Vintage Train Trips

Go back in time to the Golden Age of Rails with a vintage train trip, a new trend in travel that combines modern luxury with authentic history. Several travel companies are keeping the rail travel tradition alive with the refurbishment of historic train cars, allowing travelers the opportunity to see new places in new ways.

Complete with swank lounges and first-class sleepers, these vintage trains offer one of the best ways to get from one place to another, allowing travelers to enjoy the scenery of the changing landscapes through their train car window along the way.

Many of these vintage trains include lavish service, elaborate meals, onboard guides and day tours at stops along the way and sometimes come with a hefty price tag, but more affordable options are also available and well worth it for the chance to immerse yourself in history and see the world from a new perspective.

Here are some of the top vintage train excursions available around the world:

• The Simplon-Orient-Express excursion runs from Paris to Istanbul via Budapest and Bucharest with shorter two- to four-day trips available on routes connecting London, Venice, Prague and Vienna.
• The Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express, the world’s longest continuous railway line, operates a 15-day itinerary over the Urals, across the expansive steppe and along the shores of the world’s largest freshwater lake, linking Moscow and Vladivostok.
• The Rocky Mountaineer runs excursion trains on several Canadian routes, the most notable being Calgary to Vancouver, where guests can enjoy views of the surrounding mountains, Banff and Lake Louis. This train travels only during the day and stops for overnight stays in Kamloops.
• The Royal Scotsman offers two- to seven-day excursions through the rolling green hills of Scotland, allowing guests to discovers the country’s rich history in the form of ancient ruins and castles and its stunning natural beauty.
• Australia’s Great Southern Rail offers a three-night trip offering breathtaking sights of the Australian countryside with varied scenery from snow-covered mountains to vast fields of green and gold.
• The contemporary California Zephyr is based on a historic train that ran from Chicago to Emeryville. The new train offers one of the most beautiful train trips in North America, covering much of the same route of the original California Zephyr on the Burlington, Rio Grande and Western Pacific railroads. The train winds through the Rockies to Salt Lake City and through Reno and Sacramento.