These Epic Train Journeys Are First Class

Skip the cramped rooms and crappy food that plague plane trips and embark on an epic train journey. You can tour places like India, Vancouver, and New Zealand while eating fine dining in panoramic cars, enjoying a cocktail in comfortable seats, and rubbing elbows with colorful, exciting travelers. rub elbows.

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Because half the beauty of a journey is getting there, trains offer travel experiences that no other method of transportation can match. All those stunning mountains, idyllic fields and translucent lakes that you would normally miss in an airplane or while gripping the steering wheel reveal themselves when you look relaxed and engaged from a roaring locomotive. Here are eight of the best rail trips and tours you can take around the world.

The Best of New Zealand: Auckland to Christchurch

You'll see spectacular rugged landscapes as you travel from Auckland to Christchurch on the 10-day Cities and Coast Highlights Tour from New Zealand's North to the South Island, stopping in many charming towns including Ohakune, Wellington and Kaikōura. Memorable moments along the way include hiking in Tongariro National Park, the Cook Strait ferry crossing, and stunning close-ups of the Kapiti Coast.

First Crossing West: Vancouver to Banff

The Rocky Mountaineer train from Vancouver to Calgary passes through the Canadian Rockies with stops in Kamloops, British Columbia, and beautiful Banff, Alberta. The panoramic split-level domed bus speeds through semi-arid deserts, mystical formations (like the legendary Hoodo rocks), turquoise waters (like Kinbasket Lake) and the Black Canyon. Watch out for black bears, moose and elk as the landscapes zip by from Rocky Mountaineer convertibles.

Switzerland Grand Train Tour

With the Swiss Travel Center (STC) you can choose from a variety of Swiss Grand Train Tours itineraries. 7-day “Classic” cruise, Interlaken, Montreux, Zermatt, St. Includes amazing overnight stays in Mortiz, Lugano and Lucerne. Highlights include Chillon Castle, Montreux's famous 12th-century medieval structure. Here you can walk on a nearby path and look at the castle from above. The 3,000-meter viewing platform on the Gornergrat in Zermatt offers stunning views of the snow-capped Matterhorn.

Caspian Odyssey: From Yerevan, Armenia to Almaty, Kazakhstan

The Caspian Odyssey tour travels through Central Asia (six countries along the Caspian Sea, including Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan) while on the Golden Eagle train. The train stops in the 2,500-year-old city of Bukhara in Uzbekistan; Tashkent, where the world's oldest Quran is located; and Baku with its magnificent golden domes.

United Kingdom by rail: London to Edinburgh

The 7-day Railbookers London to Edinburgh train tour itinerary does not disappoint, with stops in three major British cities, including the two aforementioned towns and York. Buried deep within Edinburgh's Royal Mile, you'll discover a labyrinth of hidden medieval alleys. If you are interested in golf, St. Petersburg in Scotland. At St. Andrews you'll be able to get a first-hand look at where golf was created. Other interesting stops include Castle Howard, one of England's most magnificent manor houses, and the impressive York Minster, the largest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe.

Balkans Railway Adventure: Ljubljana to Pristina

History and war buffs can visit seven countries by train on the Balkans Rail Adventure, including Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia as it crosses the Balkans. The trip includes visiting the Bay of Kotor, a walking tour in Zagreb, visiting the mountainous regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and sharing a meal with locals in Kosovo.

India Rail Photography Expedition: Delhi to Delhi

You'll explore cities like Jaipur, Chittaurgarh, Jodhpur, and Agra on National Geographic's 11-day Indian Railway Photography Expedition. Guests boarding the Palace on Wheels train will have the opportunity to visit rural villages, the iconic Taj Mahal, photograph exotic birds at a wildlife sanctuary, and try their hand at identifying astronomical instruments at Jantar Mantar, the 18th-century royal observatory. The fifth stop of the rail tour includes a morning game drive within Ranthambhore National Park. Some of the animals to be seen there include tigers, hyenas, wild boar, spotted deer and sambar.

America Coast to Coast: New York City to Los Angeles

A train tour from New York City to Los Angeles through Vacations by Rail includes traveling on Amtrak's different branded trains, such as the Acela, Southwest Chief, and Grand Canyon Railroad. American Coast to Coast stops include Washington D.C., Chicago, the Grand Canyon and Los Angeles. Be sure to do touristy things at each stop, like visiting the Congressional Museum in DC, taking a double-decker bus tour in Chicago, and a trip to Universal Studios in Los Angeles.

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