12 Reasons to Travel by Train in 2019

Departing Edinburgh, Scotland

While the New York Times sure likes the Caledonian Sleeper, an overnight train from London to Aberdeen, as a way to experience Scotland by rail, the Belmond Royal Scotsman is on a whole other level. This is absolute luxury train travel. Belmond offers several different trips, ranging from two to seven days, and including castles, countryside "sporting," private distillery tours and some of Scotland's most scenic splendors.

Image courtesy Belmond

Departing Cusco, Peru

Another example of truly exquisite train travel is the Belmond Andean Explorer, South America's first luxury sleeper train. A variety of overnight and two-night trips, departing the cities of Cusco, Puno or Arequipa, showcase the Peruvian highlands, Incan ruins and Lake Titicaca. This is—not surprisingly, for the Andes—one of the highest rail lines in the world. (A separate train out of Cusco, also operated by Belmond, can take you to Machu Picchu.)

Departing Cape Town, South Africa

One of the best African rail journeys, per many outlets including the UK Telegraph, the Blue Train dates back to 1923. It's a 31-hour journey from Cape Town to Pretoria, South Africa (as well as the other way around). In select months, the train also goes on to Kruger National Park, a big game park, for a "rail safari."

Departing Moscow, Russia

This is one of the most famous rail journeys in the world—and aboard the private Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express it's also one of the most luxurious. While the entire Trans-Siberian Railway spans Russia, China and Mongolia, the route from Moscow to Vladivostok is robust in and of itself. (You'll pass through eight time zones over a period of seven days.) The sheer vastness of the Russian landscape cannot be understated—including Lake Baikal, one of the world's oldest and deepest lakes, and dubbed by some "the Galápagos of Russia" for its variety of wildlife.

Departing Delhi or Mumbai, India

Just the name—the Maharajas' Express—conjures up a romantic, long-ago era. The rail line offers seven different journeys to iconic Indian destinations including Jaipur, Varanasi, Agra and Goa, which are as much about luxury as they are about Indian history, landscape and culture. Forbes calls the accommodations "downright opulent." Every car has its own private butler.

Image courtesy Maharajas' Express

Departing Venice, Italy

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express epitomizes the golden age of travel, with its impeccable art deco details and formal service. "You can never be overdressed on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express," reads the welcome material. The overnight Venice to London route is a classic.

Departing Vancouver, British Columbia

Rocky Mountaineer boasts 65 vacation packages—some with stops for heli-hiking—across four unique rail routes in Western Canada, all of which feature the incomparable majesty of the Canadian wilderness. The popular Journey Through the Clouds route takes you from Vancouver to Jasper, with extensions, via Lake Louise and Banff, to Calgary.

Image courtesy Rocky Mountaineer

Departing from Los Mochis, Mexico

A truly unique way to experience parts of Mexico that you might not otherwise see, the Chepe Express, makes just two stops—one in El Fuerte, in Sinaloa, another in Divisadero, to see the sights in Copper Canyon (Las Barrancas del Cobre), which are five times bigger than the Grand Canyon—on its way from Los Mochis, Sinaloa, to Creel, Chihuahua. This nine-hour journey across the Tarahumara Mountain Range "challenges the notion of vertigo" with its mountainous twists and turns.

Image courtesy @chepeexpress

Departing Chur, Switzerland

See the Alps aboard the Bernina Express, which winds its way through 55 tunnels and across 196 bridges—and peaks at more than 7,300 feet above sea level—on its way to Tirano, Italy. This isn't as much about luxury travel as it is about the natural wonders right outside the train window.

Departing Darwin, Australia

The Ghan splits the vastness of Australia neatly in half—"through the fiery red centre"—and gives passengers an unparalleled view of the country's interior over a period of four days, from Darwin down to Adelaide, by way of Katherine, Alice Springs and Coober Pedy. It's the Ghan's 90th anniversary this year, as well.

Departing Singapore

The three-day, two-night route on the Eastern & Oriental Express, from Singapore through Malaysia to Bangkok, Thailand, is Southeast Asia at its finest. "Be sure to pack apparel worthy of the scene," writes Cailey Rizzo in Travel + Leisure. "Evening wear is required for dinner."

Departing San Francisco, California

The Travel Channel calls this one of the top four bucket-list train trips in North America—and for good reason. Although the California Zephyr will take you all the way to Chicago, the real beauty of the trip is from San Francisco to Denver, from the Pacific Ocean, across the mountains and desert, and through the Rockies. As one traveler put it, "There are only two ways to see Rockies like that—you can be inside the train or in the water. No cars, no people, just nature."