Trains around the world: dream trips that go on the rails

Now, more and more who choose the train instead of the plane. It takes of course (often) a longer period of time, but if you choose this mode of transport, often seen the actual journey part of the holiday. Not only as a means to get to their holiday destination.

The ongoing climate change debate has in recent times increased the attractiveness of travel by rail both within the country and abroad. For example, the sale of Interrailkort increased by up to 50 per cent compared with last year.

SJ made a Sifo-survey among barely 1500 swedes on their drömtågresa. It turns out to go between Moscow and Beijing. Almost every fifth (18 per cent) say that the classic tågäventyret the trans-siberian from Moscow to Beijing is their dream trip on the rail. The trip goes through the two continents by the ural mountains, parts of Siberia, along the Bajkalsjöns beach and through Mongolia.

A classic. The orient express is now a real lyxtåg and once a year it goes the original route Paris–Istanbul. Photo: Shutterstock

the Venerable Orient express, which nowadays is a luxury tourist train that, among other things, runs between London and Venice, are almost as popular (17 per cent).

In third place (eight percent) comes the slightly less well-known tågrutten the California Zephyr, a scenic journey departing daily between Chicago and San Francisco, and takes just over 50 hours. The route is considered to be one of the most beautiful in north America and goes through Nebraska to Denver, across the Rockies, to Salt Lake City, through Reno and Sacramento and ending in San Francisco.

First on the sixth place on the chart, a Swedish route: the Arctic Circle Train, which was the twentieth chose as its drömtågresa. Despite the fact that the trip through the upper mountains remains relatively unknown among Swedish travellers beats the classics such as the glacier express in Switzerland, the Rovos Rail in south Africa, and the Shinkansen in Japan. SJ sees a strong growing interest for the Arctic Circle Train amongst the foreign tourists, mainly among japanese, English and indians.

Lapporten from the train window. Arctic Circle Train runs between Kiruna and Narvik through the Abisko national park. Photo: Shutterstock

Arctic Circle Train goes from Stockholm to Narvik via Umeå and Boden. Not least, the final stretch through the mountains between Kiruna and Narvik via Riksgränsen is spectacular, which runs the railroad along the craggy cliffs at the Ofotfjord.

With a tredagarspass travelers can freely get off and on along the route stop: Kiruna, Abisko Östra, the Abisko tourist station, Björkliden, Låktatjåkka, Vassijaure, Katterjåkk, Riksgränsen, Bjørnfjell, Søsterbekk, Katterat, Rombak and Narvik.

With the Shinkansen, meaning ”new trunk line”, you can ride between Tokyo and Osaka at 300 kilometres an hour. Photo: Shutterstock

Read more: Klimatångest may be behind the more take the train