My beautiful Europe

I planned my trip to Europe 3 days before leaving. I couldn't decide on the destinations so I made a list of places I wanted to see and then created a route. I travelled on my own and visited 5 countries and 15 cities during 28 days. I didn't stay more than 5 days, but at least 2 nights in each country. Yes, the pace was intense but as it was my first time travelling alone, I was very excited to keep on going! I mainly did Central Europe in this order: Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Poland and then back through the same countries but to other places.

If there's one thing I remember about travelling by train in Europe, it's that all roads lead to Vienna (and not to Rome!). I've been there 3 times due to its central location linking Western and Eastern Europe. Next time I will better plan my itinerary to make a nicer round trip from France. 

I have never spoken so much English in my life, I improved a lot my vocabulary, speaking and understanding skills, it was way better than a language stay! At the beginning it's tiring, then you miss your native language, you don't know who to speak it with, and at the end of the stay, you find it hard to come back to French!

I learned a lot of things (culture, customs, language differences, opinions...) that we don't speak about at school. Everyone has always been kind to me and I have never been afraid to travel alone, on the contrary, I have never felt so free! And then, I must say that a lot of people travel alone, so it's easy to make friends! 

I mainly visited cities/villages, then I went hiking, I discovered landscapes and participated in outdoor activities. Discovering Europe through interrail is a great opportunity. I now consider myself much more European than just French. We may live in different countries, but many of us share the same values, even if of course each region has its own language and particularities... The fact that I met Swedish Slovenians, Spaniards and Czechs made me realise that we are very similar. 

Visiting Europe has broadened my vision and made me realise how big it is. It was by far the best experience of my life and I thank the European Commission again for this opportunity. I'm going to travel again with an interrail pass next summer and I will make sure to tell every 18 year-old person to apply to #DiscoverEU! At this age, all we dream about is travelling, and by organising this competition, the European Commission allowed me to realise this dream, which according to me today should be essential for every young people.

Updated on Salı, 17/02/2026