Train journeys | Holiday Travel Guides & Tips | Traveller

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Train journeys

The Solkan Bridge, Slovenia.

I visited eight European countries without flying, and loved it

My epic 40-day journey marks a grand return to rail travel, unlocking the sheer pleasure of seeing the continent unfold at ground level.

  • by Tim Richards
The Hakutaka Shinkansen.
★★★★1/2
Japan

Train review: What’s not to love about a Japanese bullet train?

The scenery is spectacular, the carriage warm and comfortable, the food top-notch, and the arrival – in a not-exactly-shocking turn of events – is bang on time.

  • by Ben Groundwater
Rail in Los Angeles has begun to flourish.

Train travel is making a major comeback in the US, especially in LA

Rail has languished, if not disappeared, in many parts of the US, but a new plan will restore old services and create new ones.

  • by Julietta Jameson
The regular commuter trains in Switzerland afford admirable views.

$6600 v $127: How to travel Europe’s spectacular train routes on the cheap

The Orient-Express takes you from Paris to Venice for $6600 but you can make the same rail journey in a sleeper for about $127.

  • by Brian Johnston
The Chisos Mountains, Big Bend National Park.

Our train journey was cancelled hours before departure. Here’s what we did

I never planned to drive across the US. But when our leisurely rail journey is upended due to a strike, a road adventure of cultural contradictions begins.

  • by Roy Masters
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ON TRACK TO OHIYA: Sri Lanka has over 1500 kilometres of railway line and the higher you get the more scenic the journey. From Nan Uoya, at 1613 metres, it's an hour by train to Sri Lanka's third highest railway station at 1774 metres. Ohiya opened in 1893 as part of a British colonial government network created to transport tea and coffee from the hill country to the port of Colombo. The best views of villages, farms and forest on this north-to-south route are from the right-hand side of the train. Tickets can be bought on the day at the station and dangling your limbs out the windows and doors is permitted.

One of the world’s most spectacular train rides costs less than $10

Chugging along at 40km/h past tea plantations, gorges, rivers, waterfalls, viaducts and villages is slow travel at its finest.

  • by Julia D'Orazio
LNER train - Edinburgh-London.
★★★★
Edinburgh

Train review: Scotland to England journey is stress-free and cheap

The ease of boarding and disembarking in the city centres, close enough to walk to hotels, brings the blood pressure down and saves on Uber fares.

  • by Kristie Kellahan
The new terminal.
★★★★
Thailand

This spacious new Thai station is futuristic and utterly generic

Bangkok’s new rail hub is impressive, even if it looks like a modern airport terminal minus the shopping mall.

  • by John Borthwick
Scenery changes around every bend.

The surprising thing about this epic rail trek across the US

This Seattle-to-Chicago sleeper’s dining cars are functional rather than fancy, but there’s an unexpected benefit to being slotted in with random strangers.

  • by Tim Richards
Niagara Falls’ sheer power is a thing of wonder.

One of Canada’s most scenic regions can be done by train

Bounded by three of the Great Lakes, this area west of Toronto is dotted with fascinating places – just a train ride from Canada’s largest city.

  • by Tim Richards