The best train journeys in Asia

Revived in 2024 after suspending service during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Eastern & Oriental Express by Belmond is one of Southeast Asia's most luxurious train experiences. The elegant green and cream carriages ply two seasonal routes a year: Essence of Malaysia between November and February and Wild Malaysia between March and October, taking guests on a voyage through the Malaysian jungle, its best food cities, and idyllic islands.

Curated tours and experiences are available every step of the way to immerse you in local culture and practices. Take the expedition through Taman Negara National Park, for example, where you can explore the habitat of critically endangered Malayan tigers or hop on an e-bike to discover mysterious caves in the region. The stop in Penang opens up a world of delicious Peranakan delights, which you can savour with an expert guide or at your own pace. As for the train itself? Look forward to 24-hour steward service, fine dining meals, a Dior spa, and elegant, vintage-inspired furnishings throughout. 

Read about our experience aboard the Eastern & Oriental Express. 

While not officially called the ‘blue train’ – nor should it be confused with the famous South African train of the same name – there’s no easier way to describe these Chinese-made trains that depart Colombo and go to Kandy (famed for its Buddhist temples and tea plantations), Nuwara Eliya, Ella and Badula. It’s the best train ride in Sri Lanka and only takes three hours from Colombo to Kandy, where most travellers alight.

Don’t expect too many frills onboard given its affordable price tag: the air-conditioned first class car is as good as it gets with reclining seats, seat-back tables, and ceiling-hung video screens. Second- and third-class cars aren’t even air-conditioned but come with large opening windows instead. But it’s not all bad because along the way, vendors line the station or jump on to sell local delicacies and it’s a pleasant cacophony of noise and local colour, usually accompanied by loud Bollywood tunes.

If 22 hours just doesn’t cut it, then this is the trip for you. Travellers who undertake this journey rave about the distinctive ever-changing scenery, incredible number of bridges crossed (some going over extreme ravines) and passing through what is known locally as the Death Region, which is self-explanatory. You whizz past nomadic tribes, endless plains and nature reserves and suffer headaches from the altitude – but hey, that’s all part of the epic adventure. Nicknamed the Sky Road, the journey covers more than 4,000km and takes more than 47 hours.

Tickets are very reasonably priced considering the distance: expect to pay about $225 (£184) for a soft sleeper, which is your best option. If you’re on a budget, opt for the hard sleeper at approximately $140 (£114), although sitting for that amount of time on a hard seat in high altitude can be quite uncomfortable.

Sojourn around the island of Kyushu onboard this sophisticated, luxurious train. Seven Stars Cruise Train offers a four-day journey that takes you through five out of Kyushu's seven prefectures: Fukuoka, Oita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima and Kumamoto. Experience the way the locals live and spend the night at a traditional ryokan in Yufuin, one of the best onsen resorts on the island.

Sit by the large windows and watch at Kyushu's landscapes pass you by. And if you're curious about the meals, the Japanese and Western cuisine served onboard is prepared by Seven Stars' head chef, featuring freshly picked vegetables and produce from around Kyushu. 

Weave through the mountain resort of Alishan in central Taiwan onboard the Alishan Forest Railway, a network of 71km of narrow-gauge rail lines in central Taiwan's Alishan mountain range. In fact, it is one of the so-called five wonders of Alishan – which also include the forest, the sea of clouds, the sunrise, and the sunset.

Cruise-style tours were recently introduced to the century-old railway, aiming to preserve it. While affordable, this train journey is nothing ordinary. You'll be travelling on the nostalgic train surrounded by Alishan's misty forests. The journey doesn't stop once you get off the train, though. Visit attractions around Alishan like the Jiemei lake and get an oolong tea-tasting session with local tea farmers.  

Travelling between Vietnam’s two major cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh, the Reunification Express isn’t a luxury service – the best it offers are four-berth cabins in the ‘soft-sleeper class’ but it’s a fantastic way to see the country and you can alight at places like Hue, Da Nang, Nha Trang and the verdant mountains of Sapa. The train travels on a historic 1,700km track originally built 80 years ago by the French, which was severed in 1954 when Vietnam was divided between north and south, only to resume service in 1976 following the end of the Vietnam War.

The cabins offer just enough storage space for your bags and a bed for a good night’s rest – which is all you need, as you’ll be up most of the time watching the scenery and exploring the train stops. Those who want to tough it out can opt for the hard seat but pay a little more and gain access to the soft seats or hard sleeper classes.

It costs about ten times more than a budget flight from Singapore to Bangkok, but this train ride from Kuala Lumpur Sentral to Bangkok is all about the experience. Buy a ticket for the ETS service to Padang Besar on the Thai border, then change to the International Express run by the State Railway of Thailand and make sure you get the air-conditioned sleeper carriage.

Poignantly, the infamous Death Railway – built by the Japanese using POW and local slave labour during WWII – forms part of the track. The train goes over the Bridge on the River Kwai and you can stop at the seaside town of Hua Hin for a few days before catching the train to Bangkok or back to Malaysia.