Norway · Scenic
Rørosbanen: Hamar to Trondheim via Røros
The inland way north, through Østerdalen to the copper town
6h · SJ Norge
- Scenic
- Panoramic
- Heritage
Photo: Ingolf from Oslo, Norway · CC BY 2.0
Journey type
Excursion
Published train experiences of the excursion kind, with route, season and booking intelligence for each.
72 published journeys
United States → Canada · Scenic
White Pass & Yukon Route from Skagway
Narrow gauge over the Klondike gold rush pass
2h 45m · White Pass & Yukon Route
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Engineering
Photo: Fred Renspies · CC BY 2.0
Australia · Scenic
Puffing Billy Railway: Belgrave to Gembrook
Narrow-gauge steam through the Dandenong Ranges
1h 50m · Puffing Billy Railway (Emerald Tourist Railway Board)
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Steam
Photo: Frank Stamford · CC BY 2.0
Taiwan · Scenic
Jiji Line: Ershui to Checheng
Taiwan's longest branch line, reopened in 2026
55m · Taiwan Railway Corporation
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Engineering
Photo: Cassiopeia sweet · Public domain
Germany · Scenic
Rasender Roland: Putbus to Göhren
Scheduled steam between Rügen's Baltic resorts
1h 15m · Rügensche BäderBahn (Pressnitztalbahn)
- Scenic
- Panoramic
- Heritage
Photo: sludgegulper · CC BY-SA 2.0
Taiwan · Scenic
Pingxi Line: Ruifang to Jingtong
A coal branch line turned lantern valley
1h · Taiwan Railway Corporation
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Themed
Photo: lienyuan lee · CC BY 3.0
Australia · Scenic
Rinadeena, Rack & Rainforest: West Coast Wilderness Railway
Abt rack and rainforest above Queenstown
3h · West Coast Wilderness Railway
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Steam
Photo: Stuart Smith. · CC BY-SA 2.0
Spain · Scenic
Tren de Sóller: Palma to Sóller
Wooden electric carriages over the Tramuntana
1h · Ferrocarril de Sóller
- Scenic
- Panoramic
- Heritage
Photo: Dimitri Gretschichin · CC BY-SA 4.0
South Korea · Scenic
V-Train: Baekdudaegan Canyon Train
Walking pace through the Nakdong gorge
Korail (Korea Railroad Corporation)
- Scenic
- Panoramic
- Heritage
Photo: Trainholic · CC BY-SA 4.0
Portugal · Scenic
Comboio Histórico do Vouga: Aveiro to Macinhata do Vouga
Portugal's last metre-gauge passenger line, in summer dress
1h 15m · CP; Comboios de Portugal
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Engineering
Photo: Nelso M. Silva · CC BY-SA 2.0
Germany · Scenic
Fichtelbergbahn: Cranzahl to Kurort Oberwiesenthal
Steam up to Germany's highest town
1h · Sächsische Dampfeisenbahngesellschaft (SDG)
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Steam
Photo: awlodarski · CC0 1.0
United States · Scenic
Grand Canyon Railway: Williams to the South Rim
The 1901 line to the rim, still running daily
2h 15m · Grand Canyon Railway
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Excursion
Photo: Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net). · CC BY-SA 4.0
United States · Heritage
Mount Washington Cog Railway
The world's first mountain rack railway, opened 1869
3h · Mount Washington Cog Railway
- Heritage
- Steam
- Engineering
Photo: King of Hearts · CC BY-SA 4.0
Austria · Scenic
Achenseebahn: Jenbach to Seespitz
Steam cog railway from the Inn valley to the Achensee
50m · Achenseebahn
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Steam
Photo: Herbert Ortner, Vienna, Austria · CC BY 2.5
Argentina · Scenic
Tren Ecológico de la Selva: Iguazú National Park
Narrow gauge to the Devil's Throat
20m · Iguazú Argentina
- Scenic
- Engineering
- Excursion
Photo: Falk2 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Spain · Scenic
Cremallera de Núria: Ribes to the Vall de Núria
The only mechanised way into a roadless Pyrenean valley
40m · Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya
- Scenic
- Panoramic
- Engineering
Photo: eldelinux from Cataluña, España · CC BY 2.0
Sweden · Scenic
Lennakatten: Uppsala Östra to Faringe
Three-foot-gauge steam out of Uppsala
1h 35m · Upsala–Lenna Jernväg (Lennakatten)
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Steam
Photo: gertrudgarlic · CC BY-SA 2.0
Spain · Scenic
