Top 10 Most Incredible Train Journeys Around the World for Travel Lovers

Epic landscapes deserve an equally epic way to travel. We’re diving into the romance and reality of rail: why trains make holidays start at the platform, how sleepers turn miles into memories, and which routes around the world are worth planning your next adventure around.

We start with five reasons trains win: lower emissions and real sustainability gains, genuine comfort with room to move, dining cars and proper beds on night services, centre-to-centre arrivals that beat transfers, and the human connection that long-haul flights often erase. From there, we share our top 10 rides: Norway’s Flåm Railway twisting from fjord to mountain, Scotland’s Highlander leg of the Caledonian Sleeper, the Night Riviera to Penzance with a seaside breakfast, Vietnam’s Reunification Express and its restful private berths, and Japan’s immaculate Shinkansen that makes precision feel effortless. Add New Zealand’s TranzAlpine across the Southern Alps, Switzerland’s UNESCO Bernina route, Sri Lanka’s lush Ella to Kandy journey with open windows and waves, India’s Nilgiri Mountain Railway “toy train,” and Amtrak’s unhurried yet soulful Coast Starlight.

We also open our notebook of dreams. The Ghan across Australia’s red centre calls with big skies and outback tones. Canada’s Rocky Mountaineer tempts us with glass-domed cars through the Rockies. And South Africa’s Rovos Rail pairs classic carriages with sweeping views to Cape Town and beyond. Along the way we share booking tips, comfort hacks, and how to swap premium expresses for local trains without losing the scenery. If you’re craving slow travel, rail itineraries, sleeper train advice, or scenic routes that deliver real immersion, this conversation is your map.

Got a favourite rail journey we missed? Tell us on Speakpipe and help shape a future episode. 

📝  Show Notes - Episode 85

🎧 Listen to next

• Episode 141 – Caledonian Sleeper Update [+ Route Choices and Travel T

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Chapters

• 0:00 Setting The Stage For Rail Travel
• 2:15 Meet Tracy And Doug
• 3:30 Why Train Travel Captivates Us
• 5:15 Five Reasons Trains Win
• 13:15 Caledonian Sleeper Magic
• 15:55 Night Riviera To Cornwall
• 18:00 Asia Highlights: Vietnam And Japan
• 20:45 Scenic Icons: New Zealand And Switzerland
• 23:25 Sri Lanka’s Lush Hills By Rail
• 25:35 India’s Toy Train And Amtrak Views
• 28:15 The Bucket List: Ghan, Rockies, Rovos
• 31:15 Community Invites, YouTube, And Wrap

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:00

Epic landscapes, unforgettable journeys, and the magic of travelling by rail. With demand for train travel rising globally and European rail bookings reaching the highest levels in years, today we're revealing our top 10 train trips and the dream route still on our list.

SPEAKER_00: 0:16

Welcome to the Global Travel Planning Podcast. Your host is founder of the Global Travel Planning website, Tracy Collins. Each week, Tracy is joined by expert guests as she takes you on a journey to destinations around the world, sharing travel inspiration, itinerary ideas, and practical tips to help you plan your next adventure. Join us as we explore everywhere from bustling cities to remote landscapes, uncover cultural treasures, and discover the best ways to make your travel dreams a reality.

SPEAKER_01: 0:48

Hi, today on the Global Travel Plan and Podcast, we're going big, really big. Doug? Hi there. Our resident train enthusiast and expert, and I are taking you on a journey through the world's most extraordinary train rides. From mountain climbing railways and iconic sleeper trains to coast hugging, scenic routes and engineering marvels, we're counting down our top 10 favourite rail journeys of all time. And we're not stopping there. No, we're also going to share the three legendary train trips that are still firmly on our bucket list. So although we've been travelling for many years, we still have not quite managed to do every single train journey in the world that we would like to do.

SPEAKER_05: 1:30

So before we we reveal the routes themselves, we're talking about the five reasons we love travelling by train and why it remains one of the most enjoyable and immersive ways to see the world.

SPEAKER_01: 1:42

Absolutely. So if you're dreaming of epic landscapes, slow travel, unforgettable experiences, or simply want fresh inspiration for future adventures, this episode has got plenty to spark your wonderless. So, Doug, why do I know we love train travel and the entire time we've been married for the last 20 odd years, we've done so much train travel. But tell, tell, share, share why train travel is so special for you.

SPEAKER_05: 2:06

Where to start on that? Um well I I guess my love of the railways came from being a very, very small lad. My dad worked for the railways in the UK for nearly 50 years, and so anytime he was not at work, it was always train travel either throughout the UK or across Europe. So that was the start of it, and taking train numbers, I have to admit, when I when I was little, uh, but it just grew from there. It was, I think it was always assumed myself and my brothers would enter the rail industry at some point, and I did for the longest length of time of my two brothers. So I I did many jobs across the railway from building, testing new trains, commissioning trains, and working on the operational side of the railway. So it's always continued, you know, from being at work, being at home, it was always trains, trains, trains, and trains. And I love it. I you know, I become a little boy again when I'm travelling by a train, and it just it just illuminates me. I think as everything about uh train travel I enjoy, even when it's not going entirely to plan, you know, sometimes, which it doesn't, unfortunately, I still enjoy it, don't I?

SPEAKER_01: 3:12

You do, yeah, absolutely. And we do love planning train travels wherever it is in the world and experiencing um just being on the train, don't we? And I think I think that's what's important to kind of say is that you you haven't just got five years' experience, ten years experience, or just the love of this. I think that train travel's in your blood.

SPEAKER_05: 3:30

I think that's fair to say.

SPEAKER_01: 3:31

Yeah, absolutely. So now we have got an article on the Global Travel Planning website about our 10 advantages of train travel. Um, but we thought we'd just kind of share five of those reasons of why we love train travel, and I guess also why train travel seems to be take becoming it's having a revival. I remember maybe 10 years or so ago, sleeper trains were difficult to find, and we we were trying to travel Europe by sleeper train, and it was expensive, not that easy.

SPEAKER_05: 4:00

That's right, there weren't many services to choose from, but that's changed, yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 4:04

But that seems to be all changing, and I've hearing more and more and more about kind of the sleeper trains and and what's happening in Europe. So um, do you want to start sharing with some of these reasons why we love train travel, Doug?

SPEAKER_05: 4:16

Uh certainly I think what the the first one is one of the most important uh reasons as well. It's one of the most eco-friendly ways to travel. Um, the train uses significantly less energy than cars and planes and produces far lower CO2 emissions. In Europe, operators are investing heavily in greener rail technology, making trains one of the most sustainable ways to travel around. Uh, so taking the train really is the greener choice.

SPEAKER_01: 4:44

And it's just well, it's just the nicer way to travel. And you know, for some of these short train um short flights, I just wouldn't even think about it. I mean, I'm flying into Paris in March. Um, and you know, everybody's like on a a flight from Paris to Heathrow. No thanks. I'm gonna be getting into Paris and catching the Eurostar into the centre of London. I certainly I'm not I don't want to unless I have to, I don't want to fly. Basically, that is kind of my mantra. If I if I can, I can avoid it because unfortunately, like everybody, you know, we have to travel by plane, but if we can avoid it, we do.

SPEAKER_05: 5:20

Yeah, well, some countries are actually doing away with domestic internal flights.

SPEAKER_01: 5:24

Oh, really? Okay, well, making people get the train if it's if it's shorter. Okay. Um, so for me, I guess this is a huge, huge thing, is that honestly your holiday starts the minute you board the train. I find it exciting to go to the train station. I love sitting in the lounge waiting to catch the train. I think it's a really, really good fun. I'm thinking of some of the sleeper trains that we've taken. Um, you know, the whole thing is an adventure. I've just come back from Antarctica. I've just taken, I think, eight flights. So I'm not very good talking about here about sustainability and eco-travel because I'm not a very good example, but I've just taken eight flights to get to Antarctica back from uh Australia. Um, and honestly, it's it was it was a lot of it was tiring and it was a lot of jumping on and off planes, worrying about luggage, getting your luggage, putting your luggage on, all that sort of thing. You don't see anything as well because you're flying at 35,000 feet. Um, you know, whereas when I get on a trade, I can't that I can't think of anything better than getting on a train and enjoying the scenery and just enjoying everything. Um, not worrying about traffic, I don't have to worry about driving, I don't have to worry about getting parked. Like if I hired a you know, wanting to, for example, going from London to Bath, I can just hop on the train. I don't have to think, oh, where am I gonna park my car in Bath?

SPEAKER_05: 6:38

That reminds me of a slogan in the UK railways many years ago, let the train take the strain.

SPEAKER_01: 6:43

Yeah, and that's absolutely perfect. So, yeah, for me, it's it, you know, that is what the minute I know I'm gonna get that train, that's the holiday. When I get to the train station, it starts.

SPEAKER_05: 6:52

Yeah, most definitely agree with that. And number three is well, it's it's a more comfortable way to travel, I think. I mean, there's more space, there's bigger windows, you can look out, the ability to get up and walk around, no seat belts. Yeah, and on some trains, obviously, there's dining cars, lounges, and obviously sleepers we've we've mentioned, with well, with proper beds in. Yeah, you know, it's uh it's really good. And even the standard trains usually offers more comfortable than uh planes uh and cars as well, really. Yeah, and uh and yeah, and it is it's family friendly, I think.

