The Canadian Rockies have all the ingredients which guarantee a unique travel experience. A spectacular scenery of huge mountains, vast forests and wild rivers, modern cities and bustling towns and an interesting history of exploration and development.

Kicking Horse Pass, 1887, Painting by L.R. O'Brian

Railways have played a fundamental role for the development of the Canadian West and the integration of the vast territories of Canada. The history of railway construction is an exhilarating story full of adventure. It was in the late nineteenth century when the final gap was closed and the first railway connection between West and East was finished in 1885. Constructing railways through the difficult terrain of the many mountain ranges was extremely difficult and a long list of amazing tunnels, spirals and bridges is testimony of the ingenious construction works.

Today, the railways in the Canadian West will satisfy all wants of the train enthusiast. The train trips in the Canadian Rockies belong definitely to the best train trips of the world. Interesting engineering constructions, spectacular views, vast landscapes, historic towns and comfortable trains. Indeed the options are so manifold that several different travels would be needed to experience everything.

The various options between Vancouver (British Columbia) in the very West and Calgary (Alberta) at the Eastern slopes of the Rockies are best known and advertised to the world as The Rocky Mountaineer. Today the Rocky Mountaineer is among the most popular train trips in North America and is operated by award-winning Rocky Mountaineer Vacations. Many awards like the World Travel Award or the nomination as one of the World’s Leading Travel Experiences by National Geographic are testimony of this popularity.

There are four options for experiencing the beauty of this region by train. The first is a day-trip journey between Vancouver and Whistler, the host of the Olympic winter games in 2010. This option is called The Whistler Mountaineer and gives a perfect overview into the coastal mountain regions and a look into the great landscape around Whistler. The train ride between Vancouver and Whistler lasts about three hours.

The other options involve a two-day train ride from Vancouver to Calgary (or alternatively Jasper) with an overnight stay in Kamloops or in Quesnel respectively (Fraser route). Thus the train journey guarantees a perfect daylight experience during the stunning scenery of the Canadian Rockies. There are three different routes to chose. The Kicking Horse Route and the Yellowhead Route are going both towards Kamloops during the first day and are then departing in different directions at the second day. The third route, Fraser Discovery, goes from Vancouver in northerly direction to Whistler and then enters the Caribou Plateau where the traveler spends the night in Quesnel, a historic gold rush town.

Kicking Horse Route (Vancouver-Kamloops-Banff/Calgary)

Stoney Creek Bridge, British Columbia, credits see below

This routes follows the historic transcontinental railway which connected the Western provinces with the East. The last spike was made in 1885 and the the Canadian Rocky Mountains which were thought as impenetrable for a long time were finally crossed. The route culminates around the Kicking Horse Pass (1630 m or 5340 ft) at the Continental Divide on the B.C. / Alberta border border. Originally the railway at the pass was named “The Big Hill” due to its steep gradient of 4.5 percent which was by far the steepest railway gradient in North America. To avoid the pitfalls of this steep gradient the railway was significantly improved in 1909 with the construction of the famous Spiral Tunnels which are still a major attraction. Another major attraction of this route is the Stoney Creek Bridge, an impressive steel truss arch bridge spanning 99 m above the wild Stoney Creek.

Yellowhead Route (Vancouver – Jasper)

The Yellowhead Route goes to the famous resort town of Jasper (Alberta). This is an extremely scenic route showcasing the quintessential landscapes of the Canadian Rockies. The Yellowhead route travels through an area known for its plentiful wildlife including black bears and mountain cariboo. The highlight of this train trip includes the famous views to the Mount Robson (with 3,954 m or 12,970 ft the highest peak of the Canadian Rockies), a huge mountain with its South Face rising almost 3000m high above the ground.

Fraser Discovery Route (Vancouver-Whistler – Jasper)

The Fraser Discovery Route follows the Fraser River, the longest river of British Columbia (1370 km or about 870 miles from Fraser Pass to the Strait of Georgia in Vancouver). The major attraction of this route is the Hell’s Gate in the Fraser Canyon. At Hell’s Gate the Fraser Canyon narrows down to only 35 meter (110 ft). The Fraser Route includes an overnight-stay in Quesnel, an historic gold rush town.

