Hannah Hummel checks in on our behalf for the Glacier Express: The journey starts in the winter sports resort of St. Moritz, a vacation destination for the jet set. The eight-hour journey will take her to Zermatt on the Matterhorn – one of the Swiss Alps’ highest peaks.
Along the way, the train traverses a pass some 2,000 meters up, crossed almost 300 bridges and trundles through 91 tunnels. Travelers can marvel at panoramas of spectacular mountain scenery through the train’s extra-large windows. On the journey, enjoy the exclusive on-board service including a three-course meal of Swiss cuisine. Tickets in Excellence Class cost 650 euros, giving you a seven-course meal with wine pairing, champagne, and even a concierge.
The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is one of the most well-known luxury train companies in the world — and for good reason. Its train cars are opulent, with plush velvet furnishings in rich jewel tones, dark wood walls, and top-notch service that can’t be beat. Though all of its journeys look epic, the London-to-Venice route may be the best for first-time train travelers. Guests will board the company’s British Pullman train, where they can enjoy a cocktail in the bar car, snag a bite in the dining car, or take in the picturesque countryside views from their room.
If you’re looking for the ideal vantage point to the stunning viaducts and landscapes of the Tongariro National Park in New Zealand, you have only have one option: the miraculous North Island Main Trunk Line! 🚂 pic.twitter.com/1sWldunymz
The Reunification Express slices its way north across some of Vietnam’s most arresting coastal plains. But in some parts, where the mountains jut out all the way to sea, a treacherous alpine pass is the only way forward. Watch Full Episodes Here: https://www.smithsonianchannel.com/
Michael Portillo resumes his tour of the Home Counties in the picturesque and historic county town of Guildford. His 1936 Bradshaw’s guide commends its ‘fine old castle keep’ and guildhall but makes no mention of its hilltop cathedral.
Michael meets head guide Janet Matthews to discover the origins of the first Anglican cathedral to be built on a new site in the south of England since the Reformation – begun in 1936. He finds splendid architecture and modern materials have combined to produce a gloriously open building full of space and light. Michael climbs its 160 foot tower for a panoramic view of Surrey.
Michael’s next stop is Chilworth, from which he follows his guide to Newlands Corner on the slopes of the North Downs. At this popular beauty spot, the famous crime writer Agatha Christie disappeared, sparking a massive search and a tabloid frenzy. A Christie biographer pieces the puzzle together for Michael.
Heading west across the county, Michael reaches the Georgian market town of Farnham with its 12th-century castle, once home to the bishops of Winchester. Intrigued by his Bradshaw’s reference to a famous Farnham painter, WH Allen, Michael joins the artist’s great-great-niece in the castle’s splendid gardens to learn more about him. A kind Farnham artist encourages Michael to commit the castle to canvas in his own way. After a luxurious night at the castle, Michael crosses into Hampshire to reach Aldershot. At the home of the British Army, he hears how in the years leading up to the World War II, the town began to receive conscripts for military training.
The Gornergrat Railway is a cog-wheel railway in Zermatt, in the Swiss canton of Wallis (Valais in French). The valley station is at 1,604 m above sea level and is right in the middle of Zermatt itself. The Gornergrat Railway brings passengers up to the 3,089 m high summit of the Gornergrat.
Here, Bernina Express Train’s full journey for the first time in 4K 60fps resolution between Tirano (Italy) and St. Moritz (Switzerland) is presented on YouTube. This famous panoramic journey has UNESCO World Heritage status. It begins through the palms of Italy and climbs up to 2,253m to the glistening Glaciers (Alp Grüm Palü and Ospizio Bernina) and passes around pristine Glacial Lake Lago Bianco and Lago Nero in the most spectacular way……..from Palms of Italy to Mountains to Glaciers to Pristine Glacial Lakes! Watch and Enjoy Pristine Swiss Landscapes. During its longest panoramic journey, Bernina Express Train crosses almost 200 bridges and covers the greatest height difference in the altitude of 1824m [Tirano 429m and Alp Grüm 2253m]. The Bernina Express, the highest railway in the Switzerland Alps region (asl 2253m, without cogs), is a part of Rhaetian Railway (RhB) that offers many beautiful and unique railway journeys with UNESCO World Heritage status.
For 130 years, visitors have made the trip to the top of Pikes Peak in Colorado on a train that’s one-of-a-kind. Now, after being closed for more than three years and undergoing a $100 million renovation, it’s once again bringing travelers on a breathtaking journey. Nancy Chen has the details.
The Broadmoor Pikes Peak Cog Railway is a Strub rack system cog railway with 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in standard gauge track in Colorado, United States, climbing the well-known mountain Pikes Peak. The base station is in Manitou Springs, Colorado, near Colorado Springs.
The Scottish Highlands has been on our bucket list for years! Now finally we get to take you on a 10-day tour over several episodes through the Scottish Highlands, including places like Loch Ness, Fort Augustus, Glen Coe, Fort William, Plockton and the Isle of Skye. During our trip, we’ll visit famous Castles like Urquhart Castle on the banks of Loch Ness or the Dunvegan Castle on the Isle of Skye.
Video timeline: 0:00 Scottish Highlands Preview 1:07 Caledonian Sleeper 3:10 Arriving in the Highlands 4:46 Next Episode
We board the famous steam train from Fort William to Mallaig over the Glenfinnan Viaduct. We’ll drive and hike some of the most scenic, breathtaking parts of the Scottish Highlands giving you ideas and practical advice on how to plan and enjoy your trip to Scotland. Did we forget to mention the food? Scotland has a wonderful seafood larder on its shores so expect lots of the best salmon and langoustine we could find! We hope you enjoy tuning in each week as we bring you the best of Scotland.
A look ahead to the weekend’s regional election in France, a look at the state of US foreign policy after an eventful week for president Biden, plus the renaissance of night trains in Europe.
Boomers Daily 