My partner and I took an overnight train ride from London to Scotland on the Caledonian Sleeper. We splurged on the Caledonian double en-suite, which came with a shower, a toilet, and a bed. I didn't get much sleep, but this beat a flight. I'd do it again, but only under a few conditions. In my opinion, there's something alluring about the idea of an overnight train ride -
Into my bucket list this journey went. But the thing with a bucket list is that, once you've turned the corner in the direction of bucket-kicking territory, you need to set about emptying that bucket as well as adding to it. Nobody wants to have much left in that bucket when the time comes to join the great majority. That's the whole point of a bucket list.
Traveling by train was more comfortable and sustainable than flying. Traveling by train beats flying any day - at least in Europe. I formed this opinion in October 2022, when I spent two weeks backpacking through Europe with a Eurail pass. Eurail passes grant travelers unlimited access to most European trains for a set number of days. Some trains only require a Eurail pass, while others, including overnight trains, incur an additional, discounted price.
Departing from its 1905 depot like a moving postcard, the train follows the Toccoa River, passing sycamores and sourwoods, rolling hills, and farms along the way. It's leaf-peeping without the hairpin turns or crowded parking lots, just windows down and the car doors open wide, a thermos of cider, and the steady click of the rails. The classic trip is a 26-mile, four-hour round-trip from downtown Blue Ridge, Georgia, to the twin border towns of McCaysville, Georgia, and Copperhill, Tennessee.
When James Joyce first travelled from Dublin to Trieste in 1904, he went via Paris, Zurich and Ljubljana. Zurich, because he mistakenly believed a job to be awaiting him there, and Ljubljana because groggy after the night train he thought they'd pulled into Trieste. By the time he twigged, the train had departed and, without ready cash, Joyce and his partner Nora Barnacle had to spend a night on the tiles.
"One of my favorite getaway recommendations from New York City is Hudson, New York in the Hudson Valley," Victor Rivera, the general manager of LUMA Hotel Times Square, shared with Travel + Leisure. "It's only about a two-hour train ride from Penn Station on Amtrak, and the views of the Hudson River along the way already help you transition into a completely different pace of life."
Amtrak's Mardi Gras Service relaunches for the first time since 2005, offering twice-daily departures between Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans, with stops at key Gulf Coast cities.
Trains were specifically rated on criteria such as comfort, service, scenery, and on-board amenities, allowing readers to express their preferences based on personal experiences.
"I love the idea of night trains, but my compartment was tiny and shared with strangers. My train was two hours late, and I paid €250 but barely slept."
