Cork student's guide to inter-railing across Europe

Having finished my Leaving Certificate in June, I went inter-railing in Europe with my friend, Niamh Finn. Here is my advice, tips, tricks and ideas for anyone thinking of doing the same.

Niamh and I had decided to go inter-railing years ago and talked about it constantly. But, as much as we were looking forward to it, we hadn’t thought at all about where we actually wanted to go!

The first step in planning our trip was searching the map of Europe and just exploring online what cities were close together. We considered what destinations and order of cities would make for logical routes.

Then, we chatted about which cities we’d most like to visit, and ended up opting only for places neither of us had been before.

It was important to choose locations that wouldn’t be as hot as some of our alternatives, so we could comfortably walk around and sightsee without being too exhausted by the heat and worrying constantly about sunburn.

What really helped us come up with a defined, concrete plan, was searching for the easiest cities to fly to. We found that flying into Berlin gave us lots of options around times and cost. It also became clear very quickly that there were more flights between Budapest or Berlin and Ireland than other cities on our list such as Amsterdam or Copenhagen.

So, in the end, our route was as follows: Berlin, Prague, Vienna and finally, Budapest.

Then we researched the cost of trains to get us from city to city. We realised early trains before 9am were almost always the cheapest. I would suggest checking to see if your train is direct and how long the train ride is, as this gives you an idea of the journey ahead.

We booked all of our trains in advance so we would know what time we’d be arriving into and leaving each place.

Travelling by train is a brilliant way to see the landscape and area around the cities. It allowed us to get a sense of the countryside, and the views were stunning.

Niamh and I decided the train would be our main rest on the days we were moving because they would all be at least a couple of hours long, which is why it was so important to have it all organised in advance.

Next, we went on Booking.com and plugged in each of the cities we would need accommodation in. Initially, I just put in rough dates to get an idea of the cost of staying in the different cities. Looking at how expensive hostels were helped us decide which we could stay longer in.

In particular cities, we found especially cheap and affordable accommodation, so chose to stay an extra night. As young females, it was also vital for us to find hostels that offered either female-only dormitories or twin rooms.

Once we had decided our exact route and how many nights to stay in each city, we booked accommodation.

The main factors in our search were types of room, cost and of course, location. If you’re not staying somewhere very long, it’s much better to stay near the city centre if you can to get the most out of a few days. You get to see so much and really experience the culture.

However, another alternative is to choose cheaper accommodation that’s slightly further out from the city centre but near bus or tram stops and a metro or train station. That way, you’ll have access to great public transport and easily get in and out of the city centre.

Finally, before we booked any hostel on booking.com, we quickly searched the hostel’s website and checked they were similar.

I then added all our train and hostel booking references to one doc that both Niamh and I had access to, in case one of our phones died whilst travelling.

After that, we looked into what kind of bags to bring. We opted for small, light rucksacks as they would be handy to carry around and walk with. It also meant we could stow them under our seats easily on trains and the plane. This is really helpful in case the overhead compartments for luggage are full. It also means no added cost for luggage.

However, this means you need to be able to pack light. Jerseys and light t-shirts are really easy to fold up small so these were mainly the types of changes we packed. Day to day, we left our luggage in our hostels and explored the cities with a fanny pack each. We decided this would be the lightest for walking around all day, as we didn’t have the weight on our backs. It was also the safest as we could be aware of our bags and felt less likely to encounter pickpocketers or have any items fall out.

Once again though, this meant bringing only the bare minimum. We fitted in just our phones, powerbank, IDs, money and suncream or a poncho.

Finally, we did a little research into each location. We mainly decided to pick what to see and do when we got to our hostels and got a sense of the city. This definitely worked in our favour as when we were actually there, our Google Maps adjusted to that place. We could see what sites were close together, the best ways to get around and so on.

For example, the main sights in Berlin and Prague looked similarly spread out on our phones, but we soon realised when we were there that Berlin’s centre was far bigger than Prague’s and we would need to give ourselves longer to get from place to place.

As it was more spread out, we used public transport more in Berlin. Even so, we did want to have an idea of each city and culture beforehand so we looked into the history and customs associated with each destination.

I found the differences between them really interesting and was excited at the opportunity to compare and contrast them myself.

Vitally, we also checked the currency and language in each country. We searched for the main sights, buildings and activities tourists typically go to see. This helped us plan our days quite easily when we did arrive.

Iinter-railing is an incredible experience that I learned so much from. I encountered new challenges, gained problem solving and travel skills, learned so much about the history of Europe, tried new foods, met new people and felt immersed in vastly different cultures.

It was such a unique trip, I gained so much from it and would really recommend it. Yet, I have no doubt the planning ensured everything ran smoothly.

Our first stop was Berlin and on Monday, I’ll be delving into our time there!