6 Life-Changing Train Trips to Take This Year
Because high-end rail travel is back—fabulous food and all.
The scene is like something from Agatha Christie’s Poirot novels: In the golden glow of morning, a crowd gathers to board the huffing, gleaming train. Porters in starched white livery lead travelers to sleeping chambers outfitted with carved wood furniture and goose-down quilts. Then, with everyone snug in their cabins, a sharp whistle blows. The coach trundles off into the vast, scenic wilderness.
Is it 1924 or 2024? With a sudden proliferation of old-world-style rail itineraries, your guess is as good as ours. Slow travel is back, and by rail, you can skip the usual headaches of traffic and crowds in exchange for sweeping vistas, well-kept accommodations, and—increasingly—exceptional cuisine with a palpable sense of place. For an escape that’s as much about the journey as it is about the destination, consider these luxe locomotives.
3 nights • Key sights: Singapore, Taman Negara National Park, Penang
Departing from Singapore, this Belmond train is a blast from the past with wood-paneled carriages, gilded design accents, and a dining car with crisp tablecloths and glimmering crystal. As you ride through the misty jungle, you’ll pause at a national park (to learn about endangered Malayan tigers) and savor dishes that wink to the locations en route, such as Penang duck curry or beef cheeks with Sarawak peppercorns.
6 hours • Key sights: Charles Krug Winery, V. Sattui Winery
On this popular route, wine tasting in an open-air carriage is followed by a four-course menu featuring California products such as Skyhill chèvre and Guittard Chocolate—all served in a 1915 Pullman dining car. Wine flights at the formidable Charles Krug and V. Sattui wineries round out the itinerary, which snakes through sun-soaked vineyards and farmland.
15 nights • Key sights: Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, Fish River Canyon, Kalahari Desert
There may be no better way to absorb the varied scenery of southern Africa than this leisurely route that weaves from the eastern coast of South Africa up to Namibia. Desert drives, safaris, and boma dinners—think ostrich filet, grilled kingklip, and koeksisters (honeyed fried dough) served alfresco at candlelit tables—are all part of the experience.
2 nights • Key sights: Rome, Matera, Palena
The UNESCO-preserved cave dwellings of Matera, the star stop on this train, make you feel like you’re in a history documentary (just with way more gelato). On-board culinary offerings include everything from Sicilian brioche at breakfast to a lively aperitivo in the lounge (where you can try your hand at the Italian game of scopa). A stop-off in Palena allows for more enchanting sightseeing and castle-hopping.
7 nights • Key sights: Delhi, Udaipur, Agra
Rajasthan, the “Land of Kings,” boasts such a wealth of monuments and landscapes that it’s best taken in by train. Sightseeing stops—say, an elephant ride in Jaipur or a boat excursion in Udaipur—complement the over-the-top train, which sparkles with colorful fabrics, Christmas lights, and royal-themed decorations. Though there are European-style dishes, more intriguing are the freshly made Indian stews, breads, and desserts, including from-scratch ice creams.
4 hours • Key sights: Hachinohe, Sanriku Coast, Kuji
State-run rail companies and fine dining rarely go hand in hand—except when it comes to Japan’s Tohuku Emotion, which chugs along the coast of northeastern Honshu. The train makes no stops but offers views of monuments such as the Kabushima Shrine, a breeding ground for black-tailed gulls. The menu changes quarterly, which might mean sea urchin-cauliflower cream one month and smoked Aomori scallops the next.
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