Interrailing Europe with Kids: Our Family Route, Itinerary and Top Tips

Brussels – Stuttgart – Innsbruck – Arosa – Lucerne – Paris

We had an absolute blast on our 3 week interrail trip around Europe. We also learned a LOT! Here’s everything we did, and what we would do differently next time.

Our 3-Week Interrail Europe Itinerary with Kids

Our Interrail Route at a Glance

Our actual route was pretty wild, and took more trains than we had originally thought we would. While we visited the six destinations listed above, we found ourselves on a total of 18 trains! Some of the places that were on our list weren’t direct trains, so we just had to roll with it. Here is our route:

{Insert route map}

How Long We Spent in Each Destination

We had the luxury of three weeks for our Interrail trip, so we could stay in each place for a decent amount of time. Our stays looked like this:

Brussels 3 nights

Stuttgart 3 nights

Innsbruck 5 nights

Arosa 4 nights

Lucerne 3 nights

Paris 3 nights

Why We Chose This Route

This isn’t one of the typical first Interrailing trips that people tend to do. The trip was planned to celebrate a BIG birthday for my husband, and he had two requests: a visit to Stuttgart for the car museums, and a stay in the Alps somewhere.

He actually ended up with a double helping of the Alps, because initially we were planning to travel from Innsbruck to Italy, and Arosa wasn’t in the plan. We found out a few weeks before we travelled that there would be engineering works on that trainline for the week we were planning to travel, so we had to re-route. Luckily we found a (brilliant) place in Arosa in the Swiss Alps, which ended up being some of our favourite days!

Planning Our Family Interrail Trip

Choosing Our Interrail Passes

Starting the planning for our trip was a little overwhelming at first! I sat down with a brew, the seat61 website and a couple of good old Facebook groups.

The first step was to buy the passes. As we already had an idea of the route and the stops we wanted to do, we decided on a 7 Day Pass, which gives you 7 travel days within one month. We needed 2 adult and 3 junior passes, and we managed to secure them in the Spring sale, with 15% off, about 5 months before we travelled.

How Far in Advance We Planned and Booked

Once we’d booked the Travel Pass, following advice we booked our Eurostar seats straight away. There are a limited number of Interrail-friendly seats on each Eurostar train, and it’s often the part of the journey that you can’t be flexible on so this was a priority.

We then mapped out our journey, using an actual paper map! This was SO valuable, especially when we had to change our plans.

Once we were sure of our destinations, we started to look for accommodation in each place. We were a bit worried, as we’re quite last minute and there’s five of us, so we wanted to make sure we could find accommodation and then sort the trains after that.

*It’s worth knowing that once you buy your Travel Pass, you have 11 months to use it, so plan your purchasing accordingly!

Booking Trains and Seat Reservations

The Man in Seat 61 was our absolute go-to for everything to do with train reservations for this trip. His website is jam packed full of everything you need to know, and because we were travelling across six countries, we needed to know a lot!

The Interrail Pass is your train ticket, and so the only thing you need to pay for once you have a pass is any seat reservations you want or need. This varies wildly by country, for example the TGV high speed trains in France required mandatory (fairly pricey) reservations, while in Switzerland no seat reservations can be made at all.

For us, we looked carefully at the train timetables, chose the trains we wanted, and made any reservations we could after we had booked our accommodations.

There is a LOT to take in at this stage of the planning. However, while you don’t have to book your reservations through the Interrail app (and you probably shouldn’t as it can be more expensive), you can log all your planned trains in there so you won’t lose track of them.

It is also worth downloading the rail apps of the country you’re planning to visit (again, the Man in Seat 6 guides you through this) as they often have up to date info on any delays/cancellations.

Booking Family-Friendly Accommodation

This was our big worry before we went – how could we find accommodation for all five of us, for exactly the length of time that we needed it, in August?! However, we had plenty of options and we’re really happy with how it all worked out.

We stayed in a mix of hotels, AirBnBs, and hostels, which suited us perfectly. We booked most of them through Booking.com giving us the flexibility to change our plans at the last minute – this was really helpful when our plan changed from Italy to Switzerland!

How We Planned Travel Days with Kids

The comment we got the most when we told people what we were doing was ‘How will the kids cope with the travel days?!’ And truthfully, screens are how they coped.

While we planned to mix up iPads with card games and reading for them, in reality it didn’t work out like that. What we fund was that we were so busy when we were actually in the places enjoying them, that the travel days ended up being much needed down days for the kids, where they could just relax.

Of course, there were quite a few times we would interrupt them to insist that they looked at the amazing views, or if we passed something significant like a border, but otherwise we just left them to it.

The older two children had videos downloaded and ready to watch, and our youngest either listened to an audiobook or watched Netflix.

We saved the card games for after our evening meal each day, which became a tradition of the trip!

Stop 1 – Brussels, Belgium

How We Got to Brussels

This was a really important travel day, because it counted as our Outbound day on our Interrail pass. You get one outbound and one inbound travel day, and those are the only days that you can use the pass in the UK. So you really have to make sure you get out of the UK on your first travel day!

