Train Travel Guide: Railway Journeys Around the World

Explore detailed train travel guides, learn how to plan rail trips, and discover the world’s most incredible railway journeys on this site.

Railway journeys often create unforgettable memories, not only because train travel is often comfortable and scenic, but also because it provides a unique insight into a country’s culture and geography, helping you to understand the world far better than you would from a bus or plane. In many countries around the world, it was the railways that shaped history and modern-day society.

There are plenty of reasons why people choose to travel by train. Some opt for it simply because it is often the most affordable, fastest, or most convenient way to travel. In many cases, especially when taking a high-speed train or a convenient overnight sleeper service, train travel really is quicker and much more convenient than flying.

However, even when train journeys are rather slow, which is just as common, they still offer many advantages. Taking the train is, of course, a more environmentally friendly way to travel and is a major reason why many people nowadays prefer the railways over flying. Besides, there is a certain charm to slow travel on the railway tracks, whether it’s retreating to your cosy sleeper compartment on a night train or enjoying an amazing meal in the dining car while watching the world go by from the window.

All you need to know about rail travel

Rail travel is not without its challenges, and buying a train ticket is often much more difficult than booking a flight. Especially when it comes to international rail travel, those uninitiated into the subtleties and quirks of train ticketing face a lot of challenges buying tickets, finding affordable fares, or making reservations.

That’s where this page about train travel, featuring railway journeys around the world, might come in handy. Not only can it serve as a great source of inspiration for your future travels, but it can also provide all the practical information you need about trains, rail routes, ticketing, and much more.

Below, you can find extensive guides about train travel in countries around the world, reviews of some of the world’s most incredible railway journeys, as well as plenty of information about night trains, high-speed trains, rail passes, how to plan a train trip, and much more.

Railway guides for individual countries in Europe

The guides below provide all the information you need about train travel within each country in Europe, including details on the country’s railway network, international train connections, night trains, scenic railway lines, and where and how to buy tickets.

** More train travel guides will be added  soon. As the Paliparan website is a hobby rather than a paid full-time job, it unfortunately takes some effort to compile these guides in our limited spare time. **

Night trains

Of all trains, there are none I enjoy travelling on as much as night trains. There is just something magical about night train travel — going to bed in your comfortable sleeper compartment and waking up the following morning to a completely different landscape from where you departed the previous day.

Apart from being a highly enjoyable and, most often, comfortable way to travel, night trains can also be incredibly convenient. Although large countries such as the US, Canada, Australia, and Russia have night train routes that take multiple days, the typical night train departs in the evening and arrives the following morning at its destination. This allows you to enjoy a full day of sightseeing on your departure day, while arriving well-rested the following morning at your destination, ready to explore more — something that wouldn’t be possible if you took a daytime train.

Even though night trains are usually more expensive than daytime trains, especially if you opt for a private sleeper, you do save on a night’s hotel accommodation. So, when you consider the full picture, they can be a comparatively good deal. If you’re travelling as a family or in a group and can book all the berths in a four- or six-person compartment, night trains can be an even better deal and an extremely fun way to travel.

The world’s most incredible night train journeys

To date, I have taken well over 100 night train journeys across the world, ranging from the ultra-basic sleeper class on a dusty train crossing Rajasthan in India to first-class Spalny Vagon on a Russian night train to the Arctic, and from a ride along the Nile on the Cairo-Aswan night train to a railway journey across the Scottish Highlands on the Caledonian Sleeper.

Below, you can find a couple of fascinating trip reports and informative reviews of these great night train journeys.

High-speed trains

If you want to reach your next destination as quickly as possible, high-speed trains are the perfect way to travel. These modern trains combine impressive speed with great comfort, and before you even realise it, you’ll have already arrived at your destination.

High-speed trains can even rival planes when it comes to total travel time. While the top speed of an average high-speed train, at 250 to 300 kilometres per hour, is lower than that of a plane, you’ll depart and arrive from a station in the city centre without the hassle of dealing with airports. You don’t need to arrive two hours in advance to check in, you don’t have to wait to collect your luggage on arrival, and you’re spared the sometimes lengthy trek from the airport to the place you actually want to visit.

Moreover, you’ll be spared the stress that air travel can cause, as you’ll have much greater comfort and personal space on trains, and can walk around freely if you want to stretch your legs.

Below, you can find information about the most well-known high-speed train services in Europe and beyond, ranging from the French TGV trains, which revolutionised rail transport on the European continent, to the futuristic Japanese Shinkansen high-speed trains.

High-speed trains in Europe

Scenic trains

When you drive or fly to your holiday destination, the journey is often seen as a necessary evil to get you where you want to be. When taking the train, your journey might become a travel highlight in its own right, particularly when it comes to scenic rail trips.

There are literally hundreds of highly scenic railway lines around the world, where the stunning scenery viewed from the train window will take your breath away. It’s no surprise that famous scenic trains through the Alps, such as the Bernina Express and Glacier Express in Switzerland, or the Alaska Railroad in the US, are attractions in their own right.

Even on lesser-known railway lines, the scenery is often superb, offering far better views than you’d get from a car or plane window. It’s precisely for this reason that train travel can be such a great joy, as it allows you to leisurely take in the views en route to your destination. This way, you’ll see and learn much more about the countries you travel through, as the observant eye will not only notice the changing scenery but will also gain a much deeper understanding of how ordinary people live in the places you’re passing through.

Train travel is therefore not only about enjoying natural scenery, such as the stunning landscapes of the Rocky Mountains or the coastline of the French Riviera, but also about absorbing views of human landscapes — especially those in places that might be quite different from your home country, such as the densely populated, fertile farmlands of the Nile River Delta in Egypt or the mountain villages of the Carpathians.