SPEAKER_01: 7:25

Yeah, well I said kids can get. I remember taking Dominique on the train and she could she could get up and walk around. And I know when I've I've spoken to plenty of my friends who love train travel, and that's what they enjoy. Um, taking the kids around Europe by train is is it's a lot of fun as well. Um, and also an advantage, and I've actually just talked about actually catching the I'll be catching the Eurostar from Paris into London. I'm sent straight into the heart of London. I'll be arriving in St. Pancras International, straight into London. Um, you know, it you can't get any better. You're literally into the centre of where you need to be, so there'll be no transfer, no taxi, no trying to navigate, for example, picking up a car and trying to well certainly would never drive into London, picking up a car and then having to navigate or anything because it's already done in the middle of the city. And I'm thinking about uh podcasts we did about our train travels last December when we we we travelled around, we had to take some flights unfortunately because of time constraints, but we did you know a lot of those just trains from the centre of the city into the centre of the city, for example, Warsaw, you know, and then we went to um what's going on in my head now in Poland for the uh Krakow. Krakow, that's right, and then from Krakow to Budapest, and it was it was great, so easy to do.

SPEAKER_05: 10:47

Yeah, that's true. And to me, this is one of the most important ones as well. Is it's perfect for slow travel and that human connection, um, particularly I think if you're traveling alone as well. I mean, the times I've chatted to people you know on any any train, all trains, and I've met some absolutely lovely people. A perfect example actually was um when I caught the night Riviera down to Penzance from Paddington. I saw the lady coming back, and we've remained in contact since. Yeah, so because we had that engagement, we talk for hours, yeah. So it was lovely. So but trains themselves are naturally sociable, I think. You get to meet people, you chat, um, breathe easier, it's just it's just that rhythm of travel, it's just you know, encourage you to slow down, enjoy the scenery, and enjoy the journey. And if you choose a sleeper train, waking up somewhere new is well, it's just magical, isn't it?

SPEAKER_01: 11:41

Oh, it is. And I was thinking about actually the Caledonian sleeper with that, and you know I was gonna think about that because I just love leaving London and waking up in Scotland. And actually, we're talking about human connection. I remember having a fantastic conversation with an elderly lady going into Fort William on the Caledonian sleeper a few years ago, and I'll never forget the conversation, meeting that lady. Um, you know, not something I'm necessarily going to remember from a flight. Uh, and it was lovely just standing outside, or standing in the corridor outside the berth, and just having a chat about well, just looking at the scenery and having a chat about about Glencoe, actually. Um, yeah, so it's it's that a building connect, you know, going in, sitting in the lounge car and having you know, having a lounge, you know, having your having your meal, having a drink, enjoying the scenery going past. It's it's absolutely magical.

SPEAKER_05: 12:25

It's just wonderful.

SPEAKER_01: 12:26

We've had some great food on trains, actually. I was thinking about, or it must have been, I'm thinking about 2005, 2006. We took Dominique um our daughter on a round, we did it too, we did it twice in a month, round Europe, backpacking. And some of the food that we tried, I still remember the ghoulash on that.

SPEAKER_05: 12:43

I know you're gonna say that one.

SPEAKER_01: 12:44

Yeah, that was pretty special. Yeah, so it's good. So those are kind of those are just five reasons, five advantages, five things we love about it. There are five others, um, and I will link to the article in the show notes if you want to check out what is that we absolutely love about train travel. And if you love train travel as well, leave us a message on Speakpipe and tell us what what for you is the reason that you prefer or choose to do train travel when when you're um you know going on a trip.

SPEAKER_05: 13:10

Yeah, why you find it special.

SPEAKER_01: 13:12

Yeah. So next we're going to talk about our top 10 favourite train journeys of all time. So um Doug and I had spent a lot of time chatting about these because honestly, we've done a lot of train travel. There is a lot of train travel that we still want to do, but these are the 10 that we kind of nutted out as our top. Yeah, and we do have articles about each of these different rail journeys as well on the globaltravelplanning.com website. I will also just mention, because Doug talked about his love of train travel, is that um Doug has recently spent a lot of time in the UK uh getting footage for videos about traveling around, specifically about the UK around the UK by train. So you can check out our UK travel planning uh YouTube channel for those videos. And hopefully as well, we'll be increasing and including on the global travel planning uh YouTube channel as well, some more of the fantastic train journeys that we've taken actually around the world because we've got some great footage, we just need to put them together uh and to share with you.

SPEAKER_05: 14:12

So that was a nag, was it?

SPEAKER_01: 14:13

It was a nag. It's like can you get on with it and produce those YouTube videos, please? So uh if you're listening, go over and um subscribe to our YouTube channels, UK Travel Planet and Global Travel Planet, and you'll be able to see both Doug and I, and also you're actually gonna be able to see video of a lot of these train journeys we're about to talk about.

