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So a slight departure from the usual mode of transport on this site but trying to think of summer holidays for my inquisitive 4 year old and a beach holiday is not going to cut it. I am thinking about 2 weeks inter-railing around Europe. I have a couple of ideas on where we would like to stop but no idea how to start planning and if it is even a good idea. I have the Amex Platinum card and Diamond IHG which will run out at the end of this month but was thinking of buying Ambassador to extend. Anyone undertaken anything like this before?
Not with a child, but my sis & OH have done a couple of these trips in the
last few years, one to eastern Europe, and last Sept. to Scandinavia & it was all
fantastic. Went the whole hog & bought first class tickets (still v reasonable, and
included some lounges and meals – and remember your child will
travel free, and the Interrail now includes the Eurostar!).Could head direct to AMS, do a bit of canal-hopping with your little one, then
maybe to Hamburg to go to the Miniatur Wunderland, as random ideas to start?!
Then onto Tivoli in Copenhagen/The Bridge/Legoland?As you can see, I think it’s a great idea!!
Not with a child, but my sis & OH have done a couple of these trips in the
last few years, one to eastern Europe, and last Sept. to Scandinavia & it was all
fantastic. Went the whole hog & bought first class tickets (still v reasonable, and
included some lounges and meals – and remember your child will
travel free, and the Interrail now includes the Eurostar!).Could head direct to AMS, do a bit of canal-hopping with your little one, then
maybe to Hamburg to go to the Miniatur Wunderland, as random ideas to start?!
Then onto Tivoli in Copenhagen/The Bridge/Legoland?As you can see, I think it’s a great idea!!
These are great ideas to get me started, thank you! Do you know if your sister locked down their itinerary before they went and booked hotels or did they book as they went? This is what I can’t get my head around, how organised do I need to be?!
Michael Portillo’s train TV programmes for the BBC and Ch5 may be available on iPlayer and My5 and may be worth a view. Seat61 dot com has lots of information.
With a toddler I’d want to be fairly organised with accommodation sorted out at least a few days in advance of arrival.
Once you’ve sketched out your plans you could book some refundable hotels just for security. Remember to keep careful note of cancellation times and dates!
And the advantage of that is you can lock in a rate now yet cancel if your plans change or the price comes down.
Not with a child, but my sis & OH have done a couple of these trips in the
last few years, one to eastern Europe, and last Sept. to Scandinavia & it was all
fantastic. Went the whole hog & bought first class tickets (still v reasonable, and
included some lounges and meals – and remember your child will
travel free, and the Interrail now includes the Eurostar!).Could head direct to AMS, do a bit of canal-hopping with your little one, then
maybe to Hamburg to go to the Miniatur Wunderland, as random ideas to start?!
Then onto Tivoli in Copenhagen/The Bridge/Legoland?As you can see, I think it’s a great idea!!
These are great ideas to get me started, thank you! Do you know if your sister locked down their itinerary before they went and booked hotels or did they book as they went? This is what I can’t get my head around, how organised do I need to be?!
ALL accommodation was at least cancellable up to the day before! Some trains required a seat
booking (done easily online) but I think that was changeable.Many years ago I did a trip in Italy which has a fantastic train network. We booked flights into Milan and out of Naples and had a rough itinerary plan but only booked the onward trains / hotels a few days in advance which worked fine.
We didn’t bother with a rail pass, from what I remember the supplements to travel on high speed train vs just booking advanced fares made it not a particularly good deal but I imagine it depends how many trains you’re planning to take, where you’re going etc.
Agreed on the Seat61 website! I regularly go by trains to Europe and that website is definitely the most helpful resource out there.
Since you’re planning on travelling during the Summer, I’d advise you to book seat reservations for trains as early as possible, as reservations for intercity trains do get booked up pretty quickly for popular destinations (*Italy* and Eurostar in particular).
If you decide to purchase in an Interrail pass, then i’d recommend going for the 1st Class pass, as it isn’t that much more expensive compared to a 2nd Class pass. Do note that seat reservation prices can very a lot depending on the operator, with the Eurostar’s passholder fare being up to 30 – 43EUR per person.
Edit: As the post above mentions, if you plan and book early, then it may be cheaper to just buy each train leg directly instead of an interrail pass – so do the maths before purchasing one
Have done a few trains in europe over the last couple of years. +1 for Seat61 as I wouldnt have even attempted Venice to Lubyana via Trieste and on to Lake Bled without it. All the planning advice you’ll need on there.
Also sleeper train from Vienna to Zurich. (and many more routes) The family compartments would be a great choice for a summer adventure and aren’t expensive compared to flights and hotels.