There are two different levels of service. The GoldLeaf Service includes not only gourmet meals but provides perfect panoramic views in its special Panoramic views full-length dome windows coaches. RedLeaf Service provide a basic service (including breakfast and lunch served at the seats) in classic rail cars. The Rocky Mountaineer only operates between April and October.

Photo Credits Stoney Bridge

Australia is an amazing travel destination offering a great diversity of nature as well as bustling cities and remote rural areas. Australia is also an interesting destination for train enthusiasts. The Ghan, a transcontinental railway crossing Australia from the South to the North, is today Australia’s most famous railway. It starts in Adelaide at the southern coast and rolls North through the almost empty and desert outback around Alice Springs to the tropical Northern coast at Darwin. The total distance crossed is about 3000 kilometres (or almost 2000 miles) with a travel time of about 50 hours involving two nights aboard the train. Riding the Ghan let you experience quintessential Australian landscapes. The train trip starts in the fertile and green countryside around Adelaide and goes trough the rusty plains of Australia’s Red Centre and eventually stops in midst of the tropical area of Australia’s North (or what is called Top End by the Aussies themselves).

Ghan Train, Australia, Photo by Goetz Ruhland, credits see below

Originally this railway was called Afghan named after the camel caravans used traditionally for transportation in the vast interior desert areas of Australia. To honour and remember this history, a camel with a rider is still the official trademark of the Ghan train. The Ghan is a unique train trip experience. It crosses not only an entire continent but going strictly along a South-North line it crosses several climate zones from the temperate South to the tropical North of Australia. During high season the Ghan travels twice a week, out of season once a week. There are longer halts (around four hours) in Alice Springs and in Katherine. These halts allow optional tours, for example the famous Katherine gorge in the Nitmiluk National Park (not included in the train ticket, the prize of the Katherine gorge cruise is about 80 Australian dollars).

The construction of the Ghan railway line started as early as 1878 and reached Alice Springs in 1929. Eventually further construction was put on hold due to financial problems. This old Ghan railway was using narrow gauge track The history of the old Ghan is featured in the Old Ghan Heritage Railway museum in Alice Spring.

Ghan Train arriving in Darwin, Australia, Photo by TourismNT, credits see below

In 2001 the construction of the Alice Springs – Darwin connection started and was finished in 2003. The very first train of the Ghan arrived Darwin at February 4, 2004. Immediately the Ghan train trip attracted tourists and train enthusiasts from around the whole world and has contributed significantly to the development of the tourism in the Northern Territory. The modern Ghan is using normal gauge tracks and is operated with Diesel locomotives (always two locomotives per train to have redundancy available if one locomotive has engine failure or technical breakdown).

There are different service levels to book the Ghan: Platinum, Gold and Red (plus private carriages as a further option). Platinum and Gold level passengers get served three meals a day in the restaurant car (Queen Adelaide Restaurant) while Red level passengers have to bring their own or can buy meals in the snack bar (Red Service Diner).

Of course, the biggest difference in comfort level is concerning the private rooms. Gold comes with a small private room with toilet and shower and bunk beds sleeping two whereas Platinum offers quite a comfortable room with a double bed plus small private bath room. Red level passengers have to use a quite tiny sleeping alcove or alternatively a reclining daynighter seat. In addition there are some on board luggage constraints for Red service passengers. Due to these differences in comfort the prices vary considerable between these levels of service. The cheapest option is the Red level daynighter with about 700 Australian dollars, Platinum is the highest rate which costs almost 3000 Australian dollars.

Credits:

Credits Map

Credits Ghan Train (cc-by-sa-3.0)

Credits Ghan Darwin, Tourism NT

Switzerland, this small country in the heart of Europe, is unique in many ways. Regarding train travel it is probably the land with one of the densest train network of the world. This is remarkable since a good part of Switzerland is covered by huge mountains which are quite a serious barrier for railroad construction. Swiss railway engineers were impressively ingenious and inventive in overcoming these massif mountain barriers. The many viaducts of all kinds, tunnels and bridges make train trips in Switzerland extremely impressive.