SPEAKER_05: 14:30

Most definitely.

SPEAKER_01: 14:31

So, yes, we've chosen ten of our favourite train journeys of all time.

SPEAKER_05: 14:34

But this was really difficult because yeah, this this was really difficult, probably on the most difficult list we've had to put together for quite a while because it's just which wants to leave it out.

SPEAKER_01: 14:43

Yeah, well, that's it. So basically, what we're gonna do is we're just gonna give you a little bit of um inspiration, I guess, and maybe some of these you will have heard of, some of these you might not have heard of. But um, to get the full effect, I think it's probably gonna be useful to have a look at the show notes of the photos, have a look at the articles about each of these train journeys if you're particularly interested. If some of them kind of go, oh yes, I really fancy doing that. Uh, we do have podcasts on the UK Travel Plan and podcast as well about a couple of these, but I will mention that as we go along. But anyway, I don't want to spend because we could probably spend about an hour talking about all these. So we're just gonna kind of give you a kind of snapshot where it is and what it is that we loved about it. So the first one I guess we're gonna talk about is in Norway because you when you were training to be a nurse, you spent a bit of time in Norway, didn't you?

SPEAKER_05: 15:27

Yeah, I had a placement in uh a voluntary placement in Norway, and so you came out to visit one uh school holidays.

SPEAKER_01: 15:34

It was, yeah, it was October half term. I remember it was October holidays in the UK. So I flew out from London to Bergen and then I had to get to you. Um we always a four-hour trip, so I'd already flown in and had to get a trip. But we were there for a week, and this was one of the railway journeys that I really wanted to do.

SPEAKER_05: 15:49

Yeah, we did the Flom Railway, uh, which goes from Flom to Myrtle. Uh apologies if I'm mispronouncing that, but it was just a wow trip.

SPEAKER_01: 15:59

Yep, it's not that long.

SPEAKER_05: 16:00

No, it's not it's not that long, but you've done uh called the fields first, and then we caught the train up up the mountain in essence, and it was just wow, it's a windy, twisty railway and slow speed, but the views are spectacular.

SPEAKER_01: 16:16

Actually, I'm gonna say if you're gonna do that, I would I would actually do the what we did is we went to Goodvangen and we caught the we caught a boat through the um fjord, which then dropped us off in Florm, and then at that point we caught the railway up to Mid Murdal and then back down again to Florm. That's right. Which was spectacular. So I know a lot of people will do um cruises to the Norwegian fjords, but honestly, if you get a chance to do this, I just think it blew everything out of the water.

SPEAKER_05: 16:44

It was uh December as well, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_01: 16:45

No, no, it was end of October. End of October. Because the end of the half term. So, what was particularly spectacular about that? You get a fantastic view of the fjords. Um, you get waterfalls?

SPEAKER_05: 16:54

You get waterfalls.

SPEAKER_01: 16:55

I think we stopped to take a picture of the waterfall, got us to the waterfalls.

SPEAKER_05: 16:58

You do, it starts at one point and then you take it.

SPEAKER_01: 17:00

And what is you what do you say when it comes to waterfalls, Doug?

SPEAKER_05: 17:04

Shouldn't say this really. Wherever we are in the world, uh say that's not a waterfall. I've been to Norway.

SPEAKER_01: 17:10

Absolutely, you do. So you can imagine the uh the the the uh waterfalls in Norway are spectacular.

SPEAKER_05: 17:18

They really are.

SPEAKER_01: 17:19

Um so for we have got a couple more episodes about uh podcast episodes about Norway. If you're interested about Norway, go and check those out. We also have got articles about Norway and actually that whole Gudvangen to Flomp trip on the Global Travel Planet website. So check that out.

SPEAKER_05: 17:34

Most fantastic train trip.

SPEAKER_01: 17:35

So that's Norway. So that's one in Europe. Next one, we are still in Europe, but we're actually the next two we're gonna be focusing on the UK. So um these are one of these I've done multiple times, and one of these I have not done yet, so I'm a bit jealous. But the first one that we're gonna talk about in the UK is a Caledonian sleeper.

SPEAKER_05: 17:52

Yeah, and we've done this uh many, many times. Even before I met you, I've I was doing the Caledonian sleeper on the older trains where you could open the windows. Oh, happy days when you wake up in Scotland and you can open the windows and you've got the smell of the pine.

SPEAKER_01: 18:05

It was well, you can still wake up in Scotland and see the beautiful views.

