Ana Maria's Travel Blueprints

Planning an Interrail trip can be overwhelming, so I’m here to show you it’s actually doable! This guide gives you the actual route I followed in July 2025, including train times, accommodation, real prices, and what I did in each place. You can copy it as-is or adapt it to your pace and preferences.

You can also check out my post for planning an Interrail across Europe! It's a step by step guide that's got everything you should take into account.

In time I’ll post my concrete itineraries for each day, but feel free to ask me now on my social media! @anamariasproject

⚠️ Train times and prices might change from year to year, so double-check anything before booking!

Index

☝️ How to Use This Guide

This is the full detailed breakdown with costs, routes, and accommodation. If you just want the itinerary, jump to the TLDR. If you want exact trains, scroll to the summary at the end. If you want the full breakdown, sit tight, you’re in for a ride.

🔎 Overview

Duration: 15 days

Route: Amsterdam 🇳🇱 → Basel 🇨🇭 → Bern 🇨🇭 → Interlaken 🇨🇭 → Lauterbrunnen 🇨🇭 → Grindelwald 🇨🇭 → Lucerne 🇨🇭 → Zurich 🇨🇭 → Bled 🇸🇮 → Vienna 🇦🇹

Total Spent: 1,149.84€

This includes flights, Interrail pass, accommodations, activities, food, buses, lockers, everything.

🗺️ TLDR Itinerary

Day 1-3: Amsterdam

Day 4: Basel

Day 5: Bern

Day 6-8: Interlaken + Day Trips (Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen)

Day 9: Lucerne

Day 10: Zurich

Day 11-12: Lake Bled + Vintgar Gorge + Ljubljana

Day 13-15: Vienna

💰 Budget Summary

Before diving deep into each budget breakdown, here is a summary of how much everything cost me. The costs by destination include accommodation, activities, food, buses, and lockers.

Total: 1149.84€

Flights: 133.51€

• MAD-AMS: 54.50€
• VIE-MAD: 79.01€

Transport: 190.40€

• 10-Day Interrail Pass: 167.50€*
• Train reservations: 22.90€

Costs by destination (15 days, 14 nights): 825.93€

• Amsterdam (3 days, 3 nights): 174.80€
• Switzerland (7 days, 6½ nights): 346.17€
• 1-week eSIM for data: 7.20€
• Basel (1 day, 1 night): 57.18€
• Bern (1 day): 11.54€
• Interlaken (3 days, 3 nights): 140.22€
• Lucerne (1 day, 1 night): 67.29€
• Zurich (1 day, 1 night): 62.47€
• Slovenia (2 days, 2½ nights): 164.47€
• Vienna (3 days, 2 nights): 140.49€

* 10-Day Pass discounted with Verano Joven. Check out the next section to see whether the Interrail Pass is actually worth it for this route.

If you want to learn how I kept Switzerland affordable, check out my Essentials Switzerland Travel Tips guide!

🍔 Food Costs

The food costs I included in each country were estimated by dividing my total spend across the number of days in each destination. I ate out 6 times, cooked 7 times, and had infinite sandwiches.

• Eating out: 66.39€
• Groceries: 51.15€
• Total: 117.54€ (approx. 7.84€ per day, which I rounded up to 8€)

I also brought some gluten-free food from Spain that’s not taken into account!

🎫 Is the Interrail Pass Actually Worth It?

Short answer: sometimes. I used the 10-day Interrail Global Pass because Spain’s Verano Joven programme discounted it by 50%. Without that discount, the math for this specific route doesn’t always favor the pass, so here’s the breakdown.

I compared Youth and Adult prices for a random two-week window in January. These were the results:

Youth prices

• Booking individual tickets: 273.55€
• 10-day pass (+ reservations), with 2 unused travel days: 357.90€
• 7-day pass (+ reservations) + cheapest uncovered train: 324.20€
• 5-day pass (+ reservations) + 3 uncovered train routes: 314.00€

Adult prices

• Booking individual tickets: 273.55€
• 10-day pass (+ reservations), with 2 unused travel days: 469.90€
• 7-day pass (+ reservations) + cheapest uncovered train: 419.20€
• 5-day pass (+ reservations) + 3 uncovered train routes: 393.00€

Booking each journey separately is technically the cheapest option, but you lose the flexibility the Interrail gives you. You’re locked into specific trains, can’t adjust plans easily, and need to nail every connection.