The specific climate of the Alps make train trips interesting for every season of the year. Summer excels with usual sunny weather and mild, convenient temperatures. During autumn a train ride over one of the many high Alpine passes in Switzerland let you experience a change from Indian summer with its many colors to the first glimpses of snowy winter. The winter impresses with its huge snow packs and the glazing sun over endless snow fields. And finally the spring may offer a mix of everything, from snow in the mountains to pristine green meadows in the valley to palms along the lakes of the Ticino.

The various railroads in Switzerland are so attractive that simply traveling randomly between the Swiss cities would be an impressive and attractive train journey in itself. However, there are some Swiss train trips which are outstanding and may easily be described as among the most attractive train rides of the world. These are as follows:

Glacier Express route, Switzerland, credits see below

Glacier Express: The Glacier Express connects the great Swiss tourism hot spots Zermatt and St. Moritz. The Glacier Express is advertised as “the slowest express train of the world”. Probably, it should also go as the most amazing express train of the world. It is a 7.5 h train trip across 291 bridges and through 91 tunnels. It also crosses one of the many high alpine passes of Switzerland. The Oberalp pass tops at an elevation of 2033 meters (6670 ft) in a stunning alpine environment. This train trip goes directly into the very heart of Switzerland connecting beautiful towns and villages like a pearl necklace.

Glacier Express, Landwasser viaduct, Photo credits see below

Bernina Express route, Switzerland, credits see below

Bernina Express: The Bernina Express is another famous Swiss train trip trough high alpine regions. It connects the old historic town of Chur (Canton Grissons) in the North with Tirano (Italy) in the famous Val Tellin with its southern, even somewhat Mediterranean flair. Thus the Bernina Express connects different cultural regions and different climatic zones which makes for a fascinating journey. By riding with the Bernina Express it is easily possible to experience winter, spring and summer within one day. The Bernina Express runs through famous St. Moritz, one of the most famous alpine resorts of the world. The surrounding landscape of the Upper Engadin with its many lakes, huge mountains (among them the Piz Bernina, 4040 m/13250 ft and the Piz Palü, 3905 m/12800 ft) and large glaciers makes for stunning views. The highlight of the Bernina Express is the ride over the Bernina Pass (2328 m/7630 ft). From their the train tracks wind down to the Swiss region of Poschiavo crossing dozens of bridges, tunnels and ingeniously constructed viaducts. There are many highlights for train lovers during this section. Among them many hairpin turns, the spiraling viaduct at Brusio and even a short section in a quaint old village where the train and the cars use the very same narrow street. Finally, the train trip ends in the Italian town of Tirano (450m/1476 ft).

Credits Glacier Express map
Credits Bernina Express map
Photo credits Landwasser viaduct

Planning for a train trip is pretty straightforward. However there are some things you might consider depending on the type of your trips.

Packaged train trips and railroad vacations:

Many travel organizations provide complete packaged trips or railway vacation packages. Usually there is almost everything included: train tickets and reservation, accommodation, meals in the restaurant car, sleeping car reservation if appropriate etc. You just have to organize your travel to the starting point and your return travel from the end point. Some of these packages offer guided tours as well so you have a program for you organized during the various stops of the train. Prices vary greatly depending if you use a train trip package based on a standard train or a special train specifically designed towards railway voyages which tend to use special luxurious or antique vintage cars etc.

Do it yourself / individual train trips:

If you prefer to manage your train vacation by yourself you will have to plan more in more detail and do some research. But planning and researching might be a fun and exciting phase as well: The great advantage of self organized train trips is that you can select your route / routes as you wish. Today the web offers every tools which might be necessary to narrow down your possibilities. Are you interested in cities and their history? Or are you more into nature? Mountains or deserts? Rivers or beaches? Using online maps (like google maps for instance) give you a good background information about the geographic nature of your envisaged train trips. After deciding the continent / countries you might traveling to you just have to research train connections. This is easily done by going over to the websites of the railway operators. Virtually all of the railway operators do have online tools concerning their train connections. You can even buy your tickets and order your reservations with these tools. If you are going during seasonal peak time (for most regions the summer months) you will have to book your hotel accommodation in advance. There is a huge bulk of specific travel literature for most of the famous trains and railways.