I’ve just booked a two trips in the next month on one pass. I’ve probably spent 4 or 5 hours reading the Man In Seat 61 website but it’s been invaluable, especially with links on where to check if there are any passes left on the High speed trains I needed before shelling out on the Interrail pass. I’ve bought a combination of cheap advance tickets where they popped up and am using my Interrail days for the expensive or long journeys. Do your research, but I am excited. There are loads of good suggestions online for routes too.
We are going on a trip as a family of 5 over Easter. Eurostar to Amsterdam, then night train to Munich, day trains to Ljubljana, the Croatian coast and Zagreb, and then Budapest, Vienna and night train back to Amsterdam. Staying 2/3 nights in most places. Because of the kids, I’ve planned in some detail in advance. I’d be very happy to have a chat, but my tips would be:
1) As others have said, Man in Seat 61 website is amazing for the detail and timing of trains.
2) Have an idea of where you want to go if you are buying an interrail pass. Because France, Spain and Italy impose quite a few supplements for their trains which removes the benefit of having a pass. We avoided that by staying East of France where nearly all the trains are free (excluding the night trains).
3) Particularly if you’re travelling from some distance away from London, consider the first class passes which are not much more expensive and free for your 4 year old. You’ll get food on the Eurostar and likely on your UK train, plus comfier seats on the long journeys in Europe.
4) I booked all the accommodation in advance, most of it on cancellable rates. With the platinum the IC Ljubljana looks a bargain as it can be booked on FHR at VERY reasonable rates. Lovely city too!
5) Buy a European Rail Map for around a tenner (amazon or similar). It includes an indication of which are scenic routes and shows all the potential connections. Or I also bought the Lonely Planet guide to European Rail Travel which has a few suggested itineraries.
6) Be careful with your time planning. My kids are a bit older so I don’t (for example) mind arriving in Budapest at 10:30 at night on the only train of the day from Zagreb. But with a four year old, you’ll want to make sure the times are sensible (and you will know how long they can realistically spend on a train!)The only other thing I’d say is I would carefully consider if you want to do night trains or not. I love the idea of them but the reality of trying to sleep on the move and then getting dumped off unwashed and tired in the morning somewhere when you can’t get into your hotel in reality has never actually been that enjoyable for me ! So definitely may not be ideal for a child, though they may find it easier to sleep in the little bunks
Also adding that last time I looked the Eurostar is not free but has a very reasonable supplement fee of £30 (standard) or £38 (first – gets you standard premier). Your plat card will get you into the lounges in London, Paris and Brussels but not in Amsterdam.
@NigelHamilton Stayed at the IC Ljubljana a couple of years ago. It’s 7-8 mins walk from the railway station and 15 mins walk into the centre of town. The biggest niggle for me was the toilet flushing itself every night around 3am waking me up. Otherwise it’s a nice hotel, lovely staff as you’d expect but nothing spectacular.
Can’t report on breakfast as I didn’t bother with it. Wine tasting at the castle was fun.
Depending which exact pass you take and FX rates, it can work out better cost-wise or choice-wise to get your pass in another country. You might need a VPN to see some.
Also if you’re not based in Europe/UK there is a different choice of passes also available – narrower but may suit some people better.
I Eurailed when I was a student and would Interrail/Eurail again in a heartbeat – but only with planning this time.
Also I agree wholeheartedly with @SamG’s comments about the disadvantages of night trains which can pall quickly after very few nights.
I suppose “credit card Interrailing” would be best for that problem – get yourself a top hotel status that will get you checkin at 9am – or be prepared to pay for it.
Thank you so much for all the great tips, will start looking at ‘the man in seat 61’ now.
I was worried everyone would think it is a crazy idea to do with a 4 year old but all of your replies and suggestions have reassured me, thank you again!
Yes it is a crazy idea with a 4 year old 🙂 so you will have to plan and know what you will do if things are not working out for them during the trip.
No. It’s not a crazy idea. OH loves his trains. No holiday is complete without going on one. Seat 61 is great and regularly updated. Interrailed around Europe a number of times in our youth.
It pays to plan and book hotels a couple of days in advance and with free cancellation. You might want to stay longer somewhere and trains in Europe do go on strike, they do have engineering work and other delays. So definitely do build in some flexibility.
When my kids were young we regularly visited the South of France. We found the long drive overnight or stopping hard going so used the overnight Motorail service from Calais or Lille. We booked a two berth cabin and made up a bed on the floor for the kids from 1&3 years onwards. There was always extra bedding available. The kids loved it and we all slept remarkably well.
Kids now adults but still have many happy memories. We’re in the middle of plan an Easter trip in the Balkans – so it definitely didn’t out any of us off train travel!
So start planning. I know you will have a great adventure.
Inter rail is likely to make up a large part of my summer holiday plans, can’t wait! Will probably end in or near Athens as have a wedding to go to there. Plus for the UK, if you’re based outside London the pass should include your journey to London for the eurostar.
Interesting thoughts about going first, will give them more thought.
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