Few words can fully describe the exquisite experience we had in early February 2020 before the pandemic hit and our touring in India suddenly stopped. However, the week-long experience on the luxury Maharajas Express was uninterrupted by anything other than the delightful stops as we made our way from Mumbai to New Delhi. It’s a memory we’ll always treasure.
At that point, we knew that luxury train travel, although expensive, was an opportunity to expand one’s world travel experiences into a realm far removed from typical modes of transportation. If you’d like to read our stories and see our photos from the week-long adventure, visit our archives on the right of our homepage from February 2 to February 9, 2020.
Train travel offers a broad spectrum of experiences, from luxurious rides through exotic landscapes to local trains where the journey becomes an adventure. Each region has its distinct flavor regarding rail travel, influenced by history, geography, and culture. Exploring the world by train allows you to absorb the environment at a slower pace, allowing for a much deeper connection with both the places and people.
Europe: The Heart of Train Travel
Europe is the gold standard for train travel. Its extensive rail network, spanning countries and regions, makes it easy to hop between cities in just a few hours. Trains like the Eurostar zip under the English Channel, connecting London with Paris or Brussels in no time. Meanwhile, the TGV in France and ICE in Germany offer high-speed journeys with comfort and convenience, making it ideal for travelers who want to cover a lot of ground.
Then there are the iconic journeys like the Glacier Express in Switzerland. It’s less about speed and more about taking in the jaw-dropping Alpine scenery. You can watch glaciers, meadows, and mountain passes unfold outside your window while sipping coffee or enjoying lunch in a dining car. Similarly, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, though more of a luxurious splurge, is steeped in history, running between major European capitals with all the luxury of the 1920s.
Asia: A Journey Through Culture and Landscapes
Asia is home to some of the most diverse train travel experiences, from the iconic Shinkansen (bullet train) in Japan to the rickety, bustling local trains in India. The Shinkansen is an incredible testament to efficiency, whisking travelers from Tokyo to Kyoto or Osaka at lightning speeds. Everything is meticulously planned, and the trains are fast and impeccably clean, offering a glimpse into Japan’s culture of precision and hospitality.
India’s railways, on the other hand, are a world unto themselves. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage site, winds through misty mountains, while the Palace on Wheels offers a regal experience that takes you through Rajasthan’s most iconic destinations. But even the ordinary trains in India carry a certain charm: crowded platforms, vendors selling chai, and passengers sharing stories, food, and space in a vibrant social mix.
China’s high-speed rail network is the largest worldwide, connecting vast distances like Beijing to Shanghai or Hong Kong with incredible speed and efficiency. For those looking to venture further afield, the Trans-Siberian Railway, which stretches from Moscow to Vladivostok (or even into Mongolia and China), is the ultimate long-haul train journey, passing through multiple time zones and some of the most remote landscapes on Earth.
Africa: Wild and Remote Rail Journeys
Train travel in Africa is an adventure, often through untamed landscapes where nature feels vast and wild. The Blue Train in South Africa offers a luxurious experience, rolling through the rugged plains between Cape Town and Pretoria, with gourmet meals and deluxe suites. There’s also the Rovos Rail, which takes you on an epic journey through Southern Africa, from the lush vineyards of South Africa’s winelands to the deserts of Namibia or the misty spray of Victoria Falls.
More local options, like the Tazara Railway, connecting Tanzania and Zambia, are much less luxurious but offer a raw and authentic experience of East African life. Trains here move slowly, and schedules are often flexible, but the view of villages, savannahs, and distant mountains makes the wait worthwhile.
Perhaps we’ll have an opportunity to experience train travel in Africa sometime in the future. We still have plenty of the world to see, and we hope that life affords us this further luxury.
Tomorrow, we’ll continue with more information about fascinating train journeys in other parts of the world. Please check back for Part 2…Traveling by train.
Be well.
Photo from ten years ago today, September 29, 2014:
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| A photo of a painting at the art auction on the cruise ship. For more photos, please click here. |
Hi Jess! Are there any North American train journeys that you would consider? I’m not sure if they would be comfortable for older travelers such as myself, but there seem to be some beautiful journeys.
Pam, we’ve never looked into train travel in the US except for what we’re writing in today’s upcoming post which will be available in a few hours. Check that out, if you can.. Tom gets special pricing on Amtrak due to his 43 years working on the railroad but we’ve yet to use it. Once we can travel, we will continue to do so internationally. Someday, God willing, we’ll start traveling in the US which may be sooner than later. But, at this point, your best bet is checking online for possibilities.
Thanks for writing!
Warmest regards,
Jess & Tom