A Guide To Luxurious Train Travelling

Chugging of the train, the whistles as it laps up the miles all seem to be a tale of days gone by. Our fascination for the simpler life of the past has not dimmed though, and that is what the top luxury trains concentrate on. They may not advertise it as ardently as their counterparts in the cruise industry do, the fact remains that these trains give you a once in a lifetime experience of a unique blend of two contrasts; luxury and simplicity that few can match.

So why not book some last minute hotels in your desired start and finish destinations and some tickets on a luxurious train?

The Blue Train from South Africa, operating on the Pretoria to Cape Town and back to Pretoria route as well as the Pretoria to Durban route, boasts two luxury lounges and 42 suites. The service also caters to chartered excursions to other areas where the train tracks suit the train. While the journey otherwise lasts two nights there is the option of extending it with a 2 nights stay at Durban's Zimbali Lodge and getting some golfing experience under your belt as well.

With the turbaned staff in local wear, expect the glitter of the lush Indian luxuries within The Palace on Wheels. The train with a total of fourteen coaches is designed to spoil. The week's worth of travel on this luxury train takes one visiting many of India's famous locales. In a thorough tour, with the opportunity to ride an elephant to the Amber Fort, Taj Mahal, the palace of love, is also amongst the places you will visit.

Winner of the World Travel Award of the world's best luxury train for 2006 is one of the two luxury train tours hailing from North America, the Royal Canadian Pacific Rail Tours. Teamed up with the Canadian tourism department, the Canadian Pacific offers multiple 'Royal' luxury tours taking the passengers through the Canadian wilderness, adventure locations and historical ones to give an experience to remember while the waiters in tuxedoes spoil your taste buds with culinary delights.

There is much to choose from with the second North American offering as well. The GrandLuxe Rail Journeys offer a four to ten days luxury experience with different packages for different locales, including Mexico's Copper Canyon and the National Parks apart from the array of other exotic and picturesque locales like Napa Valley.

The name, The Orient Express, carries a slight mystique to it, the train takes you through the enchantingly beautiful countryside across Europe, going from Istanbul to Venice through Bucharest and Budapest.

The beauty of the days gone by returns when passengers take to the Highlands in a two to seven day tour on The Royal Scotsman, exploring lush countryside and the Scottish culture when they disembark daily to make scheduled stops at sites of interest, be it the modern Scottish residence, a fishing site, a wine yard or a distillery .

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