Travel - Train Journeys

Saturday 1st December 2007
The pleasures of travelling by train featured travel writer Manchán Magan, author Pól Ó Conghaile and overland travel enthusiast Dave Conlisk

Manchán's recommendations
* Nairobi-Mombassa - trains slightly shabby but good route for spotting wildlife
* Peru from Cuzco across Altiplanau to Puno or into Maccu Picchu - amazing journey through jungles and the Andes and villages lost in time
* Yunnan Province in China - very long journeys & crowded trains but stunning wildlife and vegetation
* the Palace on Wheels through Delhi, Agra & Rajasthan - very luxurious way of travelling through India

Pól's recommendations
* Concan Railway from Mayaysia-Bombay - very cheap train travel but very long queues to buy tickets, upgrades recommended
* St Pancras International London-Paris - newly renovated St Pancras is being called 'the cathedral of railways', 2.5 hours to Paris and other destinations to come in the coming years
* The Orient Express from Strasbourg-Venice
* Trans Siberian Railway from Moscow to Beijing or Vladivostok - takes about 7 days, freezing in winter but more to see in summer

Dave's recommendations
* Trans Mongolian from Beijing to Siberia to Moscow - takes 6 days if you do it in one go, recommends stopping off to enjoy the cities en route

Further information
"Manchán's Travels: A Journey Through India" by Manchán Magan
"The Great Railway Bazaar: By Train Through Asia" by Paul Theroux
www.seat61.com - an online service offering advice on all types of train journeys around the world, from budgets to luxury travel