Latest news with #railjourney
The Sun
a day ago
- The Sun
The incredible train journey that'll ‘ruin every other railway trip you take'
WHAT is your idea of a great rail journey? Perhaps managing to bag a seat in rush hour... or even that it turns up on time. Well, there's once fancy train that is so posh, it even has its own spa and an open-air 'sightseeing carriage'. 4 4 Win one of 8 incredible holidays to the Caribbean, Mexico and Greece by voting in The Sun's Travel Awards - enter to win here The Eastern & Oriental Express is a luxury train with five routes in Malaysia and Singapore, with views of jungles, ancient temples and mountains - think Agatha Christie's Orient Express, without the murder. The experience is so mind-blowing that travel blog Hand Luggage Only said: "It's easily one of the best train journeys in the whole world! "[It] might just ruin every other train experience you'll take." The outside views are stunning but so are the interiors, with carriages featuring wood panelling, silk furniture and velvet walls. One of the best-looking cars is the Piano Bar Car, which has a jazz club atmosphere and features with vibrant yellows and luxury fabrics that are inspired by the exotic Tiger Orchid flower. Lunch and evening meals are served up two different dining carriages, with Michelin-starred chef Andre Chiang offering dishes with typical Malaysian flavours, like beef salad, duck curry and spicy 'tom yam cappuccinos'. Meanwhile, breakfast and afternoon tea is served to guests in their cabins each day. European sleeper train with private cabins Away from the dining, there is also a Wellness Car with a "moving spa", with a choice of five different treatments that passengers can enjoy whilst on the move. For those looking to really soak up the sights, the rear carriage of the train offers an open-air observation deck, where guests can take in the views while enjoying a cocktail. There are five different three-night experiences travellers can book, on the Eastern & Oriental Express. The first journey allows passengers to join Chef André Chiang for amazing food experiences, alongside Michelin-starred Vicky Cheng, Jason Liu, Jungsik Yim and expert mixologist Shelley Tai. Alternatively, the Wild Malaysia journey takes guests through the Taman Negara National Park and into Penang. Then the Essence of Malaysia route goes to Southeast Asia. And there is a Malaysia Celebration which departs from Singapore for a festive voyage. 4 All of the journeys last three nights in total. Passengers can also choose from three different accommodation types including the Presidential Suite, then there is also the State Cabin and the Pullman Cabin. In the Presidential Suite, guests can enjoy free-flowing champagne, caviar, a fruit basket and flowers upon boarding, a complimentary spa treatment and 24-hour service. Depending on what journey you choose, there are different stopping locations and points of interest, but some include Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Penang. However, all of this luxury doesn't come cheap. Prices start from $4,650 (£3,455.51) per person. Sun Travel's favourite train journeys in the world Sun Travel's journalists have taken their fare share of train journeys on their travels and here they share their most memorable rail experiences. Davos to Geneva, Switzerland "After a ski holiday in Davos, I took the scenic train back to Geneva Airport. The snow-covered mountains and tiny alpine villages that we passed were so beautiful that it felt like a moving picture was playing beyond the glass." - Caroline McGuire Tokyo to Kyoto by Shinkansen "Nothing quite beats the Shinkansen bullet train, one of the fastest in the world. It hardly feels like you're whizzing along at speed until you look outside and see the trees a green blur. Make sure to book seat D or E too - as you'll have the best view of Mount Fuji along the way." Kara Godfrey London to Paris by Eurostar "Those who have never travelled on the Eurostar may wonder what's so special about a seemingly ordinary train that takes you across the channel. You won't have to waste a moment and can tick off all the top attractions from the Louvre to the Champs-Élysées which are both less than five kilometres from the Gare du Nord." - Sophie Swietochowski Glasgow to Fort William by Scotrail "From mountain landscapes and serene lochs to the wistful moors, I spent my three-hour journey from Glasgow to Fort William gazing out the window. Sit on the left-hand side of the train for the best views overlooking Loch Lomond." - Hope Brotherton Beijing to Ulaanbatar "The Trans-Mongolian Express is truly a train journey like no other. It starts amid the chaos of central Beijing before the city's high-rises give way to crumbling ancient villages and eventually the vast vacant plains of Mongolia, via the Gobi desert. The deep orange sunset seen in the middle of the desert is among the best I've witnessed anywhere." - Ryan Gray Looking for something a bit cheaper? One man who travelled 4,000 miles across the UK by rail says the country's most beautiful train journey takes just 10 minutes and costs £3. Plus, the UK train line 'that time forgot' is crowned one of the best in the world by National Geographic.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Kick your air travel habit and enjoy train journeys through Europe
