Has anyone done an inter railing holiday as an adult?

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Just that really, considering this for me and teens this year but no idea how viable this is. We’d get the Eurostar to Paris and have about 2.5 weeks in Europe. Really like the idea of a sleeper train somewhere along the way too.

would love some ideas if anyone has done this?

My parents are going this May (it was my Christmas present to them 😄). They are going to:

Paris, Munich, Vienna, Prague, Düsseldorf

I would be wary about going this summer: Eurostar tickets are already prohibitively expensive because of the Olympics. It's really annoying, we always go on holiday by train and have had to book our (ludicrously pricey) Eurostar tickets before our onward journey is for sale, which I wouldn't normally do.

But ordinarily: go for it, travelling by train is so fun, you feel like a local and see so much more than you would otherwise. Flying seems so crass in comparison!

Oh I love all your experiences. I’m thinking 2025 now. OP what are your plans? I was thinking Berlin, Austria and Hungry as I have relatives there to visit. But now I need to research how practical this all is over 2-3 weeks.

Following this with interest. My adult daughter has disabilities and she's terrified of flying and sailing, as such we've only left the country once. I could get her on a train though. And she doesn't have to know that the tunnel goes under the sea

Hi @notreadyandable it would be great if it works for your dd. In your shoes, I would try a shorter trip to see how you get on - maybe Belgium (Bruges is lovely), Luxembourg (under-rated!) and the Netherlands (maybe smaller cities like Gouda rather than Amsterdam, which is full on). You can cost up whether it's worth getting a local interrail pass or paying separately. As you can include the Eurostar in your interrail pass, it might be more cost-effective. I really hope it works for you and your dd.

It's brilliant - whatever age. Over 60s get discounts. DH and I have travelled that way many times.

As other posters have said:

*you know this already- but get proper, serious travel insurance, plus the GHIC card: https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/healthcare-abroad/apply-for-a-free-uk-global-health-insurance-card-ghic/

*Seat reservations are ESSENTIAL on many journeys- I would say on most, for peace of mind. There is usually a small fee. The Interrail website has further details.

*if you want to see the passing countryside, avoid very high-speed (often premium priced) trains. Quite often, to avoid crosswinds, they travel between high concrete walls, so you don't see anything of the scenery. And the speed makes it all a blur. Local regional express trains are much slower but you see so much more from their windows.

*Get familiarised with how the 'composition' of trains is displayed. Many countries have information boards on station platforms, relating to each and every particular train. On some services, there is not much time to have to run with luggage from one end of a very long international train to another to find your seat. Best to be standing in approx the predicted position for your reservation carriage.

*Modern trains don't have much luggage space - it's either between the backs of seats, below the seats or in rather narrow overhead racks. So travel as light as possible. When younger for us that meant rucksacks, now we use small and light wheeled suitcases plus perhaps a 20-30litre rucksack (to hold on one's lap) for immediate essentials. As PP says, wheelie suitcases with rucksack-type straps can be good.

*Wherever you are going, a lightweight but really effective waterproof is very useful. As few shoes as possible - they are bulky and heavy. Toiletries can also be heavy; big Euro terminuses - eg Amsterdam, Koln - have good pharmacies for top-ups. (NB If at Koln station with children/and perhaps DH, don't forget to visit the fantastic free model railway installation.)

*I can see that sleeper trains might be very exciting for children, but really, we prefer a fairly basic booked-in-advance hotel or b-and-b. So much quieter and less cramped and better ventilated. And better breakfast, too.

*Most European railway station loos charge at least 50cents so be prepared with a supply of small change.

*Perhaps think about taking a universal adaptor plus a little travel kettle and (in our case) a small coffee filter cone and filter papers and some fresh ground coffee (or, if nor coffee fiends, teabags). If you can manage it, a couple of simple insulated mugs with lids are also very useful; the coffee sold on long distance Euro trains is streets better than anything offered by train companies in the UK, but not always available and always expensive.

Agree absolutely with comments re the seat 61 website - vast amounts of useful info there.

I am wondering this too.

Everything I've looked at is showing the train tickets alone are quite expensive... or am I looking in the wrong places?

Did a cheats version a few years ago by flying and a couple of buses but only one train and no actual inter rail ticket. We picked one city each (6 of us) and had 1-4 nights in each. We were away 15 nights and scraped in just under £5k (with difficulty).

We do this for 2.5 weeks each summer, picking 2 or 3 European countries to travel between

If you do a sleeper train then pick a relaxing day the next day, in my experience they aren't the best for sleeping on, and take an eye mask because every time they pass through a station the lights will shine around the curtains

And pack light! We do a couple of weeks on a 30 litre rucksack each and make sure we stay places with washing machines. We often book hostels because they will always have washing machines and the staff are usually super helpful with reccomendations

It is more expensive than cheap Ryanair type flights, but the amazing scenery of the train journeys is part of the fun and you see so much more of the country than flying in, plus its more eco friendly than a plane, if the prices are within budget

I did a mini rail holiday. Marseille to Monaco and around to Cinque Terre then up to Como and over the Alps to Switzerland. Absolutely adore train travel and want to do more. Especially as the Europeans do trains so much better (and cheaper) than us.

@nameXname why the stress on the best travel insurance, over say a normal holiday insurance?

Great ideas. My teens want to do this!

Some interesting & informative points!

We would love to do it, maybe in the summer, with our 3 Dses, who will be 10, 13 & 15. But DH is convinced that we can take a 'small tent' & camp in our destinations. I think this is crazy as it's not just a tent you would need, but all the camping gear too (mats, sleeping bags, something to cook on & with) as well as luggage for 5 people 😳

Yes, it is more expensive than booking a package holiday. The idea is still going around that trains are cheaper than flying, but it isn't true and hasn't been for decades. (In most countries on the continent they are cheaper than in the UK though).

Sleeper trains are fun but almost always more expensive and less comfortable than a daytime train and decent hotel.

The upsides are that it's a much more relaxed way of travelling. The kids get to see foreign public transport systems. Stations are in city centres not in the middle of nowhere like airports. You don't have to hang around a station for half a day before your train.

@Allthescreens I suggest sending DH and the boys off for a weekend camping in this country to see how they like it, before committing to carrying tents and sleeping bags around Europe. (It's not so much the tent but you also need to carry your food and that gets really heavy.)

We are hoping to do this next yr with DT15. Haven't settled on which countries yet.
How many days would you recommend in each place? Are there any places anyone would recommend as a Must-do?
Can't wait. Travel tips are welcome.

I would totally reccomend Ljubljana! Quite a compact city so you can cover loads on foot, amazing food, a really pretty city and there's a regular bus service out to Lake Bled which is great for a day trip

the train station is pretty close to the city centre so it's all very accessible, there are bike hire places and the majority of the city is fairly flat

Did this with my husband and son when my son was 4. Flew to Budapest the trains through a few places in Austria, Germany and Netherlands. Didn't go to loads of Europe but was fun what we did. Didn't stay in hostels but booked hotels alone the way.

Place marking as this is the first holiday idea that's made me excited for a while! Travelled a lot by train as a student and it was ace

I am properly obsessed with luggage options. I recently went 'backpacking' properly off the beaten track and in my 50s can just about still manage a rucksack. However one of my tricks is to pack as a team. DH is very fit and strong so he's the big rucksack. I have a really good small wheelie and various cross-body bags for all the real essentials. You can often leave one person in a station with all the heavy bags (and a coffee) while another does the running around, finding things, working out details.

Packing cubes are your friends. I have compressible ones. Everything should have two or more jobs, don't take things that exist in most places (hairdryers I've seen!). Don't pack for every eventuality, you're in Europe. Cash will solve most problems.

Obviously pack light and plan to wash on the way. Which means planning stays cleverly with enough time to wash clothes.

I love planning travel <sigh>

Plan to do laundry but don't take it to extremes

Certainly it's more expensive than cheap flights, but I'm really keen to move away from short haul flights for environmental reasons. Train travel feels a lot more sustainable, and we're so fortunate in the UK that we have the whole of Europe - and beyond, if you have the time - easily accessible to us by train.

I've sort of done it. About 15 years ago. I caught the ferry to Amsterdam for a few days, then train to Brussels. Sleeper train to Warsaw. Stayed a few days there, then caught a train to Prague where i stayed 24 hours. Sleeper train to cologne, then cologne to Paris before getting the Eurostar home. This was just a weeks holiday.
I've also taken the train to the French alps for a skiing holiday. I flipping loved it both times. I'm not a great flyer and this was before I had kids.

Certainly it's more expensive than cheap flights, but I'm really keen to move away from short haul flights for environmental reasons.

Oh, so am I, and I try to avoid them where I can. It's just that some people seem to have got the impression that rail is a cheap way to travel, when it isn't.

I’d love to do more holidays by train with my kids so following. Sadly it does not seem very affordable to me either. I am not comparing it to an all inclusive package as I haven’t done that either!