Interrail often runs big promos that completely change the math. Passes are valid for 11 months, so it’s smart to wait for sales like Black Friday or early autumn.

Summer fares are usually higher than the dates I tested, and routes like Zurich to Lesce Bled can get pricey. In peak season, that alone might make Interrail the better deal.

Bottom line: with a good discount, the pass is usually worth it. Without one, compare both options for your exact dates.

I made a customizable spreadsheet where you can plug in your trains, add ticket prices (easy to check with trainline), reservations fees, compare all Interrail passes (including discounted ones), and instantly see which option wins and which trains you’d need to buy separately. It also shows the breakdown for this specific route. You can download it for 1.50€ on my Ko-fi page if you want the hard math done for you!

🇳🇱 Amsterdam (Day 1-3)

✈️ Arrival

Airport: Amsterdam Schipol (AMS), 8:25
Transport: Bus 397 → Ledseplein (40 min, 4.34€, no transfers)
Dropped bags at the hostel and started exploring.

🛌 Where I stayed

Hans Brinker Hostel
3 nights - 37.19€/night
Locker in the room, private restroom, free luggage storage. Shared rooms but private rooms available.

📌 Itinerary

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Rent bikes
Van Gogh Museum or Vondelpark
🛌 Hans Brinker Hostel

💰 Amsterdam costs

🇨🇭 Basel (Day 4-5)

🚂 Arrival

Train 1: 7:46-12:39 Amsterdam Centraal → Mannheim Hbf (Interrail, 8€ reservation required)
Train 2: 13:35-15:48 Mannheim Hbf → Basel Sbb (Interrail, no res.)
⚠️ The 12:46-14:55 train is the optimal option but our train was delayed

I checked in at the hostel and started exploring the city!

🛌 Where I stayed

Basel Backpack
1 night - 49.18€/night
Shared kitchen, locker, free public transport pass.

📌 Itinerary

Day 4

Day 5

🧳 Left the bags in the room before checkout
Morning: University of Basel Botanic Garden + Spalentor
Grabbed bags and continued to Bern.

💰 Basel costs

Accommodation: 49.18€
Transport: free
Activities: free
Food: 8€
Total: 57.18€

🇨🇭 Bern (Day 5)

🚂 Arrival

Train: 10:56-11:56 Basel Sbb → Bern (Interrail, there’s a train every hour)

Left bags in the train station lockers (24.75€ for XXL for 12h split among 7 \= 3.54€; but you can actually see it in just 6 hours). Other luggage storage options might be cheaper for your group, but beware of opening and closing times! i.e.: Radical Storage

📌 Itinerary

Visited Parliament, Cathedral, Bear Park,... Walked everywhere

💰 Bern costs

Activities: free
Locker: 3.54€
Food: 8€
Total: 11.54€

🚂 Departure

Train: 19:04-19:53 Bern → Interlaken West (Interrail, there’s a train every half-hour)

🇨🇭 Interlaken Area (Day 5-8)

🛌 Where I stayed

Funny Farm Backpackers
3 nights - 32.28€/night
Free transport pass, shared room, private restroom, free luggage storage, microwave, no lockers.

📌 Itinerary

Day 5

Arrived in Interlaken
🛌 Funny Farm Backpackers

Day 6 - Grindelwald

Day 7 - Lauterbrunnen

Train: 10:34-10:56 Interlaken Ost → Lauterbrunnen (Interrail, train every half-hour)
Hike: Lauterbrunnen ↔ Stechelberg (8 km roundtrip)
Train: 16:01-16:23 Lauterbrunnen → Interlaken Ost (Interrail, train every half-hour)
Late afternoon: Höhematte Park
🛌 Funny Farm Backpackers

Day 8 - Interlaken

Hike: Interlaken Ost ↔ Harder Kulm (6 hours, 4 km each way, 760 elevation)
Cruise: 16:07-18:53 Lake Brienz (free with Interrail!)
Grabbed bags and continued to Lucerne.

