Great Train Journeys

If you thought that romantic, old-fashioned train journeys had disappeared into the past, think again. Whether you’re seeking stunning scenery, luxurious sleepers, heritage steam trains or epic long-distance journeys by railway alone, you can gain a wonderful perspective of the world from a carriage.

Sit back, relax and experience the old school glamour of Southeast Asia’s colonial past aboard the magnificent Eastern & Oriental Express. Embarking in Singapore, this elegant train passes through Malaysia into Laos, via Thailand and the River Kwai. Indulge in high tea or rest in your private cabin and gaze out of the window at the ever-changing landscapes.

Australia’s The Ghan is one of the world’s greatest rail journeys. Travelling through Australia’s vast outback, its 2979km track runs from Adelaide to the Top End, taking in a working cattle station, the sandstone cliffs of Katherine Gorge, quirky underground mining town Coober Pedy, and Uluru, a spectacular rock formation. See more of this great southern land with the Indian Pacific train, which travels across the mighty Nullarbor desert through goldmines and ghost towns. At 4,352km, this is the longest stretch of straight railway track in the world.

Other great train adventures include South Africa’s The Blue Train, offering diverse scenery and wildlife as it travels between Pretoria and Cape Town; India’s aptly-named Palace on Wheels, which chugs along former Rajput princedoms and the Taj Mahal in Agra; and Sri Lanka’s insightful and magical rail journeys, which weave between misty hills and old colonial tea plantations.