A tourist train prices its ticket above the equivalent point-to-point transport fare. The premium pays for the purpose-built viewing carriages, the scheduled stop points for photography or exploration, and the managed pace designed to show you the best of the route.
Not all scenic railways are equally worth the premium. Some offer extraordinary views on routes no road follows. Others charge premium prices for an experience a standard train on the same route delivers for less.
This list covers trains where the premium is justified by a genuinely irreplaceable experience.
The Bernina Express runs from Chur or St Moritz to Tirano in Italy on the UNESCO-listed Rhaetian Railway. The route climbs to 2,253 metres at the Bernina Pass, the highest railway crossing in the Alps, and includes the Landwasser Viaduct, a curved stone bridge that appears in most Swiss tourism photography.
Booking: sbb.ch or rhb.ch. Advance booking strongly recommended June to September; panoramic car seats sell out. Regular scheduled trains run the same route cheaper without the panoramic supplement if the tourist train is full.
Price: CHF 57 to CHF 85 for the full route. Panoramic supplement: CHF 15.
Duration: 4 hours from St Moritz to Tirano.
Best seat: Right side travelling from St Moritz to Tirano for mountain views on the ascent.
Known to millions as the Hogwarts Express from the Harry Potter films, the Jacobite runs between Fort William and Mallaig in the Scottish Highlands. The crossing of the Glenfinnan Viaduct is its defining moment.
Booking: westcoastrailways.co.uk. Book 6 to 8 weeks ahead in July and August; the steam service sells out. A standard ScotRail service on the same line runs daily and is cheaper, though without the steam locomotive or guaranteed Glenfinnan crossing timing.
Price: £38 to £52 return.
Duration: 2 hours each way; stops at Glenfinnan (20 minutes), Arisaig and Morar.
Best seat: Left side departing Fort William for the Glenfinnan Viaduct approach view.
Enter the scenic railway name or route to see current departure times, availability and booking windows. The Schedule Finder shows both the tourist train and any standard service on the same route for comparison.
Find Train SchedulePlan My Rail JourneyThe train between Cusco (or Ollantaytambo) and Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo) is the only way to reach Machu Picchu by land if you do not walk the Inca Trail. Two main services run the route: Vistadome and Expedition by Peru Rail, and Express by Inca Rail.
Vistadome (Peru Rail): Panoramic roof windows. Snack service included. The most popular option.
Expedition (Peru Rail): Standard windows. No snack service. Cheaper than Vistadome.
Inca Rail Express: Similar pricing to Vistadome.
Price: $50 to $90 one way Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes depending on service and booking timing.
Booking: perurail.com or incarail.com. Book 4 to 8 weeks ahead in June, July and August. Trains run multiple times daily but all services fill completely in peak season.
Important: The train ticket gets you to Aguas Calientes. Machu Picchu entry is a separate timed ticket purchased at machupicchu.gob.pe. Book both before you travel.
The Blue Train between Cape Town and Pretoria is South Africa's premier luxury train service. The 27-hour journey covers 1,600km through the Hex River Mountains, the Karoo desert and the Highveld.
Price: ZAR 18,000 to ZAR 28,000 per person (approximately $950 to $1,500) including all meals and wine.
Booking: bluetrain.co.za. 3 to 6 months ahead for peak season (June to August).
What is included: All meals, complimentary bar, butler service, one excursion stop at Matjiesfontein historic village.
The "Toy Train" between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling is a UNESCO World Heritage Site railway climbing 2,000 metres through tea plantations and Himalayan foothills. The steam-hauled service is one of the last working narrow-gauge mountain railways in Asia.
Price: INR 1,490 for the tourist class first class option on the steam Joy Ride from Darjeeling station. Daily Joy Ride (2 hours return) is separate from the full 7-hour New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling service.
Booking: irctc.co.in or the station counter in Darjeeling. Book the Joy Ride 1 to 2 days ahead; the full route 1 to 2 weeks ahead in peak season.
The Flamsbana runs 20km from Flam at sea level to Myrdal at 866 metres on Norway's Sognefjord railway network. The 55-minute descent covers 20 tunnels and the Kjosfossen waterfall stop.
Price: NOK 520 (approximately $48) one way.
Booking: flamsbrygga.no. Book online 2 to 4 weeks ahead in summer (June to August).
Combination: Most visitors combine the Flam Railway with a Sognefjord ferry cruise as part of Norway in a Nutshell (norwayinanutshell.com), a full-day circuit from Bergen or Oslo that includes the railway, ferry and return transport.
Before booking any tourist train, verify: