Tours
Great Rail Journeys currently organises over 1,100 departures a year on around 230 different itineraries. The majority of the itineraries are within Europe, though every year the range of holidays increases and now includes tours all over the world including Africa, Asia, Australasia and North America. Signature Great Rail Journeys tours include The Trans-Siberian Express; The Glacier Express; USA Coast to Coast; India’s Place on Wheels; The Marrakech Express; and The Arctic Circle Express. From the comfort of their seat travellers can sit back and watch the world go by as they are whisked across the continent on the high speed rail network or as they meander along a scenic mountain railway. A holiday by rail offers a startlingly different perspective to the world and one which cannot be experienced from 35,000 feet.
The expansion of Europe’s high speed rail network coupled with the growing demand for using less environmentally damaging forms of transport has had a significant impact on the ‘holiday by rail’ market. People have become increasingly aware of the concept of ‘responsible tourism’ and are recognising the environmental advantages of rail travel over other forms of transport. Travellers tired of the negative effects of flying, such as airports which are beset with long check-in queues, cramped conditions on board flights and baggage congestion issues, recognise these problems are avoided on a train.
Recent product developments include the launch of a ‘Cruising Holidays by Rail’ brochure – combining a rail journey with a sea or river cruise. Great Rail Journeys has also developed a range of ‘Special Interest Holidays’ featuring visits to Viennese Balls, Europe’s major carnivals including Venice and Nice and, for 2010, tours to Oberammergau to see the world famous Passion Play. Great Rail Journeys Cruising Holidays by Rail programme introduced seven new itineraries for 2009 including a Norwegian Coastal Adventure which sails through the Arctic Circle to Europe’s most northerly point, and a Scottish Lochs and Islands Cruise.
The 2009 season saw the introduction of a number of new Worldwide Holidays by Rail, which, due to their success are being repeated in 2010 including a classic 16-day South Africa tour – on board one of the world’s most luxurious trains, a 14-day musical adventure through America’s Deep South, a 13-day India’s Golden Triangle tour and new Canadian holidays. New for 2010 was a tour taking in Las Vegas and the USA's Golden West, an Alaskan Adventure and a new tour to India featuring a journey on the Deccan Odyssey, Northern India's newest luxury train.
The European Holidays by Rail programme expanded in 2009 with the addition of seven new itineraries including an eight-day tour, a 15-day Portugal and the Douro tour and a 13-day Andalucian Explorer holiday.
For the first time in the company's history Great Rail Journeys created a programme of holidays by rail especially tailored for Single Travellers. The programme features 10 European tours – to Switzerland, Italy, France Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Croatia – plus the classic cross-country journey from Toronto to Vancouver on The Canadian.
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