Vast social and technological changes have given the twentieth-century traveller unprecedented access to the remotest regions on earth. Consequently, the classical marvels that enticed eighteenth-century dilettantes from the serenity of their country residences seem hidebound to the modern grand tourist. However, in their anxiety to taste the delights of the newly accessible, today's travellers too often fail to examine their more immediate cultural stimuli before thrusting themselves upon the unsuspecting objects of their wanderlust. In so doing they limit the benefit to themselves and their victims. An Inter-Rail or Eurail ticket is the cure to these ills and heir to the spirit of the grand tour.

In 1972 the Inter-Rail ticket burst upon the scene and Britain joined the Common Market. The former event was the more genuinely pan-European in scope. The object of the International Confederation of Railways (which included, even then, the less regressive East European countries) was to promote international rail travel. It devised a system whereby a single ticket afforded the bearer one month's unlimited rail travel on the participating networks. In so doing, it did much to foster European integration because the Inter-Rail ticket affords an unrivalled opportunity to discover European civilisation.

Inter-Rail permits the spirit of European integration and enlightenment to flourish not only because of its amazing scope, but because train travel is a wonderfully convivial means of transport, and no conveyance is so congenial as the compartments that still form the large part of European rolling stock. You can roam the train; enjoy the ride, or the people riding with you and their picnics; and when the general gaiety begins to pall, make a moderately uncomfortable bed from the compartment's sliding seats. With the exception of hitch-hiking, there is no cheaper way to travel in Europe - by the time you reach Nice, your card has all but paid for itself, and the plains of Italy spread out at your feet. The grand tourist may drink deeply of the spirit of the Renaissance, while the connoisseur of more ephemeral pulchritude can scan a good proportion of Europe's beaches and costas, rivieras and islands. Europe, from the Atlantic to the Carpathians, and from the land of the midnight sun to the fleshpots of Morocco, is your oyster.

Ticketing

The under-26 ticket system divides the participating networks into seven zones, as follows: zone a is the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain; zone b is Scandinavia; zone c, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Denmark; zone d is the Czech and Slovak Republics, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia and Serbia; zone e, Benelux and France; zone f is the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco; and zone g is Italy, Greece, Turkey, Slovenia and what remains of Yugoslavia. A global ticket costs £279 at the time of going to press. Alternatively, up to three zones can be selected for reductions (one zone for 15 days costs £185; two zones for one month costs £224; three zones for one month costs £249). The beauty of the Inter-Rail ticket is in the amazing freedom of movement it offers, but that freedom is unduly restricted by the zonal system -the global ticket, therefore, is much the most desirable option. A ticket for those over 26 is now also available for the price of £275, but it does not include France, Italy, Belgium or Morocco.

Best routes

A cursory glance at the map supplied with the ticket reveals that Central Europe has the most comprehensive rail network. In Holland, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary it is quite easy to get to anywhere you are likely to want to go by train. The same is broadly true of Italy and France, though in Italy the non-supplement trains, of which there are a limited number, tend to be very busy. Switzerland has good coverage but many of the lines are privately owned and offer only a 50 per cent discount (Switzerland is expensive). Rail travel on the Iberian Peninsula leaves a lot to be desired, fast trains aside. This can only be recommended to serious Hispanophiles and to those whose destination is Morocco - don't be taken in by the timetable, do take a month.

Such is the facility of movement offered by the Inter-Rail ticket, and the myriad opportunities offered by Europe that the prospect of recommending a route is daunting. Divide Europe, as Charlemagne did, into three (vertically): East, Middle and West. You then have roughly four different route choices - two outside-ins and two inside-outs. Decide upon the furthest extent of your trip, then think in terms of convection currents and proceed accordingly.

