5 train journeys to put on your bucket list

Before we took to the skies, we rode the rails. The steam locomotive connected the world like no technology that came before it, linking isolated communities to the big cities. The magic of train travel hasn’t diminished with time, yet most of us have forgotten it. So, climb aboard and see your world in a new way all over again!

1. Toy Train (Siliguri to Darjeeling, India)

As the story goes, Darjeeling's narrow-gauge steam train was established as a means to exploit the difference in price of tea and potatoes between Darjeeling and Siliguri. Today, travellers and locals alike call it the “Toy Train”, and for good reason—with its tracks laid just two feet apart, it boasts the footprint of an amusement park ride. Despite its diminutive nickname, the railway is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and its stations along the way have been carefully restored to their former colonial glory. Travelling at a breakneck speed of 12 km/h, the “Toy Train” is famous for its reverses, loops and spirals, with the temperature dropping dramatically as it ascends through tea plantations and teak forests, boasting spectacular views of the Himalayas and the world’s third-­highest peak—Kanchenjunga.

Take a turn on the ‘Toy Train” with G Adventures’ 33-day ‘Kolkata to Kochi by Rail’ journey.

2. Trans-Siberian (Moscow to Vladivostok)

The Trans-Siberian Railway is among the longest in the world and crosses nearly all of Russia, the world’s largest country by area. From Yaroslavsky Station in Moscow, it’s a splendiferous 9,259km through taiga and mountains, across steppes and over rivers to Vladivostok in the Russian Far East. As it winds through Siberia, expect contrasts and extremes, from glacial lakes to urban chaos. Even without disembarking, this epic journey takes about a week, crossing a record seven time zones. There’s no other rail journey quite like it.

Get ready to reset your watch seven times with G Adventures’ 17-day ‘Epic Trans-Siberian Journey’.

3. Northern Lights (Oslo to Tromso)

If the frosty, isolated north is more your speed, this is the trip for you. Travel through scenic Norway, stopping for cold-weather activities — such as dog-sledding, or snowshoeing — and terrific Nordic food along the way. And, of course, there will be a chance (no guarantees — Mother Nature is fickle and unpredictable) to see the Northern Lights in one of the most picturesque settings possible.

See Norway by rail on G Adventures’ 9-day ‘Northern Lights and Arctic Circle by Rail’.

4. Ancient Empires (Beijing to Tokyo, via Shanghai)

Beijing, Shanghai and Tokyo are three of the world's most historic — and most exciting — cities; seeing all three on one trip is a traveller's dream come true. Visit the iconic Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City in Beijing — and, of course, take a few steps along the breathtaking Great Wall — before hopping aboard the train and disembarking in Xi'an, en route to Shanghai, where you'll get up close and personal with a few of China's famed Terracotta Warriors. Then, in Shanghai, enjoy an acrobat show in the evening before ferrying across to Japan. There, travel to Hiroshima and the historic Peace Park, through Kyoto's beautiful shrines, and finally, finish in the hustle and bustle of Toyko.

Hop aboard G Adventures’ 18-day ‘Ancient Empires’ journey..

5. Glacier Express (Zermatt to St. Moritz, Switzerland)

The Glacier Express is one of the most famous express services in the world—and also one of its slowest. That being said, you wouldn’t want it to move any faster, since it ascends and plunges over (and through) the southern Alps, crossing 291 bridges, some of them spanning vertigo-inducing chasms, and boring through mountains via its 91 tunnels. With its inspiring scenery and remarkable assortment of engineering derring-do, the railway links the fashionable Alpine resorts of St Moritz and Zermatt. The views as it climbs 2,253m over the Albula pass to St Moritz are staggering—and the engineering chops that made it all possible are so impressive that it has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Luxuriate in the panoramas on G Adventures’ 13-day ‘Europe by Rail with the Glacier Express’ adventure.

Getting There

G Adventures has defined (and redefined) small group travel for 25 years. Travelling with us is the very best way to get up-close and personal with your planet in a way you’d never manage on your own. And when you travel with us, you support local communities and help make the world a little bit better for everyone. Check out our small group trips here.

Originally published on October 10, 2014. Last updated February 21, 2017.