Cross Europe on a rail pass
A friend has invited you to do this with them.
One pass lets you string together cities, mountains and coastlines across dozens of countries, changing your plans whenever a place takes your fancy. Watching a continent unfold from a train window is a fine way to understand how it fits together.
ModerateOver £500 / $650A few weeksIndoors or outAlone or with others
How to start
- Read the passes guide and choose a Global Pass or a single-country pass.
- Sketch a route of four or five stops and check which trains need reservations.
- Buy the pass, book the first night's stay and set off.
Where to go
We opened these links on 6 October 2026 and found them to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
Plan this
Pick a day, or a month, and we will set out how to get ready, step by step, with a date and a reason for each. The hard part of a day out is the timing: the right season, tickets and getting there. The plan watches the calendar for you.
From the site
Travelling by train: passes, discounts and sleeper trains explained
How rail travel works: Interrail and Eurail senior passes, the UK Senior Railcard, Amtrak's senior discount, booking assistance, and what to expect on sleeper trains such as the Caledonian Sleeper, Nightjet and Amtrak roomettes.
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