SPEAKER_05: 18:07

You can, but when you can smell open the windows, it was so yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 18:11

I would say this is probably um I it's just a journey that I do just about every time I get back in the UK. Even January this year, I did the trip. I went from London up to Inverness, and we were actually staying in Edinburgh, but went all the way to Inverness on the sleep train just so I could wake up and enjoy the view. We've done it numerous times to Fort William.

SPEAKER_05: 18:27

Yeah, that's the Highlander sleeper that goes from uh uh London Houston to Inverness Stroke, um, Fort William.

SPEAKER_01: 18:34

Yeah, actually, we should say when we're talking about the Caledonian Super, we're actually talking about the Highlander in particular. The Highlander is the one that we recommend, the Highlander is the one that we absolutely love. The Highlander, we've got two podcasts on the UK Travel Planner podcast and multiple articles about it, and we just love the Caledonian Seat.

SPEAKER_05: 18:50

The Lowlander goes to Glasgow, um, Edinburgh, which you know serves a purpose, and I've done that, and um yeah, and it's it's magical, but it's not quite the same. I don't think so.

SPEAKER_01: 19:02

I don't think I think magical is waking up in the highlands of Scotland.

SPEAKER_05: 19:05

That's what's magical. So that's the south to the north.

SPEAKER_01: 19:08

Yes. So if you're gonna do it, go London up to the Highlands, wake up on your way into Inverness or on your way to Fort William because you can't beat that.

SPEAKER_04: 19:15

You're really that is special.

SPEAKER_01: 19:17

Right. The third one is one you've recently done when you're on your recent trip to the UK, um, and I have not done this one yet. We have got a podcast on UK travel planning, um, podcast all about this. So talk to us number three.

SPEAKER_05: 19:28

So the third uh option uh for our judges of all time is the Great Western Railways train service. It's called the Night Riviera. So this runs from London Paddington all the way down to Penzance, which is in Cornwall. And I did this in September, and it was absolutely magical. I cannot tell you how fantastic this was. A the whole experience at Paddington using the lounge, and the staff were absolutely magnificent. I I really say I don't say that lightly, but they were just so so keen to please. They were happy with their jobs, and nothing was too much trouble. And the berth, there's only standard class on this, there's no first class, so everybody is the same, and it was just amazing. I think I'm gonna have to do this one myself. Oh yeah, so you you wake up on the way down, and the weather was not particularly very nice, uh, but you woke up and I'd arranged for my breakfast in the in the lounge. So I sat on the wet on the uh left hand side, and as the train approaches down towards Penzance on the coastline there, I said having my sausage sandwich and a cup of tea.

SPEAKER_01: 20:39

Well, it sounds really good. And I'm gonna if you want to learn more about that, um, do listen to the UK Trop Plan um episode about that. Um and I'm very jealous, so that is one that I'm hoping to do next year.

SPEAKER_05: 20:49

I recommend it.

SPEAKER_01: 20:49

So that's another. So that's we've had one in Europe and we've well, three in Europe, one in Norway, two in the UK. Now, the fourth one is we're going to Asia and we're heading to Vietnam, and that was for the reunification express.

SPEAKER_05: 21:01

Yeah, we thoroughly enjoyed this, didn't we? Yes, it was it was put not quite out of our comfort zone because it was so different, but it was really good.

SPEAKER_01: 21:09

I was actually suffering from pneumonia at the time, so it we I'm glad we actually had booked, I think it's classed as first class. So we had a berth to ourselves, um, two um single beds opposite each other on the and it was really comfortable. It was really funny because everybody walked past and was being very nosy checking it out. Um, but it was really comfortable, really enjoyed it. So that we went actually from Hanoi down to Jenang. Um, highly recommend that. Uh, think you have to book we booked that quite a way in advance to get that kind of first class. I'm glad we did because I had been um sick and in hospital, so yeah, um it made my life a lot easier. But yeah, that's a very famous um train trip and uh something we enjoyed. I don't I think we were very comfortable.

SPEAKER_05: 21:50

Yes, it was very comfortable. The bed was uh very nice, yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 21:53

So they were stay sticking in Asia, um, and we are going to our fifth pick. And to be honest, I couldn't really choose one specific trip for this one uh because this basically is any bullet train that we took in Japan. Yeah, the Shinkansen.

SPEAKER_05: 22:08

I mean this was a On my bullet uh bullet list, my booking list for many many years. This was just to get to Japan to travel on these trains, and it's just a a unique train experience from anywhere else I've been. It was just that that perfection, an acceptance of perfection for a train service from the staff, the smartness, the cleanliness, the precision of the operational side of it, and obviously the trains themselves from an ex-engineer. And yeah, it was just magical.

