5 Extraordinary Rail Journeys With A Food & Wine Theme

Forbes

13-05-2025

Coastal Pacific train, part of Great Journeys New Zealand's new Signature | Flavours of Aotearoa New Zealand
Sometimes the journey, not the arrival, is what matters. Especially if that journey includes exceptional food and drink along the way. An increasing number of luxury rail operators are gilding their rail journeys with culinary themed programs, enhancing their already noteworthy offerings on trips that cater to an appetite for the golden days of rail travel. It's part of a growing trend in culinary rail tours, where guest chefs, fine dining and drinking are on par with the vistas from your window. Here are five such trips to consider, on trains featured in my forthcoming book, National Geographic's 100 Train Journeys of a Lifetime: The World's Ultimate Rides (which will be published in October 2025).
Great Journeys New Zealand has just launched the Signature | Flavours of Aotearoa New Zealand tour, an 18-day culinary rail adventure from Auckland to Queenstown. You'll be riding the country's most extraordinary scenic trains: the Northern Explorer, the Coastal Pacific and the TranzAlpine. This new journey combines scenic train routes from the North Island to the South Island, linked by crossing the Cook Strait on a scenic ferry journey. It's a trip packed with curated culinary experiences, showcasing New Zealand's local produce, wines, and cultural traditions. Highlights include visits to Marlborough's vineyards, a Māori herbal medicine tour, and a high tea at Zealong Tea Estate, not to mention a Christchurch Food Walking Tour. The price starts at NZD16,499 ( $9,656) per person, based on double occupancy (as are all trips discussed here).
Whiskey galore on board The Royal Scotsman.
The Royal Scotsman's Scotch Malt Whiskey Tour is a four-night trip aboard the Royal Scotsman luxury train. Expect 24-hour steward service and all meals aboard the train, from a full Scottish breakfast, multi-course lunches and dinners, and all beverages, including alcoholic drinks. Whiskey is the centerpiece of this trip, with a private tour of the Benromach distillery, a visit to Rothiemurchus Estate, and a specialist single-cask whisky tasting. Guests receive a one-year membership to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society and a visit to their headquarters. There is an exclusive Whisky nosing and tasting with whisky expert and prolific author, Charles MacLean. The journey promises to be lively, with traditional ceilidhs on board and evening entertainment in the Observation Car. The round-trip journey from Edinburgh includes visits to Glenmorangie House and Glenmorangie Distillery, the historic Tomatin Distillery, and the Tullibardine Distillery. During the trip, there's time for wild swimming, archery, or fly fishing. Priced from £9,100 ($11,980).
Napa Valley Wine Train
The Napa Valley Wine Train runs from Napa to St. Helena, a six-hour excursion featuring refurbished antique train cars that evoke the romance of luxury rail travel in the early 20th century. These are century-old Pullman Train Cars, refurbished with etched glass dividers and polished wood. Traveling through a landscape of 43,000 acres of vines bearing cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, and zinfandel grapes, among other varietals, the trains offer an ideal way to taste vintages and experience the beauty of America's most famous wine-growing region. The classic trip is The Legacy, which runs round-trip from Napa to St. Helena, with wine tasting in an open-air railcar, a multicourse lunch highlighting seasonal wine-country fare, and stops at two St. Helena wineries, Charles Krug and V. Sattui, for seated tastings. Priced from $514.80
La Dolce Vita Orient Express
La Dolce Vita Orient Express, the first Italian-made luxury train, debuted in April 2025. The train's inspiration is La Dolce Vita, 'The Sweet Life,' a phrase synonymous with the country's design and cultural flair in the 1960s. The train has several themed trips, and The Truffle Route, from Rome to Nizza Monferrato and back to Rome, is a three-day journey that includes an on-board dinner under the direction of 3-Michelin-starred Chef Heinz Beck, followed by live music and entertainment. Nizza Monferrato. Piedmont is famed for its UNESCO World Heritage vineyards and its truffles. There's an optional experience at a local winery and a truffle-based lunch. In the afternoon, the train departs for the overnight trip back to Rome. Priced from €8,320 ($9,210.
Chef Andre Chiang on the Eastern & Oriental Express
This luxury train that travels between Singapore and Malaysia features Tastes of Tomorrow: A Culinary Gathering with André Chiang. Chef Chiang is the train's star chef, and on these special trips, he's joined by Michelin-starred guest chefs Vicky Cheng, Jason Liu, Jungsik Yim, and acclaimed bartender and mixologist Shelley Tai. Departing from Singapore, there are nightly dinners on board prepared by Chef Chiang and his guest chef. Highlights include visiting Taman Negara National Park, where you can explore the habitat of the critically endangered Malayan tiger or join a nature photographer and conservationist for an afternoon in the jungle. On Penang Island, you can visit George Town Old Quarter and explore in the company of the chefs to learn about Peranakan cooking. Priced from $7,350.