Switzerland’s Glacier Express train. Giovanni Mereghetti/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Train travel is trendy again thanks to its low carbon footprint and romantic aesthetic.
One of the best parts of traveling long distances by train are the scenic views.
From Switzerland to California, these are the world’s 11 most beautiful train routes.
“Tagskryt,” a Scandanavian word that means bragging about train travel (guilty), is all the rage nowadays as younger generations rediscover the sustainable and aesthetic means of transportation.
While it’s not the quickest way to get from point A to point B, long-distance trains are definitely one of the most scenic ways to explore a new country.
Below, in no particular order, we rounded up some of the most stunning train rides that are definitely worth bragging about.
The list includes train rides around the world, from Canada to India, and itineraries that range from a couple of hours to multiple days. All the costs are estimates — international train fares are dependent on many factors like exchange rates, the company, and selected travel dates and itineraries.
1. The Belgrade to Bar Railway
On Belgrade to Bar, riders experience 254 tunnels and 435 bridges on a 296-mile trip from Serbia’s capital to the shores of the Adriatic, at a bargain price. Nick Cottman/Alamy Stock Photo
Country: Serbia, Montenegro
Duration of trip: Approximately 10 hours
Description: The Belgrade to Bar railway takes passengers over 435 bridges and through 254 tunnels from Serbia’s capital to the shores of the Adriatic in Montenegro.
Rolling from the Windy City to San Francisco, the California Zephyr climbs both the Rockies and the Sierra Nevada before descending to the Pacific coast on its 2,447-mile traverse across the heartland of America. Marc Glucksman/Amtrak
Country: USA
Duration of trip: 51 hours
Description: There’s no better way to see the heartland of America than the California Zephyr, a railway that climbs the Rockies and the Sierra Nevada before descending to the Pacific Coast.
Take The Canadian, where passengers can spend three days watching the countryside scenery from Toronto to Vancouver via dome cars. Via Rail Canada
Country: Canada
Duration of trip: 86 hours
Description: Passengers of the Canadian spend four days watching golden prairie fields, rugged lake country, and picturesque towns pass by their dome cars from Toronto to Vancouver.
A mobile palace complete with onboard spa, Royal Rajasthan on Wheels highlights India’s temples, forts, and Taj Mahal on a seven-night passage. Vijay Mathur/Reuters
Country: India
Duration of trip: 7 nights, 8 days
Description: Palace on Wheels is a luxury resort aboard a train — complete with a spa — that takes riders past India’s temples, forts, and Taj Mahal on a seven-night passage.
The Glacier Express distills the Alpine experience into eight hours of snowy peaks, mountain meadows, and storybook villages between Zermatt and St. Moritz, Switzerland. Olaf Protze/Getty
Country: Switzerland
Duration of trip: 7.5 hours
Description: The Glacier Express connects two major mountain resorts in the Swiss Alps, giving riders a whirlwind tour of Switzerland’s snowy peaks, mountain meadows, and storybook villages.
The Train to the Clouds climbs to 13,800 feet in the rugged Andes on its way from Salta, Argentina, to the Chilean border on one of the highest train journeys in the world. Marco Guoli
Country: Argentina
Duration of trip: 15 hours
Description: The “Tren a las Nubes” follows zig-zag tracks across the rugged Andes on its way from Salta, Argentina, to the Chilean border. It’s one of the highest train rides in the world. Read more about what the journey is actually like here.
The Shongololo Express pairs a safari with deluxe rail travel in Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Rovos Rail
Country: Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Duration of trip: 12 to 15 days
Description: Explore Southern Africa onboard the Shongololo Express, which includes excursions and pit stops in wildlife reserves and craft markets across Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
National Geographic Expeditions offers a 16-day excursion through Russia, from Vladivostok to Moscow, aboard the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian, which rolls by Lake Baikal, the deepest lake on Earth. Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian
Country: Russia
Duration of trip: 14 days
Description: The Trans-Siberian Railway is the longest railway line in the world. There are several trains to choose from, like the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express, which offers 14-day excursions through Russia. Traveling between Vladivostok and Moscow, the luxury train passes by endless grasslands and Lake Baikal, the deepest lake on Earth.
Pack hiking boots and binoculars to explore Alice Springs on The Ghan, which runs north to south in the “Red Centre” of Australia from Darwin to Adelaide. The Ghan
Country: Australia
Duration of trip: 54 hours
Description: The Ghan takes riders through the fiery red center of Australia, offering access to the dramatic scenery and indigenous sites that are off-limits by other modes of transit.
Black-tie glamour still rules on the century-old Orient Express from London to Venice, which passes through Paris while you’re having dinner and brings aboard fresh-baked croissants when the train stops in Switzerland. Hubert Fanthomme/Paris Match/Getty
Country: Multiple, including the UK and Italy
Duration of trip: 1 to 5 nights
Description: The revived Orient Express transports riders to the golden age of rail travel, with its four-course dinners and black-tie glamour. It offers a variety of overnight trips to over a dozen European cities, including Paris, London, Vienna, Venice, and Istanbul.
In New Zealand, the TranzAlpine runs between Christchurch and Greymouth, racing alongside the Waimakariri River and through the Southern Alps on a nine-hour round-trip route. Age Fotostock/Alamy Stock Photo
Country: New Zealand
Duration of trip: 5 hours
Description: In New Zealand, the TranzAlpine lets riders take in the epic vistas and awe-inspiring plains between Christchurch and Greymouth. It covers 139 miles in just under five hours.
