Here’s your ticket to ride 33 countries in 3 months
As the Interrail train pass celebrates its 50th birthday...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Interrail! The European train pass turns 50 this year. For thousands of us, the mere mention of it conjures up memories of carefree travels in our teens and 20s before careers, mortgages and children came along.
But you don’t need to leave that experience in the past, because the Interrail pass, which gives access for up to three months across the rail networks of 33 countries, is not just for those aged under 28.
Anyone can buy one, albeit at a slightly higher price than the youth fare, although it drops again if you’re 60 or over. And a great thing about travelling by train ‘at a certain age’ is that you can splash out on swisher hotels and indulge at swankier restaurants.
The pass was launched in 1972 with a fare of £27.50 and immediately proved popular, with 100,000 snapped up. This year there are various options to choose from which let you travel, for example, second class for five days within a month-long period for £239. If you’re feeling ritzy, splash out for first class for just £80 more.
If time is a luxury, a threemonth pass that allows travel second class every single day costs from about £765, or £575 for under-28s.
Thanks to Eurostar and European high-speed trains, it’s entirely feasible these days to leave London in the morning, change in either Brussels or Paris and be in Berlin, Zurich, Milan or Barcelona in time for dinner. And although it’s certainly a long day, you could even make it from St Pancras International as far as Rome just in time to be tucked up in your pyjamas before the clock strikes midnight.
If planning is half the fun, incorporate your passions into your holiday. For example, I chose a foodie journey across the Conti nent, from London to Milan, Marseilles and Barcelona and finally Paris, all in a week.
In Milan, the luxurious Rosa Grand Hotel (collezione. starhotels.com) just around the corner from the magnificent 14th Century Duomo is a perfect base. It also means easy access to panzerotti – a snack-sized, deepfried pasty-meets-pizza – from Luini on Via Santa Radegonda, which is conveniently close to heavenly ice cream from Vanilla Gelati Italiani on Via Pattari.
Under the hot Provencal sun in Marseilles you can nibble on sweet North African snacks for breakfast at Le Carthage on Rue d’Aubagne and eat traditional bouillabaisse (fish stew) for lunch at the old port, from where you can walk round to the petite Plage de Catalan beach for a dip in the Med. Base yourself at trendy Mama Shelter (mamashelter. com), a hotel that’s two metro stops from the main station and a fiveminute walk from a lively square.
It’s a direct four-hour onward train journey from there to Barcelona, past hilltop castles and lagoons filled with flamingos, where the almost-brand-new Hoxton Hotel
(hoxton.com) channels seriously sexy vibes with its rooftop pool, taco bar and pizza-slice restaurant.
As a final stop before the Eurostar home, Paris is an eternal favourite. After two years of pandemic pause, the city is buzzing again. For a classic bistro meal, book at Paul Bert (bistrotpaulbert.fr) or Bouillon Racine (bouillon racine.fr), both of which are tourist-friendly without being touristy.
If your credit card will stretch to it, Le Bristol (oetkercollection.com) is the hotel in which to base yourself for a treat before home.
Will Hide was a guest of Trainline (thetrainline.com), which has Interrail passes from £157.