Interrail: The Best Way To Travel Through Europe

Interrail is still widely perceived to be only for youngsters, but the rail pass is for all ages and for some journeys — particularly on slower, regional routes — they’re the smartest option.

- Daniel Elkan

For those who love travel, the Interrail pass is the equivalent of a golden ticket to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. It gives you the chance to roam freely on Europe’s vast rail network — and who wouldn’t want that?

In recent years, the scheme has seen phenomenal growth, rocketing from 100,000 passes sold in 2005 to over 250,000 in 2015, with the fastest increase in the over-26 age group, who now make up one quarter of total sales. Yet a myth persists that Interrail is just for youngsters.

When the scheme began in 1972, only those aged 21 or younger could buy a pass. By 1979, that had been raised to 26; which was how it stayed until 1998, when the age limit was finally abolished. “The idea we always try to counteract is that Interrail is only for the youth market,” says Silvia Fischer, sales & marketing manager at Eurail Group GIE, the company that runs the scheme. “Even though it hasn’t been that way for nearly 20 years, this reputation can be hard to shake off. People often think: ‘That sounds nice — what a shame that I’m out of the age range’, when actually they’re not.”

These days, fares are based on three age bands: youth (25 or under); adult (26 and over); and senior (60 or over). For a monthly Global Pass, giving access to all 30 countries, the youth fare is £441, the adult fare is £576 and the senior fare is £519. Last year, to encourage more multi-generational travel, Interrail introduced family passes that allow an adult or senior to take up to two children aged four to 11 for free.