The Great TRAIN RIDE

FAN FAIR

We have re-discovered the train. We abandoned her for the convenience and speed of the airplane and vowed never to look back. But there’s something relaxing about the familiar, rhythmic sounds of the rails and looking out the window as the landscape whistles past you. The great train journey to somewhere special is about enjoying the trip as much as it is about arriving at the destination.

DAISY FINER

Rovos RAIL

South Africa has two famously glam trains which run routes between Cape Town and Pretoria as well as up to Kruger National Park and Victoria Falls. The Blue Train is terrific for those who need a TV in their bedroom, but Rovos Rail is all about elegantly restored period glamour with freestanding Victorian baths, masses of wood paneling, formal service, and the crispest white linen.

(ROVOS.COM)

EUROSTAR

There is nothing more elegant or pleasant than catching the Eurostar, which hurtles down its high-speed line at 186 miles per hour, from London’s newly renovated St. Pancras station. From the giant statue of lovers embracing under the station’s clock to Europe’s longest champagne bar and the iron rafters holding up the majestic roof—you haven’t even arrived in Paris and the holiday has already begun. If you leave London after lunch, you’ll be able to stroll down the Rue Saint-Honore by teatime.

(EUROSTAR.COM)

THE DEVIL'S NOSE

The Devil’s Nose train, in Ecuador, is a rustic masterpiece of railroad engineering that takes you from high in the Andes to the lowlands. It starts in Riobamba, a lively colonial city of pastel buildings; the ride crosses three separate climate zones, from the cool highlands through the cloud forest, ending some five hours later in the hot coastal jungle. The train zigzags down the 45-degree gradient of the Devil’s Nose by means of switchbacks, with the locomotive alternately pulling the cars from in front, then pushing them before it, in reverse. Brave passengers white-knuckle it on the roof of the train for the best views of Chimborazo’s peak and the dizzying drop-offs, (ECUADOR.COM)

CONTINUED ON PAGE 124

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 122

ORIENT-EXPRESS

The Orient-Express is the train against which all other luxury trains are measured. Grace Kelly and Marlene Dietrich both got on board; Hercule Poirot and James Bond survived murderous adventures. Refurbished Art Deco carriages have folding beds, soft sheets, and four-course meals. The signature route is London to Venice, which takes two days, with stops in Paris, Innsbruck, and Verona. You can also visit Krakow, Prague, and Istanbul, and there is an Eastern & Oriental Express whose trains run through Thailand, Laos, Malaysia, and Singapore, (ORIENT-EXPRESS.COM)

Whether you take the Trans-Siberian Express eastward from Moscow or westward from Vladivostok, on the Pacific coast, you’ll cover more than 5,700 miles, traveling almost a quarter of the way around the world on the new, deluxe Golden Eagle. Knock back never-ending vodkas while eating smoked fish, beef Stroganoff, and Mongolian hot pot. Stopoffs include Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, and Lake Baikal, where, if you’re brave, you can take a dip in the world’s deepest freshwater lake. But unless you want to experience Siberia at its coldest, go in spring, (GWTRAVEL.CO.UK)

GOLDEN CHARIOT

The new, shocking-pink Golden Chariot loops through Karnataka, in southern India. This seven-night journey begins every Monday from Bangalore and takes you to Mysore, the Nagarhole National Park (where you can disembark for jeep safaris), and the historical sites of Halebidu, K Belur, and Shravanabelagola before speeding on to the temples of Aihole, Pattadakal, and Badami. Last stop—the beaches of Goa. The train is a Technicolor dream world, with a spa and gym on board.

(GOLDENCHARIOTTRAIN.COM)

ROYAL CANADIAN PACIFIC

This train has beauty and style, flair and pedigree. It was beloved by Winston Churchill and counts Bill Gates as a fan. Think mountain vistas and stops for fly-fishing and golf. From the Alberta prairie to Banff and Kicking Horse Pass in the majestic Rockies, train travel is the perfect way to experience the pristine wilderness of Canada, (ROYALCANADIANPACIFIC.COM)