💰 Interlaken costs

Accommodation: 96.85€
Transport: free
Activities: 19.37€
Food: 24€
Total: 140.22€

🚂 Departure

Train: 20:04-21:55 Interlaken Ost → Luzern (Interrail, no reservation needed)

🇨🇭 Lucerne (Day 8-9)

🛌 Where I stayed

Welcome Apartments Luzern
1 night - 52.58€/night
Private apartment with kitchen.

📌 Itinerary

Day 8

Arrived from Interlaken
🛌 Welcome Apartments Luzern

Day 9

Left bags at the apartment before checkout, visited the Lion Monument , then used the Lucerne station lockers (XXL locker for 6 hours for 15 CHF, 2.31€ split).
Late morning: Meggenhorn (bus 24, 10 mins, 4.4€ + 16-min walk)
Afternoon: Downtown Lucerne (Jesuitenkirche, Chapel Bridge, etc.)

💰 Lucerne costs

Accommodation: 52.58€
Transport: 4.40€
Locker: 2.31€
Food: 8€
Total: 67.29€

🚂 Departure

Train: 16:35-17:25 Luzern → Zurich (Interrail, train every half-hour)

🇨🇭 Zurich (Day 9-10)

🛌 Where I stayed

Viadukt Homestay
1 night - 51.05€/night
Shared apartment with shared bathroom and kitchen.

📌 Itinerary

Day 9

Arrived in Zurich → checked in → groceries at Lidl → cooked fondue.🫕
🛌 Viadukt Homestay

Day 10

🧳 Left my bags at Zurich HB (massive station, terrible signage). All the XXL lockers were full, so we used two XL ones instead. Total was 25.81€ for 6 hours, about 3.69€ per person.
Saw main highlights and regretted not booking the Lindt Museum.
Returned to the station for the night train.

💰 Zurich costs

Accommodation: 51.05€
Transport: free
Locker: 3.69€
Food: 8€
Total: 62.74€

🚂 Departure: Night Train to Bled

Train: 20:40-7:13 Zurich → Lesce Bled (1 Interrail pass day, only direct option)
Reservation required through the OBB website

• Seat: 14.90€
• Bed 6-person: 49.90€
• Bed 4-person: 59.90€

⚠️ You can book before buying your Interrail pass! Make sure to book in advance because the beds go fast.

🇸🇮 Bled (Day 11-12)

🚂 Arrival

🛌 Where I stayed

Vila Lipa
2 nights - 43.29€/night
Private rooms, shared bathroom, shared kitchen, free luggage storage.

📌 Itinerary

Day 11

Walk around entire lake
Paddle surf (9€/1h)
Swim in Zaka (best free spot)
Hike Mala Osjnica
🛌 Vila Lipa

Day 12

💰 Bled costs

🇦🇹 Vienna (Day 13-15)

🚂 Arrival

🛌 Where I stayed

City Palace Apartments 1020
2 nights - 20.88€/night
Entire apartment with private bathroom + kitchen

📌 Itinerary

You can see more in-depth details in my 2-Day Vienna Itinerary - How I Managed to See (Almost) Everything

Day 13

Check-in → groceries (Hofer/Aldi)
Evening: Vivaldi concert at Karlskirche (20:15). I explain this in my Vienna itinerary!
🛌 City Apartments

Day 14

Morning: Schönbrunn Palace
Afternoon: Outdoor Vienna
🛌 City Apartments

Day 15

💰 Vienna costs

🚂 Train Summary

Here’s a clear breakdown of every train taken on this route, including departure times, arrival times, and reservations where required. Use this as a quick-reference list to visualize the fill flow of the itinerary or to double-check connections as you plan your own trip.