SPEAKER_01: 22:39

Uh they are great, and I know something we want to go back to Japan and experience more of the trains. We did quite a few, um, and we loved every single one. We did send our luggage ahead so we didn't have to worry about taking luggage onto them at any point. Um, but yeah, the it really is something very special, very different. I actually was talking to friends the other day about their experience in China on the train, so maybe that's something we need to explore. Um but anyway, Japan was fantastic. So um, number six, we're gonna stay um kind of, I guess, over this side of the world, but we're we're heading a bit further south from Japan, and we're going down to New Zealand, yeah. Um, and New Zealand South Island, where we were um privileged to take the Transalpine uh from Christchurch to Greymouth and back.

SPEAKER_05: 23:19

Yeah, that was really good. There was uh um I shouldn't say but English type coaching stock, I think they possibly were English at some point, these coaches, and lovely staff, lovely scenery. It was just a the overall. The staff was so helpful and friendly. But it was just again the scenery you get in New Zealand is just magical.

SPEAKER_01: 23:42

It's really, really beautiful. Um so we enjoyed that trip, particularly. It was a it was a day trip. Um not cheap, I have to say, but I guess none of these train journeys are gonna be all particularly uh.

SPEAKER_05: 23:52

But one thing that was nice about that was the observation car as well. It was freezing cold mine, but we uh the the the views are just spectacular.

SPEAKER_01: 24:00

Yeah, yeah. Well, I should say actually, I don't think the train journey that Vietnam wasn't too expensive, or um a couple of the other ones that I'll be talking to about in a minute, but um often they can be a little bit more pricey, some of these trips, but worth it. Now, uh talking about prices, probably because I'm thinking of the next one that I'm gonna mention. Now, you haven't taken this particular train, but you have done the route, and that is the Bernina Express from um Toronto in um Italy to Co I can never pronounce it in Switzerland. I used to live in Switzerland, you think I'll be able to pronounce it. Um to the UNESCO route. Yeah, beautiful. I actually took my niece about 10 years ago on this route and and we absolutely loved it. It was uh it was uh gorgeous, it's just uh pretty, pretty, pretty. And it's exactly what you'd expect at Switzerland. You've just got the you know the the mountain peaks, you've got the um the the chalets. Obviously, we we did it in summer, so there was no snow. Um, there's probably snow right at the top where the glacier is, but um it was just it was a very lovely trip. The only thing I would say is to make sure that you do book your seat, and uh we had booked window seats for myself and my niece, and we had a particularly unpleasant uh man who um was determined that he was going to sit at the window, so I had to really kind of uh hold our uh standing ground stand our ground, that's it, to to keep the seat. But after actually after a while that the train emptied out and we had plenty of chance to kind of observe. But that was a lovely and you've done that route.

SPEAKER_05: 25:28

I've done that's one point to sort of uh just sort of state really that some of the the the flagship sort of express trains on some of these routes, you can do them a little bit cheaper by catching the normal service trains that run because it's all across the same line. Um so sometimes you can do them a little bit cheaper, you just need to do your homework or talk to the experts like us.

SPEAKER_01: 25:49

Yeah, and um I mean Swiss travel, there's a lot of other different ways that you can generate Swiss travel passes and stuff like that. So we do have an article all about the Bernie Express, so do check that out and other um stuff on the podcast about um train travel in Switzerland. I say I used to live in Switzerland, my parents lived in Switzerland for a long, long time, so it's a country that we know pretty well for um train travel. We're pretty hot in Europe to be honest with train travel. Um yeah, so that but we're gonna hop from Switzerland, so we've I guess we're going all around the world here. We'll go back to we're actually going to a train trip that we did this year, and that was in Sri Lanka. We have got a podcast all about our trip to Sri Lanka sharing our itinerary. Um, and one of the highlights absolutely was to take the train. Um, and we did the rather than doing the the classic candy to elle, we did actually Ella to candy.

SPEAKER_04: 26:36

Go backwards.

SPEAKER_01: 26:37

Which we we did this because we booked our trip, our train travel around uh Sri Lanka quite late, so we actually went anti-clockwise rather than the traditional clockwise around Sri Lanka. Uh it was a beautiful train journey.

SPEAKER_05: 26:49

Oh, it was just amazing. Again, lovely people. You when you when you travel, it's just that social sound which you've already mentioned. You just find yourself talking to people, particularly when you're in in a country where you know you don't speak that language, and you find yourself with other travellers who do speak your language, and you sort of sometimes group.

