This 25-Minute Train Ride Is the Most Romantic Way to See Japan’s Cherry Blossoms

I've spent the last 26 years traveling by train all along both US coasts, through the Midwest, and across the UK.

A romantic getaway looks different for everyone. Some envision a cozy log cabin with a fireplace in the mountains, while others prefer to stroll hand in hand down quaint historic streets.

With villas rising out of the reef above crystal blue waters, the Maldives are synonymous with luxury. 

With holiday travel approaching using airline miles and points is a smart way to avoid a possible hefty price tag. However, certain award currencies provide better value than others during peak travel times.

The days are getting shorter and the nights cooler, marking the beginning of the “winter season” for airlines. By a quirk of the industry calendar, airlines’ official winter schedules begin at the end of October and run through March. And new schedules mean new routes.

The two largest cities in Portugal, Lisbon and Porto, are both located on the Atlantic coast, 190 miles apart. The drive between the two cities is a scenic one, but it does mean you’ll have to rent a vehicle to make the three-hour trip. If you want to travel between Lisbon and Porto in comfort, for cheap, and without putting in too much effort, take the train instead. The Lisbon to Porto train is very frequent, takes just as long as driving, costs less than what you’d pay for a rental and gas, and the landscape out the window is equally gorgeous.

There are two types of train trip: The long, slow, and often luxurious train journey that takes you through beautiful scenery that you book specifically to spend time on the rails; and the speedy, no-nonsense, cheap train ride you take to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible. In the first category, you’ll find grand trips like Australia’s The Ghan, South Africa’s Blue Train, and Britain’s Caledonian Sleeper. In the second, there are trips from London to Brussels in just two hours, from Rome to Venice in four hours, and from Miami to Orlando in three hours. And if you’re a train traveler who belongs to the second category and likes getting places fast without flying, there are plenty of trains in this world that do just that at speeds previously unimaginable on land, including the fastest train in the world and its closest competitors.

Mount Yoshino in the Nara Prefecture is one of Japan’s most popular spots for cherry blossom (sakura) viewing. There’s a wide range of varieties and approximately 30,000 cherry trees and according to Japan Travel, they were planted over 1300 years ago. In spring, the area gets extremely busy with people traveling to see the light pink to white flowers with a backdrop of the region’s stunning natural landscape peppered with historic temples, hillside towns, and must-visit cities. This other-worldly natural phenomenon is so famous that people plan bucket-list vacations to Japan during the season in order to see the trees in full glory. But if you don’t like the idea of walking through crowds of people on cramped paths, you might want to consider a more luxurious way to enjoy the sakura and book a helicopter flight with AIROS Skyview. Matador Network reached out to AIROS Skyview to chat about the various routes they offer and how you can tailor-make your own cherry blossom voyage to take in the collage of colors from the sky.

When you board Amtrak’s Auto Train, you’re doing something unique that happens on no other train within the Amtrak system. First of all, you and your vehicle (car, motorcycle, van, small trailer, or SUV if it meets the measurement limits) must both be on board. You can’t go without it and it can’t go without you.

There are plenty of amazing leaf-peeping opportunities in the US. A romantic road trip to see the covered bridges of New England is one, taking an air balloon ride to see the foliage from above is another. But the most relaxed and nostalgic way to experience fall in all its glory is by train. There are multiple vintage railroads in the United States that will transport you back in time while you admire the fall colors, but few do it as well as the East Broad Top railroad.

The Catskills does Autumn very well. A getaway in the fall provides a consolation for the end of summer. It feels like a homely embrace, offering comfort, warmth, and a sweep of color that will bring cheer to even the most die-hard warm-season devotees. As fall begins to drape across New York State, it’s the perfect time to book a getaway — after all, we deserve to celebrate this time of year in a place where the season is in its brightest incarnation. The Catskills’ Hamptonsification, however, means that a weekend in the mountains can quickly get expensive. There are some ways to do a getaway on the dime. One is to set a reminder for October 3, noon ET. On a first-served basis, Urban Cowboy Lodge, arguably the best cabin hotel in the area, is offering a stay on the Big Indian Wilderness for $24 per night.

Renting a car from the airport is a vey convenient way to explore a new city independently, but convenience has a price, and it’s often very high. Once you’ve added the airport fee, the damage insurance, and the liability insurance on top of the price of your rental, you’re often looking at a daily amount that reaches three figures. Car rental companies do vary their prices from one airport to the next, however, and some are significantly cheaper than others.