Journey type

Excursion

Published train experiences of the excursion kind, with route, season and booking intelligence for each.

44 published journeys

White Pass & Yukon Route locomotives and coaches climb the mountains above Skagway.

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

A Grand Canyon Railway passenger train at Grand Canyon Village near the South Rim.

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

A Beijing suburban S2 train curving through the Juyongguan mountain pass.

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

A CRH2J train running on the Kunming–Chuxiong–Dali railway in Yunnan.

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

An E353 series Limited Express Azusa running on the Chuo Main Line between Torisawa and Saruhashi.

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

Editorial illustration of an unbranded limited-express train beside the Pacific coast of the Kii Peninsula.

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

A Matheran Hill Railway train rounding a cliff-edge bend above the plains.

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

An Odakyu 70000 series GSE Romancecar crossing the Sakawa river bridge at dusk.

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

Unbranded modern high-speed train crossing Jiangnan waterways on the Shanghai–Hangzhou corridor.

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

A Tobu N100 series Spacia X train at Tobu-Nikko Station.

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

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

A CRH train leaving a tunnel on the Chengdu-Chongqing intercity railway at Jianyang.

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

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

Short Swiss private dining train beside a lake on its documented circular itinerary.

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 · Heritage

SL Gunma

Historic steam day trips from Takasaki.

55m · JR East

Heritage
Steam
Excursion

Photo: Nanashinodensyaku / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Alaska Railroad Coastal Classic winding through the S Curves toward Seward with Bartlett Glacier in the distance.

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

Unbranded blue-and-yellow passenger train in Alaska’s remote Susitna River valley.

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

Unbranded heritage steam passenger train travelling through woodland near Livingstone, Zambia.

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

The End of the World Train stands with its coaches beneath the mountains near Ushuaia.

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

A Bayerische Zugspitzbahn train at Grainau below the snow-covered Wetterstein mountains.

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

Jungfrau Railway train at Kleine Scheidegg with the Eiger north face behind it.

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

A Pilatus cogwheel train climbing the mountain railway.

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

A steam train climbing the Rigi Railway through mountain scenery in Switzerland.

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

A Schafberg mountain railway train in Austria.

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

A Schneebergbahn train climbing the open mountainside above Baumgartner.

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

A Wendelstein Rack Railway railcar passing the Hohe Mauer between tunnels 5 and 6 in Bavaria.

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

A Wengernalp Railway train climbing through the Lauterbrunnen valley toward Wengen.

Switzerland · Scenic

Wengernalp Railway to Kleine Scheidegg

Panorama cogwheel trains beneath the Eiger.

42m · Jungfrau Railways

Scenic
Excursion

Photo: ZachT / Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

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