Why go on an escorted rail vacation?


Our Escorted rail vacations Vacations
Scotland guided rail tour, Skye & Glencoe
Visit Scottish castles and beautiful gardens by train
West Highlands guided rail tour in Scotland
Discover Scotland's Highlands & distinctive islands by train
Loch Ness & Skye guided rail tour, Scotland
Discover Scotland’s Highlands & Isle of Skye by Rail
Hidden Japan vacation
Get beneath the surface into the heart of Japan
Rail tour in North Highlands & Orkney
Scotland’s geographic extremities & ancient history by train
Japan small group vacation by bullet train
Japan's must-see cities and beautiful, rural countryside
Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way Guided Rail Tour
A fully guided tour around Ireland's famous touring route
Trans Siberian rail tour for 18-35
Want to hit the highlights without breaking the bank?
Helsinki, Saint Petersburg and Lapland vacation
Visit Saint Petersburg by rail from Helsinki before Lapland
18-25 Trans Mongolian tour, 21 days
An epic 3 weeks on the ultimate Trans Mongolian journey.
Trans Siberian 13 day tour, 18-35
Want an epic journey across three countries & 7 time zones?
Trans Mongolian explorer vacation
Experience China, Mongolia, Siberia & Russia’s Golden Ring.
Beijing to St Petersburg overland winter tour, 18-35
A frosty foray into the winter wonderland of Russia!
Vietnam tour, Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh
Adventure getting to know Vietnamese food, culture & people
Balkans rail vacation
Travel through seven countries in the Balkans.
St Petersburg to Beijing winter tour, 18-35
An epic winter adventure that's not for the faint hearted!
Ecuador by train vacation, culture and nature
Encounter Ecuador's stunning landscape by train
Calcutta to Amritsar rail journey
The plains of India into the Himalaya
Tokyo to St Petersburg rail tour
Japan to Russia overland on the Trans-Siberian Railway
Naadam Festival vacations in Mongolia
Become a Nomad and celebrate Naadam Festival with the locals
Trans Mongolian railway vacation
Ride the Iconic Trans-Mongolian Railway in all it's glory.
Festive Russia vacation by rail
Experience the frosty and festive delights of Russia
Luxury railway tour of Iran
A five star cultural and historical rail adventure
Reunification Express vacation, Vietnam
Most wonderful way to travel from north to south of Vietnam
Eastern Europe tour by rail
Cities, scenery & coasts: Travel from Berlin to the Balkans!
Moscow to Beijing on the Trans-Mongolian
Overland rail venturing into the rolling steppe of Mongolia
Northern India culture and wildlife vacation
Northern India cultural and wildlife highlights by rail
Moorish Spain to Marrakech by rail
Visit villages and Moroccon cities
Italy by rail highlights tour
Small group tour that discovers the highlights of Italy by rail
Trans Mongolian 21 day tour, 18-35
Explore further & dive deeper on an adventure of a lifetime.
Easy rider
Escorted rail vacations are usually small group trips, and come with a guide who is always on hand. This saves a lot of headache on big journeys like the Trans Siberian railway, where there are border crossings and visas to negotiate. “There are a lot of people who are used to traveling independently who say that they’d like to have someone with them for central Asia,” says Liz Anderson, from our Trans Siberian experts Sundowners Overland.Even on small trips, escorted tours are worth it for a more relaxing and seamless vacation, with tickets, transfers, activities and accommodation sorted out for every day of your trip. Many ticketing systems don’t allow you to buy tickets more than a couple of months in advance, while others only accept credit cards from their own country. Leave those problems to your guide.
A growing trend
A social network
Liz Anderson, from our escorted rail experts Sundowners Overland, loves the Trans Siberian Express for its authenticity: “That train is still the lifeblood of Russia – it’s not a tourist train. You really are meeting local people who are using it to get across the county. You will see families relocating or going to see relatives in Siberia. You will see people from the army.”Train travel is still not the norm for international travelers. Go on a train trip, and you’ll still feel like you’ve broken free of the tourist trail. Whilst travelers find airports a sterilised, anonymous experience, train stations have more porous borders. Locals may join you for one stop on their way into town; others are in it for the long haul.
In Morocco, you may have people keen to practise their English. On the Reunification Express in Vietnam, they might be offering to share their picnic. Having a guide with you helps break down language barriers and overcome any social awkwardness about chatting to your temporary travel companions.


Our top Escorted rail vacations Vacation
Loch Ness & Skye guided rail tour, Scotland
Discover Scotland’s Highlands & Isle of Skye by Rail
2021: 13 Jun, 4 Jul, 15 Aug, 5 Sep, 3 Oct
2022: 1 May, 12 Jun, 10 Jul, 21 Aug, 4 Sep, 25 Sep, 9 Oct