Why Switzerland’s Glacier Express train should be on your bucket list
There’s simply no better way to see Switzerland’s awe-striking alps up close and personal than on the Glacier Express. The train snakes through the country’s iconic alps, on a direct, 8-hour-long, 186-mile voyage between the alpine town of Zermatt (home to the Matterhorn) and the ritzy ski resort town of St. Moritz. The amazing voyage explores the country’s most majestic mountains where you’ll pass by bridges and rivers, go into tunnels and go through pastoral mountain villages. [forbes.com]
This steam train takes passengers back in time to the Soviet era
The Ruskeala Express is a traditional steam-powered train that can still be found on the tracks of Russia’s railway. It has recently been refitted in the style of classic 20th Century trains, to give travelers a nostalgic experience as they sweep through the woodlands of the northern Karelia Republic. The train runs from the town of Sortavala to the Ruskeala Mountain Park, passing snowy fir trees in winter and beautiful still lakes in the summer. Inside, the German-made carriages have been refitted with interiors inspired by the early 20th Century. [euronews.com]
Riding the last whistle stop route to Talkeetna, Alaska
I’m aboard the Aurora Winter Train, painted navy and gold to match Alaska’s state flag, and headed northwards from Anchorage to Fairbanks. The Alaska Railroad operates one of the last whistle stop routes left in the U.S.—riders can simply extend a thumb or wave a piece of cloth to request a ride. It’s necessary in such a remote corridor of the state, where for decades hearty homesteaders have lived off-the-grid. While the full route snakes north into the wilder interior region of the state, I’m getting off in Talkeetna. [roadtrippers.com]
The ultimate 48-hour luxury trip through South Africa
Forty-eight hours to stop thinking about anything, to let yourself be pampered, to play princes and princesses. The Blue Train, the ultimate luxury travel train experience, crosses South Africa for more than 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) from Cape Town, its southern tip, to one of its three capitals, Pretoria, through fields and slums, urban centers and dream landscapes. [dailysabah.com]
