The steamy, silver service vignette of Wes Anderson and Hitchcock locomotive reverie; of dolls house curtains framing a fleeting, hauntingly pretty landscape of snow-capped forests, frozen lakes or snowglobe villages; of Art Deco cabins configured with Debrett’s and dinner jackets in mind.
There is something endlessly glamorous about bells and whistles train journeys. They evoke a delicious sense of nostalgia and adventure that has inspired poets, writers and some of cinema’s most iconic scenes — from James Bond’s first encounter with Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale, to Harry Potter’s first glimpse of Hogwarts as the Express chugs over the viaduct.
And what could be more snug than wintery landscapes seen from a toasty carriage with velvet trimmings and cold coupes of champagne? From snaking up Swiss mountains with views down to the lakes, to gliding through eerie tundra carpeted in snow, here are the most beautiful winter train journeys.
Venice Simplon-Orient Express, A Belmond Train
The paragon of train glamour, the Venice Simplon-Orient Express is the ultimate hot ticket, with a locomotive pedigree dating back to 1982. Its Deco carriages glide through Europe in December, with pit stops in Florence, Paris, Venice and Vienna. And while exploring these beguiling cities during the festive period is enough to warrant the trip, soaking in the silver-coated countryside from the warmth of a private cabin, or over a silver service supper (with menus curated by chef Jean Imbert) is a journey back to the golden age of train travel. Champagne and prohibition-era cocktails continue in the bar car ‘3674, as does the pianist, well into the night as the train slices through silent, snowy forests and midnight brunch arrives in the form of lobster rolls and truffle club sandwiches.
Cabins from £3,885 per passenger; belmond.com/trains
The Rocky Mountains, Canada
Unbeknown to many, a section of Canada’s national railway chugs up into the Rocky Mountains from Vancouver all the way to Calgary. This week-long epic serves up several helpings of Unesco World Heritage sites from the plush confines of first class, and with Skyline and Park observation carriage. And it’s not just about gliding through this majestic landscape of jagged peaks and valleys draped in pine. Passengers hop off at several stops, including the Columbia Icefield en route to Lake Louise, the Sunwapta Valley and Banff’s Sulphur Mountain, riding the Banff Gondola. Moose, bears and elk have been known to break up the snowy-pine views, while some may be lucky enough to witness the joyous Northern Lights dancing across the winter sky. It’s worth bearing in mind that some stretches of the journey are covered by coach (even trains have their limits).
From $3,874 per person; vacationsbyrail.com
Glacier Express, Switzerland
A winter’s tale that winds through dramatic Alpine scenery between St Moritz’s turreted, frozen lake madcappery to the softer, Hans Christian Andersen-worthy ski resort of Zermatt. This eight-hour epic features snow-laden pine forests; lonely mountain huts puffing out coils of smoke; and nearly 300 bridges with the sorts of views that are printed on to Swiss chocolate tins as the train chugs upwards over 2,000 metres above sea level. Book with the Ultimate Travel Company for four nights of winter wonder, taking in the twinkling views over a three-course supper in the first-class cabin, and bookending the trip with a stay at spa-focused Engadin Valley at Waldhaus Sils and Zermatt’s Belle Epoque Parkhotel Beau Site. Alternatively, snow-seekers can hop on at St Pancras for Switzerland’s pretty Engadine region via Zurich — hissing into St Moritz to lay their heads at the turreted Suvretta House.
From £140; theultimatetravelcompany.co.uk
Semmering Railway, Austria
As the world’s first Unesco World Heritage-listed railway, it comes as no surprise that the vistas from the Semmering’s humble, commuter-style seats (forget afternoon teas), are staggeringly beautiful. As a feat of 19th-century engineering, the Simmering chugs through valleys, forests and mountains, all twinkling under a blanket of snow. Between Gloggnitz and Semmering, passengers are treated to hours of winter theatre from their privileged perch along 16 impressive viaducts — some vertigo-inducing and seemingly carved into a steep, craggy cliff edge — and more than 100 arched stone bridges. The train winds on, connecting Vienna with south-western Austria, but this is the most picturesque slice of the track — and comes at a remarkably affordable price to boot.
From £170; Eurail.com
Nordland Railway, Norway
Norway’s longest continuous rail journey, Nordland, or the Arctic Circle Express, skates through a vast array of landscapes, from Trondheim’s lush, pixie-green woodland to the icy fringes of the North Pole and mountain flanked city, Bodo. Along the way, enormous observation windows peel back storybook scenes of reindeer trudging through barren tundra, craggy mountains silhouetted against a melancholic sky and fjords so cold and glassy, the train is immaculately reflected along them. Wide-eyed passengers are treated to eight hours of this Nordic nature show, with regular sightings of the Northern Lights in winter and the fabled midnight sun during the summer months. The locomotive drama was spectacular enough for a Netflix documentary: The Northern Line.
From £3,618; Visitnorway.com
West Highland Line, Scotland
The best from Blighty, Scotland’s West Highland Line sweeps through resplendent scenery — glens, ancient forests, lochs and a craggy, wistful coastline — from Glasgow to Fort William. It then heads further north to the fishing port of Mallaig (the ferry terminal for the Isle of Skye). Hop on the Caledonian Sleeper at Euston (a spruced-up, showers-and-all prelude to the West Highland Line’s creaking, unloved charm). The thrill of waking up from a whisky-induced slumber to field upon field of glistening white is enhanced with a warm bowl of Scottish porridge or traditional fry up. Majestic stags can be spotted lording over the snowy, scrubby valleys, and the elevated track across the bleak, peaty bog of Rannoch Moor, stagnant with frost, gives the illusion of floating above the landscape. It’s the final leg of the journey, where the Caledonian ends at Fort William and a connecting train chugs on to Mallaig, that the scenery is at its most enchanting. The imposing ruins of Old Inverlochy Castle surge ahead just after leaving Fort William and the train sweeps on along the banks of lochs and over the Glenfinnan Viaduct featured in the Harry Potter films.
From £95; Sleeper.scot
Flåm Railway, Norway
A spine-tingling, rollercoaster-style ride through western Norway’s otherworldly fjords and mountains, The Flam Railway barely lasts a full West End show, and yet the scenery it conjures up along the way is sell-out material. Running from the end of Aurlandsfjord at sea level, the train then climbs high into the mountains (almost 3,000 feet) until it reaches the time-warp village of Myrdal — a photogenic cluster of ox-blood hyttes (cabins). Steep cliffs, frozen waterfalls, lonely churches and isolated mountain huts all come into view from vintage cabins, and the guard permits a five-minute photo pit stop at Kjosfossen waterfall — simply too pretty to chug past. It’s worth noting that Myrdal is also on the Bergen Line (so those taking the Olso to Bergen train will be treated to the Frozen-worthy nature show too).
