The 18 Best Train Routes Around the World

For 20 years, Koji Karaike had a vision of a deluxe sleeper touring Kyushu, the southwesternmost of Japan’s major islands, as if the Orient Express had been shipped to a Pacific paradise. In 2013, Karaike—now chairman of Kyushu Railway—made his dream a reality. The ultra-luxurious Seven Stars runs two- and four-night trips in a loop along the island’s shores, with stops to take in history lessons and sublime vistas.

The Belmond Andean Explorer journeys throughout the Peruvian Andes, making it one of the highest train journeys on earth. Cabins come in double, twin, and bunk bed configurations, each with its own ensuite bathroom, and are decorated with hand-woven fabrics and Alpaca wool throws. Two elegant dining cars will showcase the bounty of the Andes and an open-air observation car allows travelers to take in breathtaking vistas while sipping Pisco sours. One-night and two-night itineraries will run from Cusco to Lake Titicaca and in reverse, with stops to explore the Colca Canyon and UNESCO World Heritage Site, Arequipa.

While riding the Bernina Express, which takes just over four hours, you get a view of two million years in geological time, traveling from ski country in the Alps down to the palm trees of Italy, passing through 55 tunnels, 196 bridges and viaducts, and multiple hairpin turns along the way. Panoramas through the train's large windows showcase perfect views of the Landwasser viaduct and the Bernina pass. UNESCO considered the Albula and Bernina line of the Rhaetian Railway so gorgeous that the organization named it a World Heritage Site.

This adventurous Peruvian ride follows a dizzying spiral up a slope of the Andes. Coca tea is served on board to ease the altitude headaches. The ride can be taken as a one-way journey, or as part of a package, which includes extras like two full days of programmed touring, hotel accommodations, and a welcome dinner. The route operates 12 days a year (with one journey each month).

Rail hounds used to say the real name of the GWR was "God's Wonderful Railway," and it's easy to see why once the train leaves London and ventures into some truly iconic countryside. Castles, rivers, puffy clouds, thatched roofs: It's all here. Routes vary, but each promises idyllic English countryside scenes, and many rides allow you to experience a sweep of the English Channel and the crashing of the waves making salt splashes on the windows.

The Deutsche Bahn overnight train, called ÖBB Nightjet, also happens to be one of the most comfortable overnight rides in the world. Luxe bedding, private showers, restrooms in the sleeper cars, and breakfast served in your compartment make this a classy way to speed across Europe. Dining cars serving local cuisine are sometimes—but not always—hitched on.

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The Blue Train is one of the world's most sybaritic modes of transportation, complete with Champagne and uniformed butlers. Your 19th century-inspired ride whisks you through the Karoo desert with routes from Pretoria to Cape Town and Pretoria to Kruger National Park. As you can imagine, traveling from the idyllic landscape of Pretoria to Kruger National Park aboard this luxury train is, indeed, the most opulent way to kick off a South African safari.

Rovos Rail offers journeys that range in length from two days to 15 nights. No matter the length of your journey, the African rail experience offers plenty of golden-age glamour: dining carriages rebuilt to recapture their 1930s style, Pullman sleeper cars with original 1940s fittings and window-side writing desks, and Royal Suites with polished wood and claw-foot tubs. During southern Africa’s warmer months—September to April—the trips alternate between diesel and electric engines as they travel through landscapes like the fields of Witwatersrand, the Magaliesberg Mountains, and the Tropic of Capricorn.

Launched in 2010 as a nostalgic nod to the personal carriages of royal maharajas, this opulently decorated train offers round-the-clock personal butlers, fine Indian cuisine served on Limoges china, and craft cocktails poured in cut-crystal glasses. The Maharajas' Express hosts four distinct journeys October through April; excursions along the route from Jaipur to Delhi, for instance, offer the chance to splurge at local bazaars, paint and ride elephants, and take Jeep safaris through sepia-hued expanses, where Bengal tigers bask in the sun.

The art deco icon from the 1920s has been immortalized in the pages of Agatha Christie, the films of Hitchcock and, most recently, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s hypnotizing short film commissioned by Chanel, Train de Nuit. Today’s voyages—ranging from one to four nights—run between the ports of Paris, Venice, Verona, and London. The train features the sumptuous, onyx-lacquer dining carriage, L’Oriental—originally a 1927 Pullman kitchen car. The bar car, built in France in 1931, has been reappointed with elegant art nouveau details and inspires both fine evening dress and perhaps two well-applied drops of French perfume. Take in the passing scenery over leisurely multicourse meals, and sip classic cocktails in the bar cart where a resident pianist entertains guests.

