TOP TRACKS
Taking the train can allow you to enter some of the most remote, stunning and untouched places on the planet with time to soak up the scenery, no satnav in sight. And it’s better for your carbon footprint, too
IT’S GREENER BY TRAIN, IN NORWAY. TOP: BIG SKIES, CANADA-STYLE
EAT IN HERE WHILE TIGER-SPOTTING ON THE EASTERN & ORIENTAL EXPRESS
EYE-POPPING RUSSIAN MAGNITUDE TRANS-SIBERIAN RAILWAY, RUSSIA, 6 DAYS
If you want to experience the immensity of the world’s largest country, six nights covering 7621km of track from Moscow to Beijing will do it. You’ll roll gently through coniferous forests, past the ancient and immense Lake Baikal in Siberia, home to hundreds of species found nowhere else on Earth, crossing Mongolia through the Gobi Desert, where you’re likely to spot herds of camels, and into China. You can break the journey up to see Kazan Kremlin, the only surviving Tatar fortress in Russia, a designated World Heritage Site. At 1777km, grab your camera to snap the boundary that divides Europe and Asia before you weave your way through the Sayan Mountains. Passing through the Great Wall of China is another unmissable highlight. Tickets from approx £500; Real Russia (realrussia.co.uk) can help you plan your route, or book an all-inclusive package with audleytravel.com or regent-holidays.co.uk