A Brilliant 1 Week Interrail Itinerary from London with Kids

One week, four countries, and not a single airport in sight. This 1 week interrail itinerary from London with kids is a brilliant way to try train travel as a family without overcomplicating things.

If you’ve heard about Interrail, it’s probably been in the same breath as places like Prague and Rome, conjuring up a picture of big, sweeping trips across Europe that feel a bit ambitious with kids in tow, or with just a week to spare.

But it doesn’t have to look like that.

This route works brilliantly as a tester Interrail trip. It’s just a week long, not too far from the UK, and no terribly long journeys, but still ticking off four countries and taking in a good mix of experiences along the way. You’re not racing across Europe; you’re just linking together a few places that are within easy reach of London – and which are genuinely enjoyable with kids.

We did this trip over our week-long October half term with our kids (aged 8 and 10 at the time). I purposely kept everything fairly close to the UK so we could fit in a proper adventure without long travel days.

And we did some cool things: searching out Tintin murals and eating waffles in Brussels, cycling past castles to an open-air historical museum in Germany, bike rides to the beach in the Netherlands, and a short stop in Paris at the end.

I’ll show you:

• The exact day by day itinerary we took
• How an Interrail pass actually works
• What I’d do differently next time

If you’re looking for a family interrail itinerary in Europe that fits into a week, and is manageable, flexible, and genuinely fun with kids, this is a great place to start.

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Why this is a great first interrail itinerary with kids

An Interrail trip can sound like a big undertaking, but this route keeps things deliberately simple.

First, it stays relatively close to the UK. That means shorter travel days and a much easier introduction to how European train travel actually works.

Second, the journey itself is manageable. None of the train legs are particularly long or complicated, and most involve just one train. That makes a big difference with kids; you’re not constantly watching the clock or worrying about tight connections.

When I put this route together, I specifically made sure that it wasn’t just a string of cities. Wandering a new city is fine for a few hours with the kids, but I knew we’d need some fun outdoor activity added in to keep everyone interested and happy. Münster and the Netherlands in particular break things up nicely – cycling, visiting outdoor museums and the beach, and just generally giving the kids something more engaging than walking around looking at buildings and museums (which, let’s be honest, has its limits, even for me).

It also works really well for a half term Interrail itinerary from the UK. You can fit it comfortably into a week without it feeling rushed, and still come away feeling like you’ve covered a lot of ground and seen a great variety of places (and 4 countries)!

Overall, it’s a straightforward, low-stress way to try interrailing with kids, without needing to go all in on a bigger, more complex trip for your first foray into European train travel.

1 week interrail itinerary from London with kids (at a glance)

This 1 week Europe itinerary by train from London keeps things simple, with short travel days and straightforward connections between each stop.

You’re covering four countries in a week (five if you include the UK!) – Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and France – but without any long, exhausting travel days or complicated logistics.

Most journeys are around 2–4.5 hours, and the connections are easy enough that you don’t feel like you’re constantly in transit. That’s key when travelling with kids; you want to make sure that the journey feels like part of the trip, not something to endure.

One of the biggest advantages of this route is how well-connected everything is by train. These are major rail corridors, so you’ve got frequent departures and plenty of flexibility if plans change.

We booked our Interrail passes directly through the official Interrail website, which keeps things simple. It’s worth checking in advance which trains require seat reservations – as we found out, that can make a difference to your route.

It’s also worth saying that this route is very adaptable.

You could:

• Stay somewhere different in the Netherlands, like Amsterdam, the Hague or Rotterdam
• Skip Paris and return to the UK directly from the Netherlands via Eurostar
• Add an extra night somewhere like Münster or Delft, or even Amsterdam
• Or extend the trip further into Germany or beyond

But as it stands, this is a really solid family interrail itinerary Europe route that gives you a proper feel for train travel without overcomplicating things.

