7 day interail route suggestions from Amsterdam

[Onthemoooove]

I'm trying to help my daughter & friends organise a rather short notice interail trip!

They are already flying to Amsterdam from London where they will stay for 3 nights and think they then want to travel to Italy via Germany before flying back to London around 7 days later from wherever they end up, but open to suggestions. We've been searching routes but are getting rather overwhelmed. I've urged them not to try to cram too much in as otherwise it'll just be stressful & tiring. They are also interested in Ljubljana/Lake Bled & Prague. Have recently been to Budapest so not there.

Would be grateful for route suggestions & any tips!

Thank you 🙂

Watching

7 days is very short and it sounds like one of the journeys is a flight so not sure how that makes the most of it. I recall DS needed to make a minimum number of journeys for some reason. He was away a fortnight and went to Paris by Eurostar, then Amsterdam, Prague, Vienna and various places in Germany, then back via Paris and Eurostar. Can't remember the exact order of the places. He avoided hot and beachy places and focussed on his interest in cinema and language skills. Prague was the only place he didn't especially like. Too touristy.

They are flying to Amsterdam, staying there 3 days (this part is already booked), then want to interail for about a week before flying back, so will be away for about 10 days.

I'm planning an interrail trip this summer - I know what you mean about it being overwhelming! Tell them to download the interrail app, the map, and the rail planner app. It's much more doable when you can see routes and plot times.

I would say that the interrail pass at it's most cost effective when you're traveling from somewhere in the UK - Europe via eurostar, or at least that's how it worked out for us. The pass is 95% refundable if it winds up being cheaper to do separate train journey in Europe

How many days travel to they have on their pass? And which regions?

This all makes a difference.

And ahd not use a day of the pass to get to Amsterdam, as you can get their direct on Eurostar these days...

Amsterdam - Stuttgart - Venice, or Amsterdam - Munich - Rome:
https://www.seat61.com/international-trains/trains-from-Amsterdam.htm#Amsterdam-Italy

Or go via Innsbruck or Zurich.

Probably won’t need interail tickets - can just book direct journeys for much less.

Would they be interested in night trains?

I would go...

Amsterdam -> Munich (c. 8hrs 1 change)
Munich -> Ljubljana (c. 6hrs)
-> Lake Bled (c. 1hr)
-> Lake Bohinj (c. half hr)
-> Nova Gorica/Gorizia Centrale (c. 1hr)
-> Venice (c. 2hrs)

I'm very fond of Gorizia (it's literally the Slovenia/Italian border) but you could just change trains there for Venice.

I would give Prague a miss this time. Too far out of the way really. They've got the rest of their lives to travel!

Munich is a good call, as you can then go to Verona/Bologna/Venice via the scenic route through the Brenner pass.

Thank you, will pass these ideas on to them. They're flying to Amsterdam and starting the train part there & will likely fly back to UK depending where they end up.

Have suggested Amsterdam - Munich - Ljubljana/Lake Bled then perhaps Venice, Lake Garda & fly home & see if that appeals.