To travel by train is to see nature and human beings… in fact, to see life”, said Agatha Christie, who famously set one of her whodunnits aboard the Orient Express. She was writing during the ‘golden age of rail travel’, when the well-dressed and well-heeled journeyed between Europe’s grandest cities under towers of steam.
Yet we’d argue that the true golden age is now. It has never been easier for you to explore the world by rail – whether it’s aboard Europe’s integrated, high-speed services; the luxury carriages that perfectly frame the Andes; India’s charming ‘toy trains’; or China’s sleek, modern bullet trains.
Read on for three Cox & Kings‘ holidays in which rail travel is more than getting from A to B: it’s one of the highlights.
14 Nights | From £3,595 per person | Flights included
The lifestyles, landscapes and wildlife of Peru are revealed throughout this adventurous tour. You visit the attractive cities of Cuzco and Arequipa, the condor-swooped Colca Canyon, Lake Titicaca and, of course, Machu Picchu – the country’s most breathtaking archaeological site. Whether you choose the Superior or Luxury itinerary, you benefit from a scenic rail ride across the altiplano and a night aboard the luxurious Belmond Andean Explorer train. Cox & Kings also offers departures perfectly timed for the Inca festival of Inti Raymi.
14 nights | From £2,845 per person | Flights included
Travel through the heart of India’s Rajasthan region, where medieval forts gaze across the Thar Desert, Bengal tigers roam forest reserves, and sandstone palaces reveal a regal legacy. This tour includes a scenic 1.5-hour train ride from Khamil Ghat to Phulad, chugging through tunnels and past waterfalls in an area that inspired Rudyard Kipling’s story The Man Who Would Be King.
Maharajas’ Express – Indian Splendour
8 nights | From £9,585 per person | Tailor-made tour | Flights included
Experience North India in all its multicoloured finery aboard one of the world’s leading luxury trains: the Maharajas’ Express. Your rail journey begins with a visit to the incomparable Taj Mahal in Agra, before a safari in Ranthambore – hunting ground of the Bengal tiger. Continue to the Amber Fort of Jaipur, Bikaner’s orange dunes, Jodhpur’s hilltop fortress of Mehrangarh, and Udaipur’s gleaming City Palace.
Visit the Cox & Kings website to discover the full range of railway journeys.
Call our silver travel advisors on 0800 412 5678 for more information and to book.
