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So I'm interested in buying a paper (absolutely not digital) Adult Interrail Global pass.
One problem: Where can I get one? In theory it should be a UK rail station but that doesn't seem likely.
https://www.myinterrail.co.uk is the only UK source I can find, but they charge a rather astronomical £12 just to deliver it! (The curse of over-priced UK-rail-stuff continues. :-/ ). Is there a physical store I can buy one? Or is that my only option?
Any other tips for buying one? I guess I can get it abroad but I'll want to use it for the Outward journey from the UK so...
As far as I know - other than Interrail themselves (Interrail.eu) and International Rail, both of which charge higher booking/postage fees than My Interrail - RDG through their My Interrail brand is the only retailer of Interrail passes standalone in the UK at present, it’s printed onto different ticket stock to any other UK ticket so stations don’t sell them.
As such, if you want a paper pass it’s likely going to be easiest and cheapest to just pay the £12 fee.
What's wrong with digital? I used one for a month travelling last year across Austria, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece and had zero issues with it. One less thing to lose/damage.
What's wrong with digital? I used one for a month travelling last year across Austria, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece and had zero issues with it. One less thing to lose/damage.
I can happily vouch for digital. I'd staunchly stuck to paper for a while but caved last year.
Staff on the whole are friendlier and seem to have a better idea of what they're dealing with when you show them a QR code on your phone. All will scan it and they're happy.
I've had staff in Czechia, Hungary etc feign ignorance, stamp over things they shouldn't or even attempt to tear the pass in half.
Back on topic, My Interrail (basically NRE) is the only UK retailer. But basically, don't be afraid of the electronic version. Its fairly reliable (odd bit of lag) but staff much prefer it and will at least know what you're showing them.
Thanks for the info. Shame, but hardly surprising. 50 million UK rail tickets, but the one international ticket you can only get from one place online. Figures.
What's wrong with digital? I used one for a month travelling last year across Austria, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece and had zero issues with it. One less thing to lose/damage.
As far as I know - other than Interrail themselves (Interrail.eu) and International Rail, both of which charge higher booking/postage fees than My Interrail - RDG through their My Interrail brand is the only retailer of Interrail passes standalone in the UK at present, it’s printed onto different ticket stock to any other UK ticket so stations don’t sell them.
As such, if you want a paper pass it’s likely going to be easiest and cheapest to just pay the £12 fee.
Currently using my very first digital one, even when I am not that smart in using such fones. Major reason was the 50% discount last yr-also bought a 3-month paper one then and used it last autumn. I must say using this app is quite straightforward and quite easy. Plus that here ´on the continent´ currently in Germany and having used it in 6 other plus own country already; nearly all trains and most major stations have free wifi. I myself also since many years completely rely on that free wifi. Major, but very minor, grumble is that the app does not work that fast in that whole process of searching times, stating these as ´trip´ and then turn the switch into yellow as ´pass´. THis might perhaps be more an issue on passes with days to choose-mine is permanent.
FRom what I understand (check also forum for passes as community.eurail- loads of useful tips and advice, also from several englishmen) the pass-but ask first, can also be ordered from the few remaining British private ticket sellers, like FFestiniog travel or perhaps also others. I guess/probably as long as their stock of paper passes last. They probably also tack on a little extra handling fee.
In the UK/GB sale of such international tickets on special stock must have ceased many moons ago. Probably around when BR got fragmented in all these newtime modern commercial companies.
ALT: some national railways here on the continent also still sell paper passes right over the counter when asked for. Best known is DB/Germany, but also SBB and OeBB and NS (only 4-5 major stations, incl. Schiphol airport) and NMBS/SNCB-and likely also most SNCF (probably also as long as their stock last-they are doing a big turn toward even scrapping any paper and ask for your @mail etc.). NS charges 7,50 extra for that honor, DB nothing. So you might contemplate flying into some major airport with station and start from there. I do not promote anything nor will tell this is very wrong for train-users-only give you a do-able ALT. With some shrewd planning-and luck-that flight might even cost a little less as only the supplmt/reservation for that €* to get out of your island.
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
I can happily vouch for digital. I'd staunchly stuck to paper for a while but caved last year.
Staff on the whole are friendlier and seem to have a better idea of what they're dealing with when you show them a QR code on your phone. All will scan it and they're happy.
I've had staff in Czechia, Hungary etc feign ignorance, stamp over things they shouldn't or even attempt to tear the pass in half.