Amsterdam → Basel

• 7:46-12:39 Amsterdam Centraal → Mannheim Hbf (8€ reservation)
• 13:35-15:48 Mannheim Hbf → Basel Sbb

Basel → Bern → Interlaken

• 10:56-11:56 Basel Sbb → Bern
• 19:04-19:53 Bern → Interlaken West

Interlaken ↔ Grindelwald

• 8:34-9:10 Interlaken Ost → Grindelwald Terminal
• 19:47-20:33 Grindelwald → Interlaken Ost

Interlaken ↔ Lauterbrunnen

• 10:34-10:56 Interlaken Ost → Lauterbrunnen
• 16:01-16:23 Lauterbrunnen → Interlaken Ost

Interlaken → (Cruise) → Luzern

• 16:07-18:53 Lake Brienz cruise (free with Interrail!)
• 20:04-21:55 Interlaken Ost → Luzern (Interrail, no reservation needed)

Luzern → Zurich

• 16:35-17:25 Luzern → Zurich

Zurich → Lesce Bled

• 20:40-7:13 Zurich → Lesce Bled (reservation needed)

Lesce Bled → Vienna

• 10:15-11:07 Lesce Bled → Villach Hbf
• 11:14-15:36 Villach Hbf → Vienna Hbf

💡 What I Would Do Differently

The trip went even better than expected, but there are a few things I wish I’d known before going.

• The Interlaken area can feel overwhelming. There’s so much to do in the surrounding villages that it’s easy to spiral. This itinerary worked perfectly for our budget, but I’m definitely going back to keep exploring.
• Book the Lindt Museum ahead of time. It’s one of the main things to do in Zurich, and the tickets do sell out.
• You can reserve certain trains before buying your Interrail pass. When a reservation goes through an external website (like the night train), choose the “reservation only” option so you’re not shown the full ticket price.
• Night train beds are fine. The constant stop-start is not. The movement woke me up more than I expected. Next time I’m bringing melatonin.
• Couchettes in the night train come with breakfast. Nothing fancy, but the coffee-and-something-sweet combo is a nice touch.
• Slovenian buses operate on vibes. Don’t stress. Everyone is confused and yet everyone moves around just fine.
• Train inspectors appear when they appear. Across Europe you just get on and wait for ticket checks. Sometimes they never show up. That’s all I’m saying.
• Bring a multi-socket plug. Most hostels and rooms had very limited outlets, which is annoying when you’re traveling with others and everyone is trying to charge something.

💬 FAQ

Q: What counts as a travel day with Interrail?
A: A travel day runs from 00:00 to 23:59 on the same calendar day. Night trains still count as one travel day unless you change trains after midnight.

Q: Where do you check train timetables?
A: Through the Interrail website, specifically their timetable page. It was accurate for every single connection on this route.

Q: The train doesn’t require a reservation. Should I still book a seat?
A: Generally, no. The Interrail timetable shows if a route tends to be busy. We skipped reservations even on the "recommended" ones and the trains were still half-empty.

Q: If I don’t have a reservation, how do I know where to sit?
A: Most trains show seat availability on a small screen with a red/green light, and some use paper slips. On this route, none of the trains were full and we always found seats.

Q: For the cruise, do I need to book anything?
A: Nope. Just activate your day pass and show it when asked.

Q: Did you buy travel insurance?
A: No. Since Spain is part of the European Union, we have access to the European Health Insurance Card. If you don’t have a similar program in your country, you should consider travel insurance.

Q: Is 15 days too fast?
A: For this route, it was the perfect pace. I wouldn’t change the timing.

Q: Can you do this trip solo?
A: Absolutely. Every city felt safe and easy to navigate. Hostels had plenty of solo travelers, and people were really friendly.

Q: How much cash do you need?
A: I only needed cash for the locker in Vienna Central Station (4.50€). I carried around 50€ just in case. I didn’t exchange euros to Swiss francs because I used Revolut for everything.

Q: Do you need a special charger for Switzerland?
A: No. Their sockets look different, but standard European plugs work.

⭐ Final Thoughts

This is the exact 15-day route I did. It matched my pace, budget, and determination to squeeze as much as possible out of a trip. Feel free to copy it, adjust it, or turn it into something completely different. That’s the whole point of Interrail.

More detailed day-by-day itineraries are coming soon. If you have a question, ask away.