Luxury Train Travel: Europe, Africa, Asia and North America
Train travel anywhere in the world has a romanticism about it that cannot be replicated in air travel. Holidays on trains are gaining popularity because of the leisure, comfort and luxury that they can offer to the discerning traveler. In this jet-setting age of hurried travel plans, of lengthy check-ins and impersonal journeys, train travel offers an unbeatable experience. One has come to realize that the journey is as important as the destination.
The feeling of being one with the locals, of experiencing the sights and smells of the places at close quarters, of leisurely holidays, of breathtaking scenic routes, all this combine to make train travel a unique and unforgettable experience for any holiday maker.
The efficient railway networks in most countries make booking tickets or buying Train Passes an easy process. Eurail, for instance offers Eurail Passes, which is a great and economic way of touring Europe by train. With off-season discounts and great holiday packages, train travel has become a part of the vacation plans, as it gives time to sit back and relax and enjoy the passing landscapes and visit many places in a very comfortable way.
The competitive rail tours prices lure the travelers as much as the breathtaking scenery outside the windows of the trains. With travel agents offering great deals and a number of railway networks all over the world offering Train Cards train travel is becoming more and more attractive to the tourists.
Luxury train travel especially lets you experience the fascinating and enchanting beauty of the landscapes in five-star luxurious comfort. To feast your eyes on the breath-taking countryside of Europe or to feel like erstwhile royalty of India or to see the rugged beauty of Africa, nothing fits the bill better than train travel.
Some luxury train travels have become extremely popular for their exclusivity, comfort and the facilities they offer. The Orient Express has been one of the most popular luxury trains of all times. The legendary Venice Simplon Orient Express takes you on the famous London-Paris-Venice route which can be termed as a dream journey with dream destinations.
The Royal Scotsman is an amazing way of touring Scotland and is described as one of the world’s greatest travel experiences. The journey takes you through ever-changing landscapes and wild countryside of Scotland.
The Pullman Orient Express and The Palladium offer one of the most authentic French experiences, as they traverse through some of the most beautiful landscapes and places in France.
Switzerland with its untouched beauty and enchanting landscapes boasts of trains like Glacier Express, Bernina Express and Chocolate Train among others which journey through the most scenic routes in the world.
The Palace on Wheels in India is counted among the top ten luxury train journeys in the world. The train combines five-star luxury with the adventure of train travel in a royal style. It gives you a first-hand taste of the royal way of life in India.
In Africa one can choose between the Blue Train and the Rovos Train both of which offer a luxurious way of discovering the rugged landscapes of Africa.
If some train journeys provide you with luxury and comfort others can be tried for the sheer experience of travelling on those trains. Japan’s Shinkansen, known popularly as the Bullet Train, or the very efficient ICEs of Germany or the Eurostar Trains and TGV trains of Europe, all offer great travelling experiences. The longest and the most famous of all these train journeys is the Trans-Siberian Express, which starts in Moscow and finishes in Vladivostok. This is a unique journey taking 6 days, as it passes 87 cities and towns, crossing 10 time zones.
Be it for the adventure or to get a glimpse of the country at close quarters or to just enjoy the journey, train journeys offer much more than any other mode of travelling.