EU reopens applications for a free month of rail travel
Tuesday 6th October 2026 on 05:30 in
Austria
Young people born in 2008 can apply for a free 30-day Interrail trip across Europe, ORF reports. Applications close at noon on 15 October.
The European Union’s DiscoverEU initiative is open to anyone turning 18 in 2026. The European Commission will select recipients by lottery and notify them by the end of the year.
Travel can take place between March 2027 and May 2028. Recipients will also receive a DiscoverEU Youth Card, which offers discounts on cultural visits, learning activities, sport, local transport, accommodation and food.
In the most recent application round, held in April 2026, 165 young people from Lower Austria received tickets. Since the initiative began in 2018, 1,903 young people from the state have travelled through the programme.