Rail holidays FAQ’s
Will I have enough time in each place?
Railway holidays are as much about the holiday as the rail. They are designed for people who relish rail travel but also want to get off the train and explore more than on your average coach tour, for example. So, in general, railway holiday suppliers are proponents of slow travel, giving you a couple of days in favourite spots along the way. Transits are organised when necessary from the train station and back again, and unless it is a very independent style railway holiday, you will often be met by a local guide at the railway station.
Our Railway Holidays
Scotland by railway holiday
Experience authentic Scotland independently and car-free
From
£1135 to £1195
8 days
ex flights
Trans Mongolian railway holiday
Ride the Iconic Trans-Mongolian Railway in all it's glory.
From
£3145
16 days
ex flights
West Highland Line railway holiday in Scotland
Take the "The World's Best Rail Journey" to the Isle of Skye
From
£695 to £755
4 days
ex flights
Ireland holiday by train
Discover contrasts of Dublin, Galway and Belfast, car-free.
From
£1125 to £1245
9 days
ex flights
Southern Europe rail tour, 16 days
Tour through the best of Southern Europe in 3 weeks!
From
£1859
21 days
ex flights
Xian to Istanbul overland tour
Expereince the Silk Road and the beautiful Caucasus
From
£-1 to £9515
42 days
ex flights
Railway tour of Morocco
Rediscover Morocco's two greatest Imperial Cities by rail.
From
£595 to £650
8 days
ex flights
Europe by train, 4 week tour
Whole European bucket list in one interrail adventure!
From
£1149 to £1999
4 weeks
inc Eurostar
India by Rail, Northeast & Darjeeling
Get off the beaten path and see India in a very untypical way – by train
From
£824 to £1099
13 days
ex flights
Reunification Express holiday, Vietnam
Most wonderful way to travel from north to south of Vietnam
From
£1089 to £1305
15 days
ex flights
Scotland island hopping holiday, car free
Explore three contrasting Scottish islands car-free
From
£1195 to £1295
8 days
ex flights
Complete India by rail, 6 weeks
A 6 week trip that circles India by train
From
£2816 to £3729
46 days
ex flights
Eastern europe by train, the Iron Curtain tour
Whizz around Europe's lesser-visited cities by rail!
From
£599
8 days
ex flights
Balkans rail holiday
Travel through seven countries in the Balkans.
From
£2112 to £2291
16 days
inc UK flights
Bulgaria holiday by train
Self-guided trip by slow-ride train through best of Bulgaria
From
€485 to €595
12 days
ex flights
Central Europe rail tour, 15 days
An exciting trip around the continent's fairytale cities
From
£1299
15 days
ex flights
Trans Mongolian holiday, tailor made
Ride the Iconic Trans-Mongolian Railway in all it's glory.
From
£2445
16 days
ex flights
Japan small group holiday by bullet train
Japan's must-see cities and beautiful, rural countryside
From
£3895 to £4400
14 days
ex flights
Trans Mongolian express rail tour, Beijing to St Petersburg
Ride the rails on this once-in-a-lifetime trip
From
£2465 to £2899
19 days
ex flights
North India rail tour
Take the train right to the heart of India’s colourful cultural northern region
From
£480 to £739
9 days
ex flights
Southern India and Karnataka rail tour
Take the train from Goa to Kochi via Karnataka and see the breathtaking ruins of Hampi
From
£560 to £769
10 days
ex flights
Kolkata to Kochi rail tour, India
Travel northeast to southeast India spotting innumerable beautiful sights along the way
From
£2349 to £2749
33 days
ex flights
Trans Mongolian tour, St. Petersburg to Hong Kong
Overland rail from the Baltic Sea to the South China Sea
From
£9510 to £9590
29 days
ex flights
Northern India culture and wildlife holiday
Northern India cultural and wildlife highlights by rail
From
£1941 to £2437
16 days
inc UK flights
St Petersburg to Beijing winter tour, 18-35
An epic winter adventure that's not for the faint hearted!
From
£2280
19 days
ex flights
Festive Russia holiday by rail
Experience the frosty and festive delights of Russia
From
£2230
13 days
ex flights
Finland and Helsinki family holiday by train
Active holiday for naturelovers in lake district of Finland
From
€1922 to €2035
11 days
ex flights
Trans Mongolian holiday with the Naadam Festival
Celebrate Mongolia’s most colourful festival by rail
From
£5460
24 days
ex flights
Ecuador by train holiday, culture and nature
Encounter Ecuador's stunning landscape by train
From
£3031
10 days
ex flights
Will I be travelling with a group?