SPEAKER_01: 27:08

It was a very true, I guess it was a very it's very touristy, so it's yeah. Was it second? Second, second or third, yeah. Um so with the windows, open windows, which is what you want. Um doors, yeah, so that you can, you know, a lot of people waving out the doors. Yeah, just be safe if you do. Yeah, and just just the the view, the tree tree plantations, it was really just lush. The scenery was really, really lush. Yeah, it was. Um, I just remember though, I have to mention this. I think there was a family from Germany that were in front of us, and I think they had two, three or four children, but they had a teenage boy and he sat the entire the entire time on his was it laptop or phone or something. Yeah, he the entire time did not look out the window. We were like, oh dear. Um but anyway, it was just funny. I just thought sometimes sometimes some kids don't don't always appreciate that. Exactly. Most of the time they do, so I'm sure I'm gonna get people going, oh my kids love it, I'm sure they do, but it just was really funny that this kid was just kind of to be fair, it sort of uh amused at the parents as well. It was really funny. Um right. The ninth one is uh something that Doug has not done. Um not yet, not yet, is um I was lucky enough to do the Troy one of the Troy trains in India, which was from Kunurta Uti, um, which is I think it's called the Nilgiri Mountain Railway. Um, so I did that kind of Kunuta Uti part of it. So much fun, absolutely loved it. We ended up the train stopped at one point because I think we had an antelope on on the track. Um, again, beautiful views of uh tea plantations, um, just beautiful, a lovely, lovely trip, very hot. Again, we had the windows open. Um, but yeah, that was that was really interesting and fun. And I did do some other train travel in India, which was a little bit more like I think 20 hours, no, 19 hours uh third class trip that we took, which was a little bit more challenging. So this toy train was a lot more fun, I have to tell you, than some of the longer trips in India. But um, I also can't wait to take you back to India and experience something.

SPEAKER_05: 29:12

Yes, that'll be good.

SPEAKER_01: 29:13

And the last one, we're heading over at the US actually.

SPEAKER_05: 29:15

Yeah, that's right for the Amtrak Coast Starlight that that one's down the west coast of America. We caught this one from Seattle to LA. Uh, but that was pretty magical.

SPEAKER_01: 29:25

It was, it was good, and I guess we've not taken an Amtrak train, and um I I certainly would be interested in taking some more Amtrak train journeys in the States, and um I know that many, many of you listening from America, train travel is not generally that popular. Um, but there are some great train train journeys that you can take across the training. Yeah, we enjoy that. Um we do enjoy it. You find it a little bit frustrating because it was quite slow.

SPEAKER_05: 29:50

Oh yes, it was very, very slow. So you can talk about expressing one, it's actually going walking pace.

SPEAKER_01: 29:56

But but yeah, but then you can enjoy the extra. That's right.

SPEAKER_05: 29:59

I mean, if you want to read and move around, it's easy because yeah, and that was also a sleeper train.

SPEAKER_01: 30:03

Yeah, just say that was a sleeper train as well because we do love our sleeper trains, and uh um that so that was the sleeper train that we took on the west coast of the US. So we wanted to put that one in. Um, so we've kind of covered covered North America, we've covered Europe, we've covered some um Asia, we've got kind of Australia Australia, Australasia, um, Oceana, whatever you want to call it. Um, what we what is missing from this is any African train journeys and any South American training journeys. So I think we need to be working hard over the next 10 years to include some of those.

SPEAKER_05: 30:33

Oh yes, there's always gonna be uh trips with one to take the the bucket list just keeps growing, unfortunately, every time every time we do so.

SPEAKER_01: 30:40

It does. So now we're gonna just talk about our three bucket list train journeys. So if you are out there and you are PR for any of these train journeys, we would happily come on and experience these train journeys with us. So do get in touch. Uh now the first one is close to home, and it's one that I'd be wanting to do before we actually move to Australia, and that is the Garn.

SPEAKER_05: 30:58

Yeah, I mean, this is the Australian Oh, it's actually GAN.

SPEAKER_01: 31:01

I've got the GON, but it's actually GAN.

SPEAKER_05: 31:03

It's the Gain show for Afghanistan. Uh but this is one of the the flagship um train service in Australia, really.

SPEAKER_01: 31:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05: 31:10

Um and this runs from Adelaide to Darwin.

SPEAKER_01: 31:13

And vice versa. And in fact, one of them I think is three nights and one is four nights. I might be wrong on that, but um, Darwin to Adelaide to Adelaide to Darwin, um, right through the red centre of Australia. Um, it seems to me, I've spoken to a lot of people recently, it seems to be a kind of right of passage for retirement in Australia that everybody goes and takes the um the GAN. And actually, I've known plenty of people actually from the UK who've flown over to Australia to take it because it really is one of those top iconic luxury, it is a luxury train journey.

SPEAKER_05: 31:43

It is, and if you're traveling from Europe, really it's probably once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

SPEAKER_01: 31:47

I think even for us to live in Australia, it'll be a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. It's certainly it's uh it's not cheap, but I have heard that it's fabulous, rewarding. Yeah, so then we're gonna head back over, I guess, to North America. We're going to Canada this time. Um, again with a train journey that we've wanted to take for a long, long time, and we've had friends who've done this, and that is a Rocky Mountaineer.

