Reservations

Luxury Travel

Reservations

Luxury Travel

Get Back On Track

There was a time when rail was the only way to explore in comfort, now it's a sustainable choice as well as a stylish one. Laura Gelder rounds up some of the world's most amazing train journeys...

This is a feature from Issue 9 of Charitable Traveller. Click to read more from this issue.

1. Rocky Mountaineer, Canada

Cutting through some of the most striking scenery in the world, where cars don’t dare go, the luxury Rocky Mountaineer train is one of Canada’s most sought after experiences. The combination of rugged alpine scenery outdoors with luxuriously-appointed carriages, attentive service and gourmet three-course meals inside is winning. The train only runs between sunrise and sunset to ensure you soak up views of snow-capped peaks and pristine lakes and water – hopefully wildlife too. Each evening you’ll disembark to spend the night in a hotel, with iconic options like the fairy tale Banff journey, starting in coastal rainforest, crossing desert before stopping for the night in the riverside city of Kamloops, and then continuing into the Rockies. The newest route links Moab in Utah and Denver in Colorado, passing rusty canyons, following the Colorado River and stopping for a restorative dip at Glenwood Springs.

2. The California Zephyr, USA

Journey from Chicago to San Francisco in 51 hours, with two nights sleeping in a snug bunk bed. The sleek silver train slices through the plains of Nebraska to Omaha and onto Denver’s retro Union Station. After there, it hits the dramatic canyons of the Rockies en-route to Salt Lake City, before rushing through the painted deserts and arid hills and buttes of Utah, passing ritzy Reno and quaint Sacramento, and finally arriving in Emeryville near the Golden Gate City.

3. Rovos Rail, South Africa

Step aboard vintage wood-panelled coaches, harking back to a more elegant era of travel, and be transported between some of Africa’s most fascinating places. Journeys range from 48 hours to 15 days, staying in five-star hotels and leaving plenty of time for safaris. The longest trip links Cape Town in South Africa to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, via Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia. You’ll cross the mighty Zambezi River, negotiate the tunnels, switchbacks and viaducts of the Great Rift Valley and stop at the thundering Victoria Falls. But there’s plenty of time for wining and dining.

4. Seven Stars in Kyushu, Japan

Exquisitely designed, this sleeper train is often called the most luxurious in the world. It goes a bit slower than Japan’s famous bullet trains, but you wont care as you relax in its ridiculously spacious polished wood cabins, with delicate paper screens and shiny brass lamps. As you cruise around Kyushu Island, renowned for its dramatic volcanic landscapes and hot springs, you can sip sparkling sake and nibble the contents of your delicately presented bento box.

5. Jacobite Steam Train, Scotland

The so-called ‘Harry Potter train’ really did provide the steam engine and carriages for the wizarding films. Its 84-mile route starts in Fort William, in the shadow of Ben Nevis, and travels to the west coast port of Mallaig and back. You’ll visit Britain’s most westerly mainland station, tiny Arisaig, and cross glassy lochs, silvery beaches, heather-smothered hills and the 21 arches of the majestic Glenfinnan Viaduct. The décor is comfortingly traditional, with tasselled lamps and winged chairs in first class.

6. The Ghan, australia

Forging through Australia’s stunning but inhospitable red centre, the Ghan travels 1,851 miles between the southern city of Adelaide and Darwin in the tropical north. Over three to four days you’ll enjoy regionally-inspired meals and fine wines, along with experiences like dinner under the stars at a historic Telegraph Station, a cruise beneath the red cliffs of Nitmiluk Gorge and a visit to an opal mining town where people live underground.

7. Flam Railway, Norway

It might only be 12 miles long, but this train journey packs a punch when it comes to scenery. It’s one of the steepest standard gauge lines in the world and in one hour you’ll travel from sea level, at Aurlandsfjord in Flåm, to Myrdal mountain station, 867 metres above. From the comfort of a vintage carriage, you can enjoy the changing scenery – rivers cutting through deep ravines, waterfalls cascading down snow-capped peaks and mountain farms clinging to sheer slopes. From Myrdal you can also connect onto lines to Bergen or Oslo.

8. Hiram Bingham, Peru

Named after the explorer who rediscovered Peru’s most famous Incan citadel, this train leaves from just outside the colourful city of Cusco in the Sacred Valley. You’ll roll sedately towards Machu Picchu in the comfort of a classic 1920s parlour car, gazing at the fertile Peruvian Highlands sweeping by. Along the way you’ll be treated to performances of traditional music, a welcome Pisco Sour cocktail and a gourmet brunch with South American wines. After you’ve marvelled at the lost city you can return in the fading light, enjoying another fine dining experience.

9. Venice Simplon Orient Express

Perhaps the most famed train in the world, this Belmond-owned icon offers over 60 journeys, including ones from London to Vienna, Budapest, Prague, Verona or Venice, or the epic Paris to Istanbul route. As you hand your bag to a smartly dressed porter, you’ll feel like you’ve slipped back to a bygone age when rail was king and travel was always opulent. Onboard the art deco Pullman carriages you’re expected to dress smartly for the extravagant four-course dinner, served in the dining car. When you’re ready to retire to your cosy cabin, the clicking rails will lull you to sleep until you wake in a distant land.

10. Glacier Express, Switzerland

This train links two of Switzerland’s most renowned mountain resorts, St. Moritz and Zermatt, with its view of the crooked Matterhorn. Described as ‘Europe’s slowest express’, it takes over seven hours to cover 180 miles. You won’t have a problem with the pace though, as you enjoy the dramatic alpine scenery, shimmying across narrow valleys, through 91 tunnels and over 291 bridges. Onboard is a choice of First, Second or Excellence Class, and the latter includes a seven-course lunch.

11. The Qinghai-Tibet Train, China

This railway to the roof of the world is an engineering marvel and the world’s highest, reaching altitudes of over 5,000 metres and traversing a region prone to earthquakes, permafrost and low oxygen levels (cabins have it on tap). It starts from Xining, capital of Qinghai province, and ends in Lhasa, Tibet’s mystical capital. Onboard it’s basic but the view makes up for that. The 1,200-mile trip takes 21 hours and passes the desolate Gobi Desert, the stark ice fields of Tanggula Glacier, the bright turquoise Namtso Lake and many yak-spotted grasslands and villages draped in fluttering prayer flags.

12. Maharaja's Express, India

Railways rule in India so the Maharaja’s Express must truly be the king of trains. Every carriage has a butler and the king-size beds – set in spacious cabins – are studded with jewels. Journeys range
from four days to a week and stop in places like Mumbai, Udaipur, Agra and Delhi, for you to alight and explore exotic bazaars, gleaming palaces, vivid temples and tiger-filled jungles. The train has two fine dining restaurants, one with a hand-painted fresco ceiling, serving international food and Indian banquets. After dinner, you can retire to the Rajah Club bar to sip a whiskey in
one of its large armchairs.

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This is a feature from Issue 10 of Charitable Traveller. Click to read more from this issue.