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Interrail: 6,379Km and 13 Countries over 7 weeks

shkspr.mobi

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Re: Interrail: 6,379Km and 13 Countries over 7 weeks

#71

Post by embedding-shape »

4ggr0 wrote: post #54
embedding-shape wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Worst during the interrail trip. That wouldn't surprise me. "your worst train experience" still would, unless the person only taken trains in Europe. But the world is big, and some places are just on a different level. Ever taken a train in India? I'd like to hear those people complain about the German train experience :)

doesn't it say quite a bit about the german train system when you have to compare it to india to make it seem not that bad?

Not at all, India is great at many things, I think this comment might say more about you than what you replied to or trying to say :)

Re: Interrail: 6,379Km and 13 Countries over 7 weeks

#72

Post by mqus »

pchangr wrote: post #59
embedding-shape wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Worst during the interrail trip. That wouldn't surprise me. "your worst train experience" still would, unless the person only taken trains in Europe. But the world is big, and some places are just on a different level. Ever taken a train in India? I'd like to hear those people complain about the German train experience :)

I guess it depends on what you expect. If you expect the train to be on time .. yes, India is much better than Germany. ~80% trains delayed 15 min or less vs Germany 36% trains delayed 15 min or less. It can get pretty bad when your train is delayed so you miss your connection and now you’re stranded in a random town waiting for the next train .. which is coming .. at 5am the next day. Or you can take the regional an…

> I guess it depends on what you expect. If you expect the train to be on time .. yes, India is much better than Germany. ~80% trains delayed 15 min or less vs Germany 36% trains delayed 15 min or less.

I won't defend DB too much here but saying that 64% of trains in germany are delayed more than 15min is just plain wrong. The official statistics put it at 40% for 6min or more for long distance trains and 11% for regional trains in 2025[1]. I think if there would be 15min statistics, DB would be on a sinilar level to India for long-distance. Not something to be proud of, but not as desastrous as you paint it. Though, maybe I misunderstood? Do you have sources for the indian numbers?

[1] https://eisenbahn.de/geramond-vgb/jahresbilanz-2025-puenktli...

Re: Interrail: 6,379Km and 13 Countries over 7 weeks

#73

Post by Marciplan »

haunter wrote: post #57

For single countries though the Interrail not worth it, or more like make your own research For example in Hungary we have an unlimited pass for ~53€ a month, valid on all trains and multiple public transport options (almost everything in Budapest included) https://bkk.hu/en/tickets-and-passes/prices/hungary-pass-ful... Whereas a 3 days in 1 month Interrail pass is 79€ https://www.interrail.com/en/interrail-passes/on…

It has that name for a reason though

Re: Interrail: 6,379Km and 13 Countries over 7 weeks

#74

Post by sph »

Interrail used to be more popular years ago among young adults who had just finished high school. I did it with a few friends at the time, and it was an incredible experience of self-reliance, patience and just complete freedom.

My best memory is sleeping under the stars outside the train station of Biarritz, France, on a mild summer night next to the Atlantic Ocean. Such a refreshing sleep.

The next night we did the same, sleeping under the stars outside the train station of Modane, France, very high up in the Alps. Definitely didn't sleep as well with the cold air and weird looks.

Re: Interrail: 6,379Km and 13 Countries over 7 weeks

#75

Post by mr_toad »

jmkd wrote: post #10

The best part of interailling for me was turning up to a major train station, looking at the giant departure board, choosing an enigmatic destination and just getting on the train. No booking or reservations or even planning at any point. Is this not possible any more?

It’s usually cheaper to book in advance. In particular if you want cheap seats on the Eurostar you have to books months in advance.

Re: Interrail: 6,379Km and 13 Countries over 7 weeks

#77

Post by happosai »

Someone wrote: post #49
panick21_ wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually no. German trains are often late, true, but outside of that its actually very nice. There are a lots of lines and lots of collections. The only time its a bad idea is if you have a real time constraints.

But the problem is: everybody doing a trip with a transfer has real-time constraints. With Interrail, that is doable. You’ll have to mostly plan for overnight stays in large cities, but that’s what most Interrail users want to, anyways.

Well overnight stays in small towns and sleeper trains are worth experiencing on Interrail too!

Re: Interrail: 6,379Km and 13 Countries over 7 weeks

#78

Post by mr_toad »

panick21_ wrote: post #38
kleiba2 wrote: post #14

Prediction: Germany is going to be your worst train experience.

Actually no. German trains are often late, true, but outside of that its actually very nice. There are a lots of lines and lots of collections. The only time its a bad idea is if you have a real time constraints.

I try and avoid connecting trains. With each connection you only have about a 50:50 chance of success.

Re: Interrail: 6,379Km and 13 Countries over 7 weeks

#79

Post by xattt »

sph wrote: post #74

Interrail used to be more popular years ago among young adults who had just finished high school. I did it with a few friends at the time, and it was an incredible experience of self-reliance, patience and just complete freedom. My best memory is sleeping under the stars outside the train station of Biarritz, France, on a mild summer night next to the Atlantic Ocean. Such a refreshing sleep. The next night we did the…

How long was this experience? I have a sense that sleeping outdoors as part of an adventure is getting tarnished by the homelessness and mental health crisis (… which is a separate issue that can’t be appropriately addressed here).

I live in a seasonal touristy area and I have to do double-takes as to whether someone is transient, or is just backpacking.

The implication here is personal safety. The homeless individual could be unpredictable due to mental health, whereas the backpacker is likely to be neutral.

Re: Interrail: 6,379Km and 13 Countries over 7 weeks

#80

Post by ocihangir »

pantalaimon wrote: post #63
haunter wrote: post #57

For single countries though the Interrail not worth it, or more like make your own research For example in Hungary we have an unlimited pass for ~53€ a month, valid on all trains and multiple public transport options (almost everything in Budapest included) https://bkk.hu/en/tickets-and-passes/prices/hungary-pass-ful... Whereas a 3 days in 1 month Interrail pass is 79€ https://www.interrail.com/en/interrail-passes/on…

Same for Germany, we have the 63€/Month Deutschlandticket. It's only valid for regional trains (but also all local buses, subway and tram systems) though, so for long distance travel you have to switch trains a lot.

Same for Luxembourg, except it is all (train, bus, tram) free. You can only see so much though.
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