Through the airplane window, little is visible due to the clouds, height and small size of the window. A bus for long journeys is a dubious pleasure. A train is a completely different matter. In the carriage you can relax and sit in a restaurant, but a special pleasure is to look at the endless landscapes under the uniform clatter of the wheels. For you, we have collected ten of the most scenic routes for traveling by rail.
Chur – Tirano
The road leads from Switzerland to Italy and takes four hours, although the distance between the end points does not exceed 130 kilometers. Flights are made on the Bernina Express train along a narrow-gauge railway that runs along the Alps from north to south. Its construction at one time was extremely difficult and costly due to the large differences in altitude in the mountainous area. The route consists almost entirely of tunnels and bridges.
On this trip you will see Mount Bernina, the Morteratsch glacier, the mountain lakes Lei Nair and Lago Bianco, as well as charming mountain villages. In addition, the contrast is impressive: it would seem that just recently you were driving through snow-capped mountains, and now you are in Tirano and in front of you are greenery and palm trees. But maybe we shouldn’t be in such a hurry to leave this country?
Tokyo – Osaka
The route runs along the Shinkansen, a high-speed railway line. Japan is known for its fast trains, and one of them runs on the Tokyo-Osaka route. The train will cover a distance of 515 kilometers in two and a half hours. It is not difficult to calculate the average speed of movement – about two hundred kilometers per hour.
Traveling along this route provides an opportunity to look at the diversity of Japanese landscapes. You will meet mountains, including the famous Fuji, hills, forests, rice fields, and villages. A trip on one of the fastest trains in the world should be remembered for a long time.
Vancouver – Calgary
This hiking trail follows the route of the late nineteenth-century Canadian Pacific railroad. The trip will take two days, and the first place here is not the speed of movement, but the process of traveling through beautiful places. The train stops overnight in Kamloops so tourists can rest and not miss the picturesque scenery that is only visible during the day.
Mountain rivers, lakes, and sometimes a bear or bighorn sheep will flash outside your window – the nature of Canada will fully reveal itself to you. And remember that the best seats are in the Gold Leaf carriage for first class passengers, where the carriages are equipped with large panoramic windows.
Chihuahua – Los Mochis
Chihuahua al Pacifico is one of the largest railroads in Mexico. Its length is 650 kilometers, and the railway infrastructure is also impressive: 37 bridges and 86 tunnels. The landscapes are excellent: deserts with huge cacti, lakes stretching for many kilometers ahead, hills and plains where there is not a single living soul.
However, the highlight of the trip is not the deserts or fields, but the Copper Canyon. It is four times larger than the famous Grand Canyon, and its beauty cannot be compared with anything else. If you take the route Chihuahua – Los Mochis, you will see it at sunset, and if vice versa, then with the rising sun. The train makes a twenty-minute stop at Divisadero so travelers can view Copper Canyon from an observation deck. There are two trains on this route: the tourist Primera Especial and the regular Segunda Clase, which is used by locals.
Oslo – Bergen
The distance between Oslo and Bergen when traveling by train is 470 kilometers, which you will cover in seven hours.
First, the route goes along the Hallingdal valley, among many lakes and rivers, then the ascent to the Hardangervidda mountain plateau begins – in a hundred kilometers you will climb a thousand meters up. If you’re lucky, you’ll come across grazing deer – they’re not uncommon in these parts. Finally, you will reach the highest point of the Bergen railway – Finse station, from where you can enjoy an unforgettable view of the Hardangerjökulen glacier.
Zermatt — St. Moritz
The train running on this route is called Glacier Express. This is perhaps the most beautiful railway in Switzerland, and you will have a whole eight hours to enjoy the trip. This is how long it will take to get to the popular ski resort.
Snow-capped mountains and gorges will replace each other throughout the route. The train crosses 291 bridges and 91 tunnels, crossing the St. Nicholas Valley along the way. Glacier Express cars have large windows, and all panoramas will appear in their unframed glory.
Trans-Siberian Railway
It’s difficult to choose a specific route here – the nature of Russia is so diverse that wherever you go, there will be plenty of picturesque places. The total length of the highway is almost 9.3 thousand kilometers. The construction of the road made it possible at one time to travel overland from Western Europe to the eastern part of Russia.
You can travel along the entire Trans-Siberian Railway on the Rossiya train along the Moscow – Vladivostok route.
The journey will take six days, and during this time you will cover more than nine thousand kilometers. Almost a week on the road is, of course, a long time, but imagine that it used to take travelers sixteen days to complete this route. The vast Russian expanses, big and small cities, nature – you will see absolutely everything. But, if a six-day trip seems too long for you, there is always the opportunity to stop for a couple of days in one of the cities along the way.
Golmud – Lhasa
This railway connects China with Tibet, and the first train passed along it relatively recently, on July 1, 2006. The length is 1,142 kilometers, with about 80 percent of the path passing at an altitude of more than four thousand meters. The highest point of the route is near Tangla station – 5072 meters above sea level.
Special trains run along the route, the carriages of which are equipped with oxygen pumping systems. This allows passengers to avoid altitude sickness. In addition, the carriages have individual oxygen masks.
Siliguri – Darjeeling
The eight-hour trip across India will take place on the Toy Train. The train received this name because of its unusually narrow gauge – the width between the rails is only 61 centimeters. The picturesque nature of the route is evidenced by the fact that many Indian films are partially filmed along this railway.
The landscapes of India are varied: you will encounter jungles, tea plantations, lush valleys and Himalayan peaks. The Siliguri-Darjeeling route is very popular among tourists.
Adelaide – Darwin
The road runs from south to north of Australia. The Gun Train travels through bush, grassland, plains, jungle and the Red Center – the heart of the Australian desert. The journey will take two days, during which time you will see Australia in all its diversity.
The carriages are divided into several classes, the most luxurious of which is Platinum. If your finances allow, take a ticket there and not only for the sake of prestige – here passengers have bathrooms at their disposal. For a two-day trip this is a significant plus.