Back on topic, My Interrail (basically NRE) is the only UK retailer. But basically, don't be afraid of the electronic version. Its fairly reliable (odd bit of lag) but staff much prefer it and will at least know what you're showing them.
Saw this after I had finished above. Both can also be added with opposite.
On community.eurail are several complaints from users that in some countries (with very low fares, where using a pass will cost more as just buy a ticket) where that QR-code cannot be read, staff simply say it is not valid-and force you to buy a normal ticket at higher price. But in Spain and Portugal they also cannot read it and there all staff I met very well knew to swipe and see the trips you have listed.
Have used through the yrs some 10-11 paper passes (was a little too old in the start for it) and never really encountered such handling as described above. Mostly enthousiast welcome and friendly talks.
The major grumble are the ever increasing nr of hard to make reservations/supplmts-much more as in the past. Most pass-users tend to stick to well-trodden major lines. It seeems most asked for is since last yr the few direct TGV Paris-Barcelona. And yes-these are hard to get.
ALT: some national railways here on the continent also still sell paper passes right over the counter when asked for. Best known is DB/Germany, but also SBB and OeBB and NS (only 4-5 major stations, incl. Schiphol airport) and NMBS/SNCB-and likely also most SNCF (probably also as long as their stock last-they are doing a big turn toward even scrapping any paper and ask for your @mail etc.).
Most national railways sell Interrail passes. SBB stopped doing it this year but I can't mention any other that stopped. NS sell them at only at 2 stations, NMBS/SNCB 1.
The major grumble are the ever increasing nr of hard to make reservations/supplmts-much more as in the past. Most pass-users tend to stick to well-trodden major lines. It seeems most asked for is since last yr the few direct TGV Paris-Barcelona. And yes-these are hard to get.
Staff on the whole are friendlier and seem to have a better idea of what they're dealing with when you show them a QR code on your phone. All will scan it and they're happy.
I've had staff in Czechia, Hungary etc feign ignorance, stamp over things they shouldn't or even attempt to tear the pass in half.
So I'm interested in buying a paper (absolutely not digital) Adult Interrail Global pass.
One problem: Where can I get one? In theory it should be a UK rail station but that doesn't seem likely.
https://www.myinterrail.co.uk is the only UK source I can find, but they charge a rather astronomical £12 just to deliver it! (The curse of over-priced UK-rail-stuff continues. :-/ ). Is there a physical store I can buy one? Or is that my only option?
Any other tips for buying one? I guess I can get it abroad but I'll want to use it for the Outward journey from the UK so...
Heading in a different direction, my other issue is the fact that the paper pass comes with only about 12 trips on it. Any more and you have to print out a form yourself and do it.
They don't really expect someone who has paid for 15+ days of pass to only use 12 trips do they? Shouldn't they include a sheet or two for the longer pass uses?
Heck I ran out of rows for my basic 4-day pass!
Just counted and comes with 19 spaces, so should be enough for 15 days. If you don't have a printer then a ticket office should be able to give you more in theory.
On the contrary, DB (and other operators in Germany) are quite happy scanning the QR code without a quibble (that is assuming that you have added your journeys correctly).
I've lost count of the number of issues such as stamping the wrong bit and arguments about validity in the past with paper Interrails and (especially!) FIP free coupons.
By the way, surprised to hear a report of problems with staff in the Czech Republic - is that on České dráhy or one of the privateers? The former are usually pretty clued-up on ticketing in general.
I had a paper pass for 7 days' travel last month, and now I have a permanent reminder of the 27 train journeys I took. My pass got stamped three times, and I was asked twice if I had ID, but only asked once to show ID.
Bought my pass online and it arrived inside a week.
I had a paper pass for 7 days' travel last month, and now I have a permanent reminder of the 27 train journeys I took. My pass got stamped three times, and I was asked twice if I had ID, but only asked once to show ID.
Bought my pass online and it arrived inside a week.
As a non-European or UK resident, I received my 2023 Global first class two month paper pass Eurail within 10 business days, even though it had to travel from The Netherlands to Australia. However last year when there were immense numbers of orders due to COVID-19 restrictions reducing or ceasing, it took seven or eight weeks. That was most unusual.
I enjoy using a paper pass. It's a permanent record of travels, although last year's only had the recorded trip stamped by conductors in Switzerland. Before I depart from Oz, I print extra trip recording pages.
