After a month of having a grand time travelling Europe, the question on everyone’s mind is is it worth getting an Interrail/ Eurail pass?
Yes, but not if you’re planning to go to Eastern Europe: Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia, Serbia etc. you will not get any value for the pass here. There are either no trains or the train routes are super cheap so buying a one-off ticket within the country is cheaper than using up one day of your pass.
Eurail/Interrail passes work best for when you are:
- travelling long distances
- travelling through expensive countries like Switzerland
- using high-speed trains like the Eurostar or Thalys to Paris (seat booking is still an additional cost)
- living your best life booking last minute during high season in Europe (June, July, August)
For my Interrail Global Pass Adult 7 days within 1 month I paid (without seat reservations):
€352
When I looked at the costs for my exact train routes on the same day/day before on Trainline (without seat reservations), in total:
€668*
What is the cheapest way to book seats for an Interrail/Eurail pass?
On the official Interrail website it explains how to book seats. Expect prices to be slightly higher plus a booking fee if you book through them.
From Bari to Rimini in the app it was €15 + €2 booking fee. When I booked directly through the Italian railway website, I paid €13. For all other seat reservations, I used the Austrian train website.
one night in Augsburg
Since I had been to Munich, and was going to Munich in September for Oktoberfest, I decided to spend one night in the cute town of Augsburg. I ate at Thorbräu Biergarten Freibank, which was the perfect last taste of Germany before heading back to Amsterdam.
*Budgeting for a European train journey in June
| Route | Cost (on Trainline) |
| Train Amsterdam to Saltzburg | 183 |
| Train Saltzburg to Bratislava | 60 |
| Flight Vienna to Banja Luka | 20 plus 16 for my bag |
| Bus Banja Luka to Sarajevo | 21.80 (I bought it online so there was a fee) |
| Taxi Istočno Sarajevo Bus Station to the city centre | 10 |
| Bus Sarajevo to Mostar | 20.50KM (10.50) |
| Bus Mostar to Kotor | 49.00KM bag fee 1 euro (25.50) |
| Bus Kotor to Budva | 3.50 plus 1.00 exit fee (I kept my bag on my lap so I didn’t have to pay) |
| Bus Budva to Sveti Stefen (return) | 5 |
| Bus Budva to Tirana | 26 with exit fee but not bags |
| Bus Tirana to Berat | 500 LEK (5.00) |
| Bus Berat to Gjirokaster | 1200 LEK (11.80) |
| Bus Gjirokaster to Durres (taking the bus to Tirana) | 1100 LEK (10.88) + 40 LEK (0.40) for local bus |
| Ferry to Italy (Durres to Bari) | 45 |
| Train Bari to Rimini | 83 + seat reso |
| Train Rimini to Bologna (return) | 19.80 |
| Train Rimini to Augsburg | 147 + 10 supplement |
| Train Augsburg to Amsterdam Zuid | 175 |
What a ride!
