5 unmissable journeys aboard scenic trains

Slow and relaxing, travelling by train offers a beautiful travel experience.
Comfortably seated, passengers watch the land unfold before their eyes: between impenetrable mountains, virgin forests, glimpses of sea and gentle hills, the eyes are rewarded at every moment. The landscape becomes an integral part of the experience and is carved into indelible memories to be relived at any moment.
In this article we suggest 5 unmissable train journeys to discover different destinations, for an unforgettable trip through space and time.

Flåm – Myrdal: the Norway you have always dreamed of

Admiring the fjords from another perspective: that is what the line from Flåm to Myrdal promises, on the doorstep of the charming town of Bergen. This railway, built almost a century ago, is still one of the country’s main attractions today. The scenery that opens up before your eyes is truly magnificent, with the spectacular Kjosfossen waterfall taking first prize for beauty.
The route is not very long, covering 20 km, with a gradient reaching up to 50%.
Flåm sits in a fairy-tale setting of mountains dotted with snowfields and lies gently on the Aurlandsfjord, a side branch of the very long and celebrated Sognefjord. Lakes of intense blue, luminous green vegetation and houses with pitched roofs follow one another harmoniously along the way, confirming that Norway really is one of the destinations not to be missed.

Travel Inspiration:
Click here for the GRAND TOUR OF NORWAY itinerary

The Cinque Terre, a natural paradise in Liguria

This fantastic strip of land, ringed by mountains and facing the sea, certainly needs no introduction. It is one of the most iconic postcards of the Italian peninsula, a superb example of natural beauty and land stewardship. So famous that even Pixar chose it as the setting for its “Luca”, released in cinemas in 2022.

Celebrated by writers and poets such as Eugenio Montale, this slice of land never ceases to enchant its visitors. Levanto, Monterosso, Manarola, Riomaggiore, Vernazza: villages where time stands still, cobbled streets winding between colourful little houses, shops where you breathe in the scent of the sea and of pesto, with the horizon fading into the Ligurian Sea.

The story of the Cinque Terre begins a century and a half ago, when this little crescent of Liguria became a symbol of élite tourism, above all from England, France and Germany. From that moment, the destination has enjoyed exponential success, placing it at the top of European tourism.

But where does the name Cinque Terre come from? In ancient times, the five villages that are today connected by railways and roads could only be reached by sea or along narrow paths, many of which survive intact to this day, a destination for travellers who love quiet and solitude. One of these paths, perhaps the best known, is the Via dell’Amore, a pedestrian path perched above the sea, about 1 km long, linking the villages of Riomaggiore and Manarola.

Travel Inspiration:
Click here for the DISCOVER LIGURIA – Art, Food and Wine and Experiences itinerary

Chur – Tirano: a high-altitude surprise among the Alpine peaks

Boarding the little Bernina train with its flaming red livery is an experience to have at least once in a lifetime.

But let us take things in order. The name “Bernina” comes from the Alpine mountain of the same name, 4,000 m high and a natural passage between northern and southern Europe. The Rhaetian Railway, the steepest in Switzerland, was added to the UNESCO protected sites in 2008 and reaches a maximum altitude of 2,256 m. It was inaugurated in 1906 and has continued to captivate travellers ever since.

The exterior of the train is iconic and instantly recognisable: besides the intense red that gleams under the Alpine sun, the domed windows guarantee an unlimited 360° view, with a 15-minute stop at the Alp Grüm viewpoint on the Bernina pass and a commentary on the main attractions encountered along the route.

The experience is one from another age: the train’s reduced speed lets the gaze roam over the powerful landscape surrounding the passenger. And so lakes, glaciers and snowfields, ancient forests, ski slopes, passes and broad valleys, bridges and viaducts of great ingenuity follow one another, with belvederes from which to take in one of the most vibrant panoramas in the world.

