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Get on Board and Hit the Tracks on Some of the World's Greatest Train Journeys

No matter what your destination, there's a train trip awaiting you, whether you choose it as a means of transportation or as a vacation in itself. Here are a few suggestions of some of the world's great train journeys, but beware, your wallet may take a beating.

There's a certain romance that comes with train travel. Perhaps it is the emphasis on the journey rather than the hurried approach of getting from A to B. Or maybe it is feeling that you are traveling the way your grandparents or great grand parents did. I had the privilege of traveling through Egypt on an opulent train sleeping on super-luxurious high thread count sheets and having a private butler serve me meals -- truly a memorable experience. No matter what your destination, there's a train trip awaiting you, whether you choose it as a means of transportation or as a vacation in itself. Here are a few suggestions of some of the world's great train journeys, but beware, your wallet may take a beating.

Japan

Going slow is not the modus operandum with Japan train travel. The Japanese love their trains, but they also feel the need for speed with their infamous Shinkansen (bullet trains) reaching speeds on up to 277 miles per hour. For this reason, any trip on the Shinkansen will be a relatively short one. JTB, Japan's leading travel agency, and JR Central operators of the Tokaido Shinkansen have a selection of special interest tours and packages that include a bullet train component. Their two day "Mt.Fuji-Hakone and Onsen" (Hot Spring) package includes Deluxe motorcoach transportation to Mt. Fuji, a drive halfway up Mt. Fuji to the Fifth Station, western-style lunch at the Hotel Highland Resort, a cruise aboard Lake Ashi, an aerial cableway ride up and down Mt.Komagatake for a sweeping view of celebrated Hakone National Park, one-nights accommodation at Hotel Kowaki-en or Price Hotel in Hakone, famous for their spas, a free day in Hakone to explore the open air art museum, a free pass to enjoy the Hakone Tozan Bus/Train/Cablecar, Hakone Ropeway, Hakone Sightseeing Ship, Numazu Tozan Tokai Bus, and Odakyu Express Bus and the return trip to Tokyo by Shinkansen train. This trip departs daily except January 1 to 4; February 19; April 29 & 30; May 3 to 7; July 15 to 22; August 12; September 16; October 7; and December 29 to 31, 2006. This package is priced at $218 staying at the Hakone Prince and $226 staying at the Kowaki-en.

Europe

Great Rail Journeys (tel. + 44/190-452-1936; www.greatrail.com) is a British company that, as the name suggests, specializes in train vacations. The "Arctic Circle Express" is a 15-day extravaganza that takes in Stockholm, a northward journey into the Arctic Circle and south again along the fjords of Western Norway. The trip departs regularly from now until August 26, 2006 and out of the 12 departures on the schedule, only two, August 13 and 20 have availability (the rest are sold out). This special Scandinavian train sojourn is priced at $3,485 per person but includes airfare from London to Stockholm, from Oslo returning back to London, 13-nights hotel accommodation (two each at the four-star Radisson SAS Royal Viking Hotel in Stockholm, three-star Radisson SAS Grand Royal Hotel in Narvik, the four-star Britannia Hotel in Trondheim, the four-star Union Hotel Geiranger, the three-star Fretheim Hotel in Flåm, the four-star SAS Royal Hotel in Bergen and one-night at the four-star Radisson SAS Hotel Plaza in Oslo), overnight on the sleeper train to Kiruna, a Stockholm sightseeing tour, a trip on the Ofoten Railway to the sea port of Narvik (Norway), a coach journey along the coast and a ferry crossing to Fauske, a train across the Arctic Circle to Trondheim, Norway's religious capital, a sightseeing tour of Trondheim, a cruise along the Geiranger Fjord (Norway's most spectacular, with near vertical sides and roaring waterfalls), a ride on the Flåm Railway on one of Europe's most dramatic railway lines, winding through the mountains to Myrdal, visit the village of Undredal, and a magnificent journey aboard the Bergen Railway across some of the most remote areas of western Norway before descending to Oslo.

