Sometimes the best part of getting somewhere isn’t arriving at all. Flying gets you there fast, sure, but you’re basically just teleporting through clouds while eating pretzels the size of quarters. Trains? They let you actually see the world unfold outside your window, stretch your legs whenever you want, and arrive feeling like a human being instead of a compressed sardine.
From steam engines chugging through the Himalayas to luxury carriages crossing entire continents, these rail journeys prove that slow travel isn’t just better for the planet—it’s way more fun. Here is a list of 15 train journeys that’ll make you forget flying ever seemed like a good idea.
Trans-Siberian Railway
This beast of a journey spans 5,772 miles across Russia, making it the longest continuous rail line on the planet. The trip from Moscow to Vladivostok takes about a week, crossing eight time zones and giving you front-row seats to the Ural Mountains, endless Siberian forests, and the stunning blue waters of Lake Baikal—the world’s largest freshwater lake by volume.
You’ll pass through cities like Novosibirsk and cross the nearly half-mile-long bridge over the River Ob, all while watching Russia’s vastness roll by at a comfortable pace.
Rocky Mountaineer
Canada’s answer to luxury rail travel doesn’t mess around. This daylight-only service runs between Vancouver and the Canadian Rockies, stopping overnight at hotels so you never miss a view.
The glass-domed carriages frame jaw-dropping scenes of Hell’s Gate in Fraser Canyon, the turquoise waters of the Thompson River, and the snow-capped peaks around Banff and Lake Louise. It’s basically a moving nature documentary, except you’re in it and someone’s serving you gourmet meals.
Glacier Express
The Swiss call this the slowest express train in the world, and they mean it as a compliment. Over eight hours, you’ll crawl through 291 bridges and 91 tunnels between St. Moritz and Zermatt, passing flower-filled meadows, ancient glaciers, and those postcard-perfect Alpine villages that look almost fake.
The Landwasser Viaduct alone—a curved stone bridge spanning a deep gorge—is worth the ticket price. Switzerland basically built a train route through a screensaver.
California Zephyr
Amtrak’s crown jewel runs 2,438 miles from Chicago to San Francisco over two and a half days. You’ll cross the Great Plains, climb through the Colorado Rockies alongside the Colorado River, and wind through the Sierra Nevada before dropping into the Bay Area.
The route passes through 15 tunnels in a single canyon and offers views that change from prairie grasslands to red rock canyons to mountain peaks. It’s the American West in all its dramatic, oversized glory.
The Ghan
Australia’s legendary train cuts straight through the heart of the continent, covering 1,851 miles from Adelaide to Darwin over three days. You’ll start in green countryside before the landscape shifts to the burnt-orange desert of the Outback, then transitions to tropical savanna up north.
The train stops for excursions like cruising through Nitmiluk Gorge and exploring Alice Springs, that quirky desert town in the middle of nowhere. It’s a proper adventure through landscapes most people never see.
TranzAlpine
New Zealand crammed an absurd amount of scenery into this four-and-a-half-hour journey from Christchurch to Greymouth. The train speeds across the Canterbury Plains, climbs into the Southern Alps through Arthur’s Pass National Park, crosses the dramatic Staircase Viaduct, and descends into the subtropical rainforests of the West Coast.
You’ll see everything from braided rivers to snow-capped peaks to thick native bush, all before lunch. The Kiwis really know how to show off their backyard.
West Highland Line
Scotland’s most scenic railway connects Glasgow to Mallaig through some seriously dramatic terrain. The route passes Loch Lomond, crosses the desolate beauty of Rannoch Moor, skirts Britain’s highest mountain Ben Nevis, and rumbles over the Glenfinnan Viaduct—yes, the one from the Harry Potter films.
Steam locomotives still run this line during tourist season, adding that extra hit of nostalgia to an already atmospheric journey through the Highlands.
