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Travel bloggers recommend the best railway journeys in the world

(Last Updated On: 05/02/2023)
Couple of weeks ago I asked few fellow travel bloggers what are the best railway journeys in the world. I got so many amazing answers that my insider train geek was in seventh heaven and my bucket list got so much longer! You can see the first part of this post here and take a look below to read about more amazing railway journeys!

Peloponnese, Greece by Chrissy from Travel Passionate

At the north of Peloponnese lays the seaside town of Diakopto. From there starts one of the most scenic train routes in Greece and the whole Balkans, the cog railway (Odontotos). It connects the village of Diakopto with Kalavrita that stands at 750 m above sea level. Kalavrita is a very popular destination for visitors. Some of the places of interest include the Cave of Lakes, a ski resort and many historical monasteries. The journey takes approximately 1 hour and the train goes through Vouraikos Gorge. It follows the stream of Vouraikos River and along the way passes through waterfalls, a pine forest, cliffs and tunnels. When the incline gets really steep the train switches from the regular tracks to the cog system. Before the train reaches Kalavrita it makes a stop to Zachlourou, a small traditional village built in the lush vegetation of the Vouraikos gorge.

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Cape Town to Johannesburg, South Africa by Shara from SKJ Travel

Taking the train between Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa, is a great way to see the interior of this large and diverse country in a 26-hour journey. It’s best to travel east, starting in Cape Town, to maximize daylight viewing time of the beautiful western cape. Beginning in Cape Town, the train winds through lush green fields and countless rows of vineyard trellises, all stretched beneath blue hills rising straight up from the plains. It makes you thirst for a glass of wine, and you can treat yourself appropriately in the bar car. You might meet some very interesting people there. Slowly the terrain changes to a more rocky landscape of red and yellow. After 12 minutes of pitch-black darkness tunneling beneath the mountains, you emerge into a different world – a vast arid plain with sparse vegetation and the starkness of an infinite horizon, and when night falls, you find yourself covered by a dome of stars. It’s quite inexpensive to travel in the premier class and have a private coach, where you’re pampered with fluffy robes and turn-down service on your bed.

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Java, Indonesia by Emi from Emi w drodze

From all of the 17.000 Indonesian islands only Java has its own well-developed railway system. In bahasa Indonesia they call it “Kereta Api” and it was built by the Dutch during their rule over the country. Trains in Indonesia surprised me in a very positive way – unlike in another SE Asian countries, even the cheapest class is clean, comfortable, much faster than the buses and usually arrive on time.

Once you get out of the big cities (and all of the cities here are huge!), actually everywhere you go, you can see rice fields, banana and palm trees and volcanos. I chose the route Banyuwangi – Yogyakarta, because it’s not only beautiful, but it also links three favourite tourist destinations in Java – Ijen crater, Bromo volcano and Yogyakarta, the cultural capital of Indonesia.

The picture was taken on the rainy, windy day – rice fields are more beautiful when it rains a lot, as then they’re getting insanely green! From the train window I could see few volcanos at once!

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Vietnam by Jo and Olo from 4evermoments

If you are looking for a spectacular train journey in Vietnam, you should consider a short ride on the Reunification Express, between Hue and Da Nang. Being just a little over 100km long, it makes a great one day trip and takes you through one of the most magical places in central Vietnam. During the ride you get to enjoy amazing views over the coast of South China Sea, it’s beautiful beaches and islands, rural areas and villages, and some magnificent mountain scenerey when the train makes its way through the famous Hai Van Pass. In Vietnamese it’s called Đèo Hải Vân which means ‘Ocean Cloud Pass’ and you will understand why once you get there. The journey takes about 2.5h one way, so make sure you have your camera fully charged. There are several trains a day, so no advance booking is necessary, except public holidays.

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Mallorca by Ewa from Daleko Niedaleko

Some people call this train The Red Lightning, but it is like guinea pig – it is neither red nor fast. The old train connecting the capital city of Mallorca, Palma de Mallorca, with a picturesque town on the west coast, Sóller, is brown and very slow. But the latter is an advantage – everyone on board can enjoy the stunning views along the railway during the one-hour trip.

