When I was in university, I took the train home to see my family on a semi-regular basis. It was a few hours by train and I could study while I rode or, more frequently, take a nap. It was convenient and inexpensive but given my choice between a ride in a friend’s car and the train, I chose the car every time. In the car, I chose who I sat beside and it wasn’t as crowded. We could stop for coffee or a snack if we got hungry and we could vary the route a bit if we felt like a change of scenery.
The idea of choosing to travel by train voluntarily was not something I ever considered until I started looking into luxury train trips. Anyone who has ever driven in a foreign country will tell you that there are times where it can be stressful and, for more timid drivers, even frightening.
It took me a week before I was comfortable driving in Madrid and I sat in the hotel room crying after driving there from the airport. They’re crazy and I wouldn’t even dream of driving in Morocco. But, if you don’t drive you limit yourself to places you can either catch a tour for or that public transport goes to which often means day trips only. With the train, you can go much further; you can cross countries and even continents.
Luxury trains offer a different experience than a commuter train. You have private compartments, fine dining, bars, observation cars, excursions in different cities, etc. The trips available range from day trips to ones that take almost a month. They offer a complete vacation package that includes food, drinks, accommodations and, in some cases, tours and excursions. The longer ones often incorporate hotel stays and occasionally flights and river cruises as well.
Without further ado, here are a few luxurious train trips that have made it onto my travel bucket list. Many of them are epic, once in a lifetime trips but I’m optimistic that I can pack at least a few of them into this lifetime.
#1: Rovos Train Trip from Cape Town, South Africa up to Cairo, Egypt
This is one of those ones that covers a continent. You’ll spend a whole month taking a journey that starts at the bottom of Africa and goes all the way up, combining rail travel with air flights and river cruises.
You start with a few days staying in a Cape Town hotel and tour the local sites. You stop in Pretoria, Victoria Falls, Kilimanjaro, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti Plains, Jinja (source of the Nile), Khartoum, Luxor, and Cairo where your trip ends with another hotel stay and more tours.
Along the way you take a Zambezi River cruise, go on safari, visit museums, wineries, Egyptian ruins, chimpanzee sanctuaries, and so much more. It’s almost everything you could want to do on the African continent rolled into a month long trip. The tour price includes all meals, alcohol, transportation, accommodations en route, and all excursions.
A basic Pullman suite, which includes your own room with private washroom and shower, a bed which converts to a sofa during the day, a mini fridge stocked with your beverages of choice and 24 hour room service, costs about $48,500 USD.
#2: The Silk Road
This is a trip that follows in the footsteps of Marco Polo, Alexander the Great and many other historical figures. It starts in Moscow and journeys across Asia to end in Beijing over a period of three weeks.
You start with two nights in Moscow before transferring to the train and beginning the trip to Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad). From there you cross the Kara Kum Desert (Kazakhstan) and then move onward to Khiva, a 2,500 year old Uzbekistan city that was a meeting point for traders from Russia, China, Persia, and Mongolia. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Several days are spent visiting various cities in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan before crossing into China. You stop at a few different Chinese cities including Xian, home of the Terra Cotta Warriors, before ending your vacation with a few days in Beijing, staying at a hotel and visiting the many sites including the Great Wall of China.
In many ways, it is an epic trip that covers parts of the world that are not always the easiest to get to and you do them while sitting in the lap of luxury. Tour prices include all food, alcohol, excursions, and accommodations. A basic suite with your own room and private washroom is approximately $22,000 USD.
#3: Alaska
Alaska Railroad Vacations offers trips aboard a luxurious train that take you across this beautiful state. It’s a bit different from the other packages in that you always overnight at local hotels rather than onboard the train and the package price includes only the train ride, accommodations, and excursions, meals and beverages are extra.
It is however much more within my typical budget and it hits all the highlights. Most of the tours begin in Alaska and all are $3,500 USD or less with a maximum length of 10 nights. Among the cities and national parks you can visit are Fairbanks, Denali (home of Mt McKinley), Kenai Fjords, Talkeetna, and Alyeska.
Activities include lots of wildlife viewing, dog sledding, hiking, glacier viewing, river jetboat safaris, and much more with many add-ons possible depending on what most interests you and your travel companions.
#4: Jewels of Persia
This s a Golden Eagle train tour that is just beginning its maiden voyage in 2014. It ventures into countries that many westerners will not get the opportunity to visit or may feel worried about visiting on their own. It’s a tremendous opportunity to see a very ancient part of the world in all its glory and it goes through parts of the world that I long to see but am a little intimidated by the idea of travelling through alone as a woman.
You start in Budapest, Hungary and end your journey in Tehran, Iran. Cities and countries visited include Iran (Tehran, Mashhad, Kerman, Shiraz, Persepolis, Isfahan, Zanjan), Turkey (Van, Lake Van, Akdamar Island, Cappadocia, Istanbul), Bulgaria (Kazanlak, Veliko Turnovo), Romania (Braşov, Sighişoara), and Hungary (Kecskemét and Budapest). You overnight in hotels in Budapest and Istanbul.
It includes all tours, meals, alcohol with meals, and accommodations. A room with a private washroom will cost about $21,000 USD. If you are willing to share the washroom and shower facilities with others on the carriage, the price is just over half that. While it is probably not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, I think it sounds fascinating.
So, as you can see, train travel does not have to be as smelly, crowded and overall dreary as you thought it was. It can be a luxurious adventure and a great way to see the world. We’ve looked at some of the most luxurious trips out there, once in a lifetime opportunities, but there are lots of less expensive but no less interesting train trips you can consider. Look into it, you’ll be happy you did.
Cover photo: indianexplorations.com
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