Luxury rail holidays

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Search for your luxury rail holiday by touring, single centre, luxury train, scenic train and destination

Search here for a touring holiday by train to any destination.

Search here for a single centre rail holiday to any destination.

Search here for holidays by luxury train, for example the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express or Al Andalus.

Search here for holidays by scenic train, for example, the Glacier Express or the Bernina Express.

Then once you have had a look, speak to us and let us guide you using our knowledge and experience of luxury rail holidays.

Rail holidays: luxury, tailor-made holidays by train

Our bespoke, luxury rail holidays can be

● Touring holidays by rail
● Single centre hotel holidays by rail
● Holidays by luxury train
● Holidays by scenic train

Included in all our holidays

● Concierge service
● Handcrafted helpful hints and local information provided with all our holidays
● Personal service by your sales consultant who looks after all aspects of your holiday
● Full financial protection with our ATOL (3076) for all holidays including a flight and our ABTOT for all non-air holidays

Call us on 01392 441245

Rail holidays: luxury, tailor-made holidays by train

An Expressions rail holiday, whether it be a touring holiday, a single-centre holiday, a holiday by luxury train or a holiday by scenic train, is tailor-made for you (you don’t travel in a group) according to your requirements and can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. From a single-centre stay in a destination that is reached by train to a touring holiday that visits multiple locations in different countries, we cater for your wishes. Take one of our suggested rail itineraries exactly as it is but with you choosing your departure date, class of travel and the standard of hotels you want to stay in, or ask us to put together a tour for you based on the hotels and regions that we feature, allowing a different number of nights in each place.

Expressions Holidays offers you the following options for your rail holiday

● Journeys on some of the most spectacular and luxurious trains in the world, such as the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express and the Al Andalus luxury train. ● Scenic rail journeys where the purpose is to enjoy the scenery en-route, such as travelling on the Bernina Express, Glacier Express or Golden Pass Line through Switzerland. ● Classic rail journeys to the major cities and sights of Europe, such as a rail holiday combining visits to Florence, Venice & Rome or a rail holiday exploring Andalusia and Madrid. ● Touring holidays of Europe by train, with a variety of destinations for a variable number of nights in each place ● A wonderful single-centre holiday in a beautiful location, travelling by train to reach your destination. It is possible to hire a car so that you can explore the area surrounding your chosen hotel. ● A holiday which combines different modes of transport, allowing you to fly to the destination of your choice then travel by train for the rest of your holiday. This option offers an efficient use of time and is convenient for holidays further afield. ● Day-time train travel only with overnight stops in convenient locations along your route. ● Sleeper services where possible and if requested.

Our hotels

Each of the luxury hotels that are featured by Expressions Holidays has been personally selected to offer you high standards of comfort, service and cuisine. Many of our hotels are renowned for their charm and character, whilst others provide rest and relaxation amid an atmosphere of luxury and style. On many of our holidays and suggested itineraries we can offer you a choice of hotels, so that you could choose to stay only in 5-star hotels, only in 4-star hotels, or to have a mix of categories, combining grand hotels perhaps with boutique or more simple hotels.

Travel from the UK

Most rail holidays start with a journey on Eurostar to Paris, Lille Europe or Brussels, thanks to almost hourly departures from London. From here, you can connect to a high-speed service that takes you towards Switzerland, Italy, Spain or Germany then overnight before continuing your journey on a daytime service. From Paris you can also take sleeper trains into Germany and Italy. It is also possible to fly one or both ways and take a rail itinerary in between.

Use of hire-car

You may want to have the use of a hire-car whilst in your holiday destination, depending on where it is, as this does offer a cost-effective way of exploring independently the area in which you are staying. Many of our suggested rail holidays include rail travel out and back but do require the use of a hire-car for touring. This applies particularly to holidays in country areas of France, Italy and Spain, as well as some of the country areas in central and eastern Europe. In Switzerland you don’t need a car, as the rail and local bus network is so well developed.

Our bespoke, luxury rail holidays can be

● Touring holidays by rail
● Single centre hotel holidays by rail
● Holidays by luxury train
● Holidays by scenic train

Included in all our holidays

● Concierge service
● Handcrafted helpful hints and local information provided with all our holidays
● Personal service by your sales consultant who looks after all aspects of your holiday
● Full financial protection with our ATOL (3076) for all holidays including a flight and our ABTOT for all non-air holidays

Call us on 01392 441245

Rail holidays: luxury, tailor-made holidays by train

Luxury holidays to Switzerland are all about sharing with you our affection for this petite and picturesque country with its spectacular mountain peaks, pretty, alpine villages and well-kept countryside, traversed by train tracks that are feats of engineering. It is a country, proud of its identity, as diverse as that might be, and a country that looks after itself, as beautiful and charming, and as worth-visiting as when it attracted its first tourist visitors.