SPEAKER_05: 32:07

Yeah, that runs from Vancouver. We've visited Vancouver a few years back.

SPEAKER_01: 32:11

Yeah, but we never managed to take the training.

SPEAKER_05: 32:12

We didn't get a chance to do it, but it looks so special.

SPEAKER_01: 32:16

Yeah, I just want to go and experience Canadian Rockies on the Rocky Mountaineer, and just you see those cars with a fantastic viewing, um, you know, the domes of observations. Yeah, um, so yeah, Rocky Mountaineer. If we get back over to Canada and to the West Coast of Canada, that is absolutely on our book.

SPEAKER_05: 32:33

That is definitely a must-do.

SPEAKER_01: 32:35

And the third one, again, this is incredibly difficult to choose because there are so many train journeys we want to take. Um, and obviously, um I'm I'm thinking about um the Orient Express. Orient would they they really should be on this list, but they're just kind of there hovering in the background.

SPEAKER_04: 32:49

But we've done all the routes for the Orient Express, we've done the whole route that they'll cover.

SPEAKER_01: 32:53

But the next one I want to do is Rovos Rail, which is from Pretoria to Cape Town in South Africa. Now, when I went to university in South Africa, I used to watch the Blue Train, which again is another train journey I would like to take. Uh, which again is from I remember that used to go from Johannesburg to to Cape Town, probably is Pretoria as well, down in Cape Town. Rovost Rail is one that my parents took a few years ago and they are still raving about it because it was so fantastic. Um, so again, this is uh a luxury train journey.

SPEAKER_05: 33:20

I'd love to do this one. There's also a blue train in America I'd like to take as well.

SPEAKER_01: 33:23

Ah, okay. So um, and I believe the robust rail as well goes all the way up to I think up to Zambia. It might go further. I'm showing Victoria Falls. So actually, maybe I want to do that from Victoria Falls all the way down to Cape Town. How cool would that be?

SPEAKER_05: 33:36

We'll do it both, we'll go there and back.

SPEAKER_01: 33:37

Right. Well, when we've run the when we've run the lottery, or we're getting invited by the lovely robust rail people when we're in South Africa, we will go and take the Robust Rail uh that would be amazing trip. Um, because it is definitely so those are in fact we've chosen, I have to say it rather embarrassedly, we've chosen three luxury trips.

SPEAKER_05: 33:55

Three luxury most expensive ones.

SPEAKER_01: 33:57

Um but there are some other train journeys around the world that we want to take that are just just for the sake of taking well, they're not luxury ones, they're just things that we want to do.

SPEAKER_05: 34:05

No, but I'll reiterate what I said to start with. We love rail travel. Yes, yeah, short journey, long journey. You know, we embrace it and we enjoy it from start to finish.

SPEAKER_01: 34:14

Absolutely, absolutely. Well, I'll um Sissay, we'll be sharing lots more on the YouTube channels, and you can check out um all the photographs and information about um the 10 train journeys we chose um on the globaltravelplanning.com website. Um, as I said, do get in touch on Speakpipe if there's a particular train journey here that you've done, share some information about it. What do you love about it? We'd like to know.

SPEAKER_05: 34:36

I'd love to hear that.

SPEAKER_01: 34:37

Yeah, is there something that we we're missing from our list that you go? Oh, you should you've got to do this list, you've got to do this train journey because it's amazing. Um, because yeah, we want to know, we want to hear from you. So there'll be a link to Speakpipe so you can leave us a message in the show notes. Um, but I think I mean I think that's about it for this episode. We're gonna talk trains forever, can't we?

SPEAKER_05: 34:54

I certainly can.

SPEAKER_01: 34:55

Yes. So yeah, so I mean, thanks for joining us for this special rail travel episode. We do have um on the UK travel plan and podcast lots about train travel in the UK. We do have other episodes on the Global Travel Plan and Podcast all about trains as well. We're all a bit train obsessed. Um, there's lots on the website about trains, and there'll be more and more going on. And as I say, YouTube is another place to check us out. So until next time, um, I will say that we are taking next week off um for the holidays, but we are back for the very last episode of 2025, just with a roundup of the favourite destinations that we've been to this year and a little bit of information and stats about how the podcast is going as well. Um, just if you're interested. Um, but until two weeks' time, so until next time, it just is from me and Doug to say happy global travel planning. Thank you for joining us on this episode of the Global Travel Planning Podcast. For more details and links to everything we discussed today, check out the show notes at global travelplanning.com. Remember, if you enjoyed the show, please consider leaving us a review on your favourite podcast app because your feedback helps us reach more travel enthusiasts just like you. Anyway, that leaves me to say, as always, happy global travel planning.