Day 1: London to Brussels (Eurostar + first taste of Europe)

We had no plans in Brussels for the day of our arrival, which meant we could aim for a later Eurostar and not drag everyone out of bed at the crack of dawn.

We don’t live in London, but only about an hour away on the train. So it was a 9:30am train from our local station to London, then a quick hop on the tube to London St Pancras International.

At the Eurostar terminal in London, you have to go through security and passport control, but in general this doesn’t take too long. There’s no limit on liquids, and you don’t have to remove liquids or electronics from your bags which makes the whole queue move quickly.

You go through two passport checks, one immediately after the other (departing the UK and entering the EU) and then usually there’s a little bit of a wait before your train is called for boarding. The whole security and passport control section takes around 20 – 30 minutes in our recent experience.

Once your train departs, you’ll be in Brussels in just over 2 hours – with minimal queues, no faffing with liquids (take as many as you want!), and no waiting for luggage at the other end. It’s a very civilised way to start a trip.

For us, this first leg set the tone for the whole week. We settled in quickly; and it immediately felt like the journey itself was part of the holiday, not something to get through.

Once in Brussels, our hostel / hotel was right by the station. We dropped our bags and headed out to find food!

👉 Where we stayed in Brussels:

We stayed at MEININGER Hotel Bruxelles Gare du Midi, which worked really well for a 2-night stop with kids.

If you haven’t come across MEININGER before, it’s a bit of a hybrid between a hotel and a hostel – in a good way. You can book private family rooms with en-suite bathrooms (so no sharing with strangers), but you also get some of the practical perks that make travelling easier, like a guest kitchen, laundry facilities, and relaxed communal spaces (the kids LOVED the arcade machines here). We also loved the MEININGER in Venice Mestre for our 24 hours in Venice!

The location is very convenient for an Interrail trip. It’s right by Bruxelles Midi station, which means you can step off the train and be at your hotel within minutes – you don’t have to navigate big city public transport with tired kids and bags. It’s not the prettiest area of Brussels, but the convenience more than makes up for it.

Our quadruple room was simple but comfortable, with bunk beds and 2 single beds, good, comfy sleeping space for all of us, plus a private en suite bathroom. It’s clean, practical, and very well set up for families doing exactly this kind of trip.

👉 Alternative:
If you prefer something slightly more central, it’s worth checking a few options on Booking.com so you’re closer to the main sights, but for a one-night stop, convenience near the station is hard to beat.

Day 2: Brussels sightseeing

In the morning, we took the metro out to Mini-Europe and the Atomium. It’s about a 20-minute journey from the train station (again, very convenient from the hotel), and very straightforward to do. Mini-Europe was a hit with the kids, there was lots to look at, some fun interactive bits, and a nice way to ease into sightseeing without it feeling like hard work. The Atomium is right next door, so it’s easy to combine the two.

Brussels is quite a spread-out city, so it’s worth factoring in transport. We used the metro a few times, which was simple, you can just tap in and out with contactless. Kids under 12 travel free but kids 6 – 12 have to apply for a card which costs €5-6 euros and requires a photo – so if you’re just there for a couple of days it’s probably easiest just to pay the adult fare for them!

In the afternoon, we headed back into central Brussels (using the metro again) and did a more relaxed wander. This is where you get the classic Brussels feel; the Grand Place, plenty of waffle stops, and a few slightly random but fun things to tick off:

We did a bit of a Tintin mural hunt, which gave the kids something to focus on as we walked around, and stopped by the Mannekin Pis – a little statue of a boy peeing, which is small, but kept the kids amused!

Doing something structured in the morning followed by a flexible wander in the afternoon was a nice balance, without trying to cram too much into one day.

Day 3: Brussels to Münster (via Cologne)

This is where the trip starts to feel like you’re properly moving through Europe.

The journey from Brussels to Münster takes a little over 4 hours, with a straightforward change in Cologne (Köln). This felt very manageable, especially once we’d all settled into the rhythm of travelling by train.

