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Interrail Pass to travel between 2 countries

  • 6 March 2022
  • 9 replies
  • 270 views

Hello ! 

Hope you're doing great ! I've just booked my first interrail pass ! it was recommended to me because i'm used to travel a lot by train and in that case all the time between 2 stations Bruxelles-midi (Belgium - my home country) and Lyon Part-Dieu (France) the country in which my girlfriend lives in ! 
So with the recommandation of an agent in France I took the 2 months pass (with 10 trips), i activated my account just a few moments ago and when i want to book a trip between Bruxelles and Lyon it says that it needs to be an inbound/outbound trip and I only have 2 of those instead of the 10.
Is that normal did i miss understood something in the pass ? if I did can you help me about it 🙂 ? 
Many thanks in advance and wish you a great evening ! 
FrancoisP

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Best answer by seewulf 6 March 2022, 21:04

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Userlevel 7
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Thats correct you have with a Interrail Globalpass just two traveldays in your Homecountry your case Belgium this means you can spend 2 of the 10days in Belgium and the other 8days must be used everywhere else. https://www.interrail.eu/en/interrail-passes/what-is-interrail/travel-your-own-country#/

Thank you for you answer !
I indeed was misled for that kind of pass i’m going to do the refound process !

Do you know by any chance if the kind of pass that i’m looking for exists ?

Thanks again :) !

Userlevel 7
Badge +14

Thank you for you answer !
I indeed was misled for that kind of pass i’m going to do the refound process !

Do you know by any chance if the kind of pass that i’m looking for exists ?

Thanks again :) !

For the start of the refund process you first have to deactivate your pass with Customer Serice by this service form https://eurail.zendesk.com/hc/en-001

Yes a Eurailpass or a Interrail Globalpass with a different Homecountry as France & Belgium (You need a new Passport of a foreign country  :D ) 

Userlevel 7
Badge +14

Thank you for you answer !
I indeed was misled for that kind of pass i’m going to do the refound process !

Do you know by any chance if the kind of pass that i’m looking for exists ?

Thanks again :) !

Side note even with a Interrailpass you had to pay for reservations for the TGV´s from Brussels to Lyon :/ so in my experience cheap advance fares pay off more. 

Maybe with Ouigo (no frills TGV) from Lille or other French stations near the Belgian border to Lyon :) 

Userlevel 7
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Maybe the Carte Avantage of SNCF pays off but i doesnt know about the validity on the French - Belgian TGV Services :/ 

I just did the refund request !

I already have the “Carte Avantage of SNCF” but i was looking for a better solution and when the agent told me about interrail i thought that was it but sadly not :p !

Thank you again for all your answers those were really what i was looking for !

I wish you a wonderfull night / week in advance !

I might have a Solution and would like to know your opinion on it !
I could take the “One country pass” for France → https://www.interrail.eu/fr/interrail-passes/one-country-pass/france and use it to do Lille-Europe → Lyon Part-Dieu and pay on the other hand for my trips between Bruxelles-Midi and Lille-Europe.

Do you think that could work ? and i could do the same trip all the time ? 

Thank you again for your time !!

Userlevel 7
Badge +5

Yes, it works the same but you get NO 2 free trips inside BE (are you still junior? the GoPass can even cut a little off the fare as far as Mouscron/Tournai=Moeskroen/Doornik, but not as far as border!) AND of course it is only valid IN FR and not the rest of EUR. It should in fact work (as does global) from the tariff border BE-FR, except that NMBS=SNCB does not sell any cheap tickets to that point. But FR is quite a big country with expensive railfares and the difference between these 2 passes is not very big.

Note that SNCF In FR also restricts the actual nr of people with passes on their superfast TGV-this varies per train but I suppose you want weekend travel and thus use the trains in heavy demand. The usual supplmt for Lille-Lyon is mostly 20€, for every trip, sometimes even 30.

This C-Av, does give also discount on SNCF run TGV to BRU and also has a MAX fare, but you have to book advance and are tied to booked trains then. I guess -certainly if you have this card already, use it till expiry and then see what works out best. It will not really work for Thalys to Par, as the supplmt then is very high.

(hint; only In FR)-if you have a few mins to spare whilst in Perrache: check what the machine tells you for these supplmts-you have to go through a very, very long menu before you can see this. It is NOT possible online!

Userlevel 7
Badge +9

Note that SNCF In FR also restricts the actual nr of people with passes on their superfast TGV-this varies per train but I suppose you want weekend travel and thus use the trains in heavy demand. The usual supplmt for Lille-Lyon is mostly 20€, for every trip, sometimes even 30.

Nope, that's 10 or 20 EUR for the direct TGV, depending on availability, just like for the other domestic TGVs.

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