European Rail Passes

[Nunners]

Various alternatives to one-country or global Interrail tickets come up in this forum every so often, so I thought it would be useful to compile a list / price comparison between national unlimited travel tickets, and interrail tickets. These are the countries I've done so far:

• Belgium
• Czechia
• France
• Netherlands
• Germany
• Ireland
• Italy
• Poland
• Portugal
• Spain
• Switzerland

The prices and tickets I've given are based on being a UK resident under 25 (like I am!) but it should be useful for everyone as a ball-park figure. There are links to most of the tickets.

Please post on here if there are any passes I've missed, or the passes for the countries I haven't done, and I'll it to the document.

Latest Update: Post #14

 

[eastwestdivide]

For further info, at least some of the European Rail Timetable editions have a list of country passes in the back, also including regional ones (within a country) and international (cross-border areas).

 

[Nunners]

For further info, at least some of the European Rail Timetable editions have a list of country passes in the back, also including regional ones (within a country) and international (cross-border areas).

Thanks, I'd forgotten about that! The cross-border areas are particularly interesting. My edition is a couple of years old but it doesn't have all the passes I've managed to find.

 

[DanielB]

Correction for your footnotes for the Netherlands: DalVrij is also not valid between 4.00pm and 6.30pm. And actually "not valid" isn't completely the correct wording as the time of checking in counts (with 4 minutes grace period in favor of the customer, so a check-in at 4.04pm still counts as off peak and allows you to complete your journey).

Regarding cross-border trips: Groningen - Leer, Enschede - Gronau, Arnhem - Emmerich, Heerlen - Aachen and from July also Maastricht - Liège have chipcard validators at stations outside the Netherlands, with the NS season tickets being valid for international trips only.

 

[rg177]

There's a RegioKarnet in Poland - three days travel in a two month period (?)

REGIOpass costs 92zł and is valid on Polregio trains and Arriva RP, Koleje Wielkopolskie and Koleje Małopolskie (excluding Kraków Olszanica - Kraków Airport), as well as Łódzka Kolej Aglomeracyjna (excluding ŁKA Sprinter trains).

There's also a "mini" version for 79zł which is just Polregio.

 

[Nunners]

Correction for your footnotes for the Netherlands: DalVrij is also not valid between 4.00pm and 6.30pm. And actually "not valid" isn't completely the correct wording as the time of checking in counts (with 4 minutes grace period in favor of the customer, so a check-in at 4.04pm still counts as off peak and allows you to complete your journey).

Regarding cross-border trips: Groningen - Leer, Enschede - Gronau, Arnhem - Emmerich, Heerlen - Aachen and from July also Maastricht - Liège have chipcard validators at stations outside the Netherlands, with the NS season tickets being valid for international trips only.

Thank you. Does the 4 minute grace period apply at the end of the peak as well, e.g. is it 18:26 rather than 18:30?

 

[DanielB]

Thank you. Does the 4 minute grace period apply at the end of the peak as well, e.g. is it 18:26 rather than 18:30?

It does. That's where it was actually meant for (allowing you to catch the 18.30 train with an off peak pass). But it works both ways.

 

[rf_ioliver]

Here's the best non-Interrail option for Finland: https://www.vr.fi/en/train-tickets/holiday-ticket

All the ticket types are here (including InterRail, Mutli and Season tickets): https://www.vr.fi/en/train-tickets

 

[Flying Snail]

Here's the best non-Interrail option for Finland: https://www.vr.fi/en/train-tickets/holiday-ticket

All the ticket types are here (including InterRail, Mutli and Season tickets): https://www.vr.fi/en/train-tickets

If VR can provide online/app seat/sleeper booking for this ticket why can they not also provide it for Inteerrail users?

 

[dutchflyer]

In the mag Today"s railways there were such overveiws-in the start even as a separate special booklet, but last one was in 2018-as then Mr. Haydock, living in FR was still editor.
I myself am now some yrs as senior so have a different viewpoint. BUT; BE-CZ-DK have SUMMER-season only special offers, in DK for all publ. transport. You will only know the details for ''24 when these are published.
HU/MAV has completely REorganised its ticjketing/fare system since 1/3-there are now megye=''county'' and national day passes, also incl the regional VOLAN BUSes and BKV=B''pest transit.
Beside the extremely good buy full month DE-Ticket (I currently have one on my fone) for just 49€ for all regional/local transit, there are scores and a multitude of purely local day/24-hr tickets, too many to even try to list.
BTW_ I am somehow trying to compile a full listing of where InterRail (I also have one to start in a few weeks on my fone-from last years 25% off black friday sale) is NOT valid on local trains-quite a challenge. I wonder if anyone has found such an overview or more details?

If VR can provide online/app seat/sleeper booking for this ticket why can they not also provide it for Inteerrail users?

