Train tour operator Railbookers has announced an extraordinary 80-day rail trip that takes passengers on a round-the-world journey aboard seven of the world’s most luxurious trains, fairly entitled “Around the World by Luxury Train”. The experience offers travelers the opportunity to explore 13 countries and more than 20 iconic cities, all while enjoying the utmost of comfort and style, in a celebration of the allure of slow travel and opulent adventures.
The trip, which departs on August 28, 2024 from Vancouver, Canada, starts at $113,599 (€106,144) per person and includes 24 nights in private cabins aboard the trains and 52 nights at high-end accommodations around the world.
The itinerary begins in Vancouver, where passengers will board the Rocky Mountaineer and traverse the Canadian Rockies, from Kamloops to Jasper, Lake Louise and Banff. From there, they will transfer to Calgary for an overnight flight to Edinburgh, Scotland, where they will embark on the Belmond Royal Scotsman for a week of exploring the Scottish Highlands.
The journey continues to London, where travelers will have the opportunity to visit iconic sites, such as the Tower of London and Buckingham Palace, as they will spend 4 nights in the city. Paris is the next destination on the list. Passengers will enjoy 3 nights in the French capital, until the following highlight of the trip: a journey on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express from Paris to Venice. Florence and Rome are also part of the Italian leg of the 80-day trip.
From the City of Seven Hills, it will be time for travelers to depart from Europe, on a flight to Delhi. A tour of India’s Golden Triangle aboard the Maharajas’ Express and a visit to the Taj Mahal are included in the package. In India, passenger will go through several cities, such as Agra, Ranthambore, Jaipur and Mumbai.
Istanbul is next, followed by a trip onboard of The Golden Eagle Danube Express, that will take passengers through Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary, on the “Castles of Transylvania Journey”.
Passenger the fly Johannesburg, South Africa, where thrilling safari game drives in Kruger National Park can be expected. For this leg of the trip, Rovos Rail will be on the tracks, taking travelers from Pretoria to Cape Town.
The last part of the trip will be set in Asia. The Eastern & Oriental Express will take passengers from Singapore to Malaysia and back to Singapore, where the journey comes to an end.
The package includes all the transfers, as well as some excursions in a good amount of the destinations, like a night tour of Rome in a vintage car, a Moulin Rouge dinner and show in Paris, a Balloon ride in Cappadocia and multiple safari drives in South Africa. However, international flights are not included in the fare.
Railbookers has designed the itinerary in response to a growing demand for luxury train travel, with customers increasingly seeking to combine multiple extravagant train trips into one ultimate adventure. “The demand for luxury rail from our customers continues to grow, and in response, we’ve created the ultimate bucket-list trip”, said Railbookers President and CEO, Frank Marini. “As we’ve seen a trend to combine itineraries to include multiple luxury trains, we’ve tailor-made this itinerary along with smaller, customizable itineraries featuring these iconic trains as a highlight of our industry-leading luxury rail collection.”
