This New 80-Day Rail Trip Is an Epic, Round-the-World Journey Aboard 7 Luxury Trains

02.11.2023 - 21:39 / cntraveler.com / Lake Louise

Imagine taking nearly three months to meander across Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America, reveling in the romantic atmosphere of first-class train travel all the while. From your individual suite on board—or a seat in a gleaming bar car—you’d soak in the unique landscapes of each continent that whoosh past your window, making stops to explore historical marvels, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and picturesque cities.

It’s possible with a new rail itinerary from train specialists Railbookers. The groundbreaking 80-day “Around the World by Luxury Train” voyage is a dream trip for those who enjoy the charm of rail travel: It will allow passengers to see some of the most famous sites on Earth from the opulence of historic train cars. Travelers will enjoy lavish dining, elegant private train cabins, and gorgeous hotel accommodations throughout this marathon trip. All told, the voyage will include journeys on seven of the highest-caliber trains on the planet and call upon more than 20 cities in 13 countries across four continents.

This once-in-a-lifetime adventure begins in Vancouver, where passengers will board the Rocky Mountaineer for a three-day journey through the Canadian Rockies, Lake Louise, and Banff National Park. Guests then hop over to Edinburgh, Scotland, for seven nights on board the Belmond Royal Scotsman, weaving their way by scenic lochs and rocky peaks on a roundtrip journey through the Highlands. Next up is a two-day trip on the iconic Belmond Venice-Simplon Orient Express from Paris to Venice, followed by six nights on The Maharajas’ Express from Delhi to Mumbai, with visits to the Taj Mahal and Jaipur.

From there, it’s on to Istanbul to board The Golden Eagle Danube Express, which will whisk passengers away to Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary, sprinkling in tours of ornate castles and charming mountaintop hamlets along the four-night journey. Travelers will then head down to South Africa for an unforgettable safari and three-day sojourn on Rovos Rail from Pretoria to Cape Town. On the final leg of the journey, passengers will jet to Singapore for a magical tour on the newly resumed Belmond Eastern and Oriental Express, which will weave its way to Malaysia, passing lush jungle forests and glittering rivers and returning to Singapore, where this epic journey terminates.

Railbookers designed the monumental itinerary after noticing a significant uptick of travelers seeking back-to-back extravagant train trips. “The demand for luxury rail from our customers continues to grow, and in response, we’ve created the ultimate bucket-list trip,” Frank Marini, Railbookers president and CEO said in a statement. “As we’ve seen a trend to combine itineraries to include multiple luxury trains, we’ve