SCENIC & ICONIC TRAIN JOURNEYS

Route Vancouver → Banff / Jasper — multiple routes through the Canadian Rockies

Countries

Duration 2 days rail (no overnight on train — hotel stops each night)

Best Season April–October; peak summer for wildflowers and wildlife

Price Range From ~CAD $1,300 (Silverleaf) to ~CAD $3,500+ (GoldLeaf) per person

Route Los Mochis → Chihuahua through Barranca del Cobre — 36 bridges, 86 tunnels

Countries

Duration ~13–15 hrs (standard train); 3 days with stops (Chepe Express)

Best Season October–April; avoid July–September (rainy season and landslide risk)

Price Range ~USD $40–150 (standard); ~USD $300–600 per segment (Chepe Express)

Route Cusco → Puno (Lake Titicaca) and Arequipa — through Andean altiplano

Countries

Duration 1–2 nights on board depending on route

Best Season April–October (dry season); avoid wet season November–March

Price Range From ~USD $850 per person (suite, one-way); full journey from ~USD $1,600+

Route Zermatt → St. Moritz (or reverse) via Andermatt — 291 bridges, 91 tunnels

Countries

Duration ~7.5–8 hours (one day)

Best Season Year-round; summer for alpine meadows, winter for snow

Price Range ~CHF 155 (2nd class) + CHF 47 panorama reservation; Swiss Travel Pass accepted

Route St. Moritz → Tirano, Italy — crosses the UNESCO Albula/Bernina rail landscape

Countries

Duration ~4 hours (St. Moritz–Tirano)

Best Season June–October for green passes; winter for snowscapes and frozen Lago Bianco

Price Range ~CHF 65 (2nd class) + CHF 14 reservation; Swiss Travel Pass accepted

Route London → Venice (classic route); also Paris, Prague, Istanbul and seasonal itineraries

Countries

Duration ~2 nights on board (London–Venice)

Best Season March–November; festive journeys available December

Price Range From ~USD $4,000 per person (cabin); grand suites from ~USD $7,000+

Route Singapore → Bangkok via Kuala Lumpur, Butterworth, and the River Kwai

Countries

Duration 3 nights on board

Best Season November–April (dry season); limited departures — book well ahead

Price Range From ~USD $2,000 per person (Pullman cabin); suites from ~USD $4,000+

Routes Trans-Siberian: Moscow → Vladivostok · Trans-Mongolian: Moscow → Beijing via Ulaanbaatar · Trans-Manchurian: Moscow → Beijing via Manchuria

Countries

Duration 6–7 days (Moscow–Vladivostok); 5–6 days (Trans-Mongolian)

Best Season May–September; winter crossings are possible but temperatures can reach −40°C

Price Range USD $150–800+ (independent, by class); guided tour packages from ~$2,000+

Route Sydney → Perth via Broken Hill, Adelaide, and the Nullarbor Plain — ~4,352 km

Countries

Duration ~65 hours / 4 days (includes off-train excursions)

Best Season April–October; Nullarbor summer (Dec–Feb) can be extreme

Price Range From AUD $1,199 (Red Service) to AUD $3,499+ (Gold Service) per person

Route Adelaide → Darwin through Alice Springs and the Red Centre — ~2,979 km

Countries

Duration ~54 hours / 2.5 days

Best Season May–October (dry and mild); summer heat and flooding risks Apr and Feb–Mar

Price Range From AUD $1,149 (Red Service) to AUD $4,099+ (Gold Service) per person

Routes Pretoria → Cape Town (2 nights); Pretoria → Victoria Falls (3 nights); longer safari routes to Tanzania and Mozambique

Countries

Duration 2 nights (short routes) to 15 days (Dar es Salaam–Cape Town grand safari)

Best Season Year-round; May–September for Big Five wildlife sightings

Price Range From ~USD $3,000 per person (short routes); grand safari from ~USD $10,000+

Route Pretoria → Cape Town via Matjiesfontein — ~1,600 km

Countries

Duration ~27 hours (1 night on board)

Best Season Year-round; October–March for Cape winelands

Price Range From ~USD $800 (Superior Suite) to ~USD $1,500+ (Deluxe Suite) per person