Interrail and Eurail passes explained: reservations and when a pass is worth it

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A rail pass lets you ride most trains across many European countries without buying a ticket for each journey. It sounds simple, and mostly it is, but there are two things that catch first-timers out: the difference between the passes, and seat reservations.

Interrail and Eurail: what changed

For decades there were two brands selling essentially the same product: Interrail for people living in Europe and Eurail for everyone else. In September 2026 the Eurail name and passes were merged into Interrail, so new passes are now sold under the Interrail name to travellers wherever they live. Passes bought under the Eurail name before the change remain valid for their full period. If you see "Eurail" in older guides, read it as "Interrail". A few differences still depend on where you live:

European residents can use their pass for only one journey out of their country of residence and one journey back in, not for travel within it.
Some single-country passes are restricted to European residents; visitors from outside Europe use a different national pass there instead.

Check the current conditions on the official Interrail site before buying, as the rules were rewritten with the merger.

The types of pass

Global Pass: covers many participating countries. Comes as continuous (every day for a set period) or flexi (a set number of travel days within a longer window).
One Country Pass: for a single country, usually as flexi travel days.

With a flexi pass, a "travel day" runs from midnight to midnight, and you can take as many trains as you like on it. Night trains have their own rules about which day they count against, so read them before booking one.

How reservations work

The pass is your ticket, but many trains also require a seat reservation, which you pay for separately.

Usually no reservation needed: regional and local trains in most countries, and many intercity trains in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Belgium. You just board.
Reservation required: most high-speed trains (especially in France, Italy and Spain), many international trains, and all night trains, where you book a seat, couchette or sleeper berth.
Quotas: some high-speed and international trains hold only a limited number of seats for pass holders. On popular routes in summer they can run out well before the train is full, so book early.
Where to book: some reservations can be made in the official app or website, some at stations, some only through specific channels. Certain operators do not sell pass-holder reservations on their own sites at all.

Reservation fees vary widely by operator and route. On a high-speed-heavy itinerary they add up and can change the maths completely.

Using the pass

The pass is now mostly mobile: you add each journey to your pass in the app before boarding and show the ticket to the conductor. Keep your phone charged and carry the ID used to buy the pass.

When a pass is worth it

A pass tends to pay off when:

you plan several long journeys, especially in countries where walk-up fares are high;
you want flexibility to change plans on the day without losing money on fixed tickets;
you are travelling in countries where most trains need no reservation, so the pass truly covers everything.

Point-to-point tickets tend to win when:

you only have a few journeys, and can book them early when advance fares are cheap;
most of your trips are short regional hops;
your route is mainly high-speed trains that need paid reservations, especially with limited pass quotas.

How to decide

Write down your route and the journeys you will actually take.
Look up advance fares for each leg on the operators' own sites for your dates.
Price the pass that fits your days, then add the reservation fees your route requires.
Compare, and give some value to flexibility if you like to wander.

Rules, coverage and booking channels change from year to year, so check the official site close to your trip. Have you used a pass, or are you trying to decide? Share your route and questions in the comments.