Cremallera de Montserrat: Monistrol to the monastery
Five kilometres of Abt rack to the mountain monastery
15m · Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya
- Scenic
- Panoramic
- Heritage
Photo: Luis Zamora (eldelinux) · CC BY 2.0
New Zealand · Scenic
Weka Pass Railway: Waipara to Waikari
Limestone country behind a preserved locomotive
2h 05m · Weka Pass Railway
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Steam
Photo: nzgabriel · CC BY 2.0
China · Scenic
Beijing S2: the Great Wall train to Badaling
A suburban train to the Great Wall, through the spring blossom
1h 30m · China State Railway Group (China Railway)
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Excursion
Photo: N509FZ · CC BY-SA 4.0
New Zealand · Heritage
Glenbrook Vintage Railway
Volunteer steam on the old Waiuku branch
1h 10m · Glenbrook Vintage Railway Society
- Heritage
- Steam
- Excursion
Photo: Natural Beauty on Film · CC BY 2.0
China · Scenic
Kunming to Dali Railway
Across the Yunnan plateau to Erhai lake
1h 48m · China State Railway Group (China Railway)
- Scenic
- Excursion
Photo: SS3-8057 · CC BY 4.0
Japan · Scenic
Limited Express Azusa: Shinjuku to Matsumoto
Out of Tokyo and into the Japanese Alps
2h 30m · JR East
- Scenic
- Excursion
Photo: MaedaAkihiko · CC BY-SA 4.0
Japan · Scenic
Limited Express Hida: Nagoya to Takayama
Up the Hida river gorge to the old town
2h 20m · Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central)
- Scenic
- Excursion
Photo: MaedaAkihiko · CC BY-SA 4.0
Japan · Scenic
Limited Express Kuroshio: Shin-Osaka to Shirahama
Down the Kii peninsula beside the Pacific
2h 30m · West Japan Railway Company (JR West)
- Scenic
- Excursion
AI-generated editorial illustration by Rail Atlas
India · Scenic
Matheran Hill Railway: Neral to Matheran
Two-foot gauge up to a hill station where cars are banned
2h · Indian Railways
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Excursion
Photo: Arne Hückelheim · CC BY-SA 3.0
United States · Culinary
Napa Valley Wine Train
Lunch on rails between Napa and St Helena
3h · Napa Valley Wine Train
- Culinary
- Heritage
- Excursion
Photo: Haydn Blackey · CC BY-SA 2.0
Japan · Scenic
Odakyu Romancecar: Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto
The observation-car run from Tokyo to Hakone
1h 25m · Odakyu Electric Railway
- Scenic
- Design
- Excursion
Photo: Kznrhsd · CC0
China · Excursion
Shanghai to Hangzhou High-Speed Railway
The easiest day trip on the Chinese network
45m · China State Railway Group (China Railway)
- Excursion
- High-speed
AI-generated editorial illustration by Rail Atlas
Japan · Design
Tobu Spacia X: Asakusa to Tobu-Nikko
Tobu's design flagship to the Nikko shrines
1h 50m · Tobu Railway
- Design
- Excursion
Photo: Rsa / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Austria · Scenic
Zillertaler Dampfzug: Jenbach to Mayrhofen
A summer steam working the length of the Zillertal
1h 32m · Zillertaler Verkehrsbetriebe
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Steam
Photo: Smiley.toerist · CC BY-SA 4.0
Japan · Scenic
Kintetsu AONIYOSHI
A Tenpyō-era lacquer box on wheels between Osaka, Nara and Kyoto
1h 21m · Kintetsu Railway
- Scenic
- Design
- Themed
Photo: Nobu55 · CC BY-SA 4.0
South Africa · Scenic
Inchanga Choo Choo: Umgeni Steam Railway
A Class 19D and a monthly Sunday out of Inchanga
1h 15m · Umgeni Steam Railway
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Steam
Photo: SoftwareSimian · CC BY-SA 3.0
Japan · Scenic
Kintetsu Blue Symphony
Deep blue and gold up the Yoshino line towards the cherry mountain
1h 18m · Kintetsu Railway
- Scenic
- Design
- Themed
Photo: Karindoobatanbo · CC BY-SA 4.0
New Zealand · Scenic
The Taieri Gorge
Five hours out of Dunedin into a gorge the railway had to be blasted into
5h · Dunedin Railways
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Engineering
Photo: Bahnfrend · CC BY-SA 4.0
New Zealand · Scenic
The Kingston Flyer
A hundred-year-old steam train on fourteen kilometres of Southland branch line
1h 45m · The Kingston Flyer
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Steam
Photo: LBM1948 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Japan · Design
Aso Boy!
