Europe by Interrail

What is Interrail?
It is a ticket which entitles to travel on all European trains and some Extra-European ones for one month. There are also some reduced tickets with the validity of either 12 or 22 days.

Who can buy it?
Any citizen of the Countries which are members of the Interrail. IT IS NOT TRUE that one must be less than 26: those who are older pay more, but may nonetheless travel by interrail.

How does it work?
Europe is subdivided in 8 areas. When buying the ticket one chooses the areas where one intends travelling (see the map below). The price varies according to the length of the validity of the ticket and to the number of areas interested. With the 30 day interrail, one must necessarily include at least 2 areas, while with the 12 and 22 day ones, one may solely choose one area.
Supplements for high speed trains, reservations, couchettes, etc. are not included. For up-to-date prices we suggest you view the official site (see further down).

Area A
Great Britain, North Ireland, Ireland
Area B
Sweden, Norway, Finland
Area C
Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Austria
Area D
Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia
Area E
France, Belgium, Luxemburg, Holland
Area F
Spain, Portugal, Morocco
Area G
Italy, Slovenia, Greece and Turkey (some ferries between Greece and Italy are included)
Area H
Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Macedonia

Principal sites regarding Interrail

Many are the sites that regard Interrail. In this list we have included solely those four which we believe are the most valid.

Official site of Interrail: with up-to-date information regarding costs, services, areas, etc.. For suggestions, comments etc. we suggest the other sites.
http://www.interrailnet.com/
Interrailers, written by Peter Freisberg. It is one of the best resources available. We especially liked the idea of a travel forum: a notice board on which one may write from the different European internet cafe' to meet.
http://www.interrailer.com

Railway companies
Go to the page "Timetables and railway companies" where we have grouped the web sites of all the railway companies of the world.

Hostels
In the Money Saver of Vagabondo you may find access to the most complete database of the hostels of the world, with some tens of thousands of accommodations in the whole world!

Maps
There are now many sites in which city maps are available and which allow to view even the single streets. The ones that seem the best to us are Maporama and Mappy.

Travel journals

Interrail 2002 - Description of a trip, with many photographs, in France, Belgium, Holand and Luxemburg. It also supplies useful information. http://www.keter.supereva.it/
Interrail in Scandinavia 1998 - This site gives a great deal of practical information and a great deal of useful suggestions for travelling in the coldest countries of Europe. http://www.cclinf.polito.it/~s84041...
19 stages of a 30 day journey in Spain and Portugal - A tour which has followed the Mediterrenean Sea all around the Iberian peninsula, brushing at last the ocean. http://www.ilnostrointerrail.it/
Interrail 2000 in Scandinavia (and Germany). Travel journal and photographic galleries. Useful review of all the hostels visited. http://interrail2000.supereva.it/

Newsgroups
The Newsgroup of the Italian Interrailers is it.hobby.viaggi.inter-railIf you do not have a client as usenet you may use Google.
Amidst all the advertising (unfortunately truly too much) there are always pleasant persons.

Suggestions by Vagabondo

Bring light luggage: this must be the first objective! You will have to carry on your back for the whole journey all you bring, do not underestimate this! Some suggestions on the baggage now follow, these suggestions derive from our own personal experience matured during 4 Interrails
Bring 1 or 2 plastic half a litre bottles: when empty they do not weigh and when full they may be extremely useful when going around for the whole day or when one is sleeping on the train and one does not wish to have to depend on bars or grocery stores. Do not bring water flasks or canteens, for they are heavier and more voluminous.
Another thing one should try avoiding to bring is the tent, unless there is a precise reason for bringing it (such as visiting natural parks, long stays at the sea, trekking, etc.): camping sites in the cities are always far from downtown and besides are not cheaper than hostels. As light as it may be, it nonetheless weighs at least 3 kilos.
Another useful object is a small wooden chock: small and light, it allows you to block doors and windows, both open or closed. It seems silly, but each one of us has found it useful at least 2 or 3 times during the trip.
If travelling with a large knapsack (of the kind used for trekking) bring a small light one as well in which you may place the important things when leaving the large one in the hostel or in a luggage deposit and going to visit the city.

Amidst the forests of Findland, towards Lapponia!

Do not visit Northern and Southern Europe on the same Interrail: the things needed are completely different and you will be constantly burdened by the weight of things that will be completely useless for half of the time. It is much better to plan two different Interrails, one North one year and one South another.
Most of the hostels in Great Britain rent the sheets. If this is your main destination you might consider bringing your own. This will make you save somewhat, but remember that sheets weight
Sleeping on the train: extremely important trick! Travelling by night allows you to save a lot of time and, especially if on a limited budget, also a great amount of money for the night may thus be completely free. If, on the other hand, the budget is not your main priority, you may book a couchette (which in any case will cost you less than a hostel) and comfortably wake up once you have reached your following destination.
In any case a careful planning of the itinerary is extremely important, and in particular, the trips must be long enough as to necessitate the whole night: leaving at 2 am may be unpleasant, but arriving at 4 am is horrible!
The morning is always the best moment to arrive in a new place: one has the time to find an accommodation, food, to get organized and know the city before the evening.

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