We deliberately chose trains on this route that didn’t require mandatory seat reservations, which made things feel much more flexible and low-pressure. You can just get on, find a seat, and relax without worrying about booking specific departures.

It also means you can adjust your plans on the day depending on how everyone’s feeling, rather than being tied to one exact train.

The change in Cologne is super easy, and if you’ve got a bit of time, it’s worth stepping outside the station for a quick look at Cologne Cathedral, which is right there, and pretty impressive even from the outside.

What was nice on this journey was the sense of slow travel. You actually see the landscape changing as you move between countries, rather than skipping over it, which makes the whole trip feel more connected.

Arriving in Münster, the contrast with Brussels is quite noticeable. It’s smaller, calmer, and immediately feels more pedestrianised and walkable; which is exactly what you want at this point in the trip.

We kept the rest of the day simple. Checked into our accommodation, had a wander, and found dinner at Gasthaus Stuhlmacher – a relaxed spot serving local staples like schnitzel, sausages and apple strudel, alongside wine and draft beer. We’ve had lots of this kind of food on all our hiking and biking trips to Austria, so it was great to see lots of familiar options on the menu.

Day 4: Cycling in Münster (castles, bikes, and Haribo for breakfast)

👉 Breakfast tip:
H.ostel doesn’t offer breakfast, but that turned out to be no bad thing. We went to Cafe Extrablatt Münster Aegidiimarkt instead, an 8 minute walk away, which offers a massive breakfast buffet daily from 9am till noon – and that included Haribo (but also actually nutritious things like eggs, ham, cheese, bread, croissants and pancakes)! Unsurprisingly, this went down very well and set us up nicely for the day.

Münster is known as one of Germany’s most cycle-friendly cities – and it really lives up to it.

Hiring bikes here is incredibly easy. There’s a large bike rental place right by the train station, and if you like bikes, it’s a bit of a dream. Dozens of bikes of all sizes are stored in this cleverly designed and huge underground garage, with rows and racks everywhere you look. You can hire everything from standard bikes to kids’ bikes, tandems, trailers and kids’ bike seats, cargo bikes and even wheelchair bikes, all in one place. It costs €10 per day to rent a bike. Absolute bargain.

The city itself is completely set up for cycling with flat terrain and dedicated bike lanes everywhere.

We followed a roughly 30km route out of the city, passing a series of castles and historic houses along the way. Within the city we were on segregated bike paths, but out of the city we rode on quiet country roads. There was a little traffic, but nothing that felt dangerous or scary with kids. It never felt like a long or difficult ride, more like a series of short stretches broken up by interesting stops, which is perfect with children.

One of the highlights was stopping at the Mühlenhof Open Air Museum near the end of the ride. It’s right on the route and well worth it – lots of space to wander, traditional buildings to explore, including a windmill, and a good excuse for a proper break before continuing on.

Here’s the route we took:

👉 If you’re planning something similar, I’d definitely recommend:

• Bringing a picnic lunch or pre-planning where to eat (you ride through the small suburb of Roxel which has some eating options)
• Building in regular stops (manor houses en route, food, playgrounds, museums)
• Letting the kids set the pace where possible

Back in the city that evening, we had a relaxed evening after a full day outside, with dinner at Klemens, a cafe with a good varied menu.

Day 6–7: Delft + cycling to The Hague & Rotterdam

We stayed put in Delft for a couple of days and explored the surrounding area by bike, which worked brilliantly.

Cycling in the Netherlands is about as easy as it gets. It’s completely flat, the cycle paths are excellent, and everything is designed with bikes in mind, including proper separation from traffic, bike specific paths on roundabouts and bike-specific traffic lights.

We rented bikes and used Delft as our starting point for a couple of different rides.

One day, we headed towards The Hague, riding out to the coast at Scheveningen. On the way, we stopped at Boerderij Meyendel in the dunes for classic Dutch apple pancakes which was a very good mid-ride incentive. Reaching the beach afterwards felt like a proper change of scene, and gave everyone a chance to run around after a few days of travel.

