On the Right Track: Iconic Slow Travel Journeys
Luxury isn't always about arriving sooner. Sometimes it's about choosing to travel differently.
In a world that celebrates speed, slow travel invites us to pause. To watch landscapes unfold beyond the window, linger a little longer, and discover the moments that exist between departure and arrival. It's a more intentional way to experience a destination, where the journey becomes just as meaningful as where it leads.
Few experiences capture this philosophy quite like rail. From alpine peaks and vast deserts to ancient cities and remote wilderness, travelling by train reveals a side of the world that simply can't be seen from 35,000 feet. With fewer airports, fewer transfers, and time to truly immerse yourself in the landscapes and cultures along the way, rail travel is luxury at its most considered.
At Y Travel, we believe the world's most extraordinary rail journeys deserve to be experienced as part of a thoughtfully curated itinerary. Here are some of our favourites - remarkable journeys that prove the best adventures aren't always the fastest.
Golden Eagle Silk Road Express - Central Asia
Few routes carry as much mythology as the Silk Road, and the 22-day Grand Silk Road Voyage from Beijing to Tashkent brings its history vividly to life.
Travelling through China and Central Asia aboard two private luxury trains, the journey traces ancient trade routes through Xi’an, Dunhuang, Kashgar, Samarkand and beyond. From the Gobi Desert and the turquoise domes of Samarkand to the landscapes of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the real pleasure lies in the transitions - watching centuries of history and ever-changing landscapes unfold beyond the window.
With beautifully appointed cabins, refined dining and expert guides, the journey combines the romance of rail with an immersive exploration of one of the world’s most legendary routes.
Belmond Andean Explorer - Peru
South America's only luxury sleeper train runs between Cusco and Puno, on the shores of Lake Titicaca, with an extension south to Arequipa.
Operated by Belmond, it climbs to altitudes above 4,300 metres, which explains the oxygen supply quietly built into each cabin, and the sensation of your ears adjusting somewhere around the second glass of pisco sour. The design leans into Andean textiles and alpaca wool rather than imported European grandeur, which feels right for a train that spends its days threading through llama-dotted altiplano.
The open-air observation car quickly becomes the heart of the journey, inviting travellers to pause and watch Peru's breathtaking altiplano unfold. From Cusco, travellers can also connect onto the Hiram Bingham, Belmond's sister train, for the journey out to Machu Picchu, extending the slow-travel logic all the way to one of the world's great ruins.
Belmond Eastern & Oriental Express - South East Asia
Now operated by Belmond, the Eastern & Oriental Express has settled into a new life running various itineraries through Malaysia, having shed the longer cross-border routes of its earlier years.
The iconic green and cream carriages feel less like modern transport and more like stepping into the romance of a bygone era. Inside, teak panelling and brass fittings do the talking rather than anything overtly modern. Its signature journey, Essence of Malaysia, runs three nights from Singapore into the Malaysian jungle, pairing onboard glamour with excursions built around local expertise rather than a standard coach tour script. Guests walk the UNESCO-listed streets of George Town in Penang, take in Langkawi looking every bit as dreamlike as its reputation suggests, and pass through the limestone drama of Perlis Geopark.
It’s a journey that captures the romance of Southeast Asia, where every day unfolds at a pace that feels beautifully unhurried.
Belmond Venice Simplon Orient Express - Europe
The original, and still the one every other train on this list is quietly measured against.
The 1920s carriages, restored rather than replicated, carry their art deco marquetry and Lalique glass panels like people who have genuinely lived through something. Belmond's flagship route runs between London and Venice via Paris, though the Grand Tours now stretch as far as Istanbul and Split, retracing the routes that made Agatha Christie reach for a typewriter. The Gold Suites, a more recent addition designed by Maxime d'Angeac, bring private bathrooms into carriages that were never built with plumbing in mind, a feat of restraint dressed up as restoration.
From aperitifs in the piano bar to beautifully crafted dinners, every evening feels like stepping into another era - without ever feeling stuck in it.
Rovos Rail - South Africa
Rovos Rail calls itself the most luxurious train in the world, and it does not oversell by much.
Owned and still steered by Rohan Vos, who started restoring vintage carriages as a personal project in the 1980s, the "Pride of Africa" runs between Pretoria and Cape Town, with longer routes stretching to Victoria Falls and Dar es Salaam. The Royal Suites are enormous by any train's standards, complete with full-sized Victorian bathtubs, which feels almost defiant given the train is crossing the Karoo desert at the time. Game viewing happens from the observation deck at the rear, drink in hand, no safari vehicle required.
