TRAIN RIDES WE LIKE

This selection of  train rides that we like is not a scientific selection or even a graded one – it’s a serendipitous list of travel ideas; some of them can be added together or mixed one with another where geography, or an aircraft allows. Where relevant we have given you a web address so you can read more about any of the ideas. If you just want to book something yourself that’s fine, but if you want us to design something into a wider itinerary just let us know.

“These two will use their own experience to flesh out your travel plans. They know what works and what doesn’t. They keep coming back to you until the itinerary is right for you. If they are available, then grab them.” 

Marc Quinn

Canada

Winnipeg to Churchill on the Hudson Bay line, over 2 days. This line runs from the provincial capital of Manitoba to Churchill, on the Hudson Bay. Canada’s only Arctic port, Churchill is reached on a line which rests precariously on the muskeg, the bog, which covers parts of the route. The wheat fields at the start of the route give way to deciduous and then boreal forests before the trees give way to taiga, the barren lands beset at times by such strong winds that the trackside telephone lines are carried on tripods. Truly a rail route into the wilderness, this train ride leads you to the lands where polar bears can be seen – but that’s another story. For more information www.viarail.ca

India

Bangalore to Bangalore in 8 days on the Golden Chariot. Less well-known than most other India luxury train rides and focused on the south of the country, the Golden Chariot covers Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka on two different itineraries. During your week aboard there are off-train visits to game reserves, temples, French Pondicherry, time on a houseboat, and a visit to Hampi, home to the stone chariot that gives the train its name. This trip will not help you to meld into authentic India, but if it’s a cocoon of luxury for a week that you want this is an ideal train trip. For more information www.goldenchariottrain.com

Neral to Matheran, in Maharashtra in 2 hours. An interesting side-trip from Mumbai, this narrow-gauge line, built in 1907, starts at Neral Junction and runs for just 21 kilometres, climbing almost continuously, offering increasingly dramatic views over the plains below. Its so slow that you can jump off, run alongside and get ahead of the train to take a photograph. The line takes you to Matheran, traffic-free and dotted with colonial buildings. For more information www.indiarailinfo.com

Japan

Fukuoka to Fukuoka in 4 days. The Kyushu Seven Stars train was Japan’s first luxury sleeper train, starting operations in 2013. It is the complete antithesis of Japan’s bullet trains, designed to travel slowly, and consisting of only 7 carriages, with only 12 en-suite rooms and 2 luxury suites. The route meanders through Kyushu island, in the southwest of Japan, a region of hills, forests of cyprus and bamboo and dramatic coastlines. This 4 days trip (there is also a shorter 2-day version) includes an off-train night in a luxury ryokan, a traditional inn. For more information www.cruisetrain-sevenstars.com

Peru 

Lima to Huancayo in 12 hours. The Tren De Sierra can be a challenge to fit into an itinerary as it is infrequent and pays little attention to time, and luxurious it is not. The line, built in 1907, climbs into the mountains via some 58 bridges, 69 tunnels, and 6 switchbacks over its 170 kilometres, and the altitude – it reaches 4783 metres in the tunnel at Galera – means that attendants are on hand to provide oxygen for those needing it. Indeed, until recently this was the world’s highest passenger railway, until the line to Lhasa was built. This is a great side-trip if you are visiting Lima, but time needs to be allowed for delays, so a tight itinerary is not recommended. For more information www.ferrocarrilcentral.com.pe

Serbia and Montenegro

Belgrade to Bar by Rail. Unlike many of our favourite rail journeys this is not on board a luxury train; the trip is best seen as an adventure and a throwback in time. Work on the 296-mile route commenced in 1952 when Yugoslavia still existed. By the time it opened in 1976 Yugoslavia had ceased to exist and instead the route linked two countries – inland Serbia and Montenegro on the Adriatic coast. The line starts at Belgrade’s faded railway station, built in 1884 and once a major stop on the Orient Express route. Much of the line runs across farmland, with stone farmhouses set amidst plum trees and vegetable gardens. But the highlight of this 12-hour journey comes around sunset, with dramatic sunset views of the Dinaric Aps, and a highlight when the train crosses the Mala Rijeka Viaduct. At 200 metres in height this is one of the world’s highest railway bridges. Then come views of Lake Skadar, lying on the Montenegro-Abania border, before the line winds down into the Montenegran Adriatic port of Bar. The carriages are worn, the catering is rudimentary – bring your own food – so this is something of a demanding experience. But a fascinating throwback to an earlier Balkans, in a little-known part of Europe.

South Africa and Zimbabwe

Winelands and Waterfalls

Start in Cape-town, with a trip to Stellenbosch and the winelands. By private car, with a few wine samples aboard, or have a lie-in and helicopter there for wine-tasting and lunch. Back to Cape-town on the back of a chauffeur-driven Harley. From Cape-town catch a luxury train to an overnight in Pretoria before a three-day journey aboard one of South Africa’s luxury trains. Nights are spend on board, and days pass rolling across the Karoo and into Zimbabwe, through Hwange National park, with time for game-viewing, en route to Victoria Falls. See the ‘falls from the water then end up with a helicopter ride over the Zambesi before jetting back home.

Spain

Bilbao to Ferrol by Rail. A slow journey this, on Europe’s longest narrow-gauge railway. It’s a 400 -mile run, constructed in 1965 as a local railway linking rural villages. The entire trip, if you choose to travel the line in one day, takes some 15 hours across the Basque country to Galicia, travelling through tunnels and along ravines, traversing the green-clad mountains of some of Spain’s most isolated regions. This is not one through train; changes of train are necessary: from Bilbao a first train runs to Santander, where a change of train takes then follows a wild route through the Picos de Europa, calling at Oviedo. From here a third train runs west, the little narrow-gauge train stopping at isolated stations in the middle of nowhere before reaching the unspoilt coast of Galicia and so to Ferrol. Whilst the trip can be done in one long day, it is far better to take several days, maybe a week or so, breaking the journey along the way, to sample the tapas, cheeses, stews and seafood of the region. The line links so many taste sensations it is a pity not to stop off and linger along the way.

USA

Chama to Antonito and back in 7 hours. This is the longest and highest narrow-gauge heritage railway in the US. Linking New Mexico and Colorado, the line, some 100kilometres in length, crosses the Cumbres Pass at 3053metres and meanders through numerous tunnels, over many trestles and via several loops and across the grasslands of the Rocky Mountains. Still operated by the Denver and Rio Grande Western steam locomotives, the line has featured in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and several other movies. As trains start at both ends of the line, they meet at Osier station where there is the choice of having lunch then returning to the start-point, or instead continuing to the end of the line. This side-trip needs to be planned for some-time between May and October, when the trains run. For more info www.cumbrestoltec.com

Venice

Travel to Venice on the Orient Express…stay at the Cipriani… private tour of the islands… fly home by private jet.
14 people for 4 days

Zimbabwe

The Stimela Star. If you have taken the Orient Express and are looking for another luxury train ride, try the new overnight sleeper train service in Zimbabwe. The Stimela Star will operate from Vic Falls to Hwange National Park. Two restored carriages hook onto the regular Vic Falls to Bulawayo service, leaving early evening, with drinks then dinner before you turn in to your cozy but comfortable cabin. In the early hours the train reaches Dete, where your carriage is shunted into a siding leaving you to sleep on until breakfast at 7am, after which you depart for your chosen lodge. An interesting way to move on overnight from Vic Falls to the wildlife wonders of Hwange National Park.