Are you ready to put two things together? A light backpack and a train ticket paid for by the European Union. It seems like the beginning of a film about an incredible journey of maturity, but instead it’s a completely real program!
This is DiscoverEU with which, for once, Europe becomes something concrete that you too can touch. The idea, in fact, is very simple: if you are 18 years old and live in one of the European Union countries (or in one of the countries associated with Erasmus+), you can apply to receive a travel pass that will allow you to cross the continent for free (attention: the pass covers the main trips, but not additional expenses, except for discounts), mainly by train.
Not just for taking Instagrammable photos (), but also to discover cities, cultures, stories different from yours and meet peers who, like you, are trying to understand what place to occupy in the world. Behind it, therefore, there is a great idea: strengthening the sense of belonging to Europe, promoting sustainable mobility, encouraging the meeting between different cultures and making the Union something concrete, accessible, real.
Moving especially by train is a precise choice: it means talking about sustainability, showing that a different way of travelling, and therefore of living, is already possible.
How DiscoverEU works
To participate you need a few things:
If you are chosen, you receive both the travel pass and a European DiscoverEU youth card, to get discounts on museums, cultural activities, sports, local transport, accommodation and food.
You can leave alone or in a group of up to 5 people. And if you have a disability or health problems, specific supports are provided: an important detail, because traveling should always be considered a right, not a privilege for the few.
Deadlines to mark
Applications for DiscoverEU open:
from 8 April 2026 (12:00 Brussels time)
and they close:
on April 22, 2026 (12:00 pm)
Attention: young people born between 1 July 2007 and 30 June 2008 can apply for this round.
The selection takes place through an online application on the European Youth Portal, where you will have to fill in the form and answer a short quiz.
Every year there are two rounds of applications, generally:
For official updates and to apply, keep an eye on this link: DiscoverEU
Europe seen from the window
There’s a huge difference between studying a map and actually walking through it. When you change languages, when you share a compartment with people you didn’t know five minutes before, when you get lost in a new city and then find your way again, something happens.
You understand that Europe is not an abstract concept, but an experience that you have the chance to live.
And this is precisely the most powerful message of DiscoverEU: at 18 you can cross borders without really feeling them, discovering that differences connect more often than you think. Anyone who leaves with DiscoverEU does not remain just a tourist. Participants become ambassadors of the experience: if you want, you can talk about your journey on social media with the hashtag #DiscoverEU, sharing what you have learned and experienced.
Is it worth trying? Of course yes. Because it is one of the few occasions in which a public institution truly invests in the freedom, curiosity and future of young people.
Go. Leave. See the world closely.
Green EU&ME | Project co-financed by the European Union
The opinions expressed, however, belong to the author(s) alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the European Union or of the Representation in Italy of the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the providing administration can be held responsible
