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From Times Online

April 4, 2007

Ask our expert: rail travel

Times Online rail expert Alan Heywood reveals his favourite train journeys and where to buy the cheapest tickets for foreign rail travel

A TGV train in France

Alan Heywood is our Times Online Travel rail expert

Alan Heywood

What is your favourite rail journey?

I'm not sure that one can ever have just one favourite rail journey because there are so many different things to take into account - so I'll cheat and choose two.

For scenery and sheer spectacle you don't need to go too far from home and I'd go for something in Switzerland, probably the "Bernina Express" from Chur across the Alps to Tirano, which is just inside Italy. This line is operated by the Rhaetian Railways which is a metre gauge (i.e slightly smaller than normal) network of lines in the mountainous east of the country. The train crosses two mountain passes, the Albula and Bernina and climbs to over 7,000 feet with amazing spirals and hairpins - yes, it's even possible for your train to be pointing north and south at the same time. The train is hauled by a powerful electric loco hauling air conditioned panoramic coaches and runs every day of the year.

The complete return journey takes all day but there is time for a leisurely lunch and and a bit of sightseeing in Tirano. Its sister train, the more famous "Glacier Express", is run by the same company on a different route but, for my money, I find the former route has a greater variety of scenery. Others would no doubt argue the opposite.

Details of both trains are at www.rhb.ch and, for more general information on Switzerland including Swiss travel passes, try the Swiss National Tourist Office

My next favourite journey is in the USA and once again I'm going for a scenic line because that's what rail travel does best. You simply sit back and enjoy the scenery without having to worry about keeping your eyes on the road. The "California Zephyr" runs daily from Chicago to San Francisco though the best scenery starts at Denver and that's where I would join the train. The journey takes you across the Rockies, through canyons in Utah, the Nevada Desert and finally across the Sierras. Journey's end is at Emeryville where there is a short bus transfer over the Bay Bridge into San Francisco, surely a great destination in its own right.

From Denver this would take two days and a night