Buying Interrail from stations on the continent

[Feuillesmortes]

I saw a thread where people were discouraging the use of the mobile Interrail pass, and suggesting that it could be bought on paper in certain stations. Can anyone give details of where to buy? Thanks

 

[Alfonso]

I think you can still buy the paper version at most interracial sellers, just ask if buying in person or find the option on a website

 

[Feuillesmortes]

Both interrail.eu and seat61 are vague on where to buy in person.

 

[jamesontheroad]

I think you can still buy the paper version at most interracial sellers

Nice auto-correct.

Most larger stations in most EU countries will be able to sell paper versions of InterRail, or at least direct you to the place where you can.

There are exceptions. Here in Sweden, apart from one or two regional transit agencies, there are no longer any staffed ticket offices anywhere in the country. Here you have to use one of the specialist rail agents.

 

[DanielB]

In the Netherlands a paper interrail pass is only sold at stations with an international desk in the ticket office. Those can be found at Amsterdam Central (city centre side in the western wing only), Arnhem Central, Rotterdam Central, Schiphol Airport and Utrecht Central. Note that Utrecht Central has two "OV Servicewinkels" and AFAIK there only is an international desk in the one at the "centrumzijde".

Besides at stations they'll also be available at specialized agencies like Treinreiswinkel in Leiden.

 

[MarcVD]

I think the international ticket office of Brussels South will happily sell you one if you ask. Might be worth giving them a call to be sure, details on the SNCB Web site (quadrilingual).

 

[HamworthyGoods]

Any German station with a ticket office will sell you an interrail pass, France is the same

 

[Bletchleyite]

Any German station with a ticket office will sell you an interrail pass, France is the same

When I tried this back in the 90s they wouldn't sell one with German validity even if presented with a British passport, though (i.e. they would only sell one with German resident validity, i.e. one return trip to the border). Of course that was a long time ago and things may have changed.

 

[Gloster]

When I bought one at a provincial Swedish station in 1991 or 1992 I was sold the same ticket as a Swede would have been sold: valid throughout Europe including on BR, but within Sweden only valid for one journey to the border or not at all (I can’t remember which). I had a British passport, but also a Swedish residence permit.

 

[Bletchleyite]

When I bought one at a provincial Swedish station in 1991 or 1992 I was sold the same ticket as a Swede would have been sold: valid throughout Europe including on BR, but within Sweden only valid for one journey to the border or not at all (I can’t remember which). I had a British passport, but also a Swedish residence permit.

DB were even worse over that. They couldn't sell one with German validity as per your situation, but as I presented a British passport they wouldn't sell one with UK validity either.

 

[Lemmy99uk]

Isn’t it easiest just to purchase direct from interrail.eu ?

They offer mobile passes as an option but issue paper passes as well. Just choose at checkout.

 

[johncrossley]

Isn’t it easiest just to purchase direct from interrail.eu ?

They offer mobile passes as an option but issue paper passes as well. Just choose at checkout.

You have to wait for delivery and you have to pay for delivery costs. If you are flying to, say, Zurich airport to start your trip anyway, you might as well get it on arrival to save on delivery costs and remove any risk of loss or delay in transit.

 

[CyrusWuff]

When I tried this back in the 90s they wouldn't sell one with German validity even if presented with a British passport, though (i.e. they would only sell one with German resident validity, i.e. one return trip to the border). Of course that was a long time ago and things may have changed.

Global Passes have the issuing country code (1170 for those issued in the UK) printed on them. As such, I'd assume that DB can't issue one with unlimited validity in Germany even if they wanted to.

 

[Lemmy99uk]

You have to wait for delivery and you have to pay for delivery costs. If you are flying to, say, Zurich airport to start your trip anyway, you might as well get it on arrival to save on delivery costs and remove any risk of loss or delay in transit.

That’s interesting because I’m intending to purchase a single country pass some time next year and was planning to order direct.
Do you happen to know how much they charge in postage?

 

[johncrossley]

That’s interesting because I’m intending to purchase a single country pass some time next year and was planning to order direct.
Do you happen to know how much they charge in postage?

I looked into ordering a Global pass recently and I think it was 19 EUR postage.

 

[30907]

I looked into ordering a Global pass recently and I think it was 19 EUR postage.

GBP10 signed-for from Interrail.eu.

 

[Mainline421]

GBP10 signed-for from Interrail.eu.

Same price direct from National Rail with UK dispatch by Royal Mail special delivery myinterrail.co.uk

Global Passes have the issuing country code (1170 for those issued in the UK) printed on them. As such, I'd assume that DB can't issue one with unlimited validity in Germany even if they wanted to.

Yes but there's also a seperate field for country next to the full name, so I doubt where its issued makes any difference to validity.

 

[dutchflyer]

In the Netherlands a paper interrail pass is only sold at stations with an international desk in the ticket office. Those can be found at Amsterdam Central (city centre side in the western wing only), Arnhem Central, Rotterdam Central, Schiphol Airport and Utrecht Central. Note that Utrecht Central has two "OV Servicewinkels" and AFAIK there only is an international desk in the one at the "centrumzijde".

Besides at stations they'll also be available at specialized agencies like Treinreiswinkel in Leiden.

However, a frecqunt post on the ns-community forum told us that Paper versions are only sold now at Ams-C and Schiphol airport-the few other INTernational offices only do the mobile or not at all-and are to be abolished anyway pretty soon.
I rec. Germany/DB where all open stations run by DB (and most run by independents or other railways) can and will do i so on the spot in a minute or 2 and major stations also have wide opening times-esp. at airports if you fly in from that island over the Northsea. Ditto for OeBB in Austria.
BElgium charges an extra 7 eur for the ´service´ at such points in most big stations.

When I bought one at a provincial Swedish station in 1991 or 1992 I was sold the same ticket as a Swede would have been sold: valid throughout Europe including on BR, but within Sweden only valid for one journey to the border or not at all (I can’t remember which). I had a British passport, but also a Swedish residence permit.

This is/was right then-it does not really matter which nationality you have, as long as it is EUR, but where you live. In about any continental EU country this is quite heavily enforced as you have to register in the local council. In that time there were heavy differences between EUrail -for non-Europeans and InterRail-and a USAer could buy InterRail (2nd cl. much cheaper) if s/he could prove to live in that country.
On paper IR-passes in the upper right hand corner is the space for your personal details-incl. nr of ID/Passpt and country there you live.

Global Passes have the issuing country code (1170 for those issued in the UK) printed on them. As such, I'd assume that DB can't issue one with unlimited validity in Germany even if they wanted to.

They can-or at least could easily do it 2-3 yrs ago. I´ve bought it at Aachen HBF for immediate start and also at Gronau/Herzogenrath (=agency) and I think Düsseldorf for later dates-and my dutch ID nr and location where duely inscripted. Once they had trouble as from that year it had to be written in /en/ and they did not really know how ´Holland´ as anyone knows it was called properly. I had to write it down and then they found it in the roll-down menu.
There is NO more issuing country code, as sales are now (and in fact most are sold by) private sellers/agencies or whatever. But I´ll check it when I get home in 40 mins-just finished one for 2 monthes.

 

[ricohallo]

A few weeks ago I bought a Global Pass at the ticket office at Roma Termini and it all went very smoothly without additional costs. The country is actually written on my pass in Italian: Paesi Bassi
Also can confirm they are sold at Amsterdam Centraal, at least a year ago where they told me how rare it was for them to issue a ticket on classic international ticket stock nowadays; they normally print out tickets on A4 paper these days (shame...).