The over one hundred-year-old train leaves Palma and carries on along a plain full of almond and olive trees until it reaches the Tramuntana mountain range. Then it continues through the mountains, sometimes on the slopes, and sometimes passing the rocks through dark tunnels. This is where the joy of traveling begins – when you reach the stunning valley, where Sóller is hidden. Full of orange trees, it offers not only delightful visual sensations but also smells wonderfully when the trees are in bloom!

The railway was build not for tourists, but for the inhabitants of Sóller to communicate the town with the capital city of the island. Due to its location it was never easily accessible, the journey took many hours for the farmers who wanted to sell their oranges at the market. The train facilitated it a lot. Nowadays there are road tunnels so the train serves mainly tourists and is an amazing attraction!

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Myanmar by Erin from Traveling Thru History

Recently we were able to spend a few days in Myanmar and decided to spent a morning riding their Circle Train. This train does a 3-hour circuit around Yangon and visits many outlying villages. One of the things I really liked about this train ride was that it wasn’t a tourist attraction. The Circle Train is what the locals use to get from their villages to the capitol and back. We were amazed by the things we saw. Normally locals are trying to get us to buy things from them or give ‘gifts’ to them, but these people would smile at us and then ignore us. They went about their lives as if we weren’t even there and we got to see how life is for the common person in Myanmar. And we got to see so much of the beautiful countryside. Most of the landscape outside the capitol is farmland, which gave us plenty of rice fields and crops to see as well as people working in them. It was neat seeing what life is like for most people in Myanmar. It made me feel a better connection with their culture and helped me be more appreciative for what I have.

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Mexico by Alejandro from Mi Viaje por el Mundo

One of the best hidden secrets of Mexico is his train ride in the north of the country known as El Chepe, because it goes from Chihuahua to the Pacific Ocean. Mexico, unlike other countries, has an underdeveloped railroad infrastructure and this is the only route that is used for transporting regular passengers and tourists alike. During the trip you will see a radically change in the landscape, you’ll go from mountain to desert or vice versa depending on where you start your trip and according to the season, you will see the snowy mountains or pass under waterfalls during the rainy season. One of the most important attractions is its stop at the Copper Canyon, which is larger and deeper than the Grand Canyon. Having traveled by train in many countries this journey is among the best I’ve seen, you will not want to get away from the window any moment.

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Rocky Mountaineer train, Canada by Jai from Savoir There

The Rocky Mountaineer takes you on an epic rail journey of a lifetime through the Canadian stretch of the Rocky Mountains via snow-capped peaks, passes and parkland, past lakes and canyons, rivers and gorges, and over bridges and through atmospheric tunnels, as jaw dropping views of British Columbia and Alberta rhythmically float past your carriage window. The train is Canada’s answer to the Orient Express, it offers three levels of service but the real treat is luxurious glass-domed Gold Leaf, which comes with a dedicated team of chefs serving up fine meals in dining-car carriages on white-linen tablecloths accompanied by the immense skies and vastness of the wilderness outside. Many guests spend their time on the open-air vestibule at the rear of the train enjoying the fresh pine-scented mountain air and capturing the views for posterity or trying to spot native wildlife from bald eagles to brown bears. The Rocky Mountaineer’s key routes, Journey Through The Clouds and First Passage To The West run between Vancouver through to Jasper and Banff respectively and can be taken in either direction – each take two full days, overnighting at a hotel in Kamloops.

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Kuranda Scenic Railway, Australia by Julia from Where is Juli + Sam

There are very few famous railways in Australia. This one is not on that list. Kuranda Scenic Railway is a short but spectacular line in Tropical North Queensland. It winds its way on a journey of approximately 2hrs from Cairns to Kuranda, a small village in the World Heritage Listed rainforest. The train runs between the trees, over cliffs, across 37 bridges and through 15 tunnels. It passes a few waterfalls and stops for a while next to the awesome Barron Gorge.

Kuranda Railway Where is Juli

And what are the best railway journeys in the world for you?

