Some Interesting Rail Journey's Around the World

Nowadays, train rides are merely a way to travel from one place to another, and gone are the days of glamorous trains like the Orient Express, where ladies in fur coats and wealthy gentlemen drank tea and ate caviar. But that doesn’t mean that train rides can’t be just as scenic as in the past. Even if you aren’t in the mood to spend two weeks on a train (no matter how luxurious it is), you can still take advantage of some picturesque train trips when journeying from one city to another.

Trans-Mongolian Railway, Ulan-Ude to Jining

Mongolia is a wild and beautiful country that deserves to be visited properly and thoroughly, but if you want a quick introduction to the Mongolian landscape, the Trans-Mongolian line if the way to do it. The trans-Mongolian railway is actually a section of the famous Trans-Siberian line. This line takes you from the Buryatian city of Ulan-Ude (the largest city in Eastern Siberia), to Jining in China, with a stop in the Mongolian capital of Ulan Bator.

Rovos Rail, Capetown to Cairo

Rovos Rail is a privately owned South African railway company which runs cruise trains on various routes in Africa. Since these are cruise trains, the trip will be more expensive than your regular train ride, but once you see the beautiful refurbished classic trains, you’ll understand why. These trips capture perfectly the charm of the train journeys of the past. Capetown to Cairo is the longest route, and one of the most scenic as well. Observing the wildlife from the comfort of a luxury train might sound a bit snobbish, but it’s definitely worth a try, if you’ve got money to spare.

Amtrak train from Chicago to San Francisco

 Amtrak does not necessarily conjure up images of fun train rides, but it all depends on where you’re going. The trip from Chicago to San Francisco is certainly long, seeing as the distance between the two cities is almost 2000 miles, but you’ll be crossing the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevada, and that alone is worth the effort. This is the railway version of a cross-American roadtrip, with the added advantage that sleeping in an empty carriage can be more comfortable than the back seat of a car.

Article Courtesy : TravelGrove Blog - Read Original Article here >