Ticket to ride: Some of the most beautiful rail journeys await online, for free. Photo / Balaz Busznyak, Unsplash
Ticket to ride: Some of the most beautiful rail journeys await online, for free. Photo / Balaz Busznyak, Unsplash
KiwiRail's scenic, 12 hour TV epic Go South was a surprise hit when it came to screens in January last year. Following the continuous rail journey from Auckland to West Coast, it's just the kind of slow TV we could do with now.
Being able to watch the world go past from a scenic rail compartment is one of the great travel experiences that – if you cannot experience it in person – is almost as good to watch through the virtual window of your self-isolation carriage.
Boil a cuppa and let the world roll on by!
The Bernina Railway, Switzerland
From the resorts of St Moritz through the Italian Alps, the Bernina pass is the highest railway in Europe. It's full of moments that feel like an adventure. Check out the moment at 46:03 as a hunter and young boy stroll along beside the tracks.
The world's narrowest gauge railway was built to traverse the mountain passes from coastal Diakopto to the monastery of the 'Great Cave' Mega Spilaion.
Geibi Line to Fukuen, Japan
The Japanese countryside looks almost mythical as you glide along the Fukuen Line. Terminating in Hiroshima, the train cuts through cherry-blossom lined hills and quiet wooded towns.
The TranzAlpine to Waimakariri Gorge
Huge mountains and blue alluvial planes make this stretch of southern Kiwi rail one of the most scenic in the country.
The Flåm Line, Norway
Considered one of the most beautiful train journeys in the world from the Aurlandsfjord to the Myrdal mountain station. Cascading waterfalls appear beside the tracks during a summer rain storm.
The north Wales Coast Blaenau Ffestiniog steam train
The land of Ivor the Engine and smokey steam filled valleys, north Wales was made to be traversed by train. Particularly a steam train.
Nordland Norway
Beginning in Trondheim the route passes into the geographic Arctic Circle to Fauske. You can experience the 10-hour journey in all four seasons.
Ferrocarril of the Central Andes, Peru
Beginning in Lima the South American rail journey carves into the Andes and Galera. Climbing the 20km pass in four parts watch the rest of the journey here.
The Durango & Silverton narrow gauge railway
Colorado's historic railway carries you through the old west to the mining town Silverton.
Wengernalp Switzerland
From Lauterbrunnen to Kleine Scheidegg these Swiss rails climb through fairy-tale landscapes which are as romantic as they sound.
From Sarajevo-Ploče into Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Neretva River is the dramatic crossing that separates these once warring Balkan countries. Passing through 99 tunnel and 65 bridges, this is an epic.
The Orient Express from Venice to London
The legendary locomotive and art deco icon from the 1920s is available to view online. While you won't get the full experience of the dining cart and sumptuous sleeper carriages, you'll still be able to enjoy the scenery and ambiance from this video by Persfoto.
