InterRail

An Inter Rail (or Inter-Rail) pass is a train pass, for European residents only, that allows unlimited travel for a defined period of time, except on special trains such as high-speed trains and some night trains.

The fare structure is different from that before 1 April 2007.

Global Pass

The Global Pass is, except for the traveler's country of residence, valid in all participating European countries: Austria (including Liechtenstein), Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France (including Monaco), Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxemburg, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Turkey.

Thus it is not valid in the traveler's country of residence, and not on railways in Albania, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine. There are no railways in Andorra, Cyprus, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Iceland, Malta, San Marino and the Vatican City. L'Hospitalet-Près-l'Andorre in France is the closest railway station for Andorra. Rimini in Italy is the closest station for San Marino.

One-Country Pass

The One-Country Pass is available for each of the following countries, except the traveler's country of residence:

Countries with price level 1 (highest):

• France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Norway, Sweden

Countries with price level 2:

• Austria, BeNeLux, Finland, Greece Plus, Italy, Spain, Switzerland

Countries with price level 3:

• Croatia, Denmark, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania

Countries with price level 4:

• Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Macedonia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey

There are no separate passes for Belgium, Luxemburg, and the Netherlands, instead there is one for the whole Benelux (price level 2). It is also available for residents in Belgium, Luxemburg, and the Netherlands, but for them it is only valid in the two countries which are not the country of residence. The "Greece Plus" ticket includes ferry transfer between Greece and Italy. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro don't take part in the Inter Rail One-Country Pass offer.

The One-Country Pass has replaced the Eurodomino pass.

Trains

Route where the passes are not valid without paying a supplement:

• Channel Tunnel - Eurostar, requires supplement of 75 euro, one way.

Notes on routes and supplements:

• Amsterdam - Paris: the passes require changing at Brussels, Quévy and Aulnoye-Aymeries (8 hours) - the normal connection, with Thalys (4 hours), requires a supplement of 15 euro, one way (limited availability).
• AVE trains in Spain
• Eurostar Italia trains in Italy

Residence condition

The passes are available to those who have been legal residents (not travelling on a visa or military personnel living on a base) for at least six months in any of the 30 countries of the IRC, or in any of certain neighboring countries:

• Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,
• Cyprus, Malta, and
• Iceland

History

• 1972: The program was begun, limited to travelers 21 or younger. It covered 21 countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, West Germany , Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Yugoslavia.
• 1976: the age limit for the pass was raised to 23; it was raised again to 26 in 1979.
• 1982: the six-month residency requirement was introduced.
• 1985: Certain ferry services were included.
• 1991: the end of the Soviet Union led to expansion of the IRC.
• 1994: 29 of the 30 present-day countries are included (all but Bosnia-Herzegovina); the IRC has seven zones (A-C, E-G as in present-day), with Zone D including Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Yugoslavia.
• 1998: Inter Rail passes became available to all ages, with fares based on age. The eight zone system is established, minus Bosnia-Herzegovina.
• 2005: Bosnia-Herzegovina joins the IRC.
• 2007: Beginning on April 1, the Eurail Group takes over management of all Inter Rail pass products; no more zones, merged with Eurodomino.

Zones before 1 April 2007

As of April 2005, the IRC included 30 countries, organized into eight zones:

• Zone A - United Kingdom, Ireland
• Zone B - Finland, Norway, Sweden
• Zone C - Austria, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland
• Zone D - Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia
• Zone E - Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands
• Zone F - Morocco, Portugal, Spain
• Zone G - Greece, Italy, Slovenia, Turkey
• Zone H - Bulgaria, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro

The cost of the pass was based on the zones included and the traveler's age. 16-day passes included one zone, 22-day passes covered any two zones, and month-long passes covered all zones.

See also

• Inter Rail on Wikitravel
• Eurail on Wikitravel
• Transport in Europe
• Eurail

External links

• Official Website
• InterRail.net, the in-depth personal website of an Inter Rail traveler named Peter Freisberg, online since 1996
• WorldonRails The biggest Dutch site about InterRail.
• Rail Choice, UK provider of a vast number of different railpasses covering Europe, USA, Japan and Australasia.
• Inter-Rail.it, the Italian inter-rail community.
• InterRail.ch, a Swiss inter-rail site.
• Inter-Rail.org, the Spanish site.
• Flight Centre Australian provider of railpasses
• Inter-Rail.co.uk, part of Rail Europe (formally British Rail International Ltd), the official distributor and trade mark owner of Inter-Rail in the UK.
• Railbookers.com, UK based InterRail supplier and rail holiday company - useful price chart.