April 15, 2026, 6:35 am | Read time: 2 minutes
Once again, travel-loving Europeans have the chance to win a free train ticket. Six quiz questions will determine who ultimately receives the free tickets. Applications can be submitted until April 22.
This spring, the European Union is once again offering numerous young people the opportunity to explore Europe by train—for free. As part of the new application round of the EU-funded program DiscoverEU, 40,000 travel tickets are available this time in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Schengen Agreement. Anyone born between July 1, 2007, and June 30, 2008, can apply for one of the EU train tickets until April 22 at noon. Winners can travel for up to seven days within a month between July 1, 2026, and September 30, 2027. Both individuals and groups can apply, with a group consisting of up to five members.
The “DiscoverEU” initiative started in 2018 and is based on the idea of activists Vincent-Immanuel Herr and Martin Speer. Their proposal to give every EU citizen an Interrail ticket on their 18th birthday to familiarize them with the continent received widespread support from politics and society.
How to Get the Free EU Train Tickets
To win a free ticket, you must first demonstrate your knowledge in a small quiz with questions about the EU. Eligible participants are young people from the European Union, including overseas countries and territories. Non-EU countries can also participate if they are associated with the Erasmus+ program. This includes Iceland, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, and Turkey.
According to the commission, people with disabilities or health restrictions will also receive support during their travels. Different numbers of tickets are available for each country, and the quotas will be announced along with the results. If a country has fewer applications than available passes, the remaining passes will be allocated to countries with more applications than available spots.