Whether you opt for a one-night jaunt from London to Edinburgh or plunge into the heart of the Highlands on the seven-night Grand Tour of Great Britain, the 36-passenger Belmond Royal Scotsman offers a country-house atmosphere with Edwardian flourishes. Meals feature plenty of games. For more formal dinners, gentlemen are encouraged to spiff up with either a tux or kilt. Cabins have their own rich marquetry, private bathrooms, and ceiling fans.

The British royal family has used some of Al Andalus’ carriages on their journeys from Calais to the Côte d’Azur. Royalty or not, all travelers will enjoy the onboard and off-board indulgences of this Belle Époque-inspired train. You’ll find aristocratic dining cars, 1929 sleeper suites, and little luxuries in the bathrooms, such as steam saunas and hydrotherapy massages. On the six-day Andulsian itinerary, you’ll travel through Spain and can see performances by majestic Andalusian horses, try Flamenco dancing, and visit the 14th-century Moorish palace and fortress home at the Alhambra, where you’ll have lunch in a serene, glass-enclosed garden. Just be sure to plan ahead by at least six months for the best rates and availability.

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Few day trips by rail carry more glamour than the carriages of the Belmond British Pullman—some of which have been used by the British royal family, and two of which were part of Winston Churchill’s funeral train. Another sibling of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, the train features impeccably restored vintage cars that once ran on legendary lines, such as the Brighton Belle and the Golden Arrow. Nostalgic train fans will love the Champagne-soaked day trip through the British countryside. The timing of your journey will vary depending on which day trip you choose, but all day trips operate with round-trip service through London’s Victoria Station.

Named for the explorer who, in 1911, discovered the 15th-century Incan ruins, the Belmond Hiram Bingham is the most stylish route to Machu Picchu. The 1920s-inspired Pullman cars, with polished wood and brass, carry passengers on a three-and-a-half-hour journey through the countryside, starting outside the capital city of Cusco. A Peruvian band plays while bartenders serve Pisco sours, or you can sit in the caboose’s cushioned observation deck as the landscape of the Sacred Valley breezes past. On the way out, you’ll enjoy a brunch of traditional Peruvian appetizers and regional wines, and on the way back, a multicourse Andean-inspired meal.

Travelers aboard the Golden Eagle’s two-week trans-Siberian expedition are in for a wild ride. They will cover 6,000 miles, crossing eight time zones, traveling a quarter of the way around the world in the process. But with luxurious amenities like a Champagne welcome reception, heated floors, and dedicated butler service, guests can settle into their seats and focus on taking in the uniquely Russian scenery—from the Ural Mountains dividing Europe and Asia to the classic wooden architecture of Irkutsk—as Tchaikovsky symphonies play gently in the background. Don’t miss the freshwater seals at Lake Baikal.

This is a trip so regal, it attracted royalty in the form of Queen Elizabeth II, who traveled in a Royal Canadian Pacific train shortly after her marriage to the Duke of Edinburgh. The train can be rented for private charters, but typically offers a six-day, five-night excursion, which begins and ends in Calgary, scales the Spiral Tunnels of Yoho National Park, during which the Royal Canadian climbs 1,070 feet in 10 miles of track along a narrow mountain pass. Perilous? Perhaps, but the views of the Rocky Mountains afforded by this near-vertical trek are some of the most spectacular in the world. Other highlights include the opportunity to lounge by the emerald waters of Lake Louise in the unspoiled wilderness of Banff National Park.

When the Bergensbanen railway opened in 1909, the town of Flåm (meaning “little place between steep mountains”) became a hub for travelers wanting to experience the fjords, mountains, and waterfalls of Norway firsthand. Today, the Flåm Railway, a private branch of the Bergensbanen line, offers a spectacular two-hour glimpse of the steep precipices and snowcapped mountain slopes that make up the majestic Norwegian landscape. The train roars through the world’s deepest fjord and then up the mountain, with views of rivers cutting through deep ravines, waterfalls tumbling over cliffs, and even a tiny wooden church (dating back to 1667) nestled in the side of the mountain.

The train might be in Australia, but the name is shortened from "Afghanistan" and pays homage to the camel drivers who used to traverse the route through the heart of the continent. Barramundi and grilled kangaroo are served in the dining car, and platinum service gets you views from both sides of the train in your sleeper carriage. The Ghan operates multiple routes through Australia, from Darwin to Adelaide over seven nights to an eight-night wine country tour from Perth to Sydney.