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First Interrail Trip - is this itinerary realistic?

  • March 3, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 15 views
R

Hi everyone,

Three friends and I are planning to do an Interrail trip this August and we’re thinking about buying the Interrail Global Pass (10 travel days within 2 months, 2nd class). We’d like some advice on whether our route sounds realistic and well planned.

Our idea is to fly from Spain to Paris and then travel by train to Amsterdam, Berlin, Wroclaw, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Bratislava. From Bratislava we would fly back to Spain, as flights from there seem to be cheaper for us.

We’re young and trying to keep costs relatively low. At the moment, we’re planning to stay around 2 nights in each city, and the whole trip would last about 15–16 days in total.

It’s our first Interrail trip, so we’re still new to all of this. We’re a bit unsure about reservations and travel times between cities, especially in August. We’re currently looking at accommodation options on Booking and Airbnb, and any tips on how to keep costs down would be really appreciated.

Do you think this itinerary is realistic? Is August a very crowded month to do Interrail, or is it still a good time to travel? And is anyone else here planning to do Interrail in August as well?

Thanks in advance!

    1 reply

    ralderton
    Railmaster
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    • ralderton
    • Railmaster
    • March 3, 2026

    Welcome.

    It sounds like a great trip but, to be honest, a little crowded. Two nights is the minimum I would recommend in one place; three or four is better. It gives you time to get to know a place, and potentially take day trips to somewhere else. If you can cut one of your destinations out, you won’t regret it.

    Reservations will be compulsory on the Eurostar between Paris and Amsterdam, and they’re pretty expensive (€32). You can avoid them by taking a bunch of slower trains (7-8h vs 3.5 on the Eurostar), but I don’t think that's worth it on an already packed itinerary.

    They’ll also be compulsory on most of your route as far as Prague, but pretty cheap (a few € each). Thereafter, you can do the rest without reservations.

    You can see all the reservation requirements and costs here. 

    https://www.seat61.com/interrail-and-eurail-reservations.htm

    If you were happy to skip Paris and fly to Amsterdam, you’d save yourself money on reservations and give a bit more breathing space for your itinerary.

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