After Traveling the World by Rail, These Are the 14 Train Journeys We Will Always Slow Down For

Train travel carries an intangible appeal that brings passengers close to both the people around them and the landscapes outside the carriage. On board, travelers chat, share meals, and interact with strangers, while outside, rivers, deserts, mountains, and cities pass in fast-moving views. As climate change influences travel choices, sleeper trains and classic routes are returning with renewed demand. Türkiye’s Doğu Express has shifted from a migration train for agricultural workers and the military to a popular winter journey for young Turks who decorate compartments and bring food. Canada’s Rocky Mountaineer offers glass-dome viewing of lakes and peaks. The Eastern & Oriental Express has returned through Malaysia’s rainforests, and Japan’s Seven Stars Kyushu provides a glamorous experience.

"A ticket is not just a permit to ride, it's permission to trespass on the intimacies of other people's lives. Trains bring us up close and personal-both inside and outside the carriage. On board, passengers chat politics in Finnish dining cars, clamber into couchettes above strangers on the Trans-Siberian, and share samosas on India 's many raucous mail trains. Outside, the world flashes by, a slideshow of rivers growing into oceans, deserts rising into mountains and cities sprawling then receding into darkness as the train thunders on through the night."

"As climate change takes hold and travelers look for slower, more conscious ways to move through the world, trains are returning with renewed vigor. Sleeper trains are seeing a resurgence and the golden oldies are busier than ever. From regular commuter rides to glamorous tourist trains, a number of services have garnered iconic status for the scenery, their role through history, or perhaps their place in popular culture."

"Türkiye's Doğu Express, once a migration train carrying agricultural workers and the military, is now wildly popular with young Turks who traverse the 800-mile route in winter, decorating the compartments with fairy lights and spreading out picnic blankets covered with baklava, börek, and cold cuts."

"From the glass-dome cars of the Rocky Mountaineer, passengers watch as Canada's teal-green lakes shimmer like mirrors, snow-capped peaks looming overhead. The Eastern & Oriental Express, a Belmond train, is back after a hiatus, winding through Malaysia's tropical rainforests, while Japan's Seven Stars Kyushu grants rese"

Read at Conde Nast Traveler