A playful reserved-seat train into the Aso caldera.
1h 35m · JR Kyushu
- Design
- Themed
- Excursion
Photo: Rsa / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Japan · Design
B.B.BASE
Bring the bike aboard and start riding straight from the train.
1h 50m · JR East
- Design
- Themed
- Excursion
Photo: MaedaAkihiko / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
United Kingdom · Luxury
British Pullman
Restored 1920s and 1930s Pullman carriages on round-trip day excursions from London Victoria
Belmond
- Luxury
- Culinary
- Heritage
Photo: train_photos (Flickr 99279135@N05) · CC BY-SA 2.0
China · Excursion
Chengdu–Chongqing High-Speed Railway
308 km across the Sichuan basin in about an hour
1h · China State Railway Group (China Railway)
- Excursion
- High-speed
Photo: Dingli35 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Japan · Scenic
Furano Biei Norokko Train
Open-window sightseeing through Hokkaido’s lavender country.
1h 40m · JR Hokkaido
- Scenic
- Excursion
Photo: MaedaAkihiko · CC BY-SA 4.0
Japan · Scenic
Furano Lavender Express
A direct seasonal limited express from Sapporo to Furano.
2h · JR Hokkaido
- Scenic
- Excursion
Photo: MaedaAkihiko / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Peru · Scenic
Inca Rail: The Voyager to Machu Picchu
Inca Rail's everyday train down the Urubamba to Machu Picchu Pueblo
Inca Rail
- Scenic
- Panoramic
- Excursion
Photo: EL GUILLE! · CC BY 2.0
Japan · Scenic
Kushiro Shitsugen Norokko Train
Slow through Japan’s largest wetland.
45m · JR Hokkaido
- Scenic
- Excursion
Photo: ゆずかわしゅうと · CC BY-SA 4.0
Japan · Design
Pokémon with YOU Train
A Pikachu-filled Tohoku train made for families.
1h 40m · JR East
- Design
- Themed
- Excursion
Photo: 中央特快201 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Switzerland · Luxury
Prestige Continental Express
Belle Époque dining cars for gourmet rail events.
8h · Prestige Continental Express
- Luxury
- Culinary
- Heritage
AI-generated editorial illustration by Rail Atlas
Japan · Scenic
Seibu Laview: Ikebukuro to Chichibu
Kazuyo Sejima's round-nosed limited express out of Tokyo into the Chichibu hills
1h 23m · Seibu Railway
- Scenic
- Design
- Excursion
Photo: 江戸村のとくぞう · CC BY-SA 4.0
Japan · Heritage
SL Gunma
Historic steam day trips from Takasaki.
55m · JR East
- Heritage
- Steam
- Excursion
Photo: Nanashinodensyaku / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Sweden · Scenic
Ångtågen i Mariefred; Östra Södermanlands Järnväg
Sweden's oldest museum railway, 600 mm wide, still steaming out of Mariefred
2h · Östra Södermanlands Järnväg
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Steam
Photo: Arild Vågen · CC BY-SA 4.0
Portugal → Spain · Scenic
Celta: Porto to Vigo
Two trains a day across the Minho, from Porto into Galicia
2h 34m · CP - Comboios de Portugal
- Scenic
- Excursion
Photo: Nelso Silva from Porto, Portugal · CC BY-SA 2.0
United States · Scenic
Coastal Classic Train
Turnagain Arm, wilderness and Resurrection Bay in one long day.
4h 35m · Alaska Railroad
- Scenic
- Excursion
Photo: RickyCourtney / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
United States · Scenic
Glacier Discovery Train
A summer train into glacier country that roads cannot reach.
5h 35m · Alaska Railroad
- Scenic
- Excursion
Photo: Forest Service Alaska Region, USDA / Wikimedia Commons · CC0 1.0
United States · Scenic
Hurricane Turn Train
Flag down a real passenger train in roadless Alaska.
3h · Alaska Railroad
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Excursion
AI-generated editorial illustration by Rail Atlas
Australia · Scenic
Kuranda Scenic Railway
Rainforest, waterfalls and century-old carriages above Cairns.
