World's 15 most scenic train rides
In a relaxation showdown amongst trains, planes, and automobiles, trains win as the most laidback style of travel, allowing you to sit back, relax, and enjoy the view. Luckily, some of the world’s most beautiful destinations are also home to the most scenic train rides—journeys ranging from a few hours to more than a week, costing as little as two movie tickets or as much as a luxury cruise, and traversing terrain as dramatic as snow-capped peaks or orange-hued deserts. Here’s a look at 15 exceptionally scenic train rides.
Where: Scotland
With a name like , you might expect this exclusive 36-passenger train to be proper—but with textured plaid and polished wood décor straight out of a Highlands country estate it’s downright posh, too. Making journeys from around the , the vintage train passes serene lochs (lakes) and glens, ancient castles, babbling streams, and more pristine green countryside than you ever imagined possible.
Fun fact: Passengers can rent a kilt or have one custom-tailored to wear during the journey.
Where: Colorado
You’ll climb 3,000 feet and travel 130 years back in time onboard the , a circa-1882 coal-fired, steam-operated train (the locomotives date to the 1920s) that chugs its way at 18 miles per hour (fueled by six tons of coal and 10,000 gallons of water) through the steep mountain passes between and in southwest .
Fun fact: The train is featured in the 1969 movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford.
Where: Peru
The full-day round-trip on the luxurious links two of the top destinations in —the colonial city of and the ancient Inca citadel of —via a winding, scenic journey through the Urubamba River Valley with brunch served on the way there and a four-course dinner on the return.
Fun fact: The 1920s Pullman-style train, richly upholstered and outfitted with fine tableware, is named after the American explorer who discovered Machu Picchu in 1911.
Continue reading World's 15 most scenic train rides
Where: Scotland
With a name like , you might expect this exclusive 36-passenger train to be proper—but with textured plaid and polished wood décor straight out of a Highlands country estate it’s downright posh, too. Making journeys from around the , the vintage train passes serene lochs (lakes) and glens, ancient castles, babbling streams, and more pristine green countryside than you ever imagined possible.
Fun fact: Passengers can rent a kilt or have one custom-tailored to wear during the journey.
Where: Colorado
You’ll climb 3,000 feet and travel 130 years back in time onboard the , a circa-1882 coal-fired, steam-operated train (the locomotives date to the 1920s) that chugs its way at 18 miles per hour (fueled by six tons of coal and 10,000 gallons of water) through the steep mountain passes between and in southwest .
Fun fact: The train is featured in the 1969 movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford.
Where: Peru
The full-day round-trip on the luxurious links two of the top destinations in —the colonial city of and the ancient Inca citadel of —via a winding, scenic journey through the Urubamba River Valley with brunch served on the way there and a four-course dinner on the return.
Fun fact: The 1920s Pullman-style train, richly upholstered and outfitted with fine tableware, is named after the American explorer who discovered Machu Picchu in 1911.
Continue reading World's 15 most scenic train rides
