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
Journey class
Day excursion trains
Short rides taken for their own sake: mountain cog railways, preserved branch lines and sightseeing services that return you where you started.
An excursion train is planned differently from a journey between two cities. It usually runs to a seasonal timetable, often returns to the same station, and is frequently sold as a single ticket for the ride rather than as transport.
Because seasons decide whether these trains run at all, each page records the operator's own published operating period and leaves it blank where none is stated.
44 published journeys · 4 groupings
Featured journeys
Start with these
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
11 journeys
Mountain and cog railways
Rack-worked climbs to a summit, a col or a viewpoint.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
15 journeys
Preserved and steam excursions
Volunteer and trust-run lines, usually a return trip of an hour or two.
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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
5 journeys
Sightseeing and themed trains
Scheduled services with interiors and stops built around the view.
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
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
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
13 journeys
More short scenic rides
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
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
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
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
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
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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