On another day, we cycled in the direction of Rotterdam. This felt a bit more urban, but still incredibly easy to navigate by bike, and the trip there was through a beautiful rural landscape (never seen so many herons at once!). We made a point of seeing the famous cube houses in Rotterdam, and stopped for a snack at a houseboat café which was a fun way to break up the ride.

The distances might look fairly long on a map, but in reality they’re very manageable when everything is flat and well connected. You’re not dealing with hills or traffic, just steady, easy riding with the option to stop whenever you like.

You’ve also got the option to mix cycling with train travel. Bikes are allowed on most local trains in the Netherlands (usually with a small additional ticket – see more details here), so you’re not committed to cycling the full distance both ways. We actually cycled out to Rotterdam and then got the train back to Delft, as everyone was feeling a bit zonked by the time we’d got there. There are a few restrictions – typically bikes aren’t allowed on trains during peak commuter hours – but outside of that it’s very straightforward. It’s a great option if energy levels drop, the weather turns, or you just want to shorten the route, and it gives you a lot more flexibility when planning your days.

👉 Bike hire tip:
It can be a little trickier to find good kids’ bikes in the Netherlands than you might expect, especially compared to somewhere like Münster. We ended up using a rental shop in central The Hague, which had a good selection of bikes (including cargo bikes and tandems). It’s worth checking options – and booking – in advance if you want something specific.

What worked particularly well here was the flexibility. You can decide each morning how far you want to go, adjust plans depending on energy levels, and mix in train travel if needed.

Day 8: Delft to Paris (the unplanned detour)

This part of the trip wasn’t in my plan when I first started thinking about this trip, but it’s a useful one to understand if you’re thinking about Interrail.

Our original intention was to head straight back to London from the Netherlands (Rotterdam or Amsterdam). But when we came to book seat reservations, we couldn’t get any availability on the Eurostar from Amsterdam, Rotterdam or Brussels.

That’s because Eurostar (and a few other high-speed and international trains) only release a limited quote of seats for Interrail pass holders. Once those are gone, you either need to pay full fare for a ticket, or find another route. We organised this a bit last minute, so annoyingly, those seats had all gone!

So instead, we rerouted via Paris and added an overnight stop there.

In practice, the journey from Delft to Paris was very straightforward and took less than 3 hours; it’s a short hop to Rotterdam from Delft and then a high speed train from Rotterdam to Paris (requiring a seat reservation – more on that later).

If I were doing this again, I’d book seat reservations for the Eurostar much earlier. It’s one of the few parts of Interrail where you really do need to plan ahead, and it can catch you out if you leave it too late.

However, Paris isn’t a bad place to end up, and it brought our country quota for the week to four!

We treated it as a short stopover, stayed near the Gare du Nord, walked to Montmartre and the Sacre Coeur, and it worked well as a final night before heading home.

👉 I’ve written all about how to make the most of a short stop in Paris here:
Paris with Kids: Where to Stay, Eat and Sightsee on a One Night Stopover

Day 9: Paris to London (and home to Oxford)

After our quick stop in Paris, this final leg is about as straightforward as it gets.

The Eurostar from Paris to London takes just over two hours, and feels like a very easy way to wrap up the trip. You need to be at the Gare du Nord approximately 75-90 minutes before your train (check your ticket where it’ll tell you), and sometimes there are queues getting through security and passport control in Paris. But once you’re on the train, it’s plain sailing.

Arriving back into London, it’s then a simple connection onwards – in our case, back to Oxford.

One useful thing to know is that your Interrail pass also covers some travel within the UK. You get two travel days in your home country (often called your inbound and outbound days), which you can use to get to and from your departure point.

The key thing is that it all needs to happen on the same day. So as long as you’re travelling from London to somewhere like Oxford on the day you arrive from Paris into London, it’s covered – otherwise, you’d need to use an extra travel day on your pass.