It’s old-world glamour reimagined for today, where sweeping African landscapes and unhurried luxury become part of the journey itself.
Seven Stars in Kyushu - Japan
Japan does not do anything by half measures, and its most exclusive train is proof. Designed by industrial designer Eiji Mitooka, who also shaped several generations of Kyushu Shinkansen, the Seven Stars carries only a handful of guests across the island's volcanic landscapes and onsen towns.
Every surface, from the gold-leafed dining car to the hand-lacquered panelling, was made by regional artisans rather than a factory, and the lounge car has a working piano because apparently even the soundtrack needed to be bespoke.
Places are highly sought after, making the journey as exclusive as it is unforgettable - a beautiful reflection of Japan's craftsmanship, hospitality and quiet luxury.
The Ghan - Australia
Named for the Afghan cameleers who once opened up the interior, The Ghan runs the full length of the continent between Adelaide and Darwin, four thousand kilometres of red dirt, gum trees and sky that seems to get bigger the further north you go. Operated by Journey Beyond, its off-train excursions are the real drawcard: a swim at Katherine Gorge, a sunset at Alice Springs, a walk through country that most Australians have only seen from a plane window. The Platinum cabins come with their own ensuite and a view that changes from desert to tropical in the space of a single long lunch. It is the most Australian way imaginable to cross Australia.
Canyon Spirit - South-west USA
The newest name on this list, and proof that the slow train revival has finally reached American soil in a meaningful way. Canyon Spirit is an elevated rail journey through the Southwest, built around the kind of landscape that has always looked better through a window than a windscreen: red rock mesas, canyon country, desert light that changes colour by the hour. Where European trains trade on centuries of accumulated glamour, Canyon Spirit is betting on something rarer in American travel, which is patience. No interstate highways, no rest stop coffee, just the American Southwest allowed to do what it does best, which is look enormous and slightly otherworldly out of a carriage window.
As sister train to Canada’s famous Rocky Mountaineer, Canyon Spirit proves that some of America's most extraordinary landscapes are best experienced from the comfort of a beautifully designed carriage, where the journey becomes every bit as memorable as the destination.
The Glacier Express - Switzerland & The Alps
Officially known as the world's slowest express train, the Glacier Express proves that some journeys are never meant to be rushed, as it meanders seven and a half hours through the breathtaking Alps to cover the 291 kilometres between Zermatt and St Moritz.
The panoramic windows curve up into the ceiling, and the route crosses the Oberalp Pass and the Landwasser Viaduct, a piece of engineering so dramatic it looks slightly implausible even while you are on it. Cheese fondue is served at your seat, which is either the most Swiss sentence ever written or a close second to yodelling. Either way, nobody is in a hurry, least of all the train.
La Dolce Vita Orient Express - Italy
The newest entry on this list and, somewhat appropriately for its fashion-forward location, La Dolce Vita Orient Express is one of the most design-forward. Launched under the revived Orient Express brand, separate from Belmond's Venice Simplon version, La Dolce Vita threads through Italy's regions rather than crossing borders, taking in Rome, Venice, Sicily and Puglia across different itineraries. The interiors, by Milan-based Dimorestudio, lean into a moodier, more contemporary take on vintage rail glamour than its French-accented cousin.
La Dolce Vita reimagines Italy itself as one beautifully unhurried journey, where exceptional design, cuisine and culture are every bit as memorable as the destinations along the way.
The Maharajas Express - India
Repeatedly named the world's leading luxury train at the World Travel Awards, the Maharajas Express does not so much evoke royal India as recreate it wholesale.
Operated in partnership with Indian Railways, its routes wind through Rajasthan's forts and palaces, with the Taj Mahal and the ghats of Varanasi making appearances on the longer itineraries. Personal butlers, a dedicated spa car and interiors modelled on maharaja-era design make the whole experience feel less like a train and more like a moving palace that happens to stop occasionally for sightseeing.
Every detail celebrates India's royal heritage, creating an experience that feels every bit as grand as the landscapes beyond the window.
In a world that rarely slows down, choosing to travel by rail is a quiet luxury. It's an invitation to trade haste for wonder, airports for ever-changing landscapes, and fleeting moments for lasting memories. Because the most extraordinary journeys aren't simply about where they take you - they're about how they make you feel along the way.
Whether you're dreaming of crossing the Australian Outback, winding through the Swiss Alps or retracing ancient trade routes across Central Asia, our Travel Designers will curate every detail around the journey that speaks to you.
Because every remarkable rail experience deserves an equally extraordinary itinerary.