I have never had a problem with rail staff when using a paper pass. All have been either super friendly (one conductor last year in Switzerland), friendly or neutral. None have been rude: quite the contrary. One conductor in Germany didn't mind that I took an extra 30 seconds to ferret it from my backpack. I have never been asked to show ID, but perhaps understandably, more likely if one had an Interrail.
There are too many potential problems with smartphones for me to ever consider using a mobile pass.
As dutchflyer said, the biggest hassle is having to pay relatively high supplements on major routes and in nations such as France, Spain and (less hassle) Italy, the need to make reservations on so many trains. Passholder quotas have never seen me not obtain a seat but some travellers must be affected. If one suddenly decides to travel on a reserved seat train as we did at Marseilles, booking office queues can mean missing the next reserved train. So to Nice, we just boarded an unreserved one.
While irrelevant to most UK Rail Fora users, the addition in 2019 of the UK to the Eurail Global Pass has been a boon as it's a 'region' with high fares. (Yes, one can book in advance but that destroys flexibility).
What's wrong with digital? I used one for a month travelling last year across Austria, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece and had zero issues with it. One less thing to lose/damage.
What’s wrong with digital? There’s been far too many instances reported of apps crashing, system going down etc for it to be reliable enough. My advice would be to avoid until it is proven reliable.
What’s wrong with digital? There’s been far too many instances reported of apps crashing, system going down etc for it to be reliable enough. My advice would be to avoid until it is proven reliable.
What’s wrong with digital? There’s been far too many instances reported of apps crashing, system going down etc for it to be reliable enough. My advice would be to avoid until it is proven reliable.
I used the app for the first time last year and it is much better than the paper interrail pass. Yes, there is the odd glitch, but the ability to edit journeys on the diary quickly means I don't end up with a diary that is like a dog's dinner.
I will be buying a digital pass again for the use this year and I'll never go back to the paper version.
I used the app for the first time last year and it is much better than the paper interrail pass. Yes, there is the odd glitch, but the ability to edit journeys on the diary quickly means I don't end up with a diary that is like a dog's dinner.
By filling out the paper diary only when the train has departed, I minimise the chances of it looking like a dog's breakfast. I love the paper version, but each to their own. I hope Eurail does not discontinue the paper version, as a few thousand are sold each month.
I similarly held out with paper passes for a long time, but the Interrail app is actually really quick and easy to use once you get the hang of it. I find it so much easier to show, than to dig out a paper pass plus a million supplementary diary sheets.
Just don't rely on the timetables actually being accurate or up to date - always check that with an independent source (preferably the railway operator in question).
I similarly held out with paper passes for a long time, but the Interrail app is actually really quick and easy to use once you get the hang of it. I find it so much easier to show, than to dig out a paper pass plus a million supplementary diary sheets.
Just don't rely on the timetables actually being accurate or up to date - always check that with an independent source (preferably the railway operator in question).
What’s wrong with digital? There’s been far too many instances reported of apps crashing, system going down etc for it to be reliable enough. My advice would be to avoid until it is proven reliable.
Two things that will greatly reduce the chances of having any issues with the app:
1. Do not update it while travelling, update it well in advance and make sure it is working properly then turn off automatic updates and leave it alone. They occasionally release a glitchy version, usually it gets fixed quick enough but best to stick with a functional version than risk updates.
2. Do not use an iphone, the android version is much less problematic, most of the reported issues are on apple devices.
I.e. does that mean each child has to always travel with the same adult?
(An edge case admittedly but I'm not trying to find objections - I have been in a situation where this would have been a problem with different combinations of family members doing days out).
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
Two things that will greatly reduce the chances of having any issues with the app:
1. Do not update it while travelling, update it well in advance and make sure it is working properly then turn off automatic updates and leave it alone. They occasionally release a glitchy version, usually it gets fixed quick enough but best to stick with a functional version than risk updates.
2. Do not use an iphone, the android version is much less problematic, most of the reported issues are on apple devices.
This is very good advice indeed. Due to the occasional glitchy version they release I've turned off automatic app updates for my phone. And iPhone somehow indeed seems prone to bugs. That was the case last year (e.g. for adding manual journeys) and again last week.
I.e. does that mean each child has to always travel with the same adult?
(An edge case admittedly but I'm not trying to find objections - I have been in a situation where this would have been a problem with different combinations of family members doing days out).
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