Interrail with kids: free travel, ages and night train reservations

Children aged 11 or younger travel free on Interrail, with up to two children per adult pass. But the pass only covers the travel. On a night train, every couchette or bed has to be reserved and paid for separately, and that includes the child's. This guide goes through Interrail's own conditions, version 19, which apply to passes bought from 10 September 2026, checked 16 October 2026, and what two night train operators say about children's beds.

Which version of the rules applies

Interrail publishes its rules as the Conditions of Use for Interrail Passes. Version 19 took effect on 10 September 2026. According to Interrail's conditions page, a pass bought between 11 June and 9 September 2026 follows version 18 instead. The rules below are from version 19.

The age categories

Your age is counted on the first day of the pass's validity period. If a child has a birthday during the trip and moves into an older category, the pass stays valid until it expires. Age is proven with a passport or equivalent.

• Child: 0 to 11 years.
• Youth: 12 to 27 years.
• Adult: 28 to 59 years, but anyone of any age may use an adult pass.
• Senior: 60 years and older.

Who travels free, and how many

• Under 4: no pass needed, unless the child is to have its own seat or bed. Then the child needs a Child Pass, as the conditions put it in clause 6.2.1. Interrail's family page adds that a child under 4 may have to sit on a parent's lap on a crowded train.
• 4 to 11: a Child Pass is required, and it is free. It is ordered together with an adult, youth or senior pass and must be the same type of pass: same class, same number of travel days, same countries.
• Who goes with them: a child pass holder must travel with someone aged 18 or older who holds a youth, adult or senior pass. That person does not have to be a parent or family member.
• How many: at most two Child Passes per accompanying pass. A third child travelling with the same adult needs a Youth Pass, which is not free.
• 12 to 27: this is the Youth Pass, sold at a discount but not free. A 12 year old pays youth price, not child price.

So a family of two adults and four children aged 4 to 11 can travel on two paid passes and four free ones. With one adult and three children, the third child needs a Youth Pass.

Reservations are never included

Clause 8.1.2 of the conditions is short: seat reservations are not included in your pass. Clause 8.1.3 says you must book and pay in advance for "sleeping accommodation (like couchettes and beds) on all night trains". A reservation is not a ticket on its own either; it is only valid together with the pass.

Interrail's family page says the same thing for children: on night trains you have to reserve and pay for a separate couchette or sleeper if you want your child to have their own bed. For a child under 4 who should have a seat or bed, you also need the free Child Pass first, because the booking requires one.

Interrail's list of night train fees gives prices per type of seat and berth, and calls them indicative and subject to change. It does not list a separate child price. Whether a child pays less for the bed is up to each train operator.

Example: ÖBB Nightjet

Nightjet says that a reservation fee must be paid for each pass holder, and that the fee includes breakfast in couchettes and sleepers. The page does not give a separate fee for children holding a pass.

Nightjet's general fare rules let one child up to 5 years of age travel free in the seat, couchette or bed booked by the accompanying adult, but not in the Mini Cabin, which is too small. A child who should have its own berth needs a child ticket, and Nightjet sells low priced tickets for children aged 6 to 14. Those child prices are for ordinary tickets. Nightjet does not say whether they apply to reservations for Interrail pass holders.

Example: Caledonian Sleeper

On the Caledonian Sleeper between London and Scotland, an Interrail pass that covers Great Britain is used together with a room supplement. The supplement page does not mention a child price.

The operator's page on children sets its own rules:

• Children aged 0 to 4 travel free sharing a seat or bed with a paying adult, one infant per adult. For their own bed, you buy a child ticket.
• Children under 12 must share the room with an adult, or sleep in an interconnecting Classic room.
• Children aged 12 to 15 may have a room of their own, but it must be directly next to the adult's.
• The operator advises that children under 12 should not sleep in the upper bunk.

Before you book

• Order the Child Passes at the same time as your own pass, for every child who needs a seat or bed, including children under 4.
• Count the children per adult: two free, the third pays for a Youth Pass.
• Book a bed for each child on every night train, and check the operator's price for the child, since Interrail itself does not set one.

Read more: More night train guides