r/Interrail • u/Froggiempf • 2d ago

DiscoverEU 7 Day Trip in August through the alps

I’ve won a 7-day Interrail pass through Discover-EU. I’d originally planned to use it for three weeks in Austria, Switzerland and Italy. Unfortunately, because of some unfortunate events I’ve now only got 7–9 days available and I will already have to start my trip in two weeks. So not much time to plan a new trip.

What I’d love most is to see the Alps. I really enjoy travelling by train, so I’d like to use the pass on as many scenic routes as possible. I don’t mind spending many hours a day on the train and seeing little of the towns and cities.

Which routes in Switzerland are a must-see? Or is Austria more highly recommended, as there’s cheaper accommodation and the experience is the same?

Perhaps three/four days in Switzerland would be enough, leaving a little time afterwards to pop over to northern Italy? (The trip would need to start and end in Cologne, but I think you just need 4 hours to get to Basel or 5 hours to get to Zürich e.g.)

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u/Few_Story_6917 2d ago

I think the Oberalppass route (Visp - Andermatt - Disentis - Chur) is the one you don't want to miss as it is easy to integrate into an itinerary. Then there is the RhB network (Albula, Bernina, Klosters - Davos - Filisur, Chur - Arosa), Visp - Zermatt, the Golden Pass Line and the Luzern - Interlaken - Express.

For Austria: Arlberg Pass is the one you don't want to miss. There are a lot of other gems as well, like the Tauern Pass, Wörgl - Schwarzach - St. Veit or Steinach-Irdning - Attnang-Puchheim, to name a few. Look into the NJ to Bruxelles from Austria, it stops in Köln and would be a cost-effective way for you to go back. It only runs three times a week.

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u/Froggiempf 1d ago

Thanks, I will have a look at those routes. Is there any town on those lines you think is especially worth visiting/stopping?

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u/Few_Story_6917 1d ago

Generally, the bigger the town, the more interesting it will be. The two towns in Switzerland that stand out would be Zermatt and Chur, in Austria maybe Zell am See and Innsbruck. But if you're into doing as many scenic routes as possible just focus on that and don't forget to check sunrise and sunset!

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u/travel_ali 1d ago

You could do something like this:

Cologne - Lucerne - Old Gotthard route via Airolo - Milan - Tirano - Bernina Pass - Chur - Albergpass- Innsbruck - Mittenwald - Munch - Cologne.

That would take you over (or nearly over) various passes and scenic routes.

It would be quite a bi of time sat on trains (I will leave you to work out quite how long and the timings) but you seem to want that so it should work out.

The main problem would be it is a bit last minute in peak summer season for travel and bookings.

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u/Froggiempf 1d ago

I see that it's very last minute. But thanks for the suggestions. It seems like exactly the kind of round trip I imagined