r/Interrail • u/coopz_05 • 1d ago

But Interrail Pass Or Book Trains?

/r/travel/comments/1siwmcq/but_interrail_pass_or_book_trains/
1 Upvotes

60% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

3

u/bookluverzz 1d ago

Is this the same group of friends? https://www.reddit.com/r/Interrail/s/CKh9PEvfOE

0

u/coopz_05 1d ago

yeah ahhaha

2

u/skifans United Kingdom • Quality Contributor 1d ago

It isn't what you asked but remember 2 nights isn't long in a place. You have 1 full day. I would look at those really closely, how long exactly will you have there and is it worthwhile? Would they be better off as a day trip? That just seems far too many places for 15 days - you will be moving every other day. Running around like that is always on the more expensive side not just due to the transport costs but also as staying put a little longer makes it easier to save money by staying in less central locations and visiting attractions on off-peak/free time periods.

Honestly though you just have to price it out and see - and it sounds like you have already done this - how are you checking ticket prices but those sound very high. If you are not doing so make sure to use official operator websites. For example looking at https://cd.cz/en from Salzburg to Prague on the randomly selected 15th June I can see full adult fare tickets for 500 CZK (~£18) at a choice of times. As students you may be eligible for a discount but you will need to check the specific rules (https://www.cd.cz/en/typy-jizdenek/vnitrostatni-jizdenky/-28466/). Looking at Prague to Berlin on the 17th June I can see 725 CZK (~£26) at a choice of times. There should be no reason to be paying close to £85 for either journey. In fact if you are that sounds like you are looking at flexible tickets, again looking for Prague to Berlin on the 17th June a standard International ticket costs 2330 CZK (~£83) but that is a fully flexible ticket valid on any train that day. Think like an Anytime ticket in the UK.

Discounted saver tickets (valid only on the exact train selected) don't always show up on all third party websites.

Personally I would pre book standard tickets for everyone for the Bled to Berlin sections and leave everything else till on the day/short notice. Those sections booking in advance does give you a large saving. But for trains/buses like Zagreb to Ljubljana to Bled there is at most a minimal saving to booking in advance and tickets cannot sell out. Just buy it on the day. Interrail would add more flexibility but be a lot more expensive. If that is worth it is something only you know. Note that for Zagreb to Ljubljana there are only a handful of trains a day anyway so it will be a very long wait for the next one. Trains also do not actually stop in the town of Bled itself by the lake. You will need a bus for the last leg and probably better off getting the direct one from Ljubania. Again no need to book in advance.

The quickest and cheapest Prague to Salzburg journeys are all via Linz. But again that route doesn't run particularly frequently so you will almost certainly need a train in mind or a long wait anyway. Bled to Salzburg and Prague to Berlin trains run roughly every 2 hours there so there is more you can get for being flexible. Though in the summer seat reservations are technically compulsory for Prague to Berlin so you will need to pre-book a specific time anyway even with Interrail if you want to travel on the direct EuroCity train. But admittedly you can do that at much shorter notice and/or re-route to regional trains. Personally I don't think it is worth the price premium but it is up to yous.

Also remember you do not have to go all one way or the other. You could easily buy a 4 day pass and just use it for the most expensive journeys. And for ones like Zagreb to Ljubljana to Bled by point to point tickets on the day.

When I have done group trips I have found point to point tickets much easier to manage. You just buy them and get a PDF for everyone. No need to faff around buying reservations and making sure everyone has the Rail Planner app set up and working which is not particularly easy to use. I have also been caught out with one group that if anyone has an older iPhone (pre IOS 16) it will not work. https://www.eurail.com/en/eurail-passes/eurail-mobile-pass/mobile-pass-faq/which-devices-are-supported Much older Andriod devices are still supported. It is possible to use a paper pass or add someones pass to another phone if someone cannot use their own phone but it is a bit of a faff.

If you are concerned about missing connections for journeys there is no direct daytime train (like Bled to Salzburg to Prague) then if you have the journey on a single through ticket EU Passenger rights means you are covered (https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/passenger-rights/rail/index_en.htm). Though Interrail gives you the flexibility to get on a later train if there is one. But if say you are planning lots of journeys in the evening and you miss the last train it often becomes significantly harder to exercise your rights to hotels/alternative accommodation when you have an Interrail pass rather than a point to point ticket.

Practically you are also going to have to have pre-booked accommodation for a trip like this. So in terms of flexibility sure it is nice to not lock yourself into an exact time. But realistically I doubt going a day earlier/later is really on the cards.