Train journeys

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Train journeys
Holiday guide

Train journeys

Environmentally friendly, spacious, and often delivering you to the centre of your destination with ease, any train journey is an adventure in itself.

Australia’s epic, 4352-kilometre train journey beats driving any day

Australia’s epic, 4352-kilometre train journey beats driving any day

Imagine crossing our vast, intimidating outback from ocean to ocean without raising a sweat or forgoing a fine meal. How? By riding the rails.

  • by Brian Johnston
One of Australia’s greatest train journeys is now even more remarkable

One of Australia’s greatest train journeys is now even more remarkable

This railway divides Australia down the middle like a zipper, the 2979-kilometre journey opening up parts of the country in a way that no other holiday can.

  • by Kerry van der Jagt
The world's most amazing train journeys: Trips to suit every taste

The world's most amazing train journeys: Trips to suit every taste

Nothing is more delightful than to be aboard a sleeper train and to awake at dawn and gaze upon a radically different vista than the one that left you at dusk the night before.

  • by Tim Richards
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The Indian Pacific takes you cross country in style.
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The best sights between Perth and Sydney can be explored by train

The eastbound journey from Perth through to Sydney brings together everything this country offers.

  • by Cameron Bayley
Train travel takes you to some of Australia’s most magnificent places.
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Six reasons why train travel is the best way to see Australia

Australia is such a vast wonderland that letting someone else take charge of the itinerary makes a whole lot of sense.

  • by Cameron Bayley
The Xplorer regional train in NSW.

Is there an Australian equivalent of a Eurail train pass? Sort of

There’s nothing more fun than a rail pass, and Australians may be surprised to learn that it’s possible to travel that way in our own country. Here’s how.

  • by Tim Richards
The Empire Builder traverses both the coastal Cascade Mountains and Rocky Mountains.

This could be the glorious future of travel in the US

Amtrak’s routes take in a marvellous array of scenery across the nation. Here are some tips to make the most of your trip on a long-distance Amtrak train.

  • by Tim Richards
ON TRACK TO OHIYA: Sri Lanka has over 1500 kilometres of railway line and the higher you get the more scenic the journey. From Nan Uoya, at 1613 metres, it's an hour by train to Sri Lanka's third highest railway station at 1774 metres. Ohiya opened in 1893 as part of a British colonial government network created to transport tea and coffee from the hill country to the port of Colombo. The best views of villages, farms and forest on this north-to-south route are from the right-hand side of the train. Tickets can be bought on the day at the station and dangling your limbs out the windows and doors is permitted.

One of the world’s most spectacular train rides costs less than $10

Chugging along at 40km/h past tea plantations, gorges, rivers, waterfalls, viaducts and villages is slow travel at its finest.

  • by Julia D'Orazio
Journey through the heart of Australia on The Ghan.
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Travel through the heart of Australia on this epic inland journey

A truly mind-boggling array of Australia’s wonders comes your way as the changing landscape unfurls out the windows of The Ghan.

  • by Cameron Bayley
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The Solkan Bridge, Slovenia.

I visited eight European countries without flying, and loved it

My epic 40-day journey marks a grand return to rail travel, unlocking the sheer pleasure of seeing the continent unfold at ground level.

  • by Tim Richards
Why you have to see Australia by train

Why you have to see Australia by train

SPONSORED Australia is a vast, sprawling landscape and the perfect way to see it is by train.

Designated train driver ,,, no better way to do a winery tour.

This heritage sleeper train will take you from Melbourne to wine time

It makes sense to have a designated driver while you’re exploring wineries, but on this journey we have a designated train driver.

  • by Tim Richards
The regular commuter trains in Switzerland afford admirable views.

$6600 v $127: How to travel Europe’s spectacular train routes on the cheap

The Orient-Express takes you from Paris to Venice for $6600 but you can make the same rail journey in a sleeper for about $127.

  • by Brian Johnston
Japanese trains don't have restaurant or bar cars, only snack trolleys.

Japan’s bullet trains are the world’s best way to travel

Hunt around, prod and poke every corner of the travelling world, and see if you can come up with a better way to get from A to B than a train in Japan.

  • by Ben Groundwater
The route from Singapore to Luang Prabang takes you through Malaysia.

Travelling on a ‘Belt and Road’ China-built railway

It's now possible to travel from Singapore to Luang Prabang, Laos, by train - thanks to China's controversial 'Belt and Road' project.

  • by Kurt Johnson
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The TranzAlpine passes Lake Sarah on New Zealand's South Island.

How to go from north to south by rail in NZ

New Zealand's great rail journey across the North and South Islands involves three trains, plus a ferry.

  • by Tim Richards
The Trans-Siberian stretches 10,000km from Moscow all the way to Vladivostok.

Experts’ tips on doing the epic Trans-Siberian and Trans-Mongolian

The Trans-Siberian and the Trans-Mongolian are names that are instantly recognisable to many travellers.

  • by Ben Groundwater
Now that domestic airfares have skyrocketed, it can be cheaper to catch the train.

The pros and cons of getting the XPT overnight train from Sydney to Melbourne

With airfares sky high, there are plenty of benefits - and sadly plenty of pitfalls, in catching a train from Sydney to Melbourne.

  • by Ben Grubb
You can explore America's Southwest on a two-day luxury train journey on the Rocky Mountaineer.

Rocky Mountaineer: A luxury train journey through America's Southwest

Rocky Mountaineer's new luxury train journey takes the scenic route from Colorado to Utah.

  • by Kristie Kellahan
The sit-up bar on The Vietage.

Luxury train journey to Vietnam’s ‘Cancun without the crowds’

If you’re looking for luxury digs without the crowds, then is your destination. And in this instance, getting there really is half the fun.

  • by Kylie McLaughlin
xx6bestAlpine Six 6 best Swiss Alpine Train Rides Switzerland Railway Rail ; text by Brian Johnston
cr: Switzerland Tourism
(handout image supplied via journalist for use in Traveller, no syndication) 

Six of the best Swiss alpine rail trips

There's no better way to experience the Swiss Alps than by rail.

  • by Brian Johnston
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Passing beneath Mount Ruapehu.
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Views from this train are so spectacular, it doesn’t matter where you sit

On this New Zealand train route the dramatic scenery is matched by engineering masterpieces.

  • by Kerry van der Jagt
AFR L&L 1 April story by Helen Hayes -  Indian Pacific
Gold-Service-Cabin
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Forget beach resorts – no other holiday is as relaxing as this

If you want to remove yourself from life’s troubles, there’s no better escape than a long-distance journey across outback Australia.

  • by Brian Johnston
Mae Khlong

Thailand’s most unusual train ride is chaotic and surreal

Thailand’s Mae Klong Railway Market is one to watch out for. Quite literally.

  • by Julia D'Orazio
The Line of Lode stands out in this aerial shot of Broken Hill.

The outback town that changed Australia forever

Decisions made a century ago in the Trades Hall in Broken Hill continue to influence our working lives – for the better.

  • by Brian Johnston
The Gold Premium Lounge.

New class of luxury unveiled on board iconic Australian trains

A new class of rail travel offers more room and art-deco distinction.

  • by Julietta Jameson