10 of the world’s greatest train journeys for your bucket list

There’s something incredibly nostalgic and romantic about train travel. Outside, the world might keep moving and changing at a frantic pace, but on board, the steamy whistles, the hissing of brakes being released and the gently clunking rhythm of wheels rumbling along rails are signals to slow down.

Stepping on board a train today connects travellers to the glamour of the Golden Age of rail, though modern, high-speed diesels, electrics and magnet trains now ferry travellers from A to B, too. The scenery in many parts of the world has stayed reassuringly timeless, though. Here are 10 of the world’s greatest rail journeys…

Copper Canyon Railway, Mexico

The Copper Canyon Railway runs for 650km between Los Mochis on Mexico’s Pacific coast and Chihuahua in the far north. The route could be done in a day, but you’d be crazy not to get off to explore the Copper Canyon system. The railway passes through 86 tunnels and crosses 37 bridges, while climbing from around sea level to altitudes of more than 2,400 metres, the scenery shifting from river valleys to pine forests, cliffs and deep gorges carved into the Sierra Madre Occidental, with no shortage of giant candelabra cacti. Stopping at Divisadero is a must, for the Parque de Aventura Barrancas del Cobre (adventure park), which has a cable car, exhilarating ziplines, via ferrata and show-stopping views.

10-day Mexico holiday with Journey Latin America from £4,332, including two-day rail journey and international flights; journeylatinamerica.com

The Ghan, Australia

Dining car aboard The Ghan in Australia

The Ghan

The Ghan crosses the Australian continent between Darwin and Adelaide, travelling almost 2,980km. The luxury train journey usually takes three days to traverse the country’s sparsely populated interior, linking tropical landscapes in the north with the vast deserts of the Red Centre, mountain ranges and the sprawling farmland around Adelaide. Scheduled stops allow passengers to explore the dramatic Nitmiluk Gorge, the historic Telegraph Station in Alice Springs, and Coober Pedy, an opal-mining town known for its underground homes.

13-days Australia holiday with Wexas from £6,485, including two nights on The Ghan and international flights; wexas.com

Bernina Railway, Switzerland-Italy

Running between Chur in Switzerland and Tirano in northern Italy, the Bernina Railway has some of the world’s most magnificent mountain scenery, climbing to 2,253 metres at the Bernina Pass, the highest railway crossing in Europe. Recognised as a Unesco World Heritage Site, it crosses 196 bridges and passes through 55 tunnels as it travels into the Italian-speaking Val Poschiavo Valley. Highlights include the Landwasser Viaduct, a 65-metre-high curved stone bridge.

Eight-day rail holiday with Planet Rail from £1,895, including Bernina Express and Glacier Express, and return trains from/to London St Pancras; planetrail.co.uk

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, India

This narrow-gauge railway connects New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal with Darjeeling in the Himalayan foothills. Opened in 1881, the railway climbs for more than 2,000 metres, passing tea plantations, forests, villages and mountain viewpoints, though the miniature locomotives, vintage coaches and slow pace are just as big a part of the journey’s appeal. One of the standout features is the Batasia Loop, where the train spirals around with views towards the snowy peak of Kanchenjunga, the world’s third highest mountain. Rail-side towns, markets, shops and tea stalls mean passengers can watch everyday life unfold from the window.

Nine-day India holiday with Greaves India from £2,999, including the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway and international flights; greavesindia.co.uk

Rocky Mountaineer, Canada

The Rocky Mountaineer, Canada

The world-famous Rocky Mountaineer has four main routes: three in Canada and one in the USA. It’s hard to beat the two-day, 900km Journey Through the Clouds route from Vancouver, on the Pacific coast, to Jasper, Alberta. A daylight train, rather than a sleeper, travellers stay overnight, mid-journey, in the town of Kamloops. Leaving Vancouver, the train follows the Fraser River before climbing into the glacial mountain scenery of the Canadian Rockies. Highlights along the way include Hell’s Gate, the Fraser and Thompson River canyons, Pyramid Falls, Mount Robson (the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies) and the spectacular approach into Jasper National Park. Keep your eyes peeled for wildlife, too, including bears, elk, moose, bighorn sheep and bald eagles.