Whether you don't want to fly for environmental reasons or you just love trains, many wonderful rail journeys across the length and breadth of Europe are just waiting to be enjoyed. Travelling by train can be a slower, low-carbon alternative to emission-heavy flights which can also be pretty hectic. You just need to be willing and able to plan your train trip ahead. Ideally, you also don't want to be in a hurry, as travelling by rail and road is usually slower than flying and destinations more than 1,000 kilometres away almost always take longer to reach. But making up for any lost time, the journey itself becomes part of your holiday experience. And if you are travelling for business, you can work more effectively on the train than on a plane. Ways to plan Search engine shows the many ways you can travel between two locations, from flights to trains, if you want to put together your rail trip by yourself. Otherwise, head to a specialist rail travel agencies. Either way, you will find numerous options, depending of course on where you set out from. If you start from Germany, four changes in two days will get you to the Algarve in Portugal. Or, if you fancy seeing the Swedish capital Stockholm, it's a simple overnight trip on the sleeper train from Berlin. The cost factor A huge range of options lie open to you - though you may find time and money are key factors in your planning. One inexpensive way to travel cheaply across Europe is Interrail tickets. Prices depend on many factors, including when you book. You can find limited European saver fares offered by the German operator, Deutsche Bahn and reserving early will save you money. "If you book early enough, there are some very interesting fares where you can even travel first class for very little money," says Wolfgang Strasdas, a German travel researcher. But if you who want to travel in comfort on trains, treating yourself to a sleeping cabin on an overnight train means you may pay considerably more for a journey than the equivalent flight. Unfortunately, in general, travelling by train often costs more than flying which Strasdas slams as a scandal "that the environmentally friendly way is more expensive than the option that is harmful to the environment." He would like to see the prices for means of transport reflect the real costs in terms of climate and the environment. "Then we would have the situation as it should be, that travelling by train is always cheaper than flying." The greener way The main argument in favour of rail travel is climate protection. Flying is the most climate-damaging form of transport, says Germany's Federal Environment Agency. Although air travel is virtually essential for many travellers due to the long distances involved, the many trains and buses available are environmentally friendly alternatives within Germany and Europe. Strasdas has researched different ways of travelling from Germany to 22 European destinations, and compared them in terms of the greenhouse gas emissions caused by the traveller and the travel time. He looked at alternatives to flights, so primarily train journeys, and found many exciting routes available to more distant countries - for example to Norway, Spain or the Balkans. Some trips featured ferry crossings, local and long-distance buses through cities or across the countryside and, of course, fast, sleeper and regional trains across the continent's railways. Bear in mind that transport links can change, though, so it is always best to check before you go that any connections have not been altered. Time wise, destinations that are only a few hundred kilometres away can often be competitive in terms of travel time when compared with air travel. That is mainly due to the extra time you spend at the airports when checking in and for security checks plus travelling to and from airports. But the longer the distance, the longer the extra journey time by rail compared to flying. Take the Algarve - while you might fly from Germany to Faro, which takes some eight hours if you add airport waiting times, it takes around 36 hours by rail, says Strasdas, a researcher at Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development, who published a travel guide about on greener travel in Europe. But unsurprisingly, trains and long-distance buses are way ahead of flying from a climate point of view. For a trip from Frankfurt to Faro, the flight produces 60 times more CO2 than the train journey per passenger. IN the longer term, Europe's long-haul sleeper train revival is set for a further boost with the planned roll-out of overnight services connecting over 20 destinations across the continent from a new service launching in 2027. Berlin-based start-up Nox plans to provide rooms onboard for one or two people for "the price of a flight" in an effort to offer an alternative to short-haul air travel. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Yahoo
