Arrival in Venice

We’d arrived in Venice, our final stop on this whirlwind tour of Europe. As we wandered around the beautiful city, meeting water at every turn, I couldn’t help but feel as though I was having an out-of-body experience. Here I was, standing in a city I’d dreamt of coming to since before I can remember, and it felt wrong.

I realised that I was so tired from our trip that I’d become almost numb to arriving in new places. It took me a good couple of hours to actually realise that I had arrived in Venice. Luckily, I was spurred on by the sunshine and clear skies that greeted us, and motivated by the fact that the weather forecast for the following day was heavy rain. We decided to wake ourselves up with strong Italian coffee and cornettos (no, not the ice cream) and persevere with sightseeing.

It wasn’t long until I was fully in the swing of all things Venice. We wandered aimlessly but blissfully down tiny alleyways, gazed agog at the Piazza San Marco, and sang along with tunes from passing gondolas. We were swept along by the crowds, becoming two tiny tourists in Venice’s sea of visitors.

But I couldn’t help the nagging feeling that we’d messed up somehow. That we’d tried to do too much. Although I was happy and excited, I was also drained and exhausted.

The Inspiration for Our Trip

We’d been travelling around Europe by train using an Interrail pass. We had a 12-day gap in our itinerary as full-time housesitters and, craving adventure, serendipity fell upon us in the form of a huge Interrail sale. The passes were 50% off, and we jumped at the chance to explore Europe by rail.

It was a romantic but practical idea that would allow us to explore the continent with a lower carbon footprint than flying. My husband Tom had a crazy but charming idea that we could just plan our trip whilst we were on it. No advance research. No advance bookings of trains or hotels. We would book where we were staying that night whilst travelling that day. So off we went.

What Is an Interrail or Eurail Pass?

Interrail (for European residents) and Eurail (for everyone else) are flexible rail passes that let you explore over 30 European countries by train and ferry. They’re designed for travelers who want to experience more of Europe without juggling endless individual tickets or flight bookings.

An important note: Americans (and other non-European residents) cannot buy Interrail passes, which are exclusively for European citizens or legal residents. Americans must purchase a Eurail Pass instead. Eurail Passes offer the same flexibility and access to 33 countries as Interrail, but are designed for travelers residing outside Europe.

There are different types of passes available, depending on how long you’re traveling and how much flexibility you want. We bought 5-day passes, which meant we could travel on any five days within a one-month period, which was ideal for balancing travel days with some stops in between.

Whilst Interrail has long been associated with gap years and budget backpackers, it’s far from just a rite of passage for students. These days, it’s also a great-value option for couples, digital nomads, and travelers of all ages who want to cover big distances efficiently and see a lot of Europe in one trip.

Read More: How to Use Eurail to Travel Across Europe: A Eurail Guide

The Itinerary: 8 Countries in 11 Days

Our Interrail adventure began with trains to London before hopping on the Eurostar to Brussels. The Eurostar is included in the Interrail pass, though you do need to reserve seats (around £25 per person). The pass allows one “outbound” and one “inbound” journey from your home country, so our early UK connections were covered too.

We chose Brussels for its great connections and central location. It’s not as far north as Amsterdam and we weren’t quite in the mood for Paris. From there, our plan was loose: we’d see what trains we could catch that evening. We spotted an 8:30 pm train to Cologne, followed by an overnight connection to Berlin, arriving at 5:30 am.

It sounded adventurous enough until we realised all sleeper compartments were booked. We reserved seats (£5 each), grabbed a quick beer and bratwurst in Cologne, and endured six hours of bright lights and upright snoozing. Still, we arrived in Berlin, bleary-eyed but thrilled to be there.

Two days of autumn walks, art, and street food later, it was time for our next move. On travel day two, we flipped a coin: east or south? South won, so we headed for Munich, and then on to Villach, Austria, before reaching Lake Bled, Slovenia, by nightfall. The journey ended in the chaos of gale-force winds, torrential rain, a 1.5 km walk to our accommodation, and a brief refuge in a roadside shrine. But waking up to Lake Bled’s serene beauty made it all worthwhile.

After two restorative nights, we decided it wasn’t worth using a travel day for a short distance, so we took a £3, 50-minute, local bus to Ljubljana to spend a night there, a charming capital we instantly fell in love with. The next day, we caught a train to Rijeka, Croatia, lured by the sea. The city was a hidden gem and wonderfully affordable for our one-night stay.

Next up was a short FlixBus to Trieste, Italy, where sunshine, aperols, and castle views awaited, then two quick buses to Izola, Slovenia, a quiet coastal paradise of sunsets, seafood, and long walks. These buses weren’t included in the pass, but we didn’t want to use travel days for such short distances.