Multi-day train trips / railway voyages:

Obviously if you are spending multiple days in a train or if you hop from city to city by train you would need to carry your equipment with you during the train travel. Carrying luggage into a train is not as bad as you might think. Just make sure that you are a bit organized and take care while selecting the type of the bags. Don’t use too big suitcases. A rucksack comes in handy while searching for your reserved place in the train. Too many pieces of luggage may be a little bit annoying to carry when changing trains etc. So try to be a little bit selective when choosing your travel items. Some trains (like for example Australia’s famous Ghan) even set limits to checked-in as well as to on-board luggage (in size and in weight). Some luxury trains require certain clothing standards so you would need to bring some formal clothes. In general you should take with you some clothing for cold evenings/nights even during summer and in regions with warm temperatures. The cooling of the train compartments is sometimes pretty intense. A good reading book for long evenings/nights is also highly recommended.

Single-day train trips:

Obviously single day trips from a base (e.g. a city) are really easy and there is nothing special to organize about it. Just research the various connections and time schedules and book your reservation and buy your ticket which is quite easy these days using online reservation systems. Most train operators do have online reservation systems in various languages so you should not encounter any problems.

Railroads and trains fascinate many people from very young to very old. The reasons for this fascinations are manifold. Some people love the technical things around trains, some love the rich history of trains and the development of railroad networks and some people just love to ride trains. Anyway, there are many reasons why train trips are an amazing means to travel and dedicated railroad vacations have become an important segment of the travel business. The number of packaged train vacations all over the world is uncountable and virtually all possible needs and wants are catered to.

 If you are contemplating whether train trips are for you it is worthwhile to take into account the different pleasures a train trips are offering:

• Train trips enable you to enjoy the most amazing landscapes of the world. Most of the famous railroad networks were developed during the nineteenth century. They usually connect important and attractive cities and their paths go through story-rich landscapes dotted by towns and villages alongside the railroads. Often the surrounding landscapes are extremely scenic as the tracks wind through deep mountain valleys or canyons and gorges. Railroads along lakes or rivers offer beautiful views. Some trains are equipped with specifically designed panorama passenger cars which provide unspoilt views to the many attractions alongside the railway.

• The many technical artifacts of railroads like tunnels, bridges and viaducts are often an attraction for themselves. Especially in mountainous areas the railroads are spectacular examples of engineering mastery. There are quite a lot of railroad famous for overcoming obstacles defined by nature. Visiting these sites can be as amazing as visiting other examples of human genius.

• Train trips are a safe and hassle-free way of transport. The amount of space per passenger is way higher than in planes or cars. And you are free to wander around in the train as you wish. Restaurant cars provide all the necessities and the convenience of a normal restaurant but with a much more entertaining view. If you chose so you can even satisfy all your wishes for luxury. Special train trips with selected historical trains and passenger cars let you enjoy traveling like the aristocracy in the late nineteenth century.

• A train trip can easily be a journey into the history of technology: Steam locomotives inherit quite some mystique and are a reminder of the heydays of railroad development. The number of dedicated steam train trips is relatively high and special packages are to be found for most rail networks. However, trains are not only a window into history the may also showcase the future of transport. Special ultra-speed trains are approaching velocities of about 250 miles per hour and their number is rising recently. Ultra-speed trains like the TGV in France, the ICE in Germany or the Japanese speed trains are attracting more and more visitors and passengers each year.

Train Trips Worlwide is a website dedicated to all things related to traveling by train and railroads. We strive to give you the best information on how to plan train trips and to find the most attractive places and locations for railroad fans. Our goal is to cover all regions over the whole world. Discover train journeys both the well-known trips as well as those off the beaten track by reading TrainTripsWorldwide.  

If you have any specific questions about train travel, a particular location or region do not hesitate to contact us at info [at] traintripsworldwide.com. We will try our best to help you.

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