Flåm Railway
Norway packed one of the world’s steepest standard-gauge railways into just one hour. Starting from the tiny fjord village of Flåm, this engineering marvel climbs 2,831 feet to the mountain station at Myrdal, passing through 20 tunnels carved into sheer rock faces.
You’ll see cascading waterfalls including the famous Kjosfossen, deep ravines, and mountain farms clinging to impossibly steep slopes. The train even stops at the waterfall so everyone can take photos and feel the spray.
Reunification Express
Vietnam’s backbone railway runs 1,072 miles from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi over two days, connecting the country’s twin metropolises. The route hugs spectacular coastlines, cuts through historic cities like Hue and Da Nang, and passes rice paddies, fishing villages, and glimpses of everyday Vietnamese life you’d never see from a plane.
It’s not fancy—this is a working railway—but it’s authentic and gives you time to watch the country unfold at ground level.
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
This narrow-gauge railway from the colonial era might be the world’s most charming train ride. The journey from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling takes seven hours, climbing through emerald tea plantations with views of Kangchenjunga, the world’s third-highest mountain.
The little blue steam locomotives—earning it the nickname “Toy Train”—sometimes seem to be going slower than walking pace, especially on the steep sections. UNESCO declared it a World Heritage site, which tells you everything about how special this trip really is.
El Chepe
Mexico’s Copper Canyon railway took a century to build, and you’ll understand why when you see the terrain. The 15-hour journey from Los Mochis to Chihuahua ventures through the spectacular Sierra Tarahumara, crossing 37 bridges and plunging through 86 tunnels.
The canyons here are actually deeper than the Grand Canyon in places, with dramatic views at every turn. Stop at Divisadero to peer over the edge and maybe question your life choices in the best way possible.
Blue Train
South Africa’s luxury icon has been hosting presidents and celebrities since the 1940s. The two-night journey between Pretoria and Cape Town covers nearly 1,000 miles through incredibly diverse landscapes—from highveld grasslands to the vast Karoo semidesert to the Cape Winelands.
Your suite converts from a lounge to a bedroom, there’s a personal butler, and the dining car serves gourmet meals paired with South African wines. It’s less a train and more a five-star hotel that happens to move.
Bernina Express
This four-hour journey through the Swiss and Italian Alps might pack more drama per mile than any other train route. From Chur to Tirano, you’ll cross the 213-foot-high Landwasser Viaduct, spiral through tunnels that loop back on themselves, pass glaciers and crystal-clear Alpine lakes, and summit the 7,391-foot Bernina Pass—the highest railway crossing in the Alps without a tunnel.
The panoramic windows give you the full IMAX experience of those postcard mountains.
Hiram Bingham
Getting to Machu Picchu by train feels appropriately epic for one of the world’s great wonders. This luxury service named after the explorer who publicized the ruins runs from Cusco through the Sacred Valley to Aguas Calientes in under four hours.
The 1920s Pullman-style carriages feature an observation car where you can watch the Urubamba River and Andean peaks roll by while sipping pisco sours. Live music and traditional Peruvian cuisine complete the experience before you even reach the ancient citadel.
Seven Stars in Kyushu
Japan’s first luxury sleeper train operates on a lottery system because demand is that intense. The two-to-four-day journeys around Kyushu Island showcase volcanic landscapes, coastal scenery, and hot spring towns, all while you’re pampered in suites with elaborate woodwork and traditional Japanese design elements.
With only 14 suites accommodating 28 passengers maximum, it’s intimate and meticulously curated. The dining car serves kaiseki meals using Kyushu’s regional ingredients, and the piano bar adds that extra touch of elegance.
How trains reclaimed the journey
Flying turned travel into a necessary evil—something to endure between destinations. These train journeys flip that equation entirely, making the traveling itself the reason to go.
Whether you’re watching the Australian Outback turn from red to green or crossing bridges that seem to defy gravity in the Swiss Alps, you’re collecting experiences instead of just crossing time zones. The world looks different at 40 miles per hour than it does at 40,000 feet, and honestly, it looks a whole lot better.
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