Train journeys

Many holidays start with a flight and once you get where you are going you stay in one place … travelling by train gives you the opportunity to see much more of a destination and in some cases traverse continents and stunning scenery from the comfort of your train carriage! Contact me to book any of the world’s greatest train trips ….

Some train journeys are iconic and well known like the Orient Express or the Tran-Siberian through Russia but others less so, you can also mix and match train journeys with river cruises or use trains as part of an adventure tour, for example in India or South America.

With Eurostar links right from London you don’t have to fly anywhere if you don’t want to! From Paris and Brussels there are links all over Europe to continue your holidays by rail.

You can travel as part of an organised group with a tour manager and sight seeing included, or travel independently with a tailor made itinerary giving you the flexibility to get on and off the tracks as much or as little as you please.

Paris, Brugges, Brussels and Amsterdam are all popular long weekend city breaks that can be taken by train from the UK and many Christmas markets can also be visited by train. Take a look at the Polar Express option into Arctic Sweden for an exciting week including some train travel and unique hotels. Check out a special train trip to The Netherlands which includes local steam trains.

The European train network is extremely efficient and punctual how about the the Glacier Express through Switzerland? Rail links can be added from Eurostar down to the Italian Lakes, around the French vineyards and even to Spain.  From the ‘Moorish’ villages of southern Spain, take the train and then cross the strait of Gibraltar down into Morocco all the way to Marrakech and continue your travels on North African trains!

Further south in Africa, there is the ‘Pride of Africa‘ from Victoria Falls down to Cape Town and in South Africa itself, there are the luxury options of The Blue Train or Rovos Rail. If you are a little more adventurous, try the TAZARA public train which connects Dar es Salaam on the coast of Tanzania through to Zambia, I’ve done it myself several times and it’s certainly an adventure!

Crossing the Atlantic, there are various options for spectacular train travel in Latin America, try the train through Mexico‘s Copper Canyon or the Andean Explorer ‘Peruvian rail trail’ through high mountains to Lake Titicaca in Peru.

North America, being well serviced by AMTRAK trains and tourist trains such as the Rocky Mountaineer, make covering vast distances a hugely enjoyable journey.  You can travel west to east across Canada and combine this journey with cruise in Alaska, or travel across the width of the United States from New York through to San Francisco, passing through Chicago, Nebraska and the stunning scenery of the great western canyonlands.

Across Asia, train travel is iconic and inspiring – the busy trains of India are well known and provide an entertaining way of getting around this diverse country and there are gorgeous luxury options too such as the Maharaja Express from Mumbai through the Golden Triangle to Delhi. In the Himalayan foothills, toy trains are a great way to get up and down the slopes. The Eastern and Oriental Express is a luxury service linking Bangkok to Singapore, whilst the Japanese bullet train is another option.

If you are looking for a long train trip and Asian adventure, try the Moscow to Vladivostok trans Siberian Railway through Mongolia (you can even start from London via Warsaw if you have the time!).  You could continue by rail most of the way through to Australia and New Zealand too. Australia has some great train journeys including the famous Ghan through the outback from Alice Springs down to Adelaide and train links right round the coast, Or the Indian Pacific through the blue mountains and across the Nullarbor Plain on the longest straight stretch of train track in the world!

On TV in Autumn 2013 we saw Michael Portillo trace the Victorians tracks around Europe with his Bradshaws guide around the great Rail Journeys of Europe.

These are just a few ideas from the amazing world of train travel.  Call me to book your next adventure by rail!