As such they would thus can do-but have chosen not to do. PLUS that well, not being very smart in IT & all that_ I guess its OWN offer is in their systems and all these IR/EU-R passes not-so harder to check if someone is not cheating.
FI/VR is about the only syste I am aware of where as a pssholder you do not need to make a RES and can choose any seat-without any certainty that the legal holder will not appear next stop.
\And oh yes: why does anyone nowadays seem to assume anything has to be on that fone: A sleeper-quite possible and also quite good in FI-just go to a ticket desk-they still have them there (unlike SE)

 

[Nunners]

BTW_ I am somehow trying to compile a full listing of where InterRail (I also have one to start in a few weeks on my fone-from last years 25% off black friday sale) is NOT valid on local trains-quite a challenge. I wonder if anyone has found such an overview or more details?

The best summary I've found is by going to the Interrail "rail planner" app, select "more" at the bottom and then "rail network guides". I don't think it's perfectly accurate but it's pretty good

 

[dutchflyer]

And a further note to passes/seasons in NL here (currently using the NS-WiFi):
In actual practice it will be about impossible to get such a thing from far away. These are only available on a personal chipcard (OV-kaart)=with your foto+name on, and these thus have to be ordered (cost 7,50, free from NS for those staying here in NL and taking out a subscription-takes 7 days to produce) and one has to give permission to take the cost monthly from a bank-NO crcd!!-due to EU-rules NS must accept any EU-IBAN, but those from outside NL need to call NS and convince them of this. People living in BE and closer by in DE are more favourably treated for this.
But once you have managed to pass all these stages one can cancel it any day after the first full month and get reimbursed for
Some how I recall that the off-peak Holland Travel Ticket is still valid in the PM-peak, as its probably using the same rules as for INTernat. tickets for that. (not 100% sure-reports on this are very scarce).

 

[rvdborgt]

In actual practice it will be about impossible to get such a thing from far away. These are only available on a personal chipcard (OV-kaart)=with your foto+name on, and these thus have to be ordered (cost 7,50, free from NS for those staying here in NL and taking out a subscription-takes 7 days to produce) and one has to give permission to take the cost monthly from a bank-NO crcd!!-due to EU-rules NS must accept any EU-IBAN, but those from outside NL need to call NS and convince them of this. People living in BE and closer by in DE are more favourably treated for this.

They have to accept IBANs from any SEPA country, which is more than just the EU and includes the UK.

 

[Nunners]

Thank you for help everyone. I've made the following changes:

• Corrected Spelling of Belgium (thank you to @eastwestdivide )
• Amended descriptions of NS Season Tickets (thank you to @DanielB and @dutchflyer )
• Added the 2 versions of Regiokarnet (thank you to @rg177 )
• Added Finland passes (thank you to @rf_ioliver )
• Added Austria passes
• Added Hungary passes (thank you to @dutchflyer )

These countries are now in the document:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Czechia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Hungary
• Ireland
• Italy
• Netherlands
• Poland
• Portugal
• Spain
• Switzerland

 

[DanielB]

You now mention the following for the NS season tickets...

Valid on all NS trains for 1 month, except IC Direct to Belgium

...which is not the case.
NS Season tickets are valid in IC direct to Belgium. For domestic journeys without any other conditions than domestic trains.

One can also use them for international trips, subscriptions are valid until the actual border, provided a valid ticket from the border to the destination abroad is purchased. This is the case for NMBS at Roosendaal - Essen, ICD Brussels, IC Berlin, ICE and Eurobahn at Venlo - Kaldenkirchen (and till June NMBS to Liège).
Travelling internationally there is no afternoon peak restriction. You should not check in, but should bring the chipcard to show eligibility for the discount.

NSI, NMBS and DB sell tickets with 40% discount in the Netherlands, tickets with 100% discount in the Netherlands are only available at the NSI and NMBS website (and NS ticket machines).
Do note however you won't get any further discount when buying a Sparpreis to Germany.

 

[Nunners]

You now mention the following for the NS season tickets...

...which is not the case.
NS Season tickets are valid in IC direct to Belgium. For domestic journeys without any other conditions than domestic trains.

One can also use them for international trips, subscriptions are valid until the actual border, provided a valid ticket from the border to the destination abroad is purchased. This is the case for NMBS at Roosendaal - Essen, ICD Brussels, IC Berlin, ICE and Eurobahn at Venlo - Kaldenkirchen (and till June NMBS to Liège).
Travelling internationally there is no afternoon peak restriction. You should not check in, but should bring the chipcard to show eligibility for the discount.

NSI, NMBS and DB sell tickets with 40% discount in the Netherlands, tickets with 100% discount in the Netherlands are only available at the NSI and NMBS website (and NS ticket machines).
Do note however you won't get any further discount when buying a Sparpreis to Germany.

Sorry, better wording would have been "in Belgium". Thanks for the info about international discounts

 

[rvdborgt]

You now mention the following for the NS season tickets...

