About the Senior pass : I'm not sure you can buy it in advance but if you'd like a mobile pass you can buy it and use it straight away. Paper passes are available at RENFE ticket counters.
A continuous pass is valid for a month (like October 5th - November 4th). You do not have to travel every day.
On some fast/high-speed trains you need to add a mandatory reservation. This is mainly the case in France, Italy, Spain and some cross-border routes.
You generally don't need a pass to book them, feel free to ask for advice here. Have a look at this too : https://www.seat61.com/interrail-and-eurail-reservations.htm
Crossing the Spanish-French border isn't very easy. You have a few options :
- Euskotren San Sebastian - Hendaye 3-4€ ticket (not included)
- TGV Barcelona - France : 25€ reservation to the south of France, 35€ to Paris
- AVE International : 10€ reservation (Madrid/Barcelona - Marseille/Lyon)
The AVE International is only available at RENFE ticket counters at the moment.
High-speed trains on this route are popular so book a few weeks in advance if possible.
In other countries it's easier but sometimes reservations are recommended, even though they're optional. :)
(Last thing : some things could still change until September 2024, it's still quite far away !)
About itineraries my suggestion is to take your time and not necessarily visit a new country every other day.
I don't know where you live in Spain but you could do something like that :
- DAY 1 : hometown - San Sebastian
- DAY 2 : Euskotren to Hendaye, train to Bordeaux
- Bordeaux - Paris - Strasbourg - Switzerland (lots of beautiful railways) - Italy (for example Florence) - Nice - Avignon/Nîmes - Barcelona - hometown
It is also possible to fly to somewhere from Spain to start the adventure but it's not a "true" Interrail trip haha. :)
Feel free to ask further questions. Last point : on 2 of your pass days you can travel in your own country. This is the only limitation.
Buenos días,
Muchas gracias por las aclaraciones.
Somos de Bilbao y querríamos estar 1 mes de Interrrail.
La propuesta de itinerario es muy interesante, pero en principio Francia e Italia lo evitaremos porque es lo que más conocemos.
Queremos hacer más Centro y Este de Europa.
Para 1 mes de viaje es factible el Pase Global Continuo de 1 mes? Lógicamente no vamos a viajar todos los días, pero te da muchísima flexibildad no?
Muchas gracias.
Un saludo,
Eugenia
Ok I understand. Central and Eastern Europe are good places for Interrail as reservations are optional there. :)
Bilbao is not the worst place to start too. You're not too far from the border, even though Hendaye is quite long to reach (until the high-speed railway is finished).
Yes the continuous pass gives you a lot of flexibility and you don't have to worry about short journeys. You just add the train to the pass and hop on. For my last trip I bought a 2 months pass. :)
How to get to Germany or Switzerland now ? To get quickly to Central Europe you could do something like :
- bus/train Bilbao - Hendaye
- TGV Hendaye - Paris-Montparnasse 10-20€
- station transfer
- Nightjet Paris-Est - Berlin or Vienna 18:58 - 10:13
You only pay accommodation price : seat, couchette, sleeper. I'd recommend booking a whole sleeper compartment but they're a bit expensive. Book well in advance, night trains are popular.
Also possible to take a Bordeaux - Strasbourg TGV avoiding Paris : 08:54 - 14:29.
Or via Madrid/Barcelona :
- ARC Bilbao-Abando - Madrid-Chamartin 07:00 - 11:28 6.50€
- Cercanias transfer
- AVE Madrid-Atocha - Marseille St-Charles 13:25 - 21:30 10€
Also possible to stop earlier in Nîmes for example. The following day go towards Geneva maybe.
After these long journeys you could go more gently. :)
(Timetables subject to change.)
Muchas gracias por las recomendaciones.
Un saludo,
Eugenia
Feliz cumpelaños por 2024!
Yes, a continuous pass is the most flexible. You don't have to worry about how many days you are using, or worry about ‘wasting’ a day on a short, cheap journey. It gives the most freedom. (But you pay more, of course.)
From San Sebastian, the obvious route is the one mentioned above: Euskotren to Hendaye (pay separately). You will need to pay a reservation fee to take the TGV across France to reach Germany or Switzerland. After that, things are easier.
Maybe you go through Switzerland & Austria to reach Eastern Europe. Very good trains, beautiful scenery, no reservations needed.
You also have the option of sleeper trains. From Hendaye to Paris, Paris to Vienna etc. Here is a good map.
https://nachtzugkarte.de/en/
The Seat61 website above gives great information on where you need reservations.
Muchísimas gracias por la ayuda.
Somos nuevos en el mundo Interrail
El mundo Interrail es parfois muy complicado! Pero hay mucha gente en el foro que puede ayudarte con cualquier pregunta que tengas.
Buenas tardes,
El link enviado por “ralderton” del mapa con todas las líneas nocturnas de trenes me parece estupendo y de gran ayuda.
Seria posible un link con mapa de líneas diurnas?
Me parece un soporte muy interesante para planificar un viaje de un mes con Interrail.
Muchas gracias.
Un saludo.
Eugenia
Ohhhhh magnífico!,,,
Gracias!!!
Eugenia.
