There was something slightly surreal about setting off on an Interrail adventure with my adult daughter. It seems like only moments ago that she was a small child clutching my hand marching to school with a backpack that was almost as big as she was, now she is standing beside me with her own passport, her own plans and an uncanny grip on how all the apps work.
The daughter: her Interrailing bag ratio is about the same though, funny that.
When the kids were little, the holidays were full of practicalities. Snacks, sun cream, spare clothes, toilet stops and endless negotiations about bedtime. Spending so much time making sure everybody is happy, fed and accounted for that the years just fly past. Then, boom, suddenly they are grown up. They have jobs, university deadlines, relationships, opinions and lives that are completely out of my remit.
So, when the opportunity came to go Interrailing with my 22-year-old daughter, I grabbed it with both hands, this opportunity to make memories was not to be missed.
It was only after we’d booked seats, planned destinations and started packing that it actually hit me – would I be able to keep up? After all, Interrailing is often seen as a young person’s game. A gap year opportunity, that kind of thing.
As it turned out, I needn’t have worried. Interrailing didn’t mean that we were racing from one place to the next with rucksacks and barely enough time to catch a breath. We had regular wheelie cases (lol), and we were able to use the app to plan our times and allow plenty of time to meet our connections.
The Route
Our journey took us through the Netherlands, Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy, the South of France and Spain, with each stop bringing something completely different.
We began in Utrecht, which remains one of my absolute favourite cities in the world, before travelling on to Hanover and Berlin, Prague, Rome, Genova and Ventimiglia. From there, we continued to Avignon and L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue in the south of France, before finishing our adventure on the Costa Brava and Barcelona.
One of the loveliest parts of the trip was sharing the experience together. I found myself looking forward to a nice long journey, packed with plenty of snacks and drinks. I was able to show Evie around some places I already knew and loved, while also discovering completely new destinations alongside her. There is something incredibly rewarding about travelling with your adult child, enjoying their company as equals and creating a whole new set of memories together.
The Practicalities
For anyone thinking about interrailing, our biggest piece of advice would be to use the Interrail app. You can use the website via a browser, but the app is so much easier and then your ticket and reservations are all in one place on your phone.
It’s so easy to navigate particularly when checking routes, adding journeys and keeping track of travel days while we were on the move, adding journeys in and removing them as your plans change.
The app also keeps you informed about the reservation rules, as they vary between trains. Some services require a seat reservation, others simply recommend one, and many of the regional trains we used did not need reservations at all.
Eurostar and many intercity and high-speed services do require them, so it is important to factor the additional reservation costs into your budget. Eurostar seats can sell out quickly, so reserve these and also any overnight ‘couchette’ journeys that you are planning – as soon as your dates are confirmed.
Travel Days
Your pass also includes one travel day in your home country at the beginning of the trip and another at the end. This means you can travel from your local station into your nearest city, continue down to London for the Eurostar and then make the return journey home in the same way, provided each section falls within one travel day. It’s perfect for UK travellers and allows the adventure to begin from your nearest station rather than only once you reach mainland Europe.
Our Highlights
Utrecht
The Netherlands is really geared up for rail travel. It’s the best way to travel across the country and locally too. Utrecht is such a beautiful, colourful and vibrant place to visit, teeming with quirky vintage shops and independent boutiques – it’s one of my favourite cities and I was so excited to show Evie around, I knew she’d love it. Oh, and interesting fact – it’s also the headquarters of Interrail.
Berlin
We stayed at the Capri by Frasers Hotel on Museum Island. It was the perfect spot to enjoy the city, and definitely ideal for a stay as part of a longer interrail journey as you have the option to make a home-cooked meal in the kitchenette rooms, perfect for when you are tired of eating out and just want to chill, or get some work done, #digitalnomad!
You can even put a wash on, I know it’s not rock and roll, but I was so glad about this, we’d tried to pack light, so it was good to refresh our clothes. Find my review of the hotel for H&N here.
Prague
The Urquell Experience in the heart of the city. A fun, interactive experience where you can learn about how this long-established brand came to be one of the Czech Republic’s national treasures, sample the product and end the experience by sitting outside and enjoying a pint or two while people watching. Perfect!
Rome
One of Evie’s highlights was a trip across the city to Rome’s Protestant Cemetery — bear with me, because it may not sound like an obvious must-see. It is the final resting place of the Romantic poets Shelley and Keats, and is also home to the Angel of Grief, a beautiful and deeply moving sculpture created by William Wetmore Story in memory of his wife, Emelyn.
Maintained by volunteers, the cemetery is a peaceful, fascinating corner of Rome and well worth a visit.
The South of France
Avignon was an absolute delight. This gorgeous, ancient city had so much to discover, food tours, a theatre festival, bike tours and some of the most amazing food.
Just a couple of stops further along the line (around 30 minutes by train), is another of Evie’s favourite places on the trip, L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue.
This beautiful town is a treasure trove for antique lovers, with an estimated 300 shops, galleries and dealers to explore! It also has a thriving cultural scene, including CAMPREDON art & image and Villa Datris, a foundation dedicated to contemporary sculpture.
Another gem in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue is the Brun de Vian-Tiran weaving mill, France’s oldest family-run weaving factory, established in 1808. Renowned for its exceptional wool products, the mill combines generations of traditional craftsmanship with modern techniques. The showroom and museum are both open to visitors.
Spain
We stayed at Enmar Eurocamp park in Pineda de Mar, on the Costa Brava. With 3 pools, a bar, restaurant, shop and laundry on site and just a 10-minute walk from the train station, this Eurocamp had everything that we needed for a lovely stay.
If you’re planning an Interrail trip, Eurocamp have locations all over Europe and they are a really cost-effective place to stay when you are Interrailing and looking for a fun place to relax and unwind for a few days.
A few mishaps along the way
Of course, no long journey goes entirely to plan, and we had a few comedy mishaps along the way. We arrived in Berlin just as a two-day public holiday began, which meant that shops, museums and many of the attractions we had hoped to visit were closed. Thankfully, the bars and restaurants remained open, so we somehow managed to cope!
Rome brought its own challenges. There was a Metro strike affecting the line near where we were staying, while roads around the Colosseum were closed for the finish of a cycling race, so we cobbled together a few last-minute detours.
Then, in Barcelona, the Pope just happened to be visiting to bless the Sagrada Família, as it nears completion, meaning the cathedral was closed to the public, and the city itself was absolutely heaving!
These unexpected blips quickly became part of the story of our trip and gave us plenty to laugh about afterwards.
It is worth double-checking local public holidays, planned transport strikes, major sporting events, and high-profile visits (the list is endless!) particularly if there is an attraction you have your heart set on seeing.
You can’t prepare for everything, but a quick check could help you avoid arriving in a city just as half of it closes (ahem…).
Lasting Memories
Travelling with your adult child shifts the relationship in a lovely way. There were moments when I looked across at her and briefly saw the little girl she used to be. Then she would confidently book our next three train journeys, navigate us through a station, and order our drinks in another language and I see clearly the capable young woman she has become.
Interrailing gave us more than a way to travel between cities. It gave us uninterrupted time together. And now that she’s a fully-grown adult, that’s the most valuable thing of all.
Thank you to Interrail, NBTC, Capri by Frasers, Urquell Experience, Vaucluse Provence Attractivité and Eurocamps for their support.
Article written and images by Sally Bendall @girlabouttravel and @girlaboutyorkshire
