What are you looking for in your next vacation? It can be hard to decide how to spend your well-earned vacation with so many amazing opportunities all over the world. While it might be tempting to go for the typical vacation down south where you can lay on a beach all day (certainly doesn’t sound bad for this time of year), sometimes it can be even better to seek out those atypical and unique vacation ideas.
How often have you thought of embarking on a train trip for your next vacation? Probably not at the top of your bucket list, but you might be surprised by what they can offer. There are so many train tours from around the world that allow you to take in the amazing scenery while relaxing in luxury. Check out some of the best train trips from around the world.
The Rocky Mountaineer
We’ll start with our homeland and a train tour of one of the most beautiful locations in Canada. Really, there’s no wrong way to see the Rockies, but this trip spanning from Vancouver to Banff is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. There’s no bad time to travel with each season offering a different type of beauty and each offering a new view of those picture-perfect Rockies.
Venice Simplon-Orient-Express
If anyone has read Agatha Christie’s novel or seen the several cinematic adaptions (including last year’s retelling) of Murder on the Orient Express then this railway is no doubt a dream trip. A legendary and historic journey through some of Europe’s most beautiful places, from London to Venice, all in the glamour and luxury of a bygone era.
Blue Train
Though the Orient Express might hold the title of most famous of train line in the world, this African line is widely renowned and an ideal way to experience one of the most beautiful areas of a continent so few of us have visited. Spanning South Africa, this luxury line will let you travel the land like kings while enjoying the stunning scenery and a stop at an authentic diamond mine.
Glacier Express
While there’s a variety of beautiful locations to travel by train, it’s hard not to imagine taking a railway journey along beautiful mountain landscapes. If that rings true for you, this Swiss journey will seem to have come right out of your dreams. A scenic wonderland going from the mountain meadows to the snowy peaks.
Maharajas’ Express
India certainly has a lot to offer in the way of unforgettable train journeys, and it’s hard to narrow it down to one particular line, but you just can’t go wrong with this historic and luxury line. An immersive and unique travel experience which offers far more than pretty locales passing by the window.
TranzAlpine
New Zealand has some of the most beautiful scenery in the world and if you can bare the flight over there, this is one of the most recommended methods of experiencing as much as that beauty as possible. A relatively short trip compared to some of the others on this list, this is the kind where you just want to sit yourself by the window and enjoy.
Train to the Clouds
With a name like that, how could you possibly resist? If you want to reach for new heights on your train journey, this Argentinian route can certainly accommodate. Like the New Zealand trek, it’s a bit of a shorter trip, though certainly much higher, reaching a max of nearly 14,000 ft. in its climb.
Belmond Grand Hibernian
There is no wrong way to experience the gorgeous land of Ireland, but if you’re looking to kick back and soak in all that greenery while relaxing in comfort, this is the train for you. Various accommodating cabins are available from families or solo travellers to eat drink and relax in their private rooms while (literally) counting sheep.
The Trans-Siberian
Another widely known train journey and one of the most epic you could find in the world. Not for the casual traveller, this is a sizable undertaking, spanning a total of eight different time zones when it’s all said and done. Though if you’re not saving up for anything special, you could splurge (really splurge) on a luxury ticket and travel in style.