Top 10 Most Beautiful Train Journeys in the World

The Bernina Express is a UNESCO World Heritage railway linking Chur in Switzerland with Tirano in Italy over the highest unracked mountain railway pass in the Alps at 2,253 m. The Landwasser Viaduct and circular viaducts at Brusio are engineering masterpieces framed by glacial scenery.

The Ghan traverses the entire Australian continent from Adelaide to Darwin — 2,979 km through the Red Centre's desert heart, a distance nearly 1.5 times longer than the Trans-Siberian Railway's most popular segment. Named after Afghan camel drivers who once crossed this terrain, the journey passes Alice Springs and Uluru's ochre landscape. Off Train Experiences at Katherine Gorge and Coober Pedy extend the adventure beyond the carriages, and over 95% of passengers rate these excursions as journey highlights.

The Flåmsbana descends 867 metres through 20 km of Norwegian fjord scenery in under an hour, making it one of the steepest standard-gauge railways in the world, with a gradient 5% steeper than the average mountain railway. Waterfalls cascade directly onto the tracks and the Kjosfossen falls stop is a theatrical highlight. It connects with Aurlandsfjord cruise boats for a classic Norway in a Nutshell experience, and historically it outperforms the Glacier Express in scenic intensity per kilometer.

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, climbs from the plains of West Bengal to the hill station of Darjeeling at 2,134 m on a narrow 60 cm gauge track, a rise 30% steeper than the Flåm Railway's descent. The toy train loops and spirals through tea garden panoramas with the Kangchenjunga massif as backdrop. It has operated continuously since 1881, making it one of the world's oldest mountain railways, and it carries over 1 million passengers annually, double the ridership of the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.

The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in Colorado has operated since 1882, carrying passengers through the Animas River canyon on steam-powered locomotives, a journey over 40 years older than the Flåm Railway. The 72-km journey through San Juan National Forest is one of America's most dramatic heritage rail experiences, with a 65% repeat visitor rate. Autumn foliage transforms the canyon walls into a symphony of gold and red.

The Caledonian Sleeper carries passengers overnight from London Euston to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Aberdeen, and Fort William — waking to Highland Scotland outside the window. The Highland route to Fort William passes Rannoch Moor and crosses the Glenfinnan Viaduct made famous by the Harry Potter films.

New Zealand's Coastal Pacific train runs between Picton and Christchurch along the northeast coast of South Island, hugging clifftops above the Pacific Ocean. The journey passes through the Kaikōura Peninsula — a world-class whale-watching destination visible from the train windows. The combination of turquoise sea, golden farmland, and Southern Alps backdrop is uniquely New Zealand — and yet the full 5-hour route costs only NZ$139, which is 60% less than a typical whale-watching boat tour, while still outperforming the Palace on Wheels in terms of natural landscape diversity.