24 of the world’s most incredible train journeys to book in 2025

From cutting through the countryside to connecting a country’s great cities, the world’s best railway journeys offer entirely new perspectives on a destination.

Train travel always delivers plenty of magic. Sometimes it’s in the cars, as you meet fellow travelers, or as you eat and sleep with the sound of wheels rolling on the steel rails beneath you. Sometimes it’s outside, in the landscape the train traverses – offering an adventure, an experience, an insight into the heart of a nation.

Our upcoming book, Amazing Train Journeys, rounds up the world’s greatest railway rides. Pulled from its pages, these 24 train journeys are truly first-class.

1. The Reunification Express, Vietnam

Start: Ho Chi Minh City
End: Hanoi
Departs: Daily
Distance: 1072 miles (1726km)
Duration: Two days

This is one of Southeast Asia’s best-loved railways – and one of the most epic overnight train journeys in the world. There is no more atmospheric way to haul into Vietnam’s twin metropolises as this train rattles through historic cities and swooshes beside spectacular coastlines.

2. The California Zephyr, USA

Start: Chicago
End: San Francisco
Departs: Daily
Distance: 2438 miles (3924km)
Duration: 52hrs 40mins

For soaking up the scenic grandeur of the North American continent, nothing compares with Amtrak’s California Zephyr, one of the US’ best train journeys. This classic three-day ride travels across prairies, deserts, the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada on its way from the Midwest to the West Coast.

3. The Lake Titicaca Train, Peru

Start: Puno
End: Cuzco
Departs: Three times a week
Distance: 241 miles (388km)
Duration: 10 hours

Traversing the Altiplano, from the shores of Lake Titicaca to the bustling heart of the ancient Incan empire, the railway from Puno to Cuzco cuts a ponderous but picturesque path through the snow-dusted peaks and voluptuous valleys of the Andes, across the epic Peruvian plains, passing hardy bowler-hatted llama farmers and traveling through remote towns and villages.

4. The Beijing-to-Lhasa Express, China

Start: Beijing
End: Lhasa
Departs: Daily
Distance: 2330 miles (3750km)
Duration: 40 hours

From the futuristic architecture and imperial wonders of Beijing, the Z21 train transports its passengers from the neon lights of urban China across the Tibetan plateau, where it glides past grazing yaks, fluttering prayer flags, snow-capped mountains and boundless blue skies. At your destination, magenta-robed monks await. 

5. The TranzAlpine, New Zealand

Start: Christchurch
End: Greymouth
Departs: Daily
Distance: 139 miles (223km)
Duration: 4hrs 30mins

Under five hours, this journey is surely one the world’s finest and most scenic one-day train rides. Commence the TranzAlpine experience in Christchurch, before speeding along the Canterbury Plains and climbing quickly through the snow-capped mountains of the Southern Alps, then descend through a thrilling tunnel to emerge among the lakes, streams and rainforests of the South Island’s West Coast. 

6. The Bergensbanen, Norway

Start: Oslo
End: Bergen
Departs: Four times a day
Distance: 308 miles (496km)
Duration: 6hrs 30mins

This astonishing train is one of Europe’s best railway rides – and one of the least well known outside of Norway. It covers the spectrum of the Nordic country’s natural splendor: climbing canyons, crossing rivers, burrowing through mountainsides and traversing barren icescapes.

7. Tazara Railway, Tanzania and Zambia

Start: Dar es Salaam
End: Kapiri Mposhi
Departs: Twice a week
Distance: 1160 miles (1860km)
Duration: 46 hours

Few trains in the world offer the chance – and we should point out that it’s a chance rather than a guarantee – of spotting big game from your seat. The Tazara (Tanzania and Zambia Railway Authority) does just that. The highlight, though, is the chance to spend two days watching everyday life out of the window, and enjoying the clamor and chaos when the train pulls to a halt – scheduled or unscheduled.

8. The Sunset Limited, USA 

Start: New Orleans
End: Los Angeles
Departs: Three times per week 
Distance: 1995 miles (3211km) 
Duration: Two days

The ultimate American railroad ride: east to west, coast to coast, clean through from the bars of New Orleans to the breakers of the Pacific Ocean. If you’ve always dreamed of crossing the States, but don’t much relish the prospect of two weeks spent cooped up in an automobile, then a ride on the Sunset Limited is the answer. Sit back and let America’s landscapes buzz by: from Louisiana’s bayous, past the high-rises of Houston, across the deserts of Texas and Arizona, over the Californian hills all the way to LA’s golden beaches. Saddle up, partner: it’s gonna be quite a ride.

9. The Caledonian Sleeper, UK

Start: London (Euston)
End: Fort William
Departs: Daily
Distance: 509 miles (819km)
Duration: 13hrs 30mins

Segueing from the sooty suburbs and crowded concrete-lined cul-de-sacs of central London to the crisp air and soaring vistas of the Scottish Highlands via one overnight train journey epitomizes the romance of rail travel. Enjoy the buffet-car banter, be lulled to sleep by the rhythm of the rails, then wake up to bedside views of towering granite peaks. 

10. Mombasa to Nairobi, Kenya

Start: Mombasa
Ends: Nairobi
Departs: Daily
Distance: 360 miles (579km)
Duration: 5hrs 10mins

The Nairobi–Mombasa railway route is among Africa’s most legendary: it even helped foster the modern concept of safari. The rickety old railway has undergone a rebuild in recent years with smart new stations and a new track laid across the Kenyan savannah. What hasn’t changed is the spellbinding journey, with trains departing from Mombasa and passing in the shadow of Kilimanjaro to the cusp of the Great Rift Valley.

11. Tangier to Marrakesh, Morocco

Start: Tangier
End: Marrakesh
Departs: Daily
Distance: 360 miles (580km)
Duration: 5hrs 15mins

Nothing can fully prepare you for the magnificence Morocco’s most evocative city – from the clamor and spectacle of the central square, Djemaa El Fna, to the primary colors of the Jardin Majorelle; and from the peaceful madrassa of Medersa Ben Youssef to the mad profusion of alleyways. There’s no doubting that a railway journey down the spine of this North African nation is a profoundly uplifting experience.

12. The Rocky Mountaineer, Canada

Start: Vancouver
End: Banff
Departs: Twice a week
Distance: 594 miles (957km)
Duration: 37 hours

Clattering across the wild Rocky Mountains along a pioneering 19th-century railroad, this train journey is all at once a geological field trip, sightseeing adventure and wildlife safari. It promises cinematic views of Canada’s quintessential mountain landscapes, plus a bevy of engineering marvels, from dizzying bridges to logic-defying tunnels. And with luck, you might even spy a bald eagle, moose or grizzly bear. 

13. Alexandria to Aswan, Egypt

Start: Alexandria
End: Aswan
Departs: Daily
Distance: 670 miles (1100km)
Duration: 16 hours

A ride from Alexandria to Aswan means you will travel the length of Egypt's rail network – and also undertake an odyssey in the company of the great Nile River, with chances to disembark and explore the relics of empires along its banks. Do keep in mind that, for all their plus points, Egyptian trains are not always known for punctuality. 

14. The Serra Verde Express, Brazil

Start: Curitiba
End: