National Geographic Traveller

Why fl y if you can help it? Make the rail journey part of your

travel experience. Words: Rhonda Carrier

SEE: THE RAILWAY CHILDREN AT KING’S CROSS UNTIL 8 JANUARY 2017, NOW

IN ITS OWN PURPOSEBUILT THEATRE. RAILWAYCHILDRENLONDON.COM

IMAGE: JOHAN PERSSON

LONDON TO SEVILLE:

Rail vs driving vs flying

GET YOUR SNOW FIX

OSLO TO BERGEN: One of the world’s

most scenic rail routes, this Bergen

Railway journey takes over seven hours

and crosses one of Europe’s highest

mountain plateaus. nsb.no

JINGLE BELLES

IN THE UK: Step inside the

beautiful, 1930s-style

carriages of Belmond Northern

Belle during the Christmas

period. Meet Santa and his elves

and tuck into a seven-course

lunch as you traverse the British

countryside. belmond.com

SEE THE ROCKIES

TORONTO TO

VANCOUVER: A

domed observation car

on The Canadian o„ ers

in-your-face views of

Jasper National Park

in the Rockies. The

journey covers 2,775

miles (and four time

zones) over four

nights. viarail.ca

CITY TO SURF

ROME TO

SICILY: At

the seaside resort of

Taormina, the train

itself is shunted aboard

a ferry to cross the

Straits of Messina.

Trains run day and

night, with the journey

taking around 11.5

hours. Sleeper options

are available for

families. loco2.com

TOY TRAINS

NEW JAPAIGURI TO

DARJEELING: A UNESCO

World Heritage Site, the Darjeeling

Himalayan Railway — nicknamed

the ‘Toy Train’ — has been taking

passengers through India’s lower

Eastern Himalayas to the tea

plantations since 1881. irctc.co.in

1

2

3

4

COST

THE SEATS

LENGTH OF JOURNEY

ANYTHING ELSE

PROS

CONS

Train Car Plane

From £211 return for adults; from £177

for children aged 4–12

Reserve a four-seater with a table. Sit

back and relax with a family game

29h, including an overnight stay in

Barcelona (15h45 travel time)

Travel by Eurostar, TGV and high-speed

AVE train voyages-sncf.com

The ability to sit back and enjoy the

French and Spanish scenery

Can’t travel overnight on any of the legs Long hours on the road Least eco-friendly method

The freedom to stop off en route and

no baggage limitations

Undoubtedly the fastest way to

get there

Cut driving time with the Motorail train

from Paris to Narbonne

Check-in, security and passport control

can add extra time

About 23h driving time (and you can

stop off whenever you want)

2h45, plus a 40-minute bus journey to

Seville city centre

Enjoy the comfort of your own car, plus

all the luggage you can fi t

Reserve seats 24h before departure,

except if travelling with Basic tickets

Petrol from £290 one-way with your car,

for a group of four (not including hotels)

From £42 per person one-way from

Gatwick with British Airways

children

THE RAILWAY

5

SMART TRAVELLER // FAMILY

36 natgeotraveller.co.uk