One of the stops along the route is St. Moritz, the famous town that is the jewel of the German-speaking canton of Graubünden. Capital of the Engadine and blessed with 322 days of sunshine a year, St. Moritz is known for its thermal waters and for having launched, around the second half of the 1800s, the winter sports holiday. The old town, a charming maze of squares, narrow streets, cafés and souvenir shops, is reflected in the great lake opposite, completely frozen in winter and an intense blue in summer. A little-known gem makes St. Moritz even more unique: the Segantini museum, a highly refined art exhibition bringing together the best of the work of Giovanni Segantini, a local painter and a great name in Symbolist art.

Travel Inspiration:
Click here for the GRAND TOUR OF THE ALPS itinerary

Jakarta – Yogyakarta: in the beating heart of Indonesia

Boarding the train that runs from the capital to the cradle of Javanese culture is a must for everyone who goes to Indonesia. You leave Jakarta, a blend of tradition and modernity with its museums, traditional gardens and colonial quarters, for the second most visited city of Java, after Bali.

The train journey lasts around 6 hours, during which your face takes on an expression of constant wonder. Around the tracks unfold terraced fields, virgin forests, rural villages, Buddhist temples and the spectacle of one of the most welcoming peoples on the planet.

The destination is Yogyakarta, a grand city offering incredible attractions, including the Sultan’s Royal Palace or Keraton, and the Tamansari water castle. A visit to a batik workshop is also highly recommended, to see the manual process by which this fabric is made. But it is the city’s surroundings that offer the most vivid emotions: Borobudur and Prambanan.

The grandiose Buddhist temple of Borobudur dates from 800 AD and is considered one of the colossal works of humanity: it consists of nine stacked platforms, six square and three circular, decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 statues of the Buddha. Prambanan, meanwhile, is the largest Hindu temple complex in Indonesia. Finally, to round off a day in Yogyakarta in the best way, taking part in a typical dinner with a folk performance of the traditional Ramayana dance is a must.

Travel Inspiration:
Click here for the GRAND TOUR OF INDONESIA – JAVA & BALI itinerary

Kyoto – Tokyo: a journey into the two souls of Japan

The Shinkansen, Japan’s bullet train, is one of the symbols of the country’s efficiency. Extreme punctuality, rigour and quality of service have made it one of the country’s most exported brands.
The Kyoto – Tokyo line is part of the Tokaido Shinkansen and is the most famous and oldest of the Shinkansen lines. The trains, the so-called “Bullet Trains”, reach a speed of no less than 320 km/h.

Settling into its comfortable seats is not just a way to admire the sinuous skyline of the great cities, but also an excellent opportunity to understand the two opposite poles of Japan: modernity and tradition.

Daringly shaped skyscrapers, tangles of wires and neon signs alternate with sudden green spaces, villages of a few inhabitants and sudden, majestic views of Mount Fuji, one of the most celebrated postcards of the Land of the Rising Sun. Passing from the classical, traditional forms of thousand-year-old Kyoto, with its temples hidden in the secrecy of immaculately kept parks, where the sense of seclusion goes hand in hand with the privilege of admiring monuments unique in the world (such as Kiyomizu temple and Nijo Castle), to the futuristic architecture of Tokyo, is an experience that stays imprinted in the memory for life.

Travel Inspiration:
Click here for the WONDERFUL JAPAN itinerary

Why choose a Guiness Travel Tour

For us at Guiness, a journey is a wonderful frame of life.
Our aim is not to “show” places, but to accompany travellers as they immerse themselves fully in the culture and beauty of their chosen destination.

All our itineraries are 100% independently planned, carefully designed and tested for over 30 years, thus allowing the product to evolve constantly, reaching a high, wide-ranging cultural level and guaranteeing maximum comfort in the services on the ground.

This is why we created the Guiness Exclusive Tour:
a unique travel experience, mindful of sustainability and rich in experiences, designed to give you maximum comfort, leaving you free to think of nothing but enjoying the moment.

Every one of our trips comes with guaranteed extras:

• Tour leader departing from Italy and accompanying the group for the whole duration of the tour
• Exclusive departures with a limited number of places
• Departures possible from all over Italy
• 24-hour assistance on every departure
• Cancellation without penalty up to 45 actual days before departure
• No surprise extra costs on arrival
• Free minibar service on board the coaches (guaranteed in all the countries visited)

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Guiness Travel T.O.