I plan my life weeks in advance. In fact, I could probably give you a rundown of my schedule a month from now. So, when my best friend asked me if I would be interested in going interrailing, my immediate reaction was: Are you joking? However, thanks to my ambitious (if slightly inconvenient) resolution to say yes to things that push me out of my comfort zone, I agreed to join her.
As it happens, it was the best decision I made all year. Whilst my experience wasn’t identical to the perfectly curated, picture-perfect presentation of interrailing I’d seen on social media, I enjoyed two of the most rewarding and insightful weeks of travel.
This article is by no means concerned with convincing you to ‘find yourself’. Instead, I aim to share my interrail reality – the highs and the lows. If you ever get the opportunity, I hope you feel encouraged to say yes to the things you never believed you would be able to do.
The Importance of Good Company
As a minor disclaimer, I should probably preface this article by adding that part of what made my experience was the people I chose to travel with. You’re spending a long period of time with the same people in unfamiliar and sometimes stressful situations: if your relationship isn’t solid beforehand, you probably won’t be the most compatible travel companions.
I was joined by my two best friends, girls whom I love unconditionally. Tash and Izzy can make the most mundane scenarios hilarious and cheer me up instantly. They were the perfect company.
On the subject of company, it’s worth noting that there is so much expectation on social media that you’re not interrailing ‘properly’ if you’re not meeting like-minded people in hostels or partying at every stop. This is not always the reality, and to be 100% honest, we definitely didn’t push ourselves to speak to new people. Regardless, we still had the most incredible experience, just the three of us.
Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail
If it isn’t already obvious, I like to be prepared for every scenario (good or bad). I like to know where I’m staying, how long I’m staying there, and what I’ll be doing. It’s safe to say that our trip wasn’t the most spontaneous, improvised travel that is romanticised on social media. We wanted to start our journey towards the end of August, so we began planning around April, allowing us to save money over the summer.
One of our first purchases was the Interrail Global Pass. We selected the four days in one month pass, costing €212, permitting unlimited rail travel across thirty-three countries in Europe over four different travel days. The pass was relatively straightforward to use with the Rail Planner app: we simply had to plan our train journeys for each travel day, activate the pass, and show the QR code to the ticket inspector on board.
The only downside was that seat reservations weren’t included in the pass, but many trains required them. These typically cost around €6 each, but I’d 100% recommend purchasing reservations, even when they’re optional. After walking thousands of steps each day, we were grateful to have a guaranteed seat and somewhere to store our luggage. Do bear in mind that night train reservations tend to be more expensive for some routes. To save €42 on our journey from Ljubljana to Zagreb, we opted for a FlixBus instead. Coach journeys can definitely be a hit or miss. On this route, the journey was swift and comfortable, and we each had access to charging ports. However, our coach from Zagreb to Split was an entirely different experience: there was no air-con, and an argument broke out between a couple and the driver after someone refused to move from the seats they had paid extra for.
We gradually booked our accommodation between May and June, although many travellers tend to be more spontaneous. While interrailing, people typically stay in hostels, and we found shared mixed dorms to be relatively cheap. However, as three girls travelling for the first time, we aimed to book more private accommodation where possible, while still keeping costs low. We found that private dorms in hostels were more affordable and secure, and found budget apartments at reasonable prices – though some were further out from the city centre.
Germany to Croatia in Fourteen Days: Our Central to Southeast Europe Route
So, how do you actually decide on your route? Whilst some people prefer to plan their journey on the go, my friends had a solid idea of the cities they wanted to visit based on the routes they’d seen others take. I would 100% recommend having a nosey on TikTok as many people post their routes, and this is really helpful for understanding train distances and travel days.
We chose a Central to Southeast Europe route, starting in Berlin before travelling to Prague, Vienna, Ljubljana, Lake Bled, Zagreb, and Split. Without sounding biased, this was the perfect route for a first-time interrailer, as we were able to comfortably spend two to three days in each place.
Now, back to that incessant planning I mentioned previously. Before we left, I put together a detailed itinerary for every city we planned to visit. By the time we reached Vienna, however, I was ready to ditch the plan and be a little more relaxed.
Whilst I would highly recommend collating a list of ‘must-see’ places for each stop, grouping places by location, and pre-booking any tours or museums, I found that trying to stick to a strict itinerary only made me feel stressed. I felt guilty if we missed anything and had an ‘onto the next’ mentality, which prevented me from being present.
That said, some experiences were 100% worth prioritising and, whilst I won’t provide a full review for every city we visited, I will provide some of the standout places and activities from our trip:
Berlin: I would definitely recommend paying The Berlin Wall Memorial and the East Side Gallery a visit. The Berlin Wall Memorial is an open-air exhibition with interactive displays providing a history of the wall. We found the memorial incredibly moving and were grateful to have made time for it.