We managed this with two trains – first was a 6:30am start on the West Coast Mainline from the north west of England to London Euston. It was then just a ten minute walk to London St Pancras, where we caught our Eurostar train that took us directly to Brussels. From there, we walked to our hotel, which was around 25 minutes. Brussels are one hour ahead and we arrived right on time for check in at 3pm!

Where We Stayed in Brussels

This was our favourite accommodation find of the trip – the Meininger hotels. These worked absolutely BRILLIANTLY for us as a family of 5, but would be great for smaller and larger families too. We stayed in three of them altogether, and the Brussels hotel was the first.

We absolutely loved the big bedroom, with bunks so no kids had to share (it is bickering central if that happens these days). We also just loved the vibe of the hotel, with loads of hangout spots for the kids, where we could grab a coffee and see them.

The Meiningers are a hybrid hostel/hotel model, so there’s something to suit everyone. We had a private room and bathroom, but we made use of the kitchen where we cooked our own meals, and the fridge to store food.

Inclusive tip: Look for these hybrid hostel/hotels. The rooms are comfortable and spacious with hotel amenities, but the kitchen and the ability to store your own food means you can cook your own meals if eating out isn’t for you.

What We Did in Brussels with Kids

We had two full days in Brussels, and that was plenty. Our first day was spent wandering, where we made sure we saw the beautiful Grand Place with all it’s gold. We also followed the parts of the street art trail that were around the city centre, which was very cool. And of course we had to try some warm Belgian waffles!

On Day 2 we visited Mini-Europe, which is a little way out of the city, next to the Atomium. (We didn’t visit the Atomium as my son was due to go there as part of a school trip and we didn’t want to spoil it!) It was a lovely day out, and tested our navigational skills as we found the right metro train to get there.

Our Brussels Highlights

Our hotel! We were SO pleased with it. And the Grand Place, which was beautiful, as well as the Belgian waffle, which we’re still talking about now.

What We’d Do Differently

We definitely could have made this into a 2 night stay instead of 3 nights, and had one full day in Brussels. We would have swapped Mini-Europe for the Atomium, and seen everything in Brussels that we wanted within a day and a half.

Brussels to Stuttgart by Train

Our Journey and Train Changes

From Brussels, we took

Stop 2 – Stuttgart, Germany

Where We Stayed in Stuttgart

We stayed slightly outside of Stuttgart centre, close to the Schlossgarten, in walking distance to the centre. We stayed in an ao (????) hostel, which was fine, but ended up being our least favourite accomodation of the trip.

The room was fine; it was a hostel type family room with bunkbeds for the kids, and our own bathroom. But the kitchen and fridge storage facilities weren’t ideal, and we also had to eat some meals in our room. It was fine, and the staff were great, but it wasn’t our favourite.

What We Did in Stuttgart with Kids

We loved Stuttgart! We mainly came for the car museums, but we really enjoyed our time in the city. Here’s how we spent our days:

Arrival Day: I stayed at the hostel with our ND child, who always needs a bit of decompression time whenever we arrive somewhere. Husband and the other children went out for an explore and to get some food.

Day 1: Husband and Mr 13 (the car fanatics) went out super early to catch a train to the Porsche museum. It’s not far out of the centre, and a train from the central station takes you really close. They spent a couple of hours there while the rest of us had a slow start, with breakfast and cups of tea!

We then wandered into Stuttgart to meet them after the museum, and we ventured into Stuttgart library, which I LOVED. This was a bit leftfield with kids but they’d never seen anything like the all-white design of it before and they thought it was great. They especially enjoyed finding the German versions of their favourite books – Wings of Fire auf Deutsch anyone?!

After a picnic lunch (which quickly became a recurring theme) we walked back to our hotel via the enormous Schlossgarten – a beautiful outdoor space **************************************************

Day 2: Another car museum! This time the whole family were involved. We visited the Mercedes museum, which is again, just outside Stuttgart centre. We took a train to ***** then walked the rest of the way. The museum is impressive looking, and made even the non-car enthusiasts (me) want to go and have a look.

Once inside, we left our bags and coats in the lockers provided, and then spent hours in the museum. You get powered up to the very top floor, which starts with the very oldest Mercedes vehicles, and then work your way back down via sweeping staircases floor by floor. We loved it! The teen and tween enjoyed the sports car