How much does an Interrail pass cost for a family?

For this trip, we used a 5 days in 1 month Interrail pass, which worked well for the number of travel days we needed.

Here’s the pass cost in 2026:

• Adult: €318
• Youth (12 to 27): €239
• Child (under 12): Free

Up to two children aged 4 to 11 can travel for free with each adult (or youth/senior) pass purchased, which makes a big difference to the overall cost for families. Children under 4 travel for free without a pass (usually sitting on a lap).

It’s worth noting that this is just the cost of the pass itself. You’ll need to budget extra for seat reservations (especially Eurostar and high-speed trains) – for all passengers including children. Read on for more information on this!

How interrailing with kids actually works (without getting stressed and confused!)

Interrail can feel a bit confusing when you first look into it; there are different sorts of passes, seat reservations and apps, but once you’ve used it for a day or two, it becomes surprisingly straightforward.

Here’s how it works in practice.

Interrail passes: the basics

An Interrail pass gives you a set number of travel days within a fixed time period (for example in this instance, we had a 5 days of travel within 1 month pass).

On each travel day, you can take as many trains as you like. That might be one direct journey, or a combination of trains with connections – it all counts as a single travel day.

👉 Tip:
You can buy passes directly through the official Interrail website, and once you’ve got it, everything is managed digitally. You add your pass to the app using a pass reference, and then you create a trip, which you can then attach to your pass (the trip is completely editable until you start each travel day – but it’s where you can add the trains you think you might want to take).

What actually counts as a travel day

A travel day runs from midnight to midnight, and during that time you can hop on and off trains as needed.

So if you’re travelling from Brussels to Münster with a change in Cologne, that’s still just one travel day.

You don’t need to use your travel days consecutively – which gives you flexibility to stay put for a few days without using up your pass.

Using your pass in the UK (inbound and outbound days)

One really useful feature is that your Interrail pass also includes two travel days in your home country – often referred to as your inbound and outbound days.

This means you can use your pass to get to your departure station (e.g. London) and then home again afterwards.

For example, we used ours to travel from London back to Oxford at the end of the trip.

The key thing to know is that this onward journey needs to happen on the same day as your international travel. If you break the journey overnight, you’ll need to use another travel day.

Seat reservations: the bit that catches people out

This is the most important thing to understand.

Some trains – particularly high-speed services and Eurostar – require an additional seat reservation on top of your Interrail pass.

These:

• Cost extra
• Are sometimes limited in number for Interrail users
• Can sell out in advance

This is exactly what happened to us when trying to get back from the Netherlands.

On this trip, we needed advance seat reservations for the following trains:
– London to Brussels Eurostar (€35 per person – including children)
– Rotterdam to Paris (€32 per person – including children)
– Paris to London Eurostar (€35 per person – including children)

It’s also worth knowing that some countries are much more “pass-friendly” than others. Places like the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Austria are very easy to travel around – you can usually just hop on trains, or pay a small €3–€6 seat reservation if you want a guaranteed seat.

In contrast, countries like France, Spain and Italy rely much more on compulsory reservations for intercity trains, often costing €10+ per journey.

👉 Key takeaway:
If you’re planning to use Eurostar or travel through countries like France, book your seat reservations as early as possible.

For slower regional trains, and in more pass-friendly countries, reservations often aren’t needed at all, which is why we chose routes that gave us more flexibility where we could.

Where to book seat reservations

There are a few different ways to book seat reservations, but you don’t need to overcomplicate it.

👉 For Eurostar:
Use B-Europe – it’s one of the easiest places to check availability and book Interrail passholder seats for the Eurostar.

Importantly, you can check availability before buying your Interrail pass, which is well worth doing, especially for popular dates.

👉 For other trains:
Once you have your pass, you can also book reservations through:

• The Rail Planner app
• The Interrail website
• Or Rail Europe: Click “Add rail pass” below the journey planner and select your pass type and class.

