In a relaxation showdown among trains, planes, and automobiles, trains win as the most laid back style of travel, allowing you to sit back, relax, and enjoy the view.
Luckily, some of the world’s most beautiful destinations are also home to the most scenic train rides. Journeys range from a few hours to more than a week. They can cost as little as two movie tickets or as much as a luxury cruise, and they traverse terrain as dramatic as snow-capped peaks or orange-hued deserts.
Here's a look at 15 exceptionally scenic train rides >
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Glacier Express from Zermatt to St. Moritz
Where: Switzerland
Switzerland may be renowned for the quality and punctuality of its trains, but it's the majestic Alps—craggy and awe-inspiring against the brilliant blue sky—and sweeping chalet-and-cow-dotted green valleys that make the Glacier Express from Zermatt to St. Moritz such a visual feast.
Fun fact: The train chugs through 91 tunnels and crosses 291 bridges on its seven-hour journey.
Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
Where: Colorado
You’ll climb 3,000 feet and travel 130 years back in time onboard the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, a circa-1882 coal-fired, steam-operated train (the locomotives date to the 1920s) that chugs its way at 18 miles per hour (fueled by six tons of coal and 10,000 gallons of water) through the steep mountain passes between Durango and Silverton in southwest Colorado.
Fun fact: The train is featured in the 1969 movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford.
Hiram Bingham Orient-Express From Cusco To Machu Picchu
Where: Peru
The full-day round-trip on the luxurious Hiram Bingham links two of the top destinations in Peru—the colonial city of Cusco and the ancient Inca citadel of Machu Picchu—via a winding, scenic journey through the Urubamba River Valley with brunch served on the way there and a four-course dinner on the return.
Fun fact: The 1920s Pullman-style train, richly upholstered and outfitted with fine tableware, is named after the American explorer who discovered Machu Picchu in 1911.
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