Slow Travel by Rail: Journeys Where the Train Is the Holiday

A rail holiday is the one kind of trip where the travelling is part of what you booked. You have a window beside you and a table in front of you, and the country goes past at a speed you can take in. On some of the best routes the slowness is deliberate: the Glacier Express is known as the slowest express train in the world!

Why rail suits a slower holiday

A train sets the pace for you. Stations sit in the middle of cities, so you step off close to where you are staying, and Eurostar takes 2 hours 16 minutes from London St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord, centre to centre.

Daytime trains and sleeper trains make for different holidays. The Rocky Mountaineer in Canada runs in daylight only and stops each night at a hotel, so you see every mile between Vancouver and the Rockies. Sleeper trains such as the Ghan, the Indian Pacific and the Blue Train cover a continent while you eat dinner on board, sleep in your cabin and wake up hundreds of kilometres further on.

The journey also joins up with the rest of the trip. The West Highland Line ends at Mallaig, where ferries run to Skye and the Small Isles, and the Flam Railway starts at the head of the Aurlandsfjord.

Passenger leaning out of a blue train window beside a green hillside

Journeys in Britain and Europe

Rail-inclusive city breaks, UK: the train, a central hotel and time for a show, a river cruise or the shops, planned around the city you choose.
Glacier Express, Switzerland: Zermatt to St Moritz in about 8 hours, through 91 tunnels and across 291 bridges, over the Oberalp Pass at 2,033 m. Seat reservations are compulsory.
Bernina Express, Switzerland and Italy: Chur or St Moritz to Tirano, over the Bernina Pass at 2,253 m and around the Brusio spiral viaduct, on a line UNESCO listed in 2008. Chur to Tirano takes about 4 hours, and the panoramic carriages need a seat reservation.
Flam Railway, Norway: 20 km and 20 tunnels in about an hour, climbing from the Aurlandsfjord to Myrdal. Most of the line runs at a gradient of 5.5%, which makes it one of the steepest standard-gauge railways in the world.
Bergen Line, Norway: Oslo to Bergen in about 6 hours 30 minutes, through 182 tunnels and up to 1,237 m at its highest point. Myrdal, at the top of the Flam Railway, is on this line.
West Highland Line, Scotland: Glasgow to Mallaig in about 5 hours 30 minutes, crossing the Glenfinnan Viaduct above Loch Shiel, the viaduct from the Harry Potter films.
Venice Simplon-Orient-Express: Belmond’s train of restored carriages from the 1920s to the 1950s. It runs from London and Paris to Venice, and in 2026 from Paris to Istanbul over 5 nights, 3 of them on board, via Budapest and Bucharest.
El Transcantábrico Gran Lujo, Spain: Renfe’s train along the north coast between Santiago de Compostela and San Sebastián, in either direction, over 8 days and 7 nights through Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque Country.
Royal Scotsman, Scotland: Belmond’s sleeper train, leaving Edinburgh Waverley on circular routes through the Highlands, with the nights spent on board.

Journeys further afield

Rocky Mountaineer, Canada: Vancouver to Banff, Lake Louise or Jasper in 2 days of daylight travel, with a night in a hotel at Kamloops.
The Indian Pacific, Australia: 4,352 km from Sydney to Perth across the Nullarbor Plain.
The Ghan, Australia: 2,979 km from Adelaide to Darwin through Alice Springs. Uluru is not on the line, but a stay there can be added from Alice Springs by road, between two legs of the Ghan.
Andean Explorer, Peru: Belmond’s sleeper train between Cusco, Lake Titicaca and Arequipa, on journeys of 1 or 2 nights.
Vistadome, Peru: PeruRail’s panoramic-window train to Machu Picchu from Poroy near Cusco or from Ollantaytambo, about an hour and a half from the Sacred Valley.
Blue Train, South Africa: Pretoria to Cape Town, about 1,600 km over 2 nights, with a stop at Kimberley.
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, India: a UNESCO World Heritage railway since 1999. The short joy ride from Darjeeling to Ghum goes around the Batasia Loop.
Eastern & Oriental Express, Southeast Asia: Belmond’s sleeper train, with journeys in Malaysia and, on its full route, between Singapore and Bangkok. I confirm the route for your dates when I plan it.

For more routes, my guide Great Rail Journeys From Around the World collects favourite train rides chosen by travel bloggers.

Rail and sail

A train can also be the start of a cruise. Eurostar from London St Pancras reaches Paris Gare du Nord in 2 hours 16 minutes, with a bar carriage in Standard class and power sockets at every seat. I can plan the rail leg to the ship alongside the cruise itself. My guide to choosing a cruise holiday explains the difference between ocean, river and expedition cruises.

What a rail holiday usually includes

A rail holiday links several places in one trip, and a tour from a specialist operator usually includes more than the train:

All rail and coach travel throughout the tour
Hotels from 3 to 5 stars
Some tours and excursions
Extra excursions by cruise or boat
A selection of meals, including breakfasts, lunches and dinners
Flights or Eurostar from the UK

Questions about rail holidays

“It costs too much.” Trains outside the UK are often a lot more cost-effective than people expect, so don’t let cost put you off. Rail holidays run from a few nights in Europe to long journeys on trains such as the Blue Train, and I work to your budget.

“I can plan it myself.” You could, but why would you when someone can sort out the logistics and make sure the whole trip works? Seat reservations are compulsory on the Glacier Express and the Bernina Express panoramic carriages, connections need to be realistic, and the hotel needs to be close to the station. I book and plan all of it, so you can enjoy the journey.

“What if a train is delayed or I miss a connection?” Call me while you are travelling on a holiday I have booked and I sort it out. I keep the route clear and the pace realistic so connections are not tight to begin with. When the car broke down outside Namur on a trip through northern France, Belgium and Luxembourg, the next leg went by train instead, and I wrote about that trip in Travel That Doesn’t Try to Do Everything.

Why book your rail holiday with me

As a travel agent I have 30 years of adventure travel experience, and I have visited around 80 countries myself, so my advice comes from experience and not from a brochure. You can see the rail holidays I plan on my rail holidays page.

Call or WhatsApp 0117 452 1159 or email bridget@worldclassadventures.co.uk.