The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
ALL ABOARD
THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF INTERRAILING How to do it
There are several types of Interrail package, from three-day, one-country passes that start at €56 (£47) to “five travelling days within 15 days” for all 30 countries costing €264 and a month-long pass for €626. Under-25s and over-60s pay less. See interrail.eu/interrailpasses. You will need to buy a Eurostar ticket (eurostar.com) but the UK portions of the trip, between home and St Pancras, are covered by the Interrail pass.
Fast trains, extra fuss
You have to book seats on TGV, AVE, Thalys and most other high-speed services as well as on night trains, incurring an extra charge. You must do this before leaving home because you have to reserve the seats seven days before travelling so that the ticket can be posted to you. Book passes and seats at Voyages SNCF (uk. voyages-sncf.com/en/ pass/interrail-passes)
Where to stay
Several hotel and hostel chains have properties in many European cities. The Generator hostels (generatorhostels. com) that I used vary in character, but all are warm and clean but basic. Breakfast was cereals and a bread roll and coffee, but there was usually a lively bar. A room in a dorm can cost as little as €8 and private rooms €13.50. The new Amsterdam Generator is particularly smart and some rooms overlook Oosterpark. Hostelworld (hostelworld.com) can also assist with budget lodgings. In Marseille, I used Airbnb (airbnb. co.uk) and stayed in a cool bohemian apartment in a good location. Room rates start at £65.
For mid-price rooms, the Barceló chain (barcelo. com) is good value and has plenty of hotels in Spain; a double at the cool space-themed Barcelona Sants hotel starts at £107 on booking.com. Starhotels (starhotels. com) is excellent for Italy, where it owns stylish contemporary design hotels such as the E.c.ho in Milan (doubles from €150) and grand dames such as the Savoia Excelsior Palace in Trieste (doubles from €380). I used the Andersen Boutique hotel (andersen-hotel.dk/en) in Copenhagen, which is five minutes from the main station, has small, stylish rooms and a good breakfast spread, and treats guests to a genuine happy hour – free wine – from 5-6pm. Doubles from £168. Zeitgeist (zeitgeist-vienna. com) in Vienna was also cool and a short walk from the station – which is three stops on the U1 underground line from the centre; the breakfast was excellent. Doubles from €55.
As a treat and a finale, I stayed at L’Hôtel (l-hotel. com) in Paris, a small but luxurious Left Bank landmark where Borges wrote, Wilde died and dining is Michelinstandard. Doubles start at £258.
Getting around
All cities now have pass schemes that allow unlimited use of public transport for two or more days and usually attract discounts at museums, theatres and some shops. A Vienna Card for 48 hours costs €18.90, while a Berlin Welcome Card for 48 hours starts at €19.50. Check the zones covered and remember to validate before using.
What to do
Micropia in Amsterdam (micropia.nl, €14); in Copenhagen, the Danish Delicacy food tour (foodsofcopenhagen.com, €110); Hamburg’s Arts and Crafts museum (mkg-hamburg.de, €12); the Berlin on Bike tour of the Wall (berlinon bike.de, €21, 3.5hr) plus the tango and oldschool food at Clärchens Ballhaus (ballhaus.de); in Vienna, the Leopold Museum (leopold museum.org, €13) and Hawelka café (hawelka. at), inset; in Trieste, the osmiza “pop up” restaurant (see osmize. com); in Marseille, the walk up to Notre-Dame de la Garde; in Barcelona, the Miró Foundation (fmirobcn.org, €12) and tapas tour with Sandra Benzal (aguidein barcelona.com).