Travelheart A Blog for those who love to travel
Most of us frequently travel by train and our experience of this once sophisticated and elegant mode of transport is equally shared, and often equally dismal. If you’re used to travelling by rail, either as part of your daily commute or to visit friends and family around the country, you’ll be familiar with delayed and overbooked trains, irritating fellow travellers, being robbed of your life savings for the price of a pitiful cup of coffee… I could go on.
It’s safe to say that the days of Brief Encounter, when you could even find love on the railways, have long since left the station. Similarly, in a film that’s about a school for young witches and wizards tucked away in the Scottish highlands, the most mythical element of the Harry Potter franchise is the efficiency and cleanliness of the Hogwarts Express. We’ve become a nation that’s just no longer impressed by the train.
But when you’re planning your next trip, don’t discount the journey by rail based on your experiences up to now. Even though the standard of your daily commute lacks the ability to take your breath away, there are still examples around the world which continue to capture the timeless romanticism of travelling by rail.
The Alps
It often forms at least part of the university student’s standard summer experience, but travelling by rail in Europe doesn’t always equate to taking night trains and sleeping in dodgy hostels. Choosing this mode of transport gives you the chance to explore remote and scenic landscapes that you would only glimpse from the plane window at 35,000 feet.
If scenery is your passion, head for the Alps and enjoy the beauty of Switzerland, Austria, France and Italy. Although it’ll be difficult to tear yourself away the breath taking views out of the train window, the urge to explore quaint towns that break up the gorgeous scenery will be equally hard to supress. Treyn Holidays offer a range of trips to the Alps which include excursions at each destination.
Canada
When you’re visiting a nation as vast and diverse as Canada, it would be almost unnatural to want to stay in one place for the duration of your trip. Spending just a portion of your holiday riding the rails will take you through the outstanding beauty of the Rocky Mountains and spectacular scenery that Canada has to offer.
My Canada Holidays offer a range Canada Holidays including Trans Canada Rail tours. Awesome views aside, you’re not going to want to spend your entire trip on the train. As well time to explore the different destinations that the train calls at, it’s possible to book a rail tour with a city break to start or finish up your trip.
India
Follow in the footsteps of countless expats and discover the kaleidoscopic sights of India by rail. Any itinerary that picks its way through a country with as diverse and colourful a land as India has to offer, will guarantee access to ancient temples, ornate palaces and bustling cities that will make for an unforgettable travel experience.
Discovering the Taj Mahal and the Amber Palace has never been so easy, and with trains adopting names like Palace on Wheels, it’s not difficult to imagine the opulence and comfort of travelling by rail in India. Great Rail Journey provide tailor made rail holidays throughout the whole of India, offering everything from elephant rides to tiger spotting to ensure that you’re experience of this wonderful country will not be limited to what you can see from the train window.