Our Stuttgart Highlights

What We’d Do Differently

Stuttgart to Innsbruck by Train

Our Journey Through Germany and Austria

H3: What the Journey Was Like with Kids

H2: Stop 3 – Innsbruck, Austria

H3: Where We Stayed in Innsbruck

H3: What We Did in Innsbruck with Kids

H3: Getting into the Mountains from Innsbruck

H3: Our Innsbruck Highlights

H3: What We’d Do Differently

H2: Innsbruck to Arosa by Train

H3: Travelling into Switzerland

H3: Why This Was One of Our Favourite Train Journeys

H2: Stop 4 – Arosa, Switzerland

H3: Where We Stayed in Arosa

H3: What We Did in Arosa with Kids

H3: Exploring the Swiss Alps Without a Car

H3: Our Arosa Highlights

H3: What We’d Do Differently

H2: Arosa to Lucerne by Train

H3: Our Journey Across Switzerland

H3: Making the Most of Swiss Trains with an Interrail Pass

H2: Stop 5 – Lucerne, Switzerland

H3: Where We Stayed in Lucerne

H3: What We Did in Lucerne with Kids

H3: Our Lucerne Highlights

H3: What We’d Do Differently

H2: Lucerne to Paris by Train

H3: Our Journey from Switzerland to France

H3: Seat Reservations for Trains to Paris

H2: Stop 6 – Paris, France

H3: Where We Stayed in Paris

H3: What We Did in Paris with Kids

H3: Getting Around Paris as a Family

H3: Our Paris Highlights

H3: What We’d Do Differently

H2: How Much Did Our 3-Week Family Interrail Trip Cost?

This could become a really valuable section of the post, especially since you’re happy to share actual costs.

H3: Interrail Pass Costs

H3: Seat Reservation Costs

H3: Accommodation Costs

H3: Food and Eating Out

H3: Attractions and Activities

H3: Local Transport

H3: Our Total Interrail Trip Cost for a Family of Five

H3: Where We Saved Money – and Where We Splurged

H2: What It’s Really Like Interrailing Europe with Kids

This is where I’d lean into your personal experience rather than trying to make it another generic Interrail guide.

H3: Were the Long Train Journeys Difficult?

H3: Travelling with Luggage

H3: Food and Snacks on Travel Days

H3: Toilets, Wi-Fi and Charging on European Trains

H3: Keeping Kids Entertained on Trains

H3: Dealing with Delays and Missed Connections

H3: Building Downtime into a Busy Trip

H2: What We Packed for 3 Weeks of Interrailing

H3: Suitcases or Backpacks for Interrailing?

H3: How Much Luggage We Took

H3: Our Interrail Day Bags

H3: Things We Were Really Glad We Packed

H3: Things We Would Leave at Home Next Time

H2: Things We Learned Interrailing Europe as a Family

I think this could become one of the best sections of the whole article, because it’s something only someone who’s actually done the trip can write convincingly.

H3: Don’t Try to Visit Too Many Places

H3: Not All Travel Days Are Equal

H3: Seat Reservations Matter More Than We Expected

H3: Accommodation Location Makes a Huge Difference

H3: Sometimes the Train Journey Is Part of the Experience

H3: Build in Days Where You Do Very Little

H3: Give Yourself More Time for Connections Than You Think

H3: Let Everyone Choose Something

H2: What We Would Do Differently Next Time

H3: What We Would Change About Our Route

H3: Where We Would Stay Longer

H3: Where We Would Stay for Less Time

H3: What We Would Change About Our Travel Days

H3: What We Would Change About Our Packing

H2: Our Top Tips for Interrailing Europe with Kids

H3: Book the Important Trains Early

H3: Choose Accommodation Close to Public Transport

H3: Avoid Too Many One-Night Stops

H3: Keep Travel Days Flexible

H3: Download Everything Before You Travel

H3: Always Carry Food and Water

H3: Have a Plan B

H2: Is Interrailing Europe with Kids Worth It?

H3: What We Loved About Interrailing

H3: The Hardest Parts of the Trip

H3: Would We Interrail Europe as a Family Again?

H2: Family Interrailing FAQs

H3: What Age Is Best for Interrailing with Kids?

H3: Do Children Need Their Own Interrail Pass?

H3: Do You Need to Reserve Seats When Interrailing?

H3: How Much Luggage Should You Take Interrailing?

H3: How Many Cities Should You Visit in 3 Weeks?

H3: Is Interrailing Cheaper Than Flying?

H3: Is Interrailing Stressful with Kids?

H3: Is Switzerland Good for Interrailing with Kids?

H2: Our Final Thoughts on Interrailing Europe with Kids

One thing I’d definitely do with this article is resist the temptation to turn every destination section into a complete destination guide. Give readers enough detail to understand your trip, then internally link to separate articles.

That gives you a really nice content hub:

Interrailing Europe with Kids → your pillar
↳ Brussels with Kids
↳ Stuttgart with Kids
↳ Innsbruck with Kids
↳ Arosa with Kids
↳ Lucerne with Kids
↳ Paris with Kids
↳ How Much Does Interrailing Cost for a Family?
↳ What to Pack for Interrailing with Kids
↳ Interrail Seat Reservations Explained
↳ Best Interrail Routes for Families

That structure could make this one of the cornerstone articles for Sandy Toes and Scooters, particularly because your actual route and real family-of-five costs give you something much more useful than a generic “how to Interrail with kids” post.