Prague: Walking along the Charles Bridge, both during the day and at sunset, provided the perfect opportunity to stop by the market stalls and catch the street performers. I would also recommend walking up the castle steps for an amazing view of the city, even if you feel like you might collapse from exhaustion half-way up.
Vienna: This was definitely my favourite stop along our route. From stunning architecture to the abundance of museums, every corner was picture-perfect. My highlights included the gorgeous Austrian National Library and the Palace of Justice. If you’re near the Museum Quarter at sunset, I’d recommend heading up to the MQ Libelle viewing platform. The view of the city was incredible and the rooftop bar wasn’t criminally overpriced.
Ljubljana: Ljubljana was probably our most under-researched location, but the capital of Slovenia immediately exceeded our expectations. It had colourful buildings, a sunset hike up to the castle, and plenty of bars and restaurants lining the canal.
Lake Bled: Catching the hour-long bus from Ljubljana to Lake Bled was a shared highlight of the trip. In just one day, we were able to go tobogganing, row to the small island at the centre of the lake, and hike to a stunning viewpoint overlooking Bled.
Split: By the time we reached Croatia, we were all exhausted. If it hadn’t been for a storm, we probably would have chosen to flop on the beach every day. However, we had the chance to visit the cellars of Diocletian’s Palace (a Game of Thrones filming location) and I’m so glad we took it. This was well worth the visit and we managed to get student tickets for just €6 each.
The Summer I Crashed Out Over Bedbugs and Backpacks
Even though we had the most incredible time, I sometimes found it difficult to reconcile my expectations versus the reality of interrailing. I was most surprised by how nervous I felt about catching each train. I’d pictured myself watching the world go by and journaling our travels, but instead, I was overwhelmed by a complete sense of dread and panic. At first, I felt guilty about allowing something I thought would be a highlight to become so stressful. However, navigating platforms and train journeys is hard enough in England, let alone in unfamiliar locations. Feeling disoriented is completely understandable.
Luckily, I had an incredible support system around me, but for anyone who may feel the same, I’d definitely recommend arriving at the station a bit earlier. Give yourself time to find somewhere to sit with a drink or a sweet treat, download some music or a few podcast episodes, and just let yourself breathe. The good news is that the more trains you take (and trust me, you’ll be catching a lot of trains), the easier it becomes.
If you’d asked me what one of my worst nightmares was before we went interrailing, I would’ve said bedbugs. So, you can imagine my delight when we discovered four of them on our hostel beds our first night in Vienna. Since it was already late, we had no choice but to remain hostage to the bedbugs in our room. After a sleepless (and, suffice to say, uncomfortable) night, we were able to contact both the hostel and Booking.com to arrange a transfer to alternative accommodation.
I don’t bring this up to scare you or put you off hostels. Ironically, this hostel was probably the cleanest place we stayed. However, looking back, it’s become one of the funniest stories from our trip, and something we will definitely never forget.
A (Brief) Gluten-Free Survival Guide
As a gluten-free girlie, I was worried that I would struggle to eat while travelling. However, I was pleasantly surprised and, believe me when I say, I ATE!
My highlights from the trip include the Lovebirds Pizzeria in Berlin, for their gluten-free chilli pizza, as well as Little Chimney and Bageterie Boulevard in Prague, for gluten-free Chimney Cakes and on-the-go baguettes. I also have to mention Salt Gluten-Free House in Split, a 100% gluten-free restaurant and bakery serving the most incredible pizza, sandwiches and sweet treats (I think about the blueberry and pistachio muffin every day).
I will say that I struggled slightly when it came to finding affordable gluten-free lunch options. I’d highly recommend packing lightweight snacks such as nuts or snack bars to avoid hanger, in case there are limited options (I definitely didn’t crash out in Berlin Central Station because I couldn’t find anything I wanted to eat).
Final Reflections
Overall, I had the best time interrailing and I don’t regret a thing. Without sounding cliché, I learned so much about myself and travelling defied my expectations in every way. I discovered just how hangry and stressed I can get, but also the value of spending time with the right people in the most incredible and enriching new places.
I also learned that your interrailing experience doesn’t have to look identical to the travel content you see on social media to be as valuable. We didn’t go out clubbing every night or meet loads of new people, but we tried so much new food, laughed constantly, and forced each other to take photos in front of every touristy spot we came across. Believe me, the digital camera is TIRED.
So, if you’re debating going interrailing next summer and you have the opportunity, just go for it. I promise you won’t regret it. If anything, you’ll have the perfect excuse to buy an excessive number of silly postcards, prints, and magnets to cover your uni room with.
Editor: Millie Adams