And they're not just valid on NS trains, but also on other trains. Only exceptions are Eurostar, Nightjet and European Sleeper.

 

[DanielB]

And they're not just valid on NS trains, but also on other trains.

...which let me realise I forgot one. NS season tickets are also valid for trips from Hengelo to Oldenzaal using the German RB61 (Hengelo - Bielefeld).
Using the OV-chipcard for Hengelo - Oldenzaal by RB61 or for Enschede - Gronau one should use the Blauwnet validators, for the RE19 between Arnhem and Emmerich one should use the Arriva/Breng validators.

Between Maastricht and Eijsden (now served by NMBS) the NS-validators should be used until June. When Arriva takes over at the 9th of June there will be a special situation in Eijsden I just learned today: that station will have both NS- and Arriva-validators as of that moment. Visé, Bressoux and Liège-Guillemins will only get Arriva-ones.

 

[JonasB]

In Sweden, SJ has had a summer card the last few years, valid for all their trains in Sweden as well as trains to Oslo and Copenhagen. Last year it was available for 10, 20 or 30 days.

Then there are a number of different regional passes. E.g. Norrtåg has had a summer card that gives you 14 days of unlimited travel across their network for 499 kr. And it is a pretty large network that covers the northernmost part of Sweden, or an area roughly the size of Great Britain.

 

[dutchflyer]

Denmark: summers (local school hols-6 weeks from weekend after midsommer) ´22 and ´23 had a Rejsepass-for 399 DKK (54€), for 8 days-no ju/senior discounts, valid in ALL transit-also metrotrambus, not boats/ferries, also 2 kids can be taken for free. Probably also for summer coming, perhaps at higher price.
As jonas already has: SE also had a kind of summer only pass.
Somehow I recall when there last yr that 1 of the 3 Baltics also had a kind of summer-only pass, but I really cannot remember more.
PL; PolRegio ALSO has a weekend pass, valid from FR 18.00 till MON 6.00 (or even Tue on long weekends), called ´tourist=turisticzynny´ for 47/59 PLN (only PR or + the others as karnet), NOT valid in its premium trains (SuperRegio or so).
The Karnet is-or at least it was when I had my last one, for calender days and not 24-hr periods.
Cross border; The german DE-ticket is valid INTO (and out of) NL on:
DB - Enschede
eurobahn: Hengelo and Venlo
VIAS-RE19: Arnhem (I used it just 30 mins ago)
NOT on the other 2 lines done by Arriva-then only till last stop in DE
And also several german buslines into NL
Can be used into LUX-valid till border
INtoPL: the very short sector Görlitz-Zgorzelec (on KD, the yellow trains for Wroclaw/Dolnoslaskie province) is free
In general cross border is mostly based on the very old system of ´border tariff points´=no stations, but fare-KMs till/from the actual border. But in some cases these are at real station stops, mostly between DE-AT: passau-Salzburg-Kufstein.

 

[30907]

Slovakia had a summer ticket the last few years, can't locate details.

 

[rvdborgt]

Slovakia had a summer ticket the last few years, can't locate details.

It was mentioned on DSO.
The web page the post refers to doesn't exist anymore/yet, but it's in the web archive.

 

[Nunners]

Thank you for help everyone. I've made the following changes:

• Added the new french summer ticket
• Changed the wording for NS season tickets (thank you to @DanielB and @dutchflyer)
• Added the weekend ticket to for Polregio (thank you to @dutchflyer)
• Formatting changes

I'll wait until closer to the summer to add the summer tickets and other tickets for Denmark, Sweden and Slovakia (thank you to @dutchflyer, @rvdborgt and @JonasB) as I can't see anything official online currently.

These countries are now in the document:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Czechia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Hungary
• Ireland
• Italy
• Netherlands
• Poland
• Portugal
• Spain
• Switzerland

 

[rvdborgt]

Thank you for help everyone. I've made the following changes:

• Added the new french summer ticket
• Changed the wording for NS season tickets (thank you to @DanielB and @dutchflyer)

Corrections and additions for the Netherlands, for 7, 8 and 9 (Weekend Vrij, Dal Vrij, Altijd Vrij):
- "except IC Direct in Belgium" is superfluous, since these subscriptions aren't valid in Belgium in the first place.
- These subscriptions are not valid until Liège. Validity to Belgium ends at the border tariff points.
- These subscriptions require a personal OV-chipkaart. The anonymous version won't work.
- When you take a subscription and order a new OV-chipkaart at the same time, then the OV-chipkaart is free of charge. This however only works when you have a bank account that can handle iDeal payments (such as Revolut) and use a Dutch address. If that doesn't work for you, then you must first order a personal OV-chipkaart (for €7.50) and after you've received it, you can then buy a subscription by phone or at an NS ticket office. After that, you can request NS customer service for a refund of the €7.50 for the OV-chipkaart, since it is supposed to be free of charge. Maybe that's a bit lengthy for this overview though...