Quite a few of our rail holidays are tailor made to suit your timing, but some, like the Reunification Express in Vietnam, Trans-Mongolian Express and the Moorish Spain to Marrakech by rail holidays are in small groups with maximum group size of 16 travellers. However, this doesn’t mean that you will feel ‘chaperoned’ – it is your holiday after all, but it means that a group leader will be on hand to assist with anything you need during your time in the places you visit along the way. And it means you can totally chill when it comes to connections and reservations.Will I be in a first class carriage?
Again this depends on the trip. It’s first class all the way on the super luxurious “El Transcantabrico” train that shimmies its way rather sleekly across Northern Spain. Or the Maharajas’ Express, which takes you to all points on India’s Golden Triangle in award winning luxury. As part of the Scotland Luxury Rail Holiday, you travel first class on the Jacobite steam train from Fort William to Mallaig, over the equally first class Glenfinnan viaduct and top notch highland scenery, as well as a first class Scotrail service back down through the Highlands to Pitlochry.Do we always sleep on trains?
On most of our rail holidays, you get off the train at night and stay at locally owned accommodation. There are sleepover parties to be had, however, especially on the long distance journeys such as the Tran-Mongolian Express or the Reunification Express in Vietnam. Travelling by night means that you often have the whole day free for sightseeing as well, such as on the Maharajas’ Express.
How will the food be?
In general, it is always good to stock up on snacks before you board a train. There are exceptions, of course, but food and trains do not usually a happy marriage make. You will have an adventure, however, on board the likes of the Trans-Mongolian Express, where the buffet cars change according to the country you are in: Russia, Mongolia and China. So, lunch is chicken or meat borsht in Russia, with vodka flowing freely, rice and mutton in Mongolia, and a proverbial Chinese cacophony once you cross that border.Our top Railway Holiday
Scotland by railway holiday
Experience authentic Scotland independently and car-free
From
£1135 to £1195
8 days
ex flights
Tailor made:
This trip can be tailor made from April to the end of October.
This trip can be tailor made from April to the end of October.
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about Railway or need help finding a holiday to suit you we're very happy to help.
Are there luggage restrictions?
The joy of not flying is that you don’t have the luggage restrictions. However, you really don’t want to be hauling big, cumbersome suitcases on and off trains, especially if they are crowded and there isn’t much time at one spot. Try and pack lightly, and have all your immediate requirements in a daypack that is kept by your feet, or overhead.
More about Railway
The journey is often more exciting than the destination - and never is that more apparent than on a railway holiday.
Take a look at our interactive map, below, to see our railway holiday highlights around the world.
There are opportunities for you to dip in and out of this style of travel depending on how hardcore you want to go.
There are some destinations that make you think of classic train journeys - the most famous being Siberia and India, where spending several days rattling along the rails is as quintessential an experience as you can imagine.
One of the world’s most splendid railway journeys, The West Highland Line takes you through mountains, moors and marine marvels, between Glasgow and Mallaig on the west coast.
Trans Siberian Railway tours are one of the most authentic ways to explore all of Russia.
Although nicknamed 'bullet', which is kind of apt due to the shape and speed, Japan's Shinkansen trains provide peace, safety and comfort for passengers travelling north, south and west in Japan.
Take a ride on a train that you won’t want to get off although it would be a shame to miss out on Agra’s Taj Mahal and Jaipur’s Amber Fort, as you’re passing.
The Kyle Line is otherwise known as the Kyle of Lochalsh to Inverness Line and takes you coast to coast between the Kyle on the west coast and Inverness on the northeast.
Our railway gurus have shared their top rail holiday tips with us - from what to pack (not too much!) and what to eat, to meeting your fellow passengers and getting a good night's sleep.
Responsible train holidays are pretty much a given: you're embracing slow travel, stepping outside of the multinational resorts and in some cases, cutting down on domestic flights.
Find all of our rail holidays guides in one place, for rail travel in particular places such as India and Scotland.
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Photo credits: [Page banner: Belur Ashok] [Will I have enough time?: Dave Sizer]
[Do we always sleep on trains: plusgood]
[Are there luggage restrictions?: Ian Keefe]
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