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24 Comments

  • Reply
    Marcin Wesołowski
    29/07/2015 at 21:26

    To ja się pochwalę, że w ten weekend jadę retro kolejką z Chabówki do… nie pamiętam gdzie, chyba Kasiny, ale w każdym razie jadę! :)

    • Reply
      Marcin Wesołowski
      30/07/2015 at 20:09

      W skansenie już byłem, podobało mi się, ale nie jechałem retro pociągiem :)

  • Reply
    Magdalena Bodnari
    30/07/2015 at 05:21

    Ale piękny ten nasz świat ja uwielbiam wszystkie jazdy pociągiem, najbardziej przy drzwiach w ostatnim wagonie. I nie tylko po torach, kiedyś jechałam trolejbusem z Jałty do Simferopola i było cudownie

  • Reply
    Piotr Goroh
    30/07/2015 at 07:02

    El Chepe wygląda genialnie, mój nr 1 to nadal transsyberyjka, zrobiłem latem, teraz zimą bym spróbował. pzdr

  • Reply
    Natalia Watras
    30/07/2015 at 07:03

    Pociągiem się świetnie zwiedza, często zobaczysz miejsca, do których inaczej byś nie dotarła. Ale cholernie nie lubię tego, że on się nie zatrzymuje tam, gdzie masz ochotę ;)

  • Reply
    Ibazela Krawczyk
    30/07/2015 at 07:39

    No wiadomo, że wszystkie japońskie :p

  • Reply
    Przemyslaw Czatrowski
    30/07/2015 at 08:47

    przez Norwegię kiedyś fajną trasą jechałem, z Lillehammer do (bodajże) Åndalsnes. Pociąg wyłożony drewnem i pluszem, luksusy, przez głośniczki konduktor zapowiadał co ciekawsze widoki na trasie, a tych nie brakowało (m.in. kamienne mosty nad wodospadami i całkiem sporą doliną). Fajnie było ;)

  • Reply
    obserwatore
    30/07/2015 at 22:17

    Is it the real view from the train? If it is, Mexico is my number one! :)

    • Reply
      kami
      03/08/2015 at 22:09

      I hope so! The picture was provided by Alejandro

  • Reply
    Natalia I Zapiski ze świata
    01/08/2015 at 14:34

    If I had to choose one, it would be so difficult! Wow, traveling by train can be really amazing :)

    • Reply
      kami
      03/08/2015 at 22:10

      it surely is! That’s why it’s my favourite mode of transportation, you can see so much that way!

  • Reply
    Agnieszka
    01/08/2015 at 15:02

    I fall in love with pictures from Australia and Canada. Wanna be there! But the other place are also amazing.

    • Reply
      kami
      03/08/2015 at 22:11

      same with me, these two are my fave from this list!

  • Reply
    balkanyrudej
    01/08/2015 at 16:43

    My number one is railway journey between Bar and Belgrad. I had a chance to travel through Montenegro and it was an amazing adventure, especially because of the mountain views.

    • Reply
      kami
      03/08/2015 at 22:13

      to be honest I wasn’t that impressed with this one. It was amazing, true, but I think I had higher expectation after hearing everyone raving about it

  • Reply
    Agnieszka Ilnicka
    02/08/2015 at 10:12

    Za granicą jechałam pociągiem tylko w Rosji, na Litwie i Anglii… :)

  • Reply
    Julia
    02/08/2015 at 13:11

    Thanks for having us, Kami! The Canadian one looks the best and it has been on my bucket list for a long long time now. And there is one more I want to do in Australia – through the desert from Adelaide to Darwin. Should I wait for you?

    • Reply
      kami
      03/08/2015 at 22:17

      thank you for contributing! I’m dreaming of taking the train in Canada too. Well, I took some from Toronto all the way to Quebec City but that doesn’t count. and yes, please wait for me with this Australian one! I will come, eventually!

  • Reply
    Justyna
    02/08/2015 at 16:43

    I’m going to Mexico in a week and having read your article I add the train journey that Alejandro from Mi Viaje por el Mundo described to my Mexico bucket list :)

    • Reply
      kami
      03/08/2015 at 22:17

      let me know how it was once you do it! :)

  • Reply
    veena
    07/04/2016 at 10:28

    My favourite is the journey up the western coast of India from Kerala to Goa — the views are amazing! I really want to do the Rocky Mountaineer; it’s on my list for when I move back to the States. These are all lovely, thanks for sharing!

    • Reply
      kami
      13/04/2016 at 09:19

      Thank you for the comment Veena! I haven’t been neither to India nor to States but these two railway journeys are very high on my list too! Hopefully one day!

  • Reply
    Geri
    20/12/2016 at 10:16

    The best is in Norway – from Oslo to Bergen. There are no other vistas like these in the world :)

    • Reply
      kami
      25/12/2016 at 22:19

      I took this journey only partly but it was indeed pretty incredible!

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