Southern Africa

If your budget permits, The Blue Train (www.bluetrain.co.za) is the ultimate train journey indulgence. It is known as "a window to the soul of South Africa." This moving five-star hotel has accommodated kings and presidents and from a mere at $1,149 per person in a deluxe double suite during the low season and $1,417 in high season (for the trip between Cape Town and Pretoria), you too can travel like royalty, sleep on the finest bed linen, enjoy marble tiles and gold fittings in the bathrooms and sheer opulence. This route is a 27-hour journey of almost 1,000 miles, through some of the most diverse and spectacular scenery of the African sub-continent. Rates are per person, inclusive of all meals, high tea, drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and off-the train excursions excluding French champagne and caviar. On the southbound trip, the train departs from Pretoria mid-morning and arrives in Cape Town the following day. En route the train stops at the famous diamond town of Kimberley and on the northbound journey, the train leaves Cape Town just before noon and arrives in Pretoria in time for high tea the following day, stopping at the historic town Matjiesfontein.

India

The famed Palace on Wheels (tel. +91/11-2332-5939; www.thepalaceonwheels.com) in India is another luxurious and majestic train experience. Their seven-night tour through Rajasthan leaves from New Delhi weekly from the end of August 2006 until the beginning of May, 2007. Prices start at $2,065 per person during September 2006 and April 2007 and go up to $2,695 for other periods of the year. The cost includes accommodation on the Maharaja Train with three fixed meals per day, conducted sightseeing tours en route, entrance fees to monuments, elephant and camel rides, a boat trip and rickshaw ride. Children between five and 12 years are charged 50% of the adult rate and children under five travel free. The train travels to Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Ranthambore, Udaipur and Agra (Taj Mahal). Visit palaces, animal reserves, lakes, fortresses, architectural masterpieces and historic cities. Travel in style in one of the 14 beautifully designed saloon suites featuring khidmatgars (personal attendants), traditional furnishings, select handicrafts and regional artwork.

Australia

If you are interested in traveling over vast areas of rugged terrain, you can't go past Australia for an outback train experience. The Great Southern Railway (www.gsr.com.au) website features information and booking facilities for three extreme train trips -- the Ghan (Adelaide to Darwin), the Indian Pacific (literally the Indian Ocean -- Perth to the Pacific -- Sydney) and the Overland (Melbourne to Adelaide). The Ghan is the ultimate journey through the heart of the Australian continent, running from Adelaide via Alice Springs to Darwin. The two-night trip in either direction covers some 1850 miles. Marvel at the spectacular Australian landscapes from fertile countryside surrounding Adelaide to the rusty hues of the Red Centre, onto the tropical splendor of the Top End. Red Kangaroo service in a sleeper cabin is priced at $1075 and $1393 in Gold Kangaroo class. Students and children pay $785 and $1080 respectively. Gold Kangaroo service includes a personally stocked bar fridge in your cabin and all meals (Australian and international menus), whereas with the Red Kangaroo service meals must be purchased separately. On the Indian Pacific, the almost three day trip from Perth to Sydney (or vice versa) is priced at $951/$1,246 and $611/$894 for students and children.

United States

Vacations By Rail (tel. 877/929-7245; www.vacationsbyrail.com) offers a selection of train expeditions including six different escorted trips across the U.S. The eight-day "Trains Across Colorado" journey begins in Denver and includes seven-nights accommodation (one-night each at the DoubleTree Hotel in Denver, the Drury Inn in Colorado Springs, the Clarion Hotel of the Rio Grande, Alamosa, the Quality Inn, Durango, the DoubleTree Grand Junction Hotel, and two-nights at the Woodfield Suites in Denver), 13 meals (six dinners, one lunch and six breakfasts), an opportunity to experience five scenic train rides following historic routes of the Old West, services of a professional tour manager, and motorcoach transportation for touring. Reach the highest peaks of the Pikes Peak Cog Railway, ride the Royal Gorge Scenic Railway, travel through the spectacular Rockies aboard the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, full steam ahead on the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, voted one of the "Top Ten Most Exciting Train Journeys in the World" and don't look down as you travel the Georgetown Loop Railroad over Devil's Gate High Bridge. Visit Garden of the Gods Park, the U.S. Air Force Academy and enjoy a Denver city tour. This trip is priced at $1,379 per person and you also receive $40 in future travel credits. Dates for the remainder of 2006 season include July 9, 16, 19 & 23; August 6, 9 & 20; September 6, 10, 13, 17, 20, 24 & 27; and October 1.

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