Train travel’s popularity soared among Aussies last year as more than 57,000 Australian travellers traversed Europe with Eurail Passes, maintaining Australia’s lead as Eurail’s second-largest market globally behind the USA.
In 2024, Aussies made the most of their Passes by taking an average of 11 different train journeys per trip, travelling an average of 1,652km by rail and spending an average of 7.6 hours on board European trains.
More than 7,000 New Zealanders also chose Eurail for their European adventures in 2024.
According to the latest 2024 data, the most popular city destinations for Aussie Passholders were Milan, Rome, Florence, Zurich and Amsterdam.
The insights also show Aussies are drawn to the competitive pricing of the Eurail Pass with a notable shift towards more affordable second-class travel.
Last year, 56 per cent of Aussies opted to ride the rails in a second-class cabin compared to 44 per cent in a first-class cabin – a flip from 2019 data.
Eurail Senior Research Analyst Jody Bauer emphasised the importance of the Australian market.
“One of the reasons why Australians are so important for Eurail, and European tourism in general, is their longer length of stay and their curiosity to explore different parts of the continent,” she said.
“The most popular category for Australian travellers in 2024 was the ’10 Days in 2 Months’ Pass, which gives travellers the option to choose 10 different rail travel days within a selected two-month period.”
What’s new in 2025
Tracking ahead in 2025, Eurail, which celebrates 66 years this year, will introduce three new train routes for Passholders.
A new cross-border connection between Venice and Nova Gorica (the designated European Cultural Capital for 2025) commenced on 8 February 2025.
A new Polish regional rail carrier, Koleje Małopolskie, has also joined the network, opening up new routes from Kraków to Tarnów and Zakopane, while a seamless Baltic States train connection between Vilnius–Riga–Tallinn now makes it possible to travel from Vilnius to Tallinn in one day.
In addition, a new daily high-speed RENFE train service will connect Spain with France between Barcelona and Toulouse from mid-2025.
Travel advisors can also take advantage of 15 per cent off all Eurail Global Passes and One Country Passes (in both first- and second-class travel) until 2 April 2025 on bookings via International Rail, Rail Europe, Rail Online and Klook.
For more info, head to eurail.com