These will show you which trains need reservations and let you book them in a few clicks.

In many cases (especially in more pass-friendly countries), you won’t need reservations at all, which is where Interrail becomes much more flexible.

Flexibility vs planning (finding the balance)

One of the big advantages of Interrail is flexibility. If you’re travelling on routes that don’t require seat reservations, you can often just turn up, get on the next train, and adjust your plans as you go.

That works really well in practice; especially for things like changing departure times, taking a later train, or deciding to cut a day shorter.

But when you’re travelling with kids, there’s a bit of a balance to strike.

While you can be spontaneous with trains, accommodation is a different story. Family rooms are more limited, and they don’t always show up last minute in the places you want to stay. Relying on finding somewhere on the day can quickly become stressful.

What worked well for us was booking our accommodation in advance, and then using the flexibility of the trains around that. That way, we had a clear plan and somewhere to land each night, but still had room to adjust timings and routes during the day.

It’s not about planning everything down to the minute, but for me, I just need enough in place that I’m not crossing my fingers hoping it’ll all work out.

The Rail Planner app (your main tool)

The Rail Planner app is what makes everything work day-to-day.

You use it to:

• Search for train routes
• Check if reservations are needed and make seat reservations
• Add journeys to your pass
• Show your ticket when travelling

Once you’ve added and “switched on” a journey, it generates a ticket you can show on your phone; no printing needed.

Why Interrail works well with kids

Train travel is just easier and more enjoyable in a lot of ways, and Interrail adds a layer of flexibility that makes it even better.

You’re not dealing with airport security, liquid restrictions or strict boarding times. Instead, you’ve got more space, can bring your own food, and the journey itself becomes part of the adventure.

And because you’re not locked into one exact train (especially if you avoid reservation-heavy routes), you can adjust plans depending on how everyone’s feeling, which makes a big difference over the course of a week.

Booking tips for a half term interrail itinerary from the UK

A bit of planning goes a long way with Interrail; especially if you’re travelling during busy periods like half term.

Here’s what I’d do differently (and what worked well).

Book seat reservations early (especially Eurostar)

If you’re using Eurostar or travelling through countries like France, don’t leave reservations until the last minute.

There are limited seats available for Interrail pass holders, and once they’re gone, you’ll need to either:

• Pay full price for a ticket, or
• Change your route (like we did)

👉 If you take one thing from this post:
Check and book your Eurostar seat reservations as early as possible.

Check availability before buying your pass

This is a really useful step that’s easy to miss.

Before committing to an Interrail pass, check that:

• Your key routes (especially Eurostar) have availability
• The timings work for your plans

You can do this using B-Europe without needing a pass number.

It gives you confidence that your plan will actually work.

Choose routes that give you flexibility

One thing that worked really well for us was deliberately choosing routes that didn’t require mandatory reservations where possible.

That meant we could:

• Take earlier or later trains
• Adjust plans on the day
• Avoid being tied to one specific departure

Book accommodation in advance

While train travel can be flexible, accommodation is less so, especially for families.

Family rooms are limited, and they are often unavailable last minute in the places you want to stay.

We booked all our accommodation ahead of time, which meant:

• We always had somewhere to sleep
• No last-minute stress
• More choice of family-friendly options
• Better choice of price ranges

Then we used the flexibility of the trains around that.

Keep travel days realistic

It’s tempting to squeeze in as much as possible – but shorter, manageable travel days make a big difference with kids if this is your first interrail trip.

For this itinerary:

• No very early starts
• Most journeys were between 2 and 4.5 hours
• Not too many changes
• Enough time to arrive and still enjoy the afternoon / evening.

Don’t overpack your itinerary

You don’t need to visit loads of countries to make Interrail “worth it”.

This route works well in a short window because it:

• Stays relatively close to the UK
• Mixes cities with active, outdoorsy days
• Builds in downtime

It feels like a proper adventure, without being exhausting.

