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Slovakia Interrail Pass
Eurail is now Interrail
Eurail and Interrail were two versions of the same pass, and which one you could buy depended on where you lived. That split has gone. There is now one name, Interrail, and it is available wherever you live. Your pass, bookings and account stay the same.
Up to 50% off, 24th September to 1st October
Eurail is now Interrail: one name, the same 33 countries, one place to book. To mark the change, all Global Passes and One Country Passes are up to 50% off for bookings made from Thursday 24th September to Thursday 1st October (ends 10:00 AM CEST). Passes valid for one month or longer are 50% off and shorter passes are 15% off.
Passes bought in the sale can be refunded within seven days of purchase, after which they cannot be refunded or exchanged. There is no code to enter. The discount is already applied to the prices you see.
Overview
The Interrail Slovakia Pass is the most comprehensive way to explore Slovakia, giving you unlimited travel on the days you choose at a fixed price.
Slovakia is a small country with a lot packed into it, and the railway gets you to most of it. The network runs east to west between Bratislava and Košice, on two routes: the northern one through Trenčín, Žilina and Poprad, and the southern one through Zvolen. Nearly every town worth stopping in sits on or near one of them.
Bratislava is compact enough to see on foot, with the castle above the Danube and an old town you can cross in twenty minutes. At the other end, Košice has the largest historic centre in the country and St Elisabeth's Cathedral at the heart of it. In between, Banská Štiavnica and Bardejov are both UNESCO-listed and both reachable by train.
The High Tatras are the reason many people come, and they are unusually easy to reach without a car. Get to Poprad-Tatry on the main line and change onto the Tatra Electric Railway, a narrow-gauge line that climbs into the mountains through Starý Smokovec to Štrbské Pleso and Tatranská Lomnica. It is run by the national operator and it is covered by your pass, including the cog railway up from Štrba, so you can ride the whole thing at no extra cost.
Slovakia is also full of thermal springs, and several of the spa towns are on the network. Piešťany sits directly on the main line north of Bratislava, and Trenčianske Teplice is a short branch off it.
You can take as many trains as you like and there is no limit on the distance you can travel within a travel day. Hop on and off as your plans change, and just turn up at the nearest station.
One thing worth knowing before you choose your class. In 2nd class you can board domestic trains with your pass and take any open seat, with no reservation needed. In 1st class a seat reservation is mandatory on most trains, and costs around €2 through ZSSK.
Your pass covers trains run by ZSSK, the national operator, and it is a mobile pass added to the Rail Planner app, so there is nothing to print or collect.
Whether you are the adventurous traveller or the avid planner, the Interrail Slovakia Pass is your pass to freedom and the key to an unforgettable trip.
What is included?
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How does it work?
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1. Pick the right rail pass | 2. Reserve your seats | 3. Activate and travel |
Rail passes can be booked for travel in one specific country or you can choose one of a few pre-selected country/region combinations. Extensive travel plans? Try the Interrail Global Pass, offering train travel in 33 different countries. Once you've selected your pass, its price will depend on the class of service selected, passenger type, and the number of rail travel days. | Taking local and regional trains allows you to explore at will. Simply board with your Interrail Slovakia Pass and choose any open seat. In 2nd class, domestic trains in Slovakia do not require a reservation. In 1st class, a reservation is mandatory on most trains and costs around €2 through ZSSK. We recommend always checking your journey for any specific seat reservation requirements. | Your paper-free rail pass needs to be activated in the Rail Planner app before your first train journey or first use of a pass benefit. You have up to 11 months from buying your pass to activate it, and once a pass is activated it cannot be refunded. Don't forget to download the app before you travel, in case you do not have good internet access when you arrive. |
Comparison
Rail Passes vs. Train Tickets
Rail Passes | Train Tickets | |
|---|---|---|
Best for discovering more than 3 cities | ✔ | ❌ |
Children usually travel free | ✔ | ❌ |
Often includes travel bonuses | ✔ | ❌ |
Seat reservations included for most trains | ❌ | ✔ |
FAQs
Eurail and Interrail were two versions of the same pass, and which one you could buy depended on where you lived. That split has gone. Since 10 September 2026 there is one name, Interrail, so the Eurail Slovakia Pass is now the Interrail Slovakia Pass. The pass works like it did before, and you can buy it wherever you live outside Slovakia. One Country Passes are not sold to residents of the country the pass covers, and we will tell you at checkout if a pass is not available where you live.
If you bought a Eurail Slovakia Pass before 10 September 2026, it stays valid for its full period and nothing you have booked needs changing.
No. Bratislava to Vienna takes about an hour, but it crosses a border and the Interrail Slovakia Pass covers travel within Slovakia only. You will need a separate ticket for that journey, or the Interrail Global Pass, which covers both countries along with 31 others. The same applies to the trains to Prague, Budapest and Kraków.
Yes. The Tatra Electric Railway between Štrbské Pleso, Starý Smokovec and Tatranská Lomnica is run by ZSSK and included in your pass, as is the cog railway up from Štrba. You can join it from the main line at Poprad-Tatry, Štrba or Tatranská Lomnica, and there is no supplement to pay.
A rail pass is a travel document that entitles you to travel on European trains in a specific geographic area (country/countries), for a specific number of days.
Be mindful that having a rail pass doesn’t necessarily mean that you can hop on any train at will, within the geographical area covered by your rail pass. Depending on the country, the type of train and the route, you may need to purchase seat reservations at an additional cost.
Lastly, rail passes are packed with additional benefits, also known as rail pass bonuses which can range from discounted shopping in retail stores, to preferential rates on other modes of transportation like ferry or bus, to rebates on hotel nights, reduced admission at museums attractions, and more.
A rail pass and a train ticket are two completely different types of travel documents.
A train ticket is valid for a single journey between two cities. Many tickets also include a reservation, which mean that they are valid only for a specific train, on a specific date and at a given time. To learn more about tickets, read our article: tickets explained.
A rail pass, on the other hand, is good for travel in an entire geographical area (1 country, 2 countries or more). With it you can take as many train trips as you want within that geographical area, for as many travel days as you purchased, within a set period of time (the pass validity period).
A flexi pass is valid for a specific number of travel days to be used within the overall validity period of that rail pass. For example, 15 days of unlimited train travel to be used within a 2-month period. With this kind of rail pass, you can pick and choose any days (they don’t have to be consecutive) to travel within the rail pass’ validity period.
Continuous (or consecutive) rail passes such as the Interrail Global Pass, are valid for unlimited train travel during the whole duration of the pass’ validity period. In other words, with a 15-day Interrail Global Pass, you can travel for 15 consecutive days by train. Even if you don’t take the train each and every day, those days will be considered used.
A travel day on a rail pass is a 24-hour period, from midnight to midnight, during which you can take as many train journeys as you desire. Since rail passes use calendar days, journeys within 24-hours of each other but on different days will count as two travel days.
The validity period of a rail pass is the time period in which you must complete your travels with your rail pass. This period is calculated from the date stamped on the rail pass by the railway official.
With a flexi pass this period is defined as a certain number of calendar months – typically one or two.
With a continuous day pass the validity period equals the number of travel days.
In general, yes, but there are some exceptions and a few rules to keep in mind.
First, be mindful that some trains (such as high speed, scenic, and night trains) require rail pass holders to purchase reservations at an additional cost.
For international train journeys, be sure that your rail pass covers the country of departure, country of arrival, and any countries through which your train will travel.
Lastly, some private rail lines in certain countries don’t offer reservations for rail pass holders and don’t accept rail passes. In these cases, you can purchase a train ticket locally for the desired journey.