1h 55m · Queensland Rail Travel
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Engineering
Photo: JustARandomEditor123 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Zambia · Luxury
Royal Livingstone Express
Vintage rail, sunset near Victoria Falls and a five-star dinner.
4h · Bushtracks Africa
- Luxury
- Culinary
- Heritage
AI-generated editorial illustration by Rail Atlas
Argentina · Scenic
Tren a las Nubes
Ride above 4,200 metres to one of the world’s great railway viaducts.
1h · Tren a las Nubes SFTSE
- Scenic
- Engineering
- Excursion
Photo: Dr.Haus / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Argentina · Scenic
Tren del Fin del Mundo
Steam through Tierra del Fuego on the railway at the end of the world.
1h 45m · Ferrocarril Austral Fueguino
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Excursion
Photo: Mark Fischer · CC BY-SA 4.0
Germany · Scenic
Bavarian Zugspitze Railway
Cogwheel rail from Garmisch into Germany’s highest mountain landscape.
1h 15m · Bayerische Zugspitzbahn Bergbahn AG
- Scenic
- Engineering
- Excursion
Photo: Phil Richards from London, UK · CC BY-SA 2.0
Switzerland · Scenic
Brienz Rothorn Railway
Steam from Lake Brienz to a 360-degree mountain panorama.
1h · Brienz Rothorn Bahn
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Steam
Photo: Hans-Peter Bärtschi · CC BY 4.0
France · Scenic
Chemin de Fer de la Rhune
A vintage mountain train from the Basque foothills to the summit of La Rhune.
35m · Train de la Rhune
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Excursion
Photo: Remontees · CC BY-SA 4.0
Norway · Scenic
Flåm Railway
A one-hour descent from high mountain railway to fjord through waterfalls, tunnels and a remarkably steep valley line.
55m · Vy
- Scenic
- Excursion
Photo: Jorge Láscar / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
Switzerland · Scenic
Gornergrat Railway
Matterhorn views from one of Europe’s highest rack railways.
33m · Gornergrat Bahn
- Scenic
- Engineering
- Excursion
Photo: Rail Away TV / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Switzerland · Scenic
Jungfrau Railway to Jungfraujoch
A railway into the world of glaciers at 3,454 metres.
41m · Jungfrau Railways
- Scenic
- Engineering
- Excursion
Photo: Maria Feofilova / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Switzerland · Scenic
Pilatus Cogwheel Railway
The world’s steepest cogwheel railway, up to 48 percent.
27m · Pilatus Bahnen
- Scenic
- Engineering
- Excursion
Photo: Maria Feofilova / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Switzerland · Scenic
Rigi Railways
Europe’s first mountain railway, now with modern panoramic rack trains.
30m · Rigi Bahnen
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Excursion
Photo: Ttrainer · CC BY-SA 3.0
Italy · Scenic
Ritten Railway
A tiny historic railway gliding across a sunny plateau above Bolzano.
18m · Rittner Bahn
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Excursion
Photo: Frank Nowotny · CC BY-SA 4.0
Austria · Scenic
Schafberg Railway
A steep red cog railway straight to one of the Salzkammergut’s great viewpoints.
35m · Salzburg AG
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Steam
Photo: Dai Lygad · CC BY 2.0
Austria · Scenic
Schneeberg Railway
A salamander-shaped cog train to Lower Austria’s highest mountain.
40m · Niederösterreich Bahnen
- Scenic
- Engineering
- Excursion
Photo: Liberaler Humanist · CC BY-SA 3.0
Switzerland · Scenic
Schynige Platte Railway
A century-old electric mountain train to a classic Jungfrau panorama.
56m · Jungfrau Railways
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Excursion
Photo: Frank Nowotny / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
United Kingdom · Scenic
Snowdon Mountain Railway
Rack railway to the roof of Wales.
3h 30m · Snowdon Mountain Railway
- Scenic
- Engineering
- Excursion
Photo: Porius1 / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Germany · Scenic
Wendelstein Cog Railway
A half-hour cogwheel climb from the Bavarian valley floor to the Wendelstein.
25m · Wendelsteinbahn
- Scenic
- Engineering
- Excursion
Photo: Herbert Ortner / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.5
Switzerland · Scenic
Wengernalp Railway to Kleine Scheidegg
Panorama cogwheel trains beneath the Eiger.
42m · Jungfrau Railways
- Scenic
- Excursion
Photo: ZachT / Wikimedia Commons · Public domain