6 of the best train trips in British Columbia
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). British Columbia, Canada's westernmost province, is well known for its spectacular landscapes, offering endless views of serrated peaks, opaline glacier lakes and feather-tipped pines. And what better way to take it all in than on a train, with those big-picture vistas slowly rolling by beyond the windowpanes — here are some of the best rail routes to try. Vancouver to Banff; 2 daysThis double-decker train is surely one of the world's most scenic rail journeys, offering bubble-domed vistas of mountains, lakes, forests, gorges, rivers and glaciers and the chance to spot wildlife along the way. The classic First Passage to the West route follows part of the line from the historic Canadian Pacific Railway, Canada's first transcontinental train journey, which travelled from Montreal to Vancouver. It starts in Vancouver before passing the Fraser River for an overnight in Kamloops then continuing into the Rockies via the sheer-sided valley of Kicking Horse Pass, the glacial-blue expanse of Lake Louise and the pretty mountain town of Banff. On board, waistcoated hosts serve cocktails to your seat, with three-course meals on offer in the dining car, including a section of sommelier-picked Canadian wines. From £1,389 per person. Prince Rupert to Jasper; 2 daysInaugurated in 1914, the Skeena offers an epic, 1,160-mile journey that carries you all the way from the Pacific coast into the Rocky Mountains. Also known as the 'Rupert Rocket', it runs three times a week between Prince Rupert and Jasper, with an overnight stop in Prince George en route. Along the way, it travels through some spectacularly wild scenery — from pristine forest to steep canyons and glacial lakes — and is one of the few railways in North America that offers a 'flag' service, allowing passengers to flag it down between scheduled stations. As such, it's a favourite for hikers, adventurers and others keen on exploring BC's backcountry — and it runs year-round, no matter the weather. From C$163 (£91) per person. (Related: Try the Skeena, a budget alternative to Canada's famous Rocky Mountaineer.) Faulder to Trout Creek; 90 minutesThis historic route was originally built between 1910 and 1916 to link the mainline between Montreal and Vancouver with southern BC — an area rich in resources, from fruit, grain and lumber to precious metals and minerals. It continued to carry freight until its closure in 1989, but it's now been resurrected as a heritage steam railway. The vintage steam locomotive dates from 1912, with open-sided carriages offering uninhibited views of the scenery. The route follows 16 miles of restored track through the vineyards and farms of the Okanagan Valley, an area renowned for producing some of Canada's best wines. From C$33 (£18) per person; Vancouver to Jasper; 3 daysYou won't need to choose between the mountains and the coast on this alternative Rocky Mountaineer route, which runs up the Pacific seaboard from Vancouver via the ski slopes of Whistler and the old logging town of Quesnel, before heading inland across the gold fields of the Cariboo Plateau. It finishes up in Jasper, across the border in Alberta, and there are two overnight stops en route, allowing plenty of time to stretch your legs and explore. From CA$4,929 (£2,776) per person. Vancouver to Seattle; 4½ hoursThe Amtrak line offers the chance to shuttle between the big cities on either side of the US-Canada border, including Vancouver, Seattle and Portland. The trains that ply this route are simple but spacious, with large, comfy seats, a bistro car and a viewing lounge dedicated to taking in the scenery. And what a view it is: expect to see endless feather-tipped pines, glacier-blue bays and alpine meadows mixed in with classic mountain towns. From US$44 (£34) per person. Port Alberni; 25 minutesVancouver Island's booming lumber industry once required the services of many a chugging steam train, but all have vanished now save for this one in Port Alberni, the small city that stands at the head of Alberni Inlet, the waterway that runs inland for 34 miles from the island's south coast. Once a centre for logging and paper making, Port Alberni isn't the prettiest city in BC, but the waterfront remains an important hub for the town. It's also where you'll find this steam railway and its vintage carriages, pulled by a #7 Baldwin locomotive dating from 1929. An atmospheric relic of the island's industrial past, it's now run by enthusiasts entirely for love, not profit, and offers views of the Alberni waterfront and the hills beyond. C$8 per person. Published in the May 2025 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
