The most scenic train journeys in Asia

Indian Maharaja Deccan Odyssey

If a RM10,000 train ticket doesn’t make you blink, then take the Indian Maharaja Deccan Odyssey. Based on the royal trains that the maharajas used to travel on during the golden years, this 21-coach train includes 11 luxury cabins, while the rest are occupied by the dining area, lounge and spa. The cabins carry all the trappings of a luxury hotel room, complete with a personal attendant to answer to your every beck and call. A few cars away is a well-stocked bar, and dining cabins serve up meals prepared by the prestigious Taj Hotels and Palaces group. If you get exhausted from sitting down in the lap of luxury, there’s also the spa that offers Ayurvedic treatments. There are several packages to choose from covering places like Goa, Jaipur, Agra, Hyderabad, the Ellora Caves and Udaipur. Most of the trips begin in Mumbai and end in New Delhi.

deccan-odyssey-india.com. Tickets for the 4-night journeys start from US$2,384, and 7-night journeys start from USD6,100.

Beijing-Lhasa

If 22 hours just don’t cut it, then this is the trip for you (it’s also probably easier as there are direct flights to Beijing). Travellers who have done 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’ll whizz past nomadic tribes, endless plains and nature reserves and suffer headaches from the altitude; but it’s all part of the epic adventure.

Known as the ‘Sky Road’ to the Chinese, it covers over 4,000km and takes 47.5 hours. Tickets are very reasonably priced considering the distance and you can expect to pay RMB 1,144 (about RM728) for a soft sleeper, which is your best option. If you’re on a budget, opt for the hard sleeper or a seat at approximately RMB 720 (about RM460), although sitting for that amount of time on a hard seat in high altitude could be quite uncomfortable.

Book tickets from chinatibettrain.com.

Kuala Lumpur-Bangkok

Closer to home, this is an easy trip to get to Bangkok from KL Sentral. 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. Alternatively, you can opt for an opulent ride aboard the Eastern & Oriental express train, which houses you in a cabin decked out with a comfy bed and en suite bathroom, and serves champagne breakfasts, evening cocktails and threecourse meals.

The infamous Death Railway is part of the track and if you’re not a history buff, read up on how this was built by the Japanese using POW and local slave labour. Approximately 90,000 local workers and 13,000 POWs died during construction. 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.

belmond.com/trains/asia/eastern-and-oriental-express. Tickets onboard the E&O starts from USD2,000.

The Blue Train

It’s not officially called the ‘blue train’, but it’s the easiest way to describe these Chinese-made trains departing Colombo and going 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: the air-conditioned first class car is as good as it gets with reclining seats, seat-back tables, and ceiling-hung video screens while the second and third-class cars aren’t air-conditioned and come with large opening windows. Along the way, vendors jump on to sell local delicacies and it’s a pleasant cacophony of noise and local colour, usually accompanied by loud Bollywood tunes.

Book online through visitsrilankatours.co.uk. Tickets from about USD13.

Reunification Express

Travelling between the two major cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh, the Reunification Express isn’t a luxury service – the best they offer are four-berth cabins in the ‘soft-sleeper’ class – but is a fantastic way to see the country and you can alight at places like Hue, Danang and Nha Trang. The train travels on a historic 1,700km track that was built 80 years ago by the French, was cut in 1954 when the country was divided, and only resumed service in 1976. 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, soft seat or hard sleeper classes.

vietnam-railway.com. Tickets from US$50 for hard-seats and USD90 for soft-sleeper berths.