The world’s most scenic train journeys

Below, you’ll find a couple of fascinating trip reports and informative reviews of scenic train journeys I’ve enjoyed during my travels around the world.

Train travel planning: How to plan your rail trip

Plenty of valuable information about train travel can be found in traditional guidebooks and numerous online resources, including the rail guides published on this website.

However, even with a wealth of information available — or perhaps because of it — planning a train trip itinerary can be quite challenging for those unfamiliar with rail travel, especially when the journey involves international travel through multiple countries over several days or weeks.

To assist you in this endeavour and help you become an expert travel planner, check out our train travel planning guide below.

The best resources to plan your train trip

While this site aims to provide plenty of useful information about train travel, it’s just one of many valuable resources available.

I also highly recommend visiting the following websites and exploring the resources listed below:

Seat61 – If you visit just one other site about train travel, it should obviously be Seat61. Mark Smith, also known as The Man in Seat 61, is the foremost expert on rail travel, and his excellent website has helped millions of travellers navigate their way around the world.

Deutsche Bahn travel planner – Although there are many travel planners and online timetables, the one provided by Deutsche Bahn – the German Railways – is still the best for finding train times and itineraries across Europe. It is simply the easiest to use and offers the best pan-European coverage, with a database spanning around 95% or more of all trains in Europe, enabling it to retrieve train routes and times for countries as far apart as the UK, Spain, and Bulgaria.

ÖBB Scotty, the travel planner of the Austrian Railways, is a strong second choice.

Do note that these two websites cannot book all your international train tickets, as they primarily sell tickets to or from Germany and Austria respectively. Even if they can book a ticket for your international journey, it may be available at a far lower price on the website of another national rail company. For instance, trains from Germany to the Czech Republic are often cheaper when purchased on the České dráhy (Czech Railways) website, while trains from Austria to Hungary are typically more affordable through MÁV, the Hungarian Railways.

However, none of those other websites or planning tools match the German and Austrian railways’ websites for searching train connections, so use them as your preferred search and planning tools and determine later where you can best purchase tickets.

Railway maps – Due to human and physical geography, railway lines rarely run straight, so it’s always a good idea to familiarise yourself with the route you want to travel by looking at a map. By checking rail maps, you may discover that there is no direct railway line between the two cities you need to travel to, or you might even be inspired to take an entirely different journey than the route you originally planned.

One of the most extensive online rail maps is OpenRailwayMap, which also highlights high-speed lines, track gauge, and many other interesting details. Of course, you should note that even though there might be a railway line connecting two cities on a map, it might not actually see any passenger train service.

On the Interrail website, you’ll find a more basic European railway map showing only the main passenger railway lines, which is likely easier for less experienced train travellers to use as a planning aid. If you prefer a printed map – whether to take along on your railway journey, to use at your kitchen table while planning your trip, or to hang on your wall – I highly recommend the rail maps offered by European Rail Timetable. They also continue to print railway timetables for all of Europe in book form the old-fashioned way, which may also appeal to some!

Social media – Social media apps and websites can be an excellent way to find information about train travel, get inspiration, and connect with the large community of rail travellers who may be able to help and answer any questions you have.

This is most notable on Facebook and Twitter (X), which have many accounts worth following for inspiration and valuable advice about train travel. On Facebook, groups and communities such as Interrail & Eurail Travelers are very welcoming to anyone with questions or in need of advice about rail travel, with many expert users more than willing to help. Similarly, you will find great groups and communities about travel in a specific country.

YouTube has a great share of quality videos about trains, including many on rail travel, as well as content focusing more on trainspotting or the technical details of rolling stock. Although there are many dedicated and highly knowledgeable creators on YouTube making fun and informative content about rail travel, such as reviews of specific trains or videos of their journeys, I’d like to highlight the work of my friends Nonstop Eurotrip and Paul Lucas.

Although you can certainly find travel inspiration on social media apps like Instagram and TikTok, they are not particularly helpful for actual travel planning and advice. Especially on these two platforms, you should also be cautious of misleading travel content, whether it’s photoshopped or AI-generated images, or exaggerated stories and claims designed to attract clicks and engagement rather than provide genuine help or inspiration.

Guidebooks – Sometimes, nothing beats a good old travel guidebook for getting a solid overview of what there is to see in a certain country or part of the world. Especially if you prefer exploring places off the beaten path rather than just travelling between overcrowded capital cities full of tourists, these books can offer great insights into what else there is to discover.

This can be hugely beneficial when you start organising your train travels and outlining an itinerary, as you may discover some highly interesting destinations to visit along the railway line you’re planning to traverse on your journey. For example, many people travel directly between the Hungarian capital of Budapest and Romanian capital of Bucharest on a night train like the Ister, but aren’t aware that cities along the route such as Sibiu and Brașov, or the Carpathian mountain resort towns such as Sinaia, are well-worth visiting.

Of all travel guidebooks, I personally prefer Lonely Planet and Rough Guides, although there are several other good publications as well. It’s better to stick to well-known titles rather than no-name e-books, as there are sadly many travel books written by AI under the name of a fake author that offer no practical advice or even provide outright incorrect information.

How are the train travel guides compiled?

All the rail travel guides and reviews on this website are based on extensive personal experience travelling the world by train, as well as thorough research. Of the 90 or so countries I’ve visited to date, I’ve travelled extensively by train in around two thirds of them.

This vast train travel experience allows us to create in-depth guides and offer highly practical advice on planning rail journeys, rather than simply providing generic information that is already widely known.