The invitation is addressed to young people from European Union countries and countries associated with the Erasmus+ program, including Iceland, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia and Turkey.
Applications can be submitted until October 16 at 12:00, and the questions that need to be answered are available on the European Youth Portal.
Free tickets to travel around Europe. What conditions must be met?
Selected candidates will have the opportunity to travel within Europe for 30 days per period between March 1, 2025 and May 31, 2026 They can either plan their own routes or be inspired by existing ones.
Participants can, for example, follow the DiscoverEU Cultural Route, which was created as an EU initiative and connects various cultural sites, with an emphasis on architecture, music, theater, fashion and design.
They can visit European Capitals of Culture, sites included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, or sites bearing the European Heritage label.
The free ticket will include above all train travel around Europeand in some cases ferry trip (e.g. from the island – ed.). The use of flights will be taken into account only in exceptional situations. Local public transport and private transport are not included in the pass.
European Union program. Nearly 40 thousand tickets to give away
In addition to the free ticket participants will also receive a discount card with over 40 thousand offers for public transport, culture, accommodation, food, sports and other services.
Special support is available for participants with disabilities or medical conditions, e.g. in the form of additional financing and the possibility of traveling with companions.
The European Commission launched a program for granting free tickets for travel around Europe – DiscoverEU – in June 2018. Currently he is included in the Erasmus+ program for 2021-2027.
Since 2018 over 1.3 million candidates submitted applications by a total of 319 thousand tickets. When asked about their experiences, 93 percent respondents declared that they planned to travel by train more often.
For many, it was their first trip without their parents or other adults, and most participants emphasized that they felt an increased sense of independence. More than two thirds of respondents admitted that they would not be able to finance the ticket without the EU program.