# The 28 Best Scenic Train Journeys in the World

> Some of these lines haul commuters past glaciers every morning; others sell a seat as a once-in-a-lifetime splurge. Mountain passes, deserts, rainforest gorges and fjords all make the cut.

*By YPB Team · Published November 5, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-28-best-scenic-train-journeys-in-the-world*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Glacier Express**
   Swiss panoramic train running about eight hours between Zermatt and St. Moritz across 291 bridges and the Oberalp Pass.
2. **Bernina Express**
   Rhaetian Railway route from Chur to Tirano in Italy over the Bernina Pass, part of a UNESCO World Heritage line since 2008.
3. **Rocky Mountaineer**
   Daylight-only rail tours through the Canadian Rockies between Vancouver, Kamloops, Banff and Jasper, launched in 1990.
4. **Flåm Railway**
   Norwegian branch line climbing 863 metres in 20 km from Flåm on the Aurlandsfjord to Myrdal, one of the steepest standard-gauge lines in the world.
5. **Bergen Line**
   Norway's Oslo-to-Bergen railway, which crosses the Hardangervidda plateau and reaches 1,237 metres, with Finse station at 1,222 metres.
6. **West Highland Line**
   Scottish line from Glasgow to Mallaig and Oban whose Jacobite steam service crosses the Glenfinnan Viaduct.
7. **Trans-Siberian Railway**
   The 9,289 km line from Moscow to Vladivostok, completed in 1916 and the longest railway line in the world.
8. **The Ghan**
   Australian passenger train crossing the continent north to south between Adelaide and Darwin via Alice Springs, extended to Darwin in 2004.
9. **TranzAlpine**
   New Zealand train between Christchurch and Greymouth that crosses the Southern Alps at Arthur's Pass.
10. **Darjeeling Himalayan Railway**
   Two-foot-gauge 'Toy Train' line opened from Siliguri to Darjeeling in 1881, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999.
11. **Cusco to Machu Picchu**
   Peruvian rail route from Poroy near Cusco and Ollantaytambo through the Sacred Valley and the Urubamba gorge to Aguas Calientes, the base for Machu Picchu.
12. **California Zephyr**
   Amtrak train between Chicago and Emeryville that crosses the Rockies and the Sierra Nevada over about 51 hours.
13. **GoldenPass Express**
   Swiss through train launched in 2022 that links Montreux and Interlaken via Gstaad, changing track gauge at Zweisimmen.
14. **Jungfrau Railway**
   Swiss rack railway opened in 1912 that tunnels through the Eiger to Jungfraujoch, Europe's highest railway station at 3,454 metres.
15. **Settle–Carlisle Railway**
   English line through the Yorkshire Dales and the North Pennines, known for the 24-arch Ribblehead Viaduct.
16. **Douro Line**
   Portuguese railway from Porto that follows the Douro River through the port-wine terraces to Pocinho.
17. **Semmering Railway**
   Austrian mountain railway opened in 1854 over the Semmering Pass, the first railway inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1998).
18. **Kandy to Ella**
   Stretch of Sri Lanka's hill-country railway that joins the Colombo–Badulla Main Line at Peradeniya, just outside Kandy, and climbs through the tea estates to Ella.
19. **Coast Starlight**
   Amtrak train between Seattle and Los Angeles that runs along the Pacific shoreline north of Santa Barbara.
20. **Qinghai–Tibet Railway**
   Chinese line from Xining to Lhasa, completed in 2006, which crosses the Tanggula Pass at about 5,072 metres.
21. **Nilgiri Mountain Railway**
   Indian metre-gauge rack railway from Mettupalayam, opened in 1899 and extended to Ooty in 1908, part of the Mountain Railways of India World Heritage Site.
22. **Kuranda Scenic Railway**
   Queensland heritage line from Cairns up the Barron Gorge to the rainforest village of Kuranda, completed in 1891.
23. **White Pass & Yukon Route**
   Narrow-gauge railway built during the Klondike Gold Rush that climbs from Skagway, Alaska, to White Pass Summit.
24. **Durango & Silverton Railroad**
   Colorado narrow-gauge steam railroad running through the Animas River canyon since 1882.
25. **Tren a las Nubes**
   Argentine train from Salta province to the La Polvorilla viaduct at about 4,220 metres in the Andes.
26. **El Chepe**
   Mexican Chihuahua al Pacífico railway through the Copper Canyon, opened in 1961 with 86 tunnels and 37 bridges.
27. **Venice Simplon-Orient-Express**
   Belmond luxury train using restored 1920s carriages, best known for its London and Paris to Venice route over the Alps.
28. **Inlandsbanan**
   Swedish inland railway whose summer tourist train runs about 1,070 km from Mora to Gällivare, north of the Arctic Circle.

Tags: travel, trains, sightseeing