Two dreamy nights later, it was time to head north, as we had a housesit to get to in Switzerland. We retraced our route via Venice, spending one perfect night there before using our final travel day to take a direct train all the way from Venice to Geneva. Eight countries, countless coffees later we rolled into Geneva, tired but grateful: our Interrail adventure complete.

Read More: My Eurail Adventure: A One-Month Train Itinerary Across Europe

The Romance of the Rails

There’s something timeless about train travel. The slow, cinematic way of moving through the world. You settle into your seat, coffee in hand, and watch Europe unfold outside your window, where forests, villages, and city skylines blur into one long daydream.

With a rail pass, plans are flexible, and detours are part of the fun. You might overhear someone raving about a hidden alpine town or an art festival a few stops away, and within the hour, you’re on a new train heading there. It’s a kind of freedom that flying can’t offer; the journey becomes part of the experience, not just the means to an end.

On this trip, I realised that people are the real magic of journeys by rail. Trains mix together beautiful, improbable groups: backpackers with restless eyes; locals carrying neatly wrapped picnics; families juggling luggage on their way to visit grandparents.

You share space and silence, exchange smiles over steaming coffee, and swap travel stories. As the scenery shifts outside, you realise you’re traveling through more than just landscapes. You’re moving through moments together, with the world unfolding in rhythm with the rails beneath you.

The Reality Check

But of course, there’s the other side of train travel too, the less glamorous, quietly draining reality that never quite makes it to travel blogs. The exhaustion creeps up first: the endless packing and unpacking, hauling bags across stations, and sprinting down platforms when connections run late.

Trains are delayed, platforms change at the last minute, and you find yourself eating another packet of crisps for dinner because the café carriage closed an hour ago. You promise yourself you’ll slow down, stay longer, and try to do less, but somehow the pressure to “see it all” returns with every new destination on the map.

Even the freedom that makes the rails so romantic can start to feel like a trap. There’s always another “can’t-miss” stop, and it becomes harder to tell whether you’re chasing wonder or just momentum.

Lessons From the Tracks

If this trip taught me anything, it’s that slowing down isn’t a failure; it’s actually the point. Somewhere between sprinting for connections and collapsing into yet another unfamiliar bed, I realised that the kind of travel I want isn’t about ticking boxes or boasting about how many countries I’ve crossed in a week. It’s about seeing fewer places, but seeing them properly by breathing them in, walking their streets, and finding the local bakery you actually have time to return to.

I also realised that the pressure to “make the most” of every moment didn’t come from the journey itself, but from me. But traveling as much as you physically can isn’t sustainable for the planet or for the person doing the traveling. The exhaustion ends up dulling the magic.

Now, when I think about balance, I think about pace. About staying somewhere long enough to learn the rhythm of its mornings and the sound of its evenings. Our Interrail trip reminded me that travel isn’t about how far you go, but how present you are whilst there.

Bucket List or Burnout?

Would I do it again? Absolutely, without a second thought. Interrailing through Europe is a kind of magic that’s hard to replicate any other way: the thrill of hopping trains, the serendipity of unexpected places, and the fleeting encounters that make it unforgettable.

That said, 11 days for 8 countries was too intense. Next time, I’d opt for a longer pass, perhaps a month, to truly land in each place, linger over coffee, and absorb the atmosphere without racing the clock. It’s a bucket list adventure, but one best enjoyed at a pace that lets the memories stick.

If You Use an Interrail/Eurail Pass:

• Download the Interrail/Eurail app to plan routes and check train times on the go.
• Not all trains are included so double-check which ones require supplements or reservations.
• Set a daily budget but allow for flexibility; food and transport costs vary widely between countries.
• Save money by trying sleeper trains to combine travel and sleep.
• Some high-speed and international trains need seat reservations; book these as early as possible if you want to sit with friends/family.
• Pack light as you’ll carry your bag often through stations and cobbled streets.
• Build rest days into your itinerary and avoid cramming too many cities into one trip.

Read More: How to Pack Light for Any Length Trip Abroad

Useful Websites

• Interrail & Eurail – Official sites for European residents (Interrail) and non-European residents (Eurail) to plan routes, buy passes, and check train information.
• The Man in Seat 61 – In-depth guides to train travel across Europe.

Need a hand planning your trip? Here are the sites and services we rely on most, from booking tools to travel products we love.

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Author Bio: Jessica Holmes is a writer and digital nomad who swapped her career as a police investigator for a life of sustainable travel through housesitting. After years of backpacking and van life, she sought a greener way to explore the world. Her book about her journey so far; The Housesitter’s Guide to the Galaxy, is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Her blog, Hitched and Hiking is where she documents her travels. Follow her on Instagram @hitchedhikingandhousesitting.

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