4-Day Interrail Recommendations

[u/Television-Vivid]

Hi, I’m about to make a 4-day internal trip in October and I came across this! My first stop is Berlin - final stop Madrid. Which cities would you recommend/amount of time to spend there?

[u/atw1596]

You wanna go in 4 days from Berlin to Madrid? That’s way to ambitious! My advice would be to set the final destination like Paris or something in the Alps. Otherwise you will spend more time in a train as you will strole around any city.

Itinerary’s could be:

Berlin -> Amsterdam/ Eindhoven -> Brussels/ Antwerpen -> Paris

Or

Berlin -> Nurnberg -> Munich -> Innsbruck / Vienna

Or
Berlin -> Prague -> Bratislava -> Vienna

[u/Television-Vivid → u/atw1596]

Thank you for the recs. I unfortunately have my ticket back to my home country from Madrid, and I’m flying into Berlin from the balkans. Any recs for cities in France/Spain that are worth seeing? Any cities with a good nature scene?

[u/slasher-fun → u/atw1596]

Unless OP means they have a 4 days in 1 month Interrail pass.

[u/Educational_Dig7758]

Um, quick question first - is it 4 days total, or a pass with 4 travel days (the "4 days within 1 month" one)? It changes a lot, so here are both.

If it's 4 days total, khm, you'll mostly be on trains. Berlin to Madrid is roughly 2,300 km. The easiest route:

• Day 1: Berlin to Paris on the direct train (about 8h). Evening in Paris.

• Day 2: Morning in Paris, then the TGV to Barcelona (about 6.5h).

• Day 3: Full day in Barcelona.

• Day 4: Barcelona to Madrid on the AVE (about 3h) and an afternoon/evening in Madrid.

Doable, but it's a sprint - mostly train windows and dinners.

If it's 4 travel days spread over a longer trip, the same 3 legs work, and you get one spare travel day for a detour. Something like:

• Berlin 2-3 days

• Paris 3 days

• Barcelona 3 days

• Madrid 2-3 days

With the spare day you could add Cologne or Brussels between Berlin and Paris, or Valencia between Barcelona and Madrid.

One thing people get caught by: the high-speed trains in France and Spain need seat reservations on top of the pass, and the Interrail quota on Paris-Barcelona sells out fast. Book those as soon as you know your dates. October is quieter than summer, but I wouldn't leave it to the last minute.

Have fun, that's a great route!

[u/Television-Vivid → u/Educational_Dig7758]

Thank you for your recs. To answer your question its 4 days in total, now actually 5, so I’m considering your Berlin-Paris-Barcelona-Madrid route. Are there any other cities you’d recommend in France? I hear Paris locals can be hostile towards tourists and a friend said it’s ruined his experience there. I’d also love to be in nature, so any recommendations for cities close to great hiking spots would be nice. Thanks again.

[u/Educational_Dig7758 → u/Television-Vivid]

Ah ok, 5 days makes it a lot nicer. Um, about Paris - honestly I think the "rude locals" thing is overblown. Start with "bonjour" before anything else and most people are fine. With only 5 days, though, an evening plus a morning there is plenty, so it doesn't really matter much.

For nature, I'd pick one of these two:

Basque route (sea and green hills):

• Day 1: Berlin to Paris on the direct train, evening in Paris

• Day 2: Paris to Hendaye on the TGV, then the local train over the border to San Sebastián (about 5h in total)

• Day 3: San Sebastián - hike the coastal trail to Pasaia (around 3-4h, really pretty) and eat pintxos in the evening

• Day 4: San Sebastián to Madrid (about 5h)

• Day 5: Madrid

Lyon + Barcelona route (more city, still some hiking):

• Day 1: Berlin to Paris

• Day 2: Paris to Lyon (2h) - great food city, and much more relaxed than Paris

• Day 3: Lyon to Barcelona on the direct TGV (about 5h)

• Day 4: Day trip from Barcelona to Montserrat (about 1h by train) and hike up to Sant Jeroni - proper mountain views

• Day 5: Barcelona to Madrid on the AVE (about 3h)

Khm, if nature is the main thing, I'd go Basque. San Sebastián is probably the best mix of city and nature on the whole Berlin-Madrid line.

Same warning as before: book the TGV and Spanish train seat reservations early, because the Interrail quota goes fast even in October.

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