Top 10 European Cities To Explore By Train This Summer

July 7, 2023

The hashtag ‘eurosummer’ has been trending on social media, gaining almost 600 million views on TikTok.

And while flying is the easiest way to get to Europe, taking the train is one of the best ways to discover the beauty of the continent once you’re there. But with so many destinations to choose from, which are the best cities to visit and the train journeys to take part of?

To find out, hybrid hospitality brand The Social Hub analyzed 40 of the best-rated cities in Europe looking at factors such as the number of things to do in each city, how safe the city is, and the cost of coffee, to determine the top cities for travelers to explore by train. To help you plan your trip, we’ve also mapped this out into a route based on the top cities to create the ideal train itinerary for you. You can find more information and the map here: https://www.thesocialhub.co/blog/best-interrail-stops-around-europe/

Europe’s Top 10 Cities to Explore by Train

Rank	City	Country	Cost of a Cappuccino ($)	Cost of a meal out for 2 ($)	Avg. cost of a public transport ticket (one way, $)	Safety score (out of 100)	Avg. rating of top attractions (out of 5)	No. of free walking tours	No. of things to do	Final Score
1	Madrid	Spain	$2.20	$52.03	$1.73	72.04	4.50	42	201	7.40
2	Prague	Czech Republic	$3.38	$58.79	$1.57	75.16	4.54	21	376	7.02
3	Lisbon	Portugal	$1.97	$57.81	$2.32	70.88	4.49	34	176	6.86
4	Rome	Italy	$1.76	$80.93	$1.73	46.55	4.64	20	361	6.75
5	Budapest	Hungary	$2.27	$49.37	$1.07	65.27	4.50	29	79	6.74
6	Istanbul	Turkey	$2.58	$35.00	$0.54	52.32	4.59	15	145	6.72
7	Paris	France	$4.38	$69.36	$2.42	42.84	4.58	26	634	6.34
8	Venice	Italy	$1.87	$80.93	$1.70	69.14	4.53	9	253	6.31
9	Barcelona	Spain	$2.54	$69.36	$2.78	49.15	4.45	39	390	6.22
10	Warsaw	Poland	$3.43	$50.51	$1.11	74.22	4.53	8	121	6.21

Key highlights from the study:

Madrid has been named the best Interrailing hotspot in Europe, with a safety score of 72 and 42 free walking tours. This is followed by Prague and Lisbon in second and third place.

According to research, Rome is the cheapest city to enjoy coffee, with the average price of a cappuccino costing $1.76. The city also boasts the highest-rated attractions, with a score of 4.64/5.

The study ranks Istanbul as the cheapest city for travellers, with a meal for two costing just $35 on average per person and a one-way transport ticket costing just $0.54.