11-day Canada holiday with Original Travel from £5,100, including two days on the Rocky Mountaineer and international flights; originaltravel.co.uk

West Highland Line, Scotland

Running from Glasgow’s Queen Street Station to the west coast fishing port of Mallaig, the West Highland Line covers around 264km and can be completed in a day, but most travellers spend several days jumping on and off. Leaving Glasgow, the railway passes the shores of Loch Lomond, descends through Glen Spean, beneath Ben Nevis. Beyond Fort William, the Glenfinnan Viaduct, a 100ft, 21-arch bridge overlooking Loch Shiel, was made famous by the Harry Potter films. The Jacobite Steam Train, which doubles as the Hogwarts Express in the films, travels across it on the journey from Fort William to Mallaig.

16-day rail holiday with McKinlay Kidd from £3,390, including the West Highland Line; mckinlaykidd.com

Reunification Express, Vietnam

Vietnam’s Reunification Express

Reunification Express,

The Reunification Express links Hanoi in the north with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) in the south. While that would be an epic voyage, most travellers ride individual sections, particularly the most scenic stretch, of around 100km, between Da Nang and Hue. The railway lines hug the eastern slopes of the Annamite mountains, passing between jungle-covered peaks and the South China Sea, before climbing up to Hai Van Pass, dropping down with memorable views across Lang Co Bay, a crescent of white sand, turquoise sea, fishing boats and a lagoon.

19-day Vietnam holiday with Rickshaw Travel from £3,574, including three journeys on the Reunification Express and international flights; rickshawtravel.co.uk

Andean Explorer, Peru

The Andean Explorer travels between Cusco, Lake Titicaca and Arequipa, covering around 750 miles, usually over three nights. The first and only luxury sleeper train in South America, it climbs to around 4,800 metres above sea level, making this one of the world’s highest-altitude rail adventures. Departing from the former Inca capital of Cusco, the train climbs into the high Andes, passing through the Altiplano’s snow-capped peaks, turquoise lakes and golden grasslands to reach sacred Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world and South America’s largest. While some travellers end their journey here, it’s well worth continuing south to Arequipa’s rugged volcanic landscapes, not least to see mighty Andean condors soaring over Colca Canyon.

Eight-day Peru holiday with cazenove+loyd from £8,699, including three days on the Andean Explorer, the Hiram Bingham train to Machu Picchu and international flights; cazloyd.com

Bergen Railway and Flåm Railway, Norway

Bergen, Norway

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The Bergen Railway and Flåm Railway create one of Europe’s classic rail journeys, linking Norway’s dramatic fjords with the remote high mountain plateau inland. The Flåm Railway travels 20km from Flåm on the Aurlandsfjord — a spectacular branch of Sognefjord in western Norway, the largest and deepest fjord in the country — to Myrdal mountain station, ascending over 860 metres in less than an hour. One of the world’s steepest standard-gauge railways, the train clatters by thundering waterfalls and snow-dusted mountainsides, with a stop at roaring Kjosfossen waterfall. From Myrdal, passengers can join the Bergen Railway for a 336km journey across the stark, almost treeless Hardangervidda plateau before descending through forests, farmlands and mirror-like lakes towards Oslo.

11-day Norway holiday with Scott Dunn from £9,300, taking in Oslo, including Bergen Railway and Flåm Railway and international flights; scottdunn.com

TranzAlpine, New Zealand

The TranzAlpine traverses South Island from east to west. From Christchurch, the 223km journey rolls through the open farmland of the Canterbury Plains before rising up into the Southern Alps and Arthur’s Pass National Park’s dramatic wilderness of towering peaks, deep river gorges, rocky cliffs and native beech forest — landscapes that helped inspire Middle-earth in The Lord of the Rings. The train emerges into the West Coast’s waterfalls, fast-flowing rivers and densely forested valleys to finish in Greymouth, the gateway to New Zealand’s wild West Coast.

10-day holiday to New Zealand’s South Island with Intrepid Travel from £5,868, including the TranzAlpine and international flights; intrepidtravel.com