If that is too schematic, I offer an example: Folkestone to Ostend, then Ostend to Munich, from where you get the Hellos Express. Travel through the fabulous scenery of Slovenia to Zagreb, Belgrade, Skopje and eventually Thessaloniki. From Thessaloniki you can get access to the coast and the islands of the north Aegean. If that does not appeal, proceed through Greece to Athens, where cheap accommodation is readily available. See the Parthenon, even if you don't like climbing hills, and try the street kebabs. Take a boat to an island, explore it and do the beach thing in Poseidon's enchanting waters (take The Magus by John Fowles as reading matter). Then get another boat to Izmir, check that out, and move on to Istanbul by train and boat for a peek at the Sultan's palace, from which you get the top-down view on the gateway to the Orient. Say your salaams to the Byzantine world and proceed along the Greek coast, via Thessaloniki again, to Belgrade. Get a train to Prague, suffer the hordes, and move swiftly on to Dresden, the Florence of the Elbe. If you have time, take it to sample the Saxenschweiz, the gorge through which the Elbe flows so adroitly. This is a short day trip from Dresden - Konigstein can safely be recommended as a sight of interest. Also, just outside Dresden is the Schloss Pilnitz, which is quite lovely. Time will be short now, but don't bottle out. Go to Berlin, sample the after-dark scene, then try Amsterdam for size to round things off. Finally, return via Hoek van Holland to Harwich.

If you want to go to Greece, there are four routes: by ferry from Brindisi in southern Italy, the ticket should get you a reduction; from Munich on the fancifully named Hellos Express through what used to be Yugoslavia, taking in Zagreb and Belgrade; from Venice by way of Sarajevo; and, avoiding the former Yugoslavia, by a circuitous route via Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey, which would certainly be a challenge but good if you are committed to enjoying the journey. The routes through the former republic of Yugoslavia are open again, though their condition (which was never exactly the best) is doubtful. Croatian and Slovenian railways, it seems, are independent but the rest remain under the umbrella of Jugoslav Railways. Whichever way you cut it, getting to the Big Olive is liable to be a somewhat lengthy business on crowded trains, but it is a treat when you get there.

Because the Aegean islands are so vital to the Greek tourism industry they are exceedingly well served by ferries from Piraeus (and other ports), for which there are Inter-rail discounts. For your discount you will have to sleep on the deck, so avoid the bow and the waves. It will be cold, but the stars will be brilliant. From islands such as Samos you can get boats to Turkey. Visas are necessary and can be obtained for a relatively modest charge. The train from Izmir takes you to the Sea of Marmara, where you will need to take another ferry to Istanbul.

Some rules of the rails

·The Inter-Rail ticket only covers ordinary trains, fast trains and couchettes are extra. The tariff varies considerably depending on the conductor, so you've got to haggle, but generally France and Italy are more expensive, Germany is cheaper, and in most other countries almost all trains are standard. It is not normally necessary to take fast trains, but couchettes are well worth it if you are interested in sleeping - and they are cheaper than hotels.

·Although it is generally possible to buy food on trains, it is invariably of low quality and high price. It is worth packing a penknife and buying your supplies in town before boarding anything - European railway platforms are not a patch on their Eastern counterparts when it comes to provisioning yourself for a journey. A good supply of comestibles can work wonders in the cut and thrust of the search for a comfortable berth.

·Don't worry about getting value for money from your ticket. Unless you are spectacularly unadventurous it cannot fail to pay. The new city every day approach much vaunted by the International Rail marketing men is ultimately sterile. Cultural overload is a danger. Vary the diet - inter-railing is not the preserve of the culture vulture.

·I could advocate travelling light, but this is a peculiarly fruitless exercise since aptitude for it is genetic. However, the art becomes doubly important when it is necessary to walk along crowded narrow corridors in unstable trains while carrying your luggage. It is desirable, therefore, to keep the number of trips you have to take to a minimum. One trip down the corridor, fat rucksack on back, will be more than enough to make the bearer heartily unpopular.

·The hottest tip of all is 'left luggage'. Money spent on left luggage is money well spent. Take a small pack for essentials and dump your bag at the station upon arrival. The cheapest hotels are normally near the station, but that does not mean they will be easy to locate or that they will have rooms, so a recce without luggage is strongly recommended.