Regions of Switzerland

The Bernese Oberland. Nestling into the steep valleys dusted with rich green vegetation, are beautiful chocolate box villages that border the many serene lakes. Mystical grottoes have been carved into the rock by centuries of melting and re-freezing ice. Twisting rivers and streams have etched out their pathways down the mountainsides, flowing tranquilly in places and turbulent in others. Some of our favourite places in the Bernese Oberland include: Wengen, a picturesque village clustered between sheer rock faces; and Grindelwald, a village overlooked by harsh snowy peaks, the famous Jungfrau, and the Gletscherschucht glacial gorge.
The Grisons and the Engadine. Dotted with National Parks, Grisons and the Engadine are best known for the dramatic Alpine scenery and the major winter sports resorts; yet, in the spring, summer, and autumn months, the region has far more to offer. Historic towns, scenic lakes and glaciers, and chic villages packed with gourmet restaurants and boutique shops come into their own in the sunshine. This is also the region through which the iconic Glacier Express and Bernina Express scenic trains run.
Lake Geneva. Lake Geneva is popular for water sports and hiking holidays, as well as relaxing lakeside spa breaks; and, in the winter, it is close enough to the ski slopes to make a very laid-back skiing destination. Chic towns and villages sit behind rows of palm trees, basking in the Mediterranean climate, sheltering gourmet restaurants, luxury boutique shops, and a range of stunning Swiss hotels. There is perhaps nowhere more glamorous in Switzerland than Lake Geneva, and nowhere where the history and culture is so grand and visually captured in the buildings, parks, and gardens of Geneva itself.
Lake Lucerne. Immersed in history, folklore, and bustling modern culture, Lake Lucerne brings together everything that makes Switzerland in summer so special. The city of Lucerne itself is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. White-walled, tiled-roof townhouses crowd together on the water’s edge; bridges on stilts take visitors from one side of the river to the other; and the high original rampart wall is visible in the distance. Outside the city, you are free to enjoy the Alpine panoramas from a boat, or from one of the hiking trails that score the mountainsides.
Saanenland. This is the region of Gstaad and the surrounding nine villages, such as Schönried, Zweisimmen, Saanen, and Saanenmöser, which prove to be continually popular in summer and in winter. Priding itself on being a haven of wellbeing, the Saanenland offers a taste of idyllic nature, whilst remaining one of Switzerland’s chicest locations.
Ticino. A smattering of small lakes marks the upper boundary of Ticino, but it is Lake Maggiore and Lake Lugano that dominate the south, prompting many of the long, straight valleys that lead into Italy. The River Ticino winds its way down from its source on the Ticino border, meeting dams, lakes, and trickling and tumbling waterfalls on its way. Palm trees line the lakesides, medieval Italian castles form the centre-points of towns, and colourful, higgledy-piggledy houses look out across the water or from their tiered position on the steep mountainside.
Valais. Perhaps most famous for the icy Alpine resort of Zermatt, Valais is a canton that captures a blend of those Swiss mountain resorts and northern Italy’s flourishing wine-producing vineyards. This mix is complicated further by the dual-language of the canton; the west of Valais speaks French, and the east speaks German. Terraced vineyards cloak the slopes of southern Valais, uniquely watered by glacier run-off. Valais is also popular amongst cycling, mountain-biking, and hiking enthusiasts. Over 8000km of marked hiking paths line the mountainsides, and well-maintained and well-marked cycling paths are combined with high-altitudes to establish a network that is unrivalled in Switzerland.
The cities of Zurich, Bern and Basel are serious places, rich in history and culture, learning and art. Mediaeval houses and traditions are well-preserved whilst life is modern and cosmopolitan too.

Country facts

Capital

Bern

Airports

Zurich and Geneva

Currency

Swiss franc

Size

41,285 sq kilometres

Population

8 million

Average temperature

The weather in Switzerland is influenced by the four main European air currents, resulting in a temperate climate on the Central Plateau but which otherwise varies between regions. In July the average temperature is about 23 degrees Centigrade and slightly higher in lakeside areas. In January temperatures average approximately 3 degrees Centigrade.

Unmissable holiday experiences in Switzerland

Zermatt and seeing the Matterhorn, train to the Jungfraujoch, seeing the face of the Eiger, Rheinfall, wooden covered bridge in Lucerne, Gehry architecture in waterside Basel, Einstein museum in Bern, Jazz festival in Montreux, Glacier Express, Bernina Express, Gornergratbahn in Zermatt, climbing Rigi, Lavaux vineyards above Lake Geneva, Chateau Chillon, Carolingian frescoes in Müstair, Kunsthaus Zurich, Cresta Run St Moritz, steamer on Lake Lucerne, Monte Bre above Lake Lugano by funicular, abbey of St Gallen, jet d’eau in Geneva, pastural scenery of the Simmental.

Call us on 01392 441245