, or if the price of individual tickets would be more than that of an Interrail Pass. Whether you plan to travel to Europe next month or next year, here’s everything you need to know about Interrail Passes.
What types of Interrail Passes are there?
The One Country Pass covers train travel in a single country, while the Interrail Global Pass offers unlimited train travel across 33 countries in Europe. Within each Interrail Pass type, there are even more options—for children (4 to 11), youths (12 to 27), adults (28+), and seniors (60+). Interrail Passes come in first- and second-class options for each age category.
Interrail Passes are great for families and are extremely cost-effective. Kids age 3 or younger don’t need a pass at all (to travel on an adult’s lap), and children age 4 to 11 are eligible for a free Child Pass. Up to two children can travel for free with one adult Interrail Pass. Find out more about Interrail family discounts here.
The passes also cover different trip lengths for both the One Country and Global Passes. If you’re going on a shorter getaway and won’t be taking trains regularly, you might want a pass that covers four days in a single month. A Global Pass with three months of unlimited travel, say, is best for a long trip where you plan to cover a lot of ground.
Interrail Passes are sold by the number of days you plan to use them. Each travel day covers as many trains as you’d like to take in a 24-hour time window from 12:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. on the same calendar day. Keep in mind that there are exceptions if you’re taking a night train. For example, if you book a train that leaves on Monday night and arrives on Tuesday morning, you will only need to use one travel day (the day of your departure) to cover that trip. However, if you choose to board another train on Tuesday, you’ll have to use another travel day on your pass.
One Country Interrail Pass options:
- Three days within one month
- Four days within one month
- Five days within one month
- Six days within one month
- Eight days within one month
Flexible Interrail Global Pass options:
- Four travel days within one month
- Five travel days within one month
- Seven travel days within one month
- 10 travel days within two months
- 15 travel days within two months
Continuous Interrail Global Pass options:
- 15 days in a row
- 22 days in a row
- One month
- Two months in a row
- Three months in a row
You can figure out which Interrail Pass is best for your vacation by telling Interrail’s trip planner where you plan to go.
How much does an Interrail Pass cost?
Interrail passes can be used on France’s high-speed TGV trains, but you’ll need to pay for a seat reservation.
Photo by katatonia82/Shutterstock
As of September 2026, these are the starting prices of an Interrail Global Pass for adults (ages 28+) purchased directly through Interrail. The Interrail Passes for ages 27 and under are 25 percent cheaper, and those for ages 60-plus are 10 percent less expensive than the standard adult pass.
- Four days in one month pass: $337 for second-class and $437 for first-class
- Seven days within one month pass: $453 or $589
- 15 days within two months pass: $641 or $833
- 15 days in a row: $658 or $854
- Three-month unlimited pass: $1,138 or $1,478
A two-month unlimited pass (consecutive months) costs $983 in second class or $1,277 in first, so, if you plan to travel for 10 weeks, do the math to see whether it’s worth springing for the three-month pass.
One Country Passes are slightly more affordable and vary by country, but they truly are for only one country and can’t be used on cross-border trains. A six-day adult Interrail Pass for Italy costs $294 in second class and $382 in first. The big caveat with One Country Passes, though, is that the longest pass is eight days within one month.
Interrail also groups certain regions, so you can get multiple countries for the price of one with its Benelux Pass (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg) and Nordic Pass (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden). Note that Interrail does not offer One Country Passes for certain countries that are included in the Global Pass, such as Great Britain, Switzerland, Montenegro, and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Where can you buy an Interrail Pass?
You can buy any type of Interrail Pass from Interrail.com, but several other sites sell them, too. RailPass and Rail Europe are both authorized vendors that sell Interrail Passes for roughly the same price as Interrail.com, with slight variations in insurance and service fees.
Some offer free shipping (if you want a paper pass) and others special discounts and promo codes on tickets, so it’s best to check all your options before purchasing your pass to make sure you’re getting the best deal.
You can also purchase Interrail Passes at train stations in Europe, but that’s more expensive than ordering them online in advance.
Are Interrail Passes worth it?
It depends. If you know you’ll have four travel days over a one-month period, a second-class pass would cost most adults $337—or $84.25 per day. If the train you need to take costs more than $84.25 each way, or if you’ll be taking multiple trains in one day that add up to more than that, it’s worth buying that pass. If you only need a less costly regional train to get between cities like Amsterdam and Brussels or Marseille and Nice, or if you book high-speed train tickets advance when they’re less expensive, then an Interrail Pass is not worth it.
For those who would argue that buying $50 Ryanair or EasyJet flights to jump from city to city is faster and cheaper, consider the time savings and the environmental impact. Once you add on the time and money spent schlepping to and from the airport and any bag fees you’d pay to check a bag, the train is often faster, and it’s certainly more convenient. Plus, taking the train is not only the most sustainable way to travel, but it’s also far more scenic.
Related: 12 of Europe’s Most Beautiful Train Stations
Do you need reservations with an Interrail Pass?
The mobile version of the Interrail Pass is user-friendly and makes it easy to stay organized.
Courtesy of Interrail
In some instances, yes you do need reservations with an Interrail Pass. But not every train requires or even offers reserved seating. TER trains in France, for example, only have unreserved seats (except between Paris and some destinations in Normandy). In some countries, certain types of trains always require a seat reservation.
In France, reserving a seat on the TGV INOUI between Paris and Nice costs about $12 in second class and $23 in first class. A required seat reservation on the AVE train between Barcelona and Madrid is $11 in second class and $27 in first. In countries that see tons of tourists, such as France, Spain, and Italy, you will certainly need to make an advance seat reservation at an additional cost (generally from 6 to 12 euros), even if the fare is included with your Interrail Pass. This is especially true in summer.
In addition to those popular destinations, all night trains and most international high-speed trains throughout Europe require a supplemental reservation fee. Some scenic trains, like the Bernina Express in Switzerland, also require one. Find out if you need to make a reservation by checking your desired route on the Interrail Timetable.
Reservation fees vary between countries and train services and must be paid directly to the railway carriers; payment can be made online through the websites of the national railway companies, by phone, through Interrail’s Rail Planner app or, in a pinch, at the train station. Interrail recommends making train reservations two months in advance of summer vacation and of holidays to guarantee a seat. Note that if you’re traveling with kids and want a guaranteed seat for your child age three or under, you’ll need to buy a regular Child Pass.
Alternatively, you can opt to ride on regional trains, which don’t require seat reservations. Even though they’re slower, if you have time to stop along the way, you’ll likely discover appealing villages you never would’ve happened upon if you’d taken the high-speed route. Check the “no seat reservations required” box when searching on the Interrail Timetable page to find trains that don’t require reservations.
What countries are included in an Interrail Pass?
There are currently 33 countries in Europe with rail carriers that accept Interrail Passes, including Great Britain—that’s England, Scotland, and Wales only. A One Country Interrail Pass for Ireland also covers Northern Ireland.
These are the 33 countries that the Interrail Pass covers as of September 2026: Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Türkiye. You’ll find the Interrail Pass train map here.
Related: The U.K.'s Most Beautiful Train Rides Glide Through Glens, Over Viaducts, and Along Cliffs
How far in advance can you buy an Interrail Pass?
You can buy an Interrail Pass up to 11 months before your trip, as long as it is activated at a European train station or on Interrail’s very useful Rail Planner app within that 11-month period. You can also preactivate your pass for a specific date when you check out at Interrail.com.
Other Interrail questions
Interrail covers roughly 125,000 miles of train routes across 33 European countries.
Courtesy of Eurail
Are Eurail and Interrail the same?
Eurail and Interrail used to be separate types of passes but, as of September 9, 2026, Eurail is now Interrail.
Does an Interrail Pass include the Eurostar?
Yes, an Interrail Pass includes Eurostar, but seat reservations are required.
Can I use an Interrail Pass for the London Underground or other city transit?
An Interrail Pass can’t be used on the London Underground (tube) or any city transit in London except the Elizabeth line and the London Overground.
Does an Interrail pass cover ferries?
An Interrail Pass covers ferries in many European countries, including Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, and Sweden. See the full list of participating train, ferry, and public transport companies that accept Interrail Passes on board. The Greek Islands Pass, for example, offers ferry service to 52 islands, the better to island-hop your way around Greece.
Can I book an Interrail Pass at the last minute?
Yes, if you’re using a mobile pass and Interrail’s Rail Planner app (as opposed to ordering a paper pass), you can book an Interrail Pass at the last minute. If you’re taking trains that don’t require reservations, you’ll have no trouble hopping aboard them. If you plan to take trains that require reservations, such as Eurostar and night trains, you can still book your Interrail Pass last minute but you may not then be able to get seat reservations.
What happens if I miss a train with an Interrail Pass?
- If you miss a train that does not require seat reservations, just hop on the next one.
- If you miss a train because your first train is delayed, you’re entitled to a partial refund (depending on how late the train was). You have to request the delay compensation online from the train company and will usually get the money back within a month.
- If you miss a train with a reservation, you have to make a new reservation for the next train. The exception is if you’ve booked one single trip that included changing trains. In that case, if you can already see you’ll be too late to make your connection, speak to the conductor on board; you are not the only person in this situation. If your first train arrives at the station late and don’t have enough time to make your connection, go to the customer service office or ticket window; they are obligated to get you on the next available train (thanks to EU Regulation 1371/2007, article 16).
- Some train companies will not compensate you for short delays. For example in France, where I live, SNCF does refund passengers for delays of 30 minutes or less, but many train connections are much tighter than that. If the train company will not compensate you for a delay, contact Interrail to request a refund.
Can I get a refund on an unused Interrail Pass?
Yes, you can get a refund on an unused Interrail Pass up until the last possible activation date, which is three months from the date of purchase. See Interrail’s page about refunds and exchanges for more info on mobile versus paper passes.
Do I need to print my Interrail Pass, or is mobile OK?
You don’t need to print your Interrail Pass. For trains that don’t require reservations, your mobile Interrail Pass is your ticket. For trains that do require reservations, show your mobile Interrail Pass and the reservation.
Is an Interrail Pass cheaper than buying individual train tickets?
An Interrail Pass can be cheaper than buying individual train tickets depending on whether you take mostly regional trains or the more expensive high-speed and night trains. Eurostar tickets, which are the priciest, can be booked 10 to 11 months in advance. Tickets on France’s high-speed TGV trains, Trenitalia, Czech Railways, and Hungarian railways open three to four months in advance. Before you book an Interrail Pass, do the math. Buy individual tickets early enough and they may be cheaper than an Interrail Pass, particularly if you plan to take only trains that require reservations.
What are the other benefits to having an Interrail Pass?
All Interrail Pass–holders are eligible for discounts on select museum tickets and boat tours throughout the entire 33-country network. But one of the major perks of having an unlimited train ticket that includes night trains is you don’t need to book somewhere to stay. By sleeping on a train, you’ll get from point A to point B and save money on hotels at the same time—plus, it’s fun.