How we packed for a 1 week interrail trip with kids (and kept it simple)

One of the things that made this trip much easier was packing light.

Each of the kids carried their own 28L backpacks (Decathlon), and us adults used slightly larger 40–50L bags ourselves to pick up the slack; things like toiletries, a small first aid kit, and any shared items.

I really don’t recommend hard suitcases; dragging wheely bags up and down curbs and along cobbled streets is not fun! Just having a small, manageable backpack each makes a big difference when you’re moving between cities in Europe.

What we actually packed

We kept it really simple for a week-long trip:

• Underwear and socks
• 2 x trousers
• 2 x t-shirts
• 1 x long-sleeved merino layer
• 1 x warm fleece or jumper
• 1 pair of sturdy shoes (we love these Salomon waterproof walking shoes for kids)
• Pyjamas
• Cuddlies for bedtime (non-negotiable for younger kids!)
• Electronics for entertainment (Kindle, headphones, cables, chargers etc.)
• Minimal toiletries (toothbrush/paste; adults carried shared shower gel, shampoo etc.)
• Any essential medication (e.g. inhaler)
• 1 x waterproof jacket
• 1 x lightweight down jacket (if it’s looking cold)
• Gloves (optional, but useful for cycling if it’s chilly)
• Microfibre towel (optional; most hostels provide towels or you can rent them, so worth checking first)

That was pretty much it!

Why less is better (especially on trains)

Packing light meant:

• Getting on and off trains was quick and stress-free
• No worrying about finding luggage space
• Much easier to walk between stations and accommodation

And honestly, it’s much easier day to day too. Fewer clothes means fewer decisions, which is completely liberating when you’re travelling!

Hostels with laundry rooms are your friend

Most hostels have laundry facilities (unlike hotels!), and apartments often do too if you’re staying somewhere self-catered.

So there’s no real need to pack for every possible scenario; you can just wash things as you go if needed.

Don’t pack “just in case”

This is the biggest one.

You don’t need:

• Extra outfits “just in case”
• Backup shoes
• Loads of extras you might never use

If you forget something, you can almost always buy it.

Travelling lighter makes the whole trip easier; and once you get into it, you won’t miss the extra stuff.

Useful resources for planning an interrail trip

A few tools and websites that are genuinely helpful when planning and booking your trip:

• Rail Planner App – once you’ve bought your pass, this app is essential for planning routes, checking reservations, and managing your pass on the go
• B-Europe – the easiest way to check availability and book Eurostar passholder seats
• The Man in Seat 61 – incredibly detailed guides to train travel across Europe (if you want to go deeper into routes and options)

If you’re planning a bigger trip, or just want to understand how different routes work, Seat 61 in particular is worth bookmarking.

Is this a good first interrail trip with kids?

Absolutely!

This route works really well as a tester Interrail itinerary. It’s just a week, it doesn’t take you too far from the UK, and the travel days are all manageable – so you can get a feel for how everything works without it feeling like a big commitment.

At the same time, it still feels like a proper trip. You’re crossing borders, seeing different landscapes, travelling slowly, and experiencing a mix of places, just without the pressure of going further afield.

What makes it particularly good with kids is the balance. It’s not wall-to-wall city sightseeing. Instead, you’ve got:

• Short, straightforward train journeys
• Time being active outdoors (particularly cycling in Münster and the Netherlands)
• Enough variety to keep things interesting

So you’re not dragging everyone between landmarks all week – although you’re seeing some of those too – you’re actually doing some fun, active things along the way.

Interrail isn’t completely effortless. You do need to understand how passes and reservations work, and a bit of planning makes a big difference, especially when you have kids in tow. But once you’ve got the basics sorted, it’s a very flexible and enjoyable way to travel.

If you’re curious about trying it, this is a great place to start. A 1 week interrail itinerary from London with kids like this lets you test it out, see how your family gets on, and build confidence for bigger trips in the future.

And once you’ve done one, it opens up a lot of possibilities for where you go next.