Known in English as the Old Patagonian Express, the La Trochita is a steam train ploughing a narrow-gauge railway in Patagonia, Argentina. It’s an incredibly stunning journey, sandwiches between the plains of Patagonia and the peaks of the Andes, with the train pulled by steam locomotives and offering photo opportunities at every moment. Now a […]
Tag: scenic railway
The Devil’s Nose Train was known one of the world’s greatest engineering feats when it was built in Ecuador in 1908, connecting the coastal city of Guayaquil and the capital, Quito, high up in the Andes Mountains. The railway builders had to tackle a near-vertical wall of rock known as El Nariz del Diablo (The […]
Categories
Copper Canyon Railway – Mexico
The Copper Canyon Railway is a true engineering feat, allowing travellers and locals alike the chance to see the majestic Copper Canyon, nestled in the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range. The railroad marvel took almost 90 years and 90 million dollars to complete, chugging along 653 kilometres of track between Chihuahua, Chihuahua and Los Mochis […]
If you’re going to travel to one of the world’s greatest destinations, then why not do it in style? Named after the explorer who rediscovered the ancient citadel of Machu Picchu, the Belmond Hiram Bingham is operated by luxury hotel and leisure group Belmond, taking guests on an opulent adventure from Cusco to Machu Picchu […]
The Little Yellow Train is a historic metre-gauge railway in the French Pyrenees. The train takes passengers on a spectacular journey through the stunning countryside, starting at Villefranche de Conflent and journeying to the summit at Bolquère Eyne – France’s highest railway station at 1,592 metres. Finishing its journey at Latour de Carol, high up […]
The Trenino Verde (green train) is one of Sardinia’s hidden gems, and is a must-do for visitors to this paradise Mediterranean island. It’s easily the best way to explore Sardinia’s rugged landscapes and the exciting ports dotted all over the island. Designed especially for travellers, the line has been around for almost 150 years and […]
The ‘Riviera Railway’ is easily one of the most scenic railway journeys in the world, journeying from glitzy Cannes on the French Riviera to the terracotta town of Ventimiglia in Italy’s Liguria. It’s an adventure of pastel-hued ports and incredible sea views, as the train hugs the Mediterranean coastline stopping at some of the most […]
The Hoorn–Medemblik Heritage Railway is a popular heritage railway in the Netherlands. Run by the Museumstoomtram Hoorn Medemblik, it runs 20 kilometres from Hoorn to Medemblik through the Westfrisian countryside. The railway is famous for its vintage steam engines including the 7742 Bello locomotive, the only preserved light steam engine in the Netherlands. As well as enjoying a trip on some of […]
The Hollentalbahn translates into ‘Hell Valley Railway’ in English but don’t let this put you off. This fantastic railway is one of the best ways of travelling through Germany’s picturesque Black Forest and seeing some of the most dramatic scenery in the country. On a 66-mile route, you will travel between the historic towns of […]
The Glacier Express is the window to the Alps, a train snaking past snow-capped peaks, lush Swiss meadows and chocolate box towns. Not only is the scenery absolutely fantastic, but the train’s amenities are too, offering gourmet three-course lunches, clean, comfortable carriages and panoramic views. The route takes you from Zermatt at the foot of […]
No trip to the Italian island of Sicily is complete without a ride on the Circumetnea Train, well, not for lovers of slow romantic train travel that is. Travelling for 110km and three hours the train travels from the island’s second largest city, Catania, to the seaside town of Riposto. It almost entirely encircles Mount […]
The Centovalli Railway connects Locarno in Italian-speaking southern Switzerland with Domodossola in northern Italy. Known as both the ‘Centovallina’ or ‘Vigezzina’, the train offers a unique journey across both Switzerland and Italy, running through the Centovalli (meaning 100 valleys), rocky gorges and past many waterfalls. The train serves both transit traffic and tourists and is […]
Categories
Semmering Railway – Austrian Alps
It’s not just the journey through Austria’s eastern Alps that’s spectacular; the Semmering Railway itself is very special. Built between 1848 and 1854, the Railway boasts sixteen viaducts, fifteen tunnels and 100 bridges on the 42-kilometre journey between Gloggnitz and Murzzuschlag. This was the world’s first mountain railway and given the considerable engineering feat in […]
The Schynige Platte Railway is a scenic mountain railway that travels from Wilderswil up to the vantage point of Schynige Platte, located in the Bernese Highlands area of Switzerland. Covering just 7.3km, the route climbs to a height of 1,420 metres, offering passengers spectacular views of alpine pastures, forests and the glittering lakes Thun and […]
Loved by locals and travellers alike, the Odontotos Rack Railway runs from the villages of Diakopto to Kalavryta on the northern Peloponnese in southern Greece. Running on the world’s narrowest gauge (0.75m), the railway runs for 22 kilometres from Diakopto though the spectacular Vouraikos Gorge and the old Mega Spileo Monastery, stopping en route at […]
Categories
Mont Blanc Express – Switzerland
The Mont Blanc Express is a scenic mountain train that takes passengers across the Alps and Alpine villages, across Switzerland and France, linking Martigny and Chamonix at the foothills of Mont Blanc. The train has connected these regions for more than a century, stopping at key places and tourist attractions in the Chamonix valley and […]
Le Train de la Rhune railway is a scenic rail route in South-West France, in the beautiful Basque Country near the Spanish Border. The train takes passengers on a 10 km journey from Sare (near Saint-Jean-de-Luz) to the summit of the La Rhune Mountain, ascending to 905 metres in 35 minutes. First built in 1924, […]
Categories
Jungfrau Railway – Switzerland
Known as the ‘top of Europe’, the Jungfrau Railway is certainly not for the fainthearted, a nine-kilometre journey ascending 11,332 ft to the highest railway station in Europe. The railway was built in 1912, running from Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch, a viewing and adventure platform located between the Bernese Highlands and the Valais in Switzerland. […]
Arguably the greatest steam railway in the world, the Harz Railway, with three interconnecting lines, travels for 86 miles, stopping at 48 stations through the fairytale villages of Germany’s famous Harz mountains. This is Europe’s longest railway network and while other steam trains are now run for tourists only, this line serves the locals too. […]
The Gotthard Panorama Express isn’t just a train journey, it’s an epic adventure across the water and land by both train and boat. Known as the Wilhelm Tell Express until 2016, the route journeys from Lucerne to the lake town of Lugano in Switzerland’s Italian-speaking Ticino region. The journey takes 5 hours, 30 minutes and […]