Train holidays
Tailor-made rail journeys
Some of our favourite travel moments happen with a window seat and nowhere in particular to be. On a train you can watch the landscape change slowly outside, from tea-covered hills and tropical forest to high desert canyons and snowy peaks, while sharing snacks bought from a platform vendor with the people in the next seat. We've chosen rail journeys that are a highlight in their own right, and each one can be added to a tailor-made holiday built around you, with tickets, seat reservations and transfers all arranged by your specialist.
Why travel by train
Travelling by rail turns the time between destinations into part of the holiday. Instead of a dash to the airport, you settle in with a book and a cup of tea, watching villages, rivers and mountain passes roll by at a pace that gives you time to take them in. Trains are also where everyday life happens in many of the countries we travel to. You might share a carriage with families heading home for the weekend, students on their way to the city or tea pickers at the end of a shift, and those small conversations often become the stories you bring home. As a B Corp, we look for ways to keep the footprint of your trip lighter, and swapping an internal flight for a train is one of the simplest. Overland journeys also let you stop off in smaller towns along the line that you'd otherwise fly straight over.
Asia
Trains are part of everyday life across much of Asia, and a rail journey is often where you'll feel closest to it. You might wake to tea and the clatter of breakfast trolleys on a sleeper rolling south through Vietnam, climb slowly into the misty tea hills of Sri Lanka, or cross China in a few hours by bullet train before slowing down again in the countryside. Vendors pass along the carriages with snacks, families settle in for the long haul and the view outside shifts from rice paddies to mountains.
South America
South America has fewer passenger railways than Asia, but the ones still running take you through some remarkable scenery. Follow the Urubamba River through the Sacred Valley towards Machu Picchu, wind down from Curitiba through tropical forest and waterfalls on the Serra Verde Express, or climb into the high desert of Argentina's north-west, where the Train to the Clouds crosses bridges and tunnels more than 4,000 metres up. Most of these journeys last a day or less, so they slot easily into a wider holiday.
North America
In Canada, the train is a relaxed way to take in the sheer size of the Rockies. On the Rocky Mountaineer you'll travel past snow-capped peaks, glassy lakes and dense forest, with regional dishes served on board, before stepping off to explore the national parks on foot. It sits comfortably alongside a self-drive through Western Canada.
How it works
Every train holiday we arrange is private and tailor-made, so you can build your trip around one great rail journey or link several together.
- Browse the journeys above and choose the ones that appeal.
- Tell your Destination Specialist how you like to travel, whether that's a cosy sleeper berth, a seat on the scenic side or time to stop off along the line.
- Your specialist books your tickets, seat reservations and transfers to and from the station, and builds the rest of your holiday around them.
Our specialists have ridden many of these routes themselves, so they can tell you which side to sit on, what to pack for an overnight trip and when to book for busy seasons. Get in touch to start planning.