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Top 6 rail holidays from London

Our top six rail holidays from London cross countries and continents – to Scotland’s Far North, the Baltics, and even Singapore. Wherever you adventure, our rail trips from London will get you far and wide completely flight-free, and with experts on hand to help you navigate everything from platforms to passes.

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Top 6 rail holidays from London

Our best rail holidays from London are remarkable adventures that you’ll be chatting about for years. These are trips where travelling thousands of kilometres across Europe – and, if you fancy, onwards across the Himalayas to Southeast Asia – are all made possible. That’s thanks to our trusted rail experts. They’ll make sure you connect with the places you journey through, whether that’s by matching you with a local sommelier who can take you through the terrain’s terroirs or with an archaeology pro who’ll offer insights into Classical sights.

Keep reading to discover our top six rail holidays from London.

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1. London to Singapore (or vice versa)

Is this one of the greatest overland journeys in the world? Judge for yourself by voyaging 19,500km over 60 days and through 16 countries on our most ambitious rail holiday to date – and all on a flight-free route that significantly reduces your carbon emissions. The trip is a rare event with departures limited to a smattering of dates per year. Our experts have been running this tour since 2014, continually moulding the journey to include new rail lines and avoid any bumps in the road. What will it look like next year? Grab a spot to find out.

Our top trip: Singapore to London by train holiday
See all our trips: Rail and sea journeys
Read more: London to Singapore by train travel guide

2. London to the Baltics

It’s the cities that shine when travelling by train between London and the Baltics. The German gems of Cologne and Berlin; Stockholm and Gdansk, too, where the rail line runs out (until 2030, that is, when the Rail Baltica route is due to be unveiled). However, that doesn’t mean giving up the flight-free dream and hopping on a plane. Beyond, you’ll continue overland by road and ferry routes for connections to the Baltic capitals of Tallin, Riga, and Vilnius for walks around fairy-tale castles and boardwalk bog trails with engaging local guides.

Our top trip: London to the Baltics and back by train
See all our trips: Railway journeys
Read more: Baltics travel guide

3. London to Northumberland

Travel border to border and have a jolly old time in merry England on this trip that takes you all the way from Hadrian’s Wall down to piratical Penzance. This lovely tour looks beyond London to combine smaller history towns and cities like York, Chester and Bath, and rural areas like the Lake District and Cornwall. Be sure to smuggle some locally-produced delicacies – Bath buns, Cornish fudge – on the train with you for the long last leg of your journey back to London.

Our top trip: England tour by train
See all our trips: Escorted rail holidays
Read more: Escorted rail tours travel guide

4. London to Istanbul

Travelling by train from London to Istanbul takes you through some of the most scenic rail routes in the world. That’s largely because the Alps and Carpathian Mountains stand in the way – along with all the snow-streaked mountains and glacier-blue lakes that go with them. The Arlberg line is a highlight. This high-rise line climbs through the Swiss and Austrian Alps and along the sky-scraping Arlberg Pass. Our trip from London to Istanbul also gives you the chance to stretch your legs en route, whether that’s touring Transylvanian castles or Istanbul’s grand food arcades.

Our top trip: London to Istanbul by train
See all our trips: Rail and sea journeys
Read more: Europe rail travel guide

5. London to the Balkans

Your mission, should you choose to accept it: travel over 2,000km across Europe by train to the heel of Italy – and then all the way back to London via the Balkans. For the first leg, make sure to look up from your book while zooming from the snow-tipped Dolomites to Puglia’s sun-bleached, marbled towns. Albania is then a ferry ride across the Adriatic. Here, rail is swapped for more reliable road connections, heading north to the Bay of Kotor, Mostar, Sarajevo and Zagreb. Rail rules once more for your journey from Croatia back to London. Our trip tends to run in spring, so it’s a great chance to explore less-visited corners of Europe before the summer holidaymakers arrive.

Our top trip: London to the Balkans and back by rail and sea
See all our trips: Rail and sea journeys
Read more: Europe rail travel guide

6. London to the Scottish Highlands

“Every day was memorable,” says our traveller Jan Franklin. “The beauty of Scotland is incomparable.” Incomparable is exactly how we’d describe our train journey from London to Inverness too – a two-week tour via Bath, Oxford, the Lake District, York, Edinburgh and the Scottish Highlands. The route can be tailored to your interests, but we recommend including as many scenic lines as possible, including the remote single-track North Highland Line to Thurso and the sea-view stretch of the East Coast Mainline. Our trip is designed by our British rail experts who are passionate about including characterful, locally owned accommodation – perhaps a 200-year-old guest house on Skye or a hotel with a fine-dining restaurant inspired by local seasonal ingredients.

Our top trip: Britain by train
See all our trips: Classic rail holidays
Read more: England by rail and Scotland by rail guides