The ultimate European Adventure: A 5-Day Interrail Route from Stockholm, Sweden to Nice, France. Let’s rail through Europe in five days!
Are you ready to explore the diverse landscapes, cultures, and cuisines of Europe in just five days? Interrailing allowes you to explore over 40,000 destinations across the continent through the vastly connected rail network with a single ticket.
So just get your interrail or eurail ticket, plan your route, and get ready to experience Europe’s top picks!
Which ticket to get? Eurail or Interrail?
The Eurrail ticket is for non-European citizens/ residents. Choose the Interrail ticket if you are an european citizen or officially living in an EU country. The price is identical! Both tickets can be booked on this site.
You can choose tickets for 4, 5, 7 or 10 days. They don’t have to be used in a row – only travel days count! As long as you use them all within 30 days, you’re good to go.
After booking your ticket, you can use the Railplanner App to plan your route and reserve trains. Take note that some trains require seat reservations for an additional fee.
The Route with Best Bits of Europe
I wanted to do some serious cherry picking on my Interrail and get the absolute best experiences across Europe. From minimalistic Scandinavia to the rugged Swiss alps and the luscious French Riviera. Adding one night train and paying a little extra for a sleeper cabin, I was able to squeeze in it all!
My Route
DAY 1 – Stockholm to Copenhagen
DAY 2 – Copenhagen to Hamburg
——- OBB Night Jet from Hamburg to Basel
DAY 3 – Basel to Spiez to Zweisimmen
DAY 4 – Zweisimmen to Montreaux to Geneve to Lyon
DAY 5 – Lyon to Nice
DAY 1 – Stockholm and Copenhagen
We are starting off early from Stockholm main station, where you can find plenty of cafes and shops to stack up your snacks for the 5 hours and 12 minutes you’ll spend on the train to Copenhagen.
The first stop is the picturesque Old Port, with colorful houses and traditional sailing boats. Stop for a mulled wine and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere!
As we were around for Halloween, we also headed to the Tivoli Amusement Park to experience their seasonal spooky setup.
Scandinavia is notorious for being pricy, which also limited our choice in accommodation. We ended up booking a private room at the Next House Copenhagen, which advertises itself as a “luxurious” hostel.
While I’m not sure the words luxurious and hostel should ever be used in the same sentence, Next House turned out to be the perfect stay for us! Easy to reach from the train, good central location, clean, and modern. And although the brand image seems to be young and hip, my mom and I weren’t the only mother-daughter travelers!
DAY 2 – Hamburg and the OBB Night Jet
On the second day, our direct 4h 40min connection to Hamburg turned into two trains and a bus due to problems with the tracks. We were still happy to arrive to Hamburg only about two hours late, with a full afternoon and evening to explore the city before catching the OBB Night Jet at 10pm to Basel.
The wearhouse district,”Speicherstadt” is an absolute must! Walk the streets surrounded by canals and red brick houses, and stop for a tea at the Wasserschloss.
After sightseeing, we enjoyed a lovely dinner at the Parisian themed Cafe Paris. The place seemed to be popular, and we were lucky to get a table without a reservation.
After getting the mandatory beer pint while in Germany, we hopped on the OBB Night Jet that took us to Basel, Switzerland overnight.
Overall the night train saved us a lot of time and was doable, but compared to the price the experience was disappointing. The cabin was extremely small, and the two of us could barely fit inside at the same time.
The complimentary wine softened the blow a bit.
DAY 3 – Swiss views at Spiez & Zweisimmen
Views straight out of a storybook! Switzerland definitely turned out to be the highlight of our Interrail. No wonder there are also several train passes just within Switzerland like the Golden Pass, to witness the magnificent scenery.
After arriving in Basel in the morning our first stop was the lakeside town of Spiez. Visit the Spiez Castle (open from May to october) for a cup of coffee or lunch, witness the rugged mountain views, and surrounding vineyards. Just be prepared to walk back to the train station up hill!
From Spiez the train took us through picturesque valleys to Zweisimmen. During this ride you want to be looking out the window, and spot the traditional villages and cows – they are all around!
Between the mountains, we enjoyed one of the most authentic and relaxing stays I’ve had. The Rinderberg Swiss Alpine Lodge is located half way up the mountain and the taxi there and back cost about the same as a night there, but it was all worth it! Their Spa with two saunas, two hot tubs, and a cold bath was to die for.
DAY 4 – The Historic Belle Epoque and Montreux
While in Switzerland, I didn’t want to miss out on experiencing the historic Belle Epoque, that still runs on the Golden Pass route. However, it can be added to your Interrail pass. Just take note that you can then only sit in the second class.
Read All You Need To Know About Riding the Belle Epoque here.
Be sure not to miss this gem of Swiss rails on your travels! You get to relive the golden age of train travel and witness the magical views of the Swiss mountain scenery.
The Belle Epoque runs only between Zweisimmen and Montreux, and the journey takes around 2 hours. While researching Montreux before our trip, I thought it would be worth a lunch stop before continuing our trip.
However, the town seemed slightly more shabby than I expected. Maybe since we were there after the warmer summer season but still before the Christmas markets, we didn’t see the best the town has to offer.
After the scenic Swiss alps, we had a final stretch to Lyon through Geneve, where we didn’t see much more than the train station.
The day turned out to be a long one when both our trains from montreaux to geneve and geneve to lyon were delayed. Thus, our stop in Lyon also turned into a dinnerless one and we just saw the insides of our hotel room.
DAY 5 – The Lushious French Riviera
On the last day we hopped on a speed train from Lyon to Nice where the southern sun was waiting for us!
I’ve always had a soft spot for the sun and the sea, and the French Riviera was the perfect spot for us to finish our Interrail. Before flying home, soaked in the warm fall and endless blue shore lines after the busiest tourist season had already calmed down the best spots.
xx, Irene
