The EU notes sustained interest in youth travel and mobility across Europe through the DiscoverEU program.

The European Commission is offering more than 40,000 DiscoverEU Interrail tickets to 18-year-olds for travel across Europe, with about 7,000 tickets allocated to applicants from Germany.

Applications for DiscoverEU can be submitted online via the European Youth Portal until April 22 at 12:00 local time, either solo or in groups of up to five people, and after submission applicants complete a brief EU knowledge quiz and a guessing question.

Eligibility requires birth between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008 and residence in an EU member state or certain associated countries; applicants may apply before turning 18, but travel begins after reaching the age of majority in July.

There are two application rounds each year, with this round opening another opportunity for European youth to explore the continent by rail.

After applying, winners complete a short EU knowledge quiz and a guessing question before selections are announced by the European Commission and the European Education and Culture Executive Agency.

Selected winners will be able to travel free by train across the EU from July 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027, for up to 30 days in total and a maximum of seven travel days per journey.

Since its launch in 2018, DiscoverEU has attracted nearly 1.9 million applicants and awarded about 431,931 tickets, reflecting its broad reach.

In this round, approximately 7,000 tickets are allocated to applicants from Germany.

Overall, the program aims to enable young people to travel across Europe by train to foster cross-cultural exchange.