chloedickensonLast Updated on 20th April 2026
This post about “is the Interrail Pass worth it?” contains affiliate links and mentions of collaborative work with Interrail. Please see my disclaimer for more.
Are you planning a trip to Europe and wondering is Interrail worth it, should I buy an Interrail Pass and will an Interrail Pass save me money? In my honest review below, I’m sharing everything you need to know about whether the Interrail Pass is worth it in 2026, what the Interrail Pass covers, when you should buy one, and how to save money on an interrailing trip in Europe!
Interrailing is my favourite way to travel Europe and after spending over two months in total in the last year travelling across Europe via train, I’d like to think I’ve become somewhat of an expert on the topic!
My thorough review and ultimate guide below includes everything you need to know about buying an Interrail Pass and whether it will save you money in 2026. I’ve provided an example of the exact route that we took while travelling across Europe with an Interrail Global Pass, as well as how much money we saved with the pass, how much money we would have spent with point-to-point train tickets, the exact train journeys we took, all the cities we visited and much more.
If you’re planning a European interrail trip and want to know if an Interrail Pass worth it in 2026, this huge Interrail Pass review is for you!
EUROPE TRAVEL ESSENTIALS
🚆 Rail Passes: Interrail Pass / Eurail Pass
✈️ Flights: Skyscanner / Expedia / Trip.com
🏨 Accommodation: Booking.com / Hostelworld / TripAdvisor
📱 Europe eSIM: Airalo
⭐️ Activities/tours: GetYourGuide / Viator / Klook / Go City
🌎 Travel insurance: SafetyWing
🎒 Backpacking essentials: Amazon
Are you looking for more Interrailing travel tips and advice? Check out my guides below!
- How Much Does Interrailing Cost? Interrail Budget For 6 Weeks
- The Ultimate 1 Month Europe Interrail Itinerary & Route
- Interrail Planning Tips For Beginners – How To Plan An Interrail Trip
- Interrail Packing List Essentials – What To Pack For An Interrail Trip
- How Much Does Backpacking Europe Cost?
What is the Interrail Pass?
The Interrail Pass is a train ticket that allows you to travel on most trains with most train providers in 30,000 destinations across 33 countries in Europe.
There are two different types of Interrail Pass that you can purchase; the Interrail Global Pass, which allows you to travel across two or more countries (up to the 33 countries included in the Pass) and the Interrail One Country Pass, which you can use to explore as much of one country as possible.
For the sake of this Interrail Pass review, I’ll be discussing the Interrail Global Pass as this is what we used to travel across seven countries on our 2-month Interrail trip.
How much does an Interrail Pass cost?
The cost of an Interrail Pass depends on the length of pass you get, whether you purchase a youth, adult or senior ticket (children under 11 go free) and whether you purchase first or second-class tickets.
There are ten different lengths of passes you can choose and I’ve included a list below of the different types of Interrail Passes, along with how much they cost for second-class tickets for both youths (first price listed) and adults (second price listed). You can find the cost of 1st class tickets on the Interrail website.
Interrail Pass price 2026 (in EUR)
| Youths (12-27) | Adults (28-59) | |
| 4 days in 1 month | €212 | €283 |
| 5 days in 1 month | €239 | €318 |
| 7 days in 1 month | €286 | €381 |
| 10 days in 2 months | €335 | €447 |
| 15 days in 2 months | €415 | €553 |
| 15 days continuous | €357 | €476 |
| 22 days continuous | €440 | €586 |
| 1 month continuous | €522 | €696 |
| 2 months continuous | €620 | €826 |
| 3 months continuous | €717 | €956 |
What is the difference between the Interrail Pass and Eurail Pass?
The Interrail Pass is for people who are European citizens and residents (including the UK – even after Brexit), whereas the Eurail Pass is for travellers outside of European countries (such as America, New Zealand, Australia etc).
Both passes cost exactly the same and offer the exact same length of passes, but one is for European residents and the other is for non-European residents.
Which trains are included?
There are dozens of train providers across 33 European countries included in the Interrail Pass. The Pass also includes some ferries, buses and other modes of public transport, making the Interrail Pass even more worth it!
As well as most standard passenger trains throughout Europe being included in the Pass, popular train companies such as Eurostar, Thalys, TGV, and AVE are also included as part of your Interrail Pass, but you have to pay an additional fee for seat reservations on these trains.
You can check the full list of railway companies that are included in the Pass on the Interrail website.
What are seat reservations and are they included?
Seat reservations are additional train tickets that are not included in the Interrail Pass so you have to purchase them separately if the train provider you’re travelling with requires them.
Seat reservations are usually required for most high-speed trains, overnight trains and many train companies in countries such as France, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Greece. You can purchase seat reservations via the Rail Planner app or on the Interrail website, but you will be redirected to the train provider’s website to officially purchase the tickets and pay the reservation fee.
What are point-to-point train tickets?
In interrailing terms, point-to-point tickets (also known as city-to-city tickets or individual train tickets) are typically used for one-way shorter trips or return journeys covering a short distance.
These can usually be purchased at most train stations throughout Europe and are typically better than an Interrail Pass if you’re only planning to cover a few destinations relatively close together that don’t cost very much to travel to.
Where to buy an Interrail Pass
There are several providers that offer the Interrail Pass.
You can purchase an Interrail Pass directly via the Interrail website or via websites such as Klook, Rail Europe and Trainline.
It’s worth keeping an eye out on all three Interrail Pass suppliers to check if there are any sales on the passes. You can often find sales around Black Friday/Christmas time and as they don’t go on sale very often, it’s worth checking before you buy just in case!
Example Europe Interrail itinerary – is the Interrail Pass worth it?
To show you whether the Interrail Pass is worth it in 2026, I’ve included our exact route and itinerary, as well as the number of trains that we took on our European interrail adventure (in 2023). I’ve also included how much each train would have cost us if we didn’t have the Interrail Pass and how much money we saved on our trip by having the pass.
We had the Interrail Global Pass “15 days within 2 months” which meant that we had 15 “travel days” within a 2-month period. If we wanted to travel to more destinations and use more travel days in that time, we would have had to pay for the additional trains separately (known as point-to-point tickets).
Please note that these prices are listed in Euros as these figures were calculated while we were still in Europe when the Rail Planner app defaulted to Euros.
I have also included how much the train tickets would have cost for second-class seats, but bear in mind that we had first-class tickets for every train that we took (apart from the Eurostar from Brussels to London as we didn’t want to pay extra for 1st class seats).
Our rail pass cost (1st class) – 15 days within 2 month
1st class: €657 each in 2023 (€718 in 2026)
Second class: €518 each in 2023 (€553 in 2026)
Day 1 – Milan to Zurich (with one stop in Chiasso)
1st class without the pass: €136.71 each
2nd class without the pass: €83.55 each
Today’s savings (no seat reservations required): €136.71 each
Day 2 – Zurich to Bern (no change)
1st class without the pass: €95.84
2nd class without the pass: €54.31
Today’s savings (no reservations required): €95.84 each
Day 3 – Bern to Lausanne (no change)
1st class without the pass: €38.56
2nd class without the pass: €29.18
Today’s savings (no reservations required): €38.56 each
Day 4 – Lausanne to Freiburg (change in Bern)
1st class without the pass: €170.98
2nd class without the pass: €98.78
Today’s savings (no reservations required): €170.98 each
Day 5 – Freiburg to Stuttgart (change in Karlsruhe)
1st class without the pass: €110.20
2nd class without the pass: €63.90
Today’s savings (no reservations required): €110.20
Day 6 – Stuttgart to Berlin (no change)
1st class without the pass: €235.90
2nd class without the pass: €184.30
Today’s savings (no reservations required): €235.90
Day 7 – Berlin to Hamburg (no change)
1st class without the pass: €135.90
2nd class without the pass: €95
Today’s savings (no reservations required): €135.90
Day 8 – Hamburg to Odense (no change)
1st class without the pass: €131.20
2nd class without the pass: €77.50
Today’s savings (no reservations required): €131.20
Day 9 – Odense to Kalmar (change In Copenhagen)
1st class without the pass: €67.60
2nd class without the pass: €44
Today’s savings (no reservations required): €67.60
Day 10 – Kalmar to Stockholm (change in Alvesta)
1st class without the pass: €151.86
2nd class without the pass: €102.34
Today’s savings (reservations of €9 each required): €142.86
Day 11 – Stockholm to Copenhagen (no change)
1st class without the pass: €170.94
2nd class without the pass: €136.94
Today’s savings (reservations of €9 each required): €127.94
(1st class reservations are €19 each so we just went for 2nd class tickets)
Day 12 – Copenhagen to Düsseldorf (change in Hamburg)
1st class without the pass: €260.70
2nd class without the pass: €163.70
Today’s savings (no reservations required): €260.70
Day 13 – Düsseldorf to Antwerp (change in Cologne and Brussels)
1st class without the pass: €138.60
2nd class without the pass: €82.50
Today’s savings (no reservations required): €138.60
Day 14 – Antwerp to Bruges & Ghent (day trip – return to Antwerp)
1st class without the pass: €62
2nd class without the pass: €41.10
Today’s savings (no reservations required): €62
Day 15 – Antwerp to London (change in Brussels for the Eurostar)
1st class without the pass: €244
2nd class without the pass: €227
Today’s savings (reservations required): €193 (we paid €34 each for 2nd class seats as it cost €70 for 1st class and we didn’t want to pay that for a two-hour train).
