Late Availability Rail Tours For customers who would like to ravel on one of our holidays by train within the next few weeks, we are pleased to present a selection of tours departing soon. These tours, which include some of our most popular destinations, have a limited number of places left so if you spot one you like, don't hesitate to book on line.
Great Rail Journeys is the UK’s leading escorted rail holiday operator. With over 25 years’ experience, the Company has grown to operate over 1,200 departures each year on a choice of more than 150 different tours. Great Rail Journeys are specialists in escorted holidays by train. As the UK's largest rail based holiday company, we offer over 130 individual rail tours to over 40 countries. With 25 years of experience we understand exactly what makes a holiday by train successful. The Tour Managers on our holidays have a passion for travel and an in-depth knowledge of their specialist region. Great Rail Journeys’ 2010/11 programme features itineraries throughout Europe, plus an ever expanding range of worldwide destinations including
South Africa - Cape Town, The Blue Train & Kruger 2011: Experience the beauty of South Africa travelling from Cape Town to Pretoria on the luxurious Blue Train. Your adventure also includes a stay in the legendary Kruger National Park. The Blue Train lives up to its reputation for magnificence and splendour, offering its passengers a luxurious on-board experience that they will never forget. The Blue Train has a lounge car which is the ideal place to meet your fellow travellers and relax after dinner with a coffee. The club car has a well-stocked bar, a library and a big screen television and is a great place for a game of cards or backgammon. There is also a boutique on board, selling a collection of beautiful South African jewellery as well as Blue Train souvenirs. A Train Manager and two engineers are on board the train at all times and they are all happy to share their knowledge of the country, route and train with passengers. The meals on board The Blue Train are an experience in themselves and are taken in the dining car. On-board chefs use the freshest produce and ingredients to prepare a sumptuous menu of local cuisine, which is complemented by award-winning South African wines. Crisp table linen, crystal glassware and the finest Sheffield cutlery complement the silver service presentation of the food. A continental or full English breakfast is served at leisure. The dress code for dinner is formal (jacket and tie for men, evening wear for ladies). We include accommodation in Deluxe cabins, featuring the finest bed linen, marble tiles and gold fittings in the bathrooms. There are four Deluxe cabins per carriage, with either twin beds and a shower or a double bed and a bath. By day, the beds fold away to provide an elegant lounge so you can admire the passing scenery from the comfort of your own cabin. All cabins also feature a washbasin and WC as well as a wardrobe and a safe. Each carriage has its own dedicated butler who may be contacted 24 hours a day via the telephone found in each cabin. Upgrades to Luxury cabins are also available on The Blue Train (subject to availability). There are three of these larger cabins per carriage, with twin or double beds which fold away during the day to provide a lounge with seating. The Luxury cabins include a wardrobe and a digital entertainment centre incorporating a CD player and a DVD player and an en suite bathroom which features a bath, washbasin and WC.
Europe Italy Sirmione on Lake Garda 2011. Picture-perfect Sirmione is perched on the tip of a peninsula on the southern shore of Lake Garda. Known as the Pearl of the Lake, the town is dominated by its fairytale castle and ruined Roman villa and has cafes and far-reaching lake views.
Europe Switzerland Classic Glacier Express (Brig-Chur) in Winter & Spring 2010/2011. Snowy shining peaks and sugar-frosted forests form a picture-postcard backdrop to our stunning rail trips across the roof of the Alps. We also visit scenic Zermatt, pretty Interlaken and tranquil Poschiavo - all by train. The Glacier Express is undoubtedly Switzerland's best known train. The 181 mile (290km) trip from Zermatt to St Moritz lasts around eight hours winding its way through some of Europe's most dramatic and beautiful scenery. Beginning in Zermatt, a pretty Alpine resort close to the Matterhorn, the Glacier Express glides northwards from under the shadow of the mighty Matterhorn and follows the Matter Vispa River and the Rhône Valley to Visp. The train then heads east to Brig, before climbing through Betten, Grengiols and Oberwald on its journey to the 9¼ mile (15km) long Furka Base Tunnel. The train emerges and makes its way to the village of Andermatt, before beginning its ascent towards the Oberalp Pass which at 6,670 feet (2,033m) is the highest point on the line. It then makes the steep descent towards Disentis, where the train is attached to an RHB locomotive. From here we pass the historic town of Ilanz, descending to the stunning Rhine Gorge where we continue on to the attractive cantonal capital of Chur. The Glacier Express retraces its route to Reichenau-Tamins before heading south along the valley of the Hinterrhein. The train ascends to Thusis, and continues through green forests before crossing the elegant Landwasser Viaduct railway bridge and disappearing into a 705 foot (215m) tunnel carved into a sheer wall of rock. The Glacier Express passes through the village of Flisur, before climbing 1,364 feet (416m) in just 7.8 miles (12.6km) thanks to a series of loop tunnels, coils, bridges and viaducts. After passing through Preda, a village which didn't exist until 1898, the train enters the 3.6 mile (5,864m) long Albula Tunnel, the highest railway tunnel in the Alps at 5,971 feet (1,820m). On emerging the Glacier Express begins its descent through pasture and woodland to the broad Engadine valley. Nearing the end of the journey the train passes through Celerina and across the channel of the famous bob-sleigh run, the 'Cresta Run'. After one more short tunnel the Glacier Express arrives in St Moritz.
Canada & the Rocky Mountaineer 2011 Thrilling scenery in the Canadian Rockies is the setting for this true outdoor rail adventure. From lively Toronto to Vancouver and the Pacific Ocean, we cross the plains and pass glaciers and turquoise lakes as we travel by train across this vast country.
Australia & the Ghan 2010 This trip of a lifetime begins with a few days by the Great Barrier Reef before an amazing rail journey across the Red Centre of this vast continent. From Adelaide we continue to bustling Melbourne, Sydney and the Blue Mountains. A grand experience indeed!
Explore Britain is a participant in the Amazon Europe S.à r.l. Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk.