Without the Interrail Global Pass (15 days within 2 months – worth €657 each for 1st class tickets when we took our trip in 2023), we would have spent a whopping €2,047.99 each on individual point-to-point train tickets!
With our Interrail Global Pass (15 days within 2 months) we saved an awesome €1,390.99 on our Interrail trip in 2023 (cost of point-to-point minus cost of Interrail Pass = savings). Therefore, it was definitely worth it for us to get the Interrail Pass as we saved so much money!
We only had to buy seat reservations three times (Kalmar to Stockholm – €9), (Stockholm to Copenhagen – €9) and (Brussels to London – €34 for the Eurostar), which meant that we didn’t have too many additional costs to pay.
However, if your interrailing trip will take you through countries such as France, Spain, Greece and Italy, you’ll likely need to account for many more trains that require seat reservations as these countries are renowned for requiring seat reservations on most journeys. This is something you should bear in mind when calculating whether the Interrail Pass is worth it.
Is interrailing worth it in 2026?
As I mentioned above, these calculations are based on the cost of interrail tickets in 2023. I have included the most up-to-date calculations and the interrail cost below for 2026 so that you can see evidence that the Interrail Pass is still worth it in 2026!
Our rail pass cost (1st class) – 15 days within 2 month
1st class: €718 in 2026
Second class: €553 in 2026
Total cost of individual point-to-point train tickets: €2,047.99 each. The cost of our first class tickets in 2026 would be €718 and therefore we would still saving a huge savings of €1,329.99 each!
Advantages of the Interrail Pass
If you’re still unsure whether the Interrail Pass is worth it or not, check out some of the advantages of travelling in Europe with the pass:
- It can be a cheaper way of travelling across Europe as opposed to purchasing point-to-point train tickets or using other modes of transport such as hire cars or planes.
- It’s an incredibly fun and unique way to see different places in Europe and it takes the stress off driving, for example.
- You can visit as many as 33 countries in Europe with just one Pass.
- The Rail Planner app is super easy to use so you can add your Pass to the app and start travelling straight away!
- You can buy an Interrail Pass up to 11 months before your intended start date, so it gives you plenty of time to plan your trip and itinerary.
- There is usually free Wi-Fi included on most of the trains in Europe, so it’s a great option for digital nomads (like us!) who need to work while travelling! This is especially great on super long journeys as it helps to alleviate boredom and also makes you more productive!
- As well as most trains being included in the Pass, you can also benefit from numerous discounts and offers in the Rail Planner app in various countries such as discounts on ferries, tours, accommodations, city cards, bike hire, river cruises, other modes of public transport and more!
Disadvantages of using an Interrail Pass
While I am a huge advocate for the Interrail Pass and I think it’s 100% worth it most of the time (depending on various circumstances as outlined throughout this post), there are, of course, a few cons that you should be aware of when considering the Interrail Pass:
- Seat reservations aren’t included in the cost of the Interrail Pass, so if you’ll be travelling in countries such as France, Greece, Italy and Spain, for example, you might end up spending a lot of money on seat reservations alongside the upfront cost of the Pass.
- If you’re planning an interrailing trip in Europe in the peak summer months or over the Christmas market periods, you will likely have to plan your trip at least a few weeks/months in advance. This is especially true if you’re travelling in countries where seat reservations are required as these can get booked up very quickly in advance during the peak travel seasons.
- If you don’t add all of your journeys to the Rail Planner app before your trip begins, you will need to use Wi-Fi or mobile data to add each journey as you go as you can’t do it offline (we had to add each of our journeys usually on the day of travel as we didn’t plan our trip very far in advance at all!).
- It may take you some time to work out whether the Interrail Pass is worth it if you decide to work out the costs of all the individual point-to-point train journeys that you intend on taking.
When an Interrail Pass is worth it
Below, you can find scenarios of when it’s probably worth purchasing an Interrail Pass.
- When you already have a rough idea of the route and itinerary you want to take and the individual city-to-city train tickets would be more expensive than the cost of the Interrail Pass + seat reservations.
- When you want to have more flexibility with your trip and don’t want to pre-book every single train in advance.
- You’re planning to travel to/through countries with few seat reservations but expensive point-to-point train tickets.
- If you want to plan an interrailing trip during peak seasons and busy travel months when normal train tickets tend to book up far in advance (and can be very expensive).
When the Interrail Pass might not be worth it for your trip
Here are some of the things to consider that would likely mean the Interrail Pass isn’t worth it for your particular trip.
- You have a rough idea of your route and itinerary and the cost of city-to-city tickets would be cheaper than purchasing the Interrail Pass. For example, if you only plan to travel to three destinations and the train tickets between each destination are cheaper than buying a pass.
- Your intended itinerary includes a lot of destinations in Balkan countries and/or Eastern Europe where train tickets are either super cheap or you’re not able to travel via train quite as much (therefore, you’ll need to pay for other modes of transport such as buses etc).
- Your intended interrailing itinerary involves travelling through countries where you need a lot of seat reservations – the cost of the Interrail Pass plus the cost of seat reservations might be more expensive than simply buying point-to-point tickets alone.
Is first-class Interrail worth it?
We’ve established how to work out if the Interrail Pass is worth it, but you might also be wondering “Is first-class Interrail worth it?”.
As I’ve mentioned several times throughout this post, we had the 1st class “15 days within 2 months” Interrail Global Pass and I truly think that it was worth every penny (for us).
You can work out whether a 1st class Pass is worth it financially by carrying out the same calculations as above, but just make sure that you check the prices of 1st class tickets as opposed to 2nd class tickets.
Of course, determining whether first-class Interrail is worth it also depends on your budget and just how much you value extra luxuries such as bigger seats, free drinks and snacks, free Wi-Fi and more space in the carriages to explore.
I’ve experienced interrailing in Europe with both first-class and second-class tickets (we travelled 2nd class in August 2022 when we travelled to Brussels, Munich, Vienna, and Budapest) and I can safely say that while 1st class is definitely more luxurious and spacious, 2nd class trains in Europe are still much better than most trains we have in the UK!
Therefore, unless you want to spend around £100 more on a first-class Interrail Pass, I don’t think that it’s 100% necessary. Don’t get me wrong, travelling in 1st class was an experience that I’ll never forget and I think it’s worth the money if you want to travel on a more high-end budget, but if you’re planning to go interrailing on a budget, I think 2nd class tickets are perfectly fine!
How to know if an Interrail Pass is worth it for you – summary
Determining whether Interrail is worth it for you will depend on the length of your interrail trip, how many places you intend on visiting, how many countries/cities you want to visit, when you’re travelling, whether you want to travel first or second-class and much more. You’ll also have to consider whether buying individual tickets works out cheaper than buying an Interrail Pass.
As you can see from our exact interrail itinerary above, the Interrail Pass was definitely worth buying for us as we saved so much money compared to individual train tickets.
You should bear in mind all the information I’ve provided in this ultimate Interrail Pass guide to determine whether it’s worth buying the Pass.
Are you considering an interrail trip to Europe this year? Do you think the Interrail Pass is worth it? Let me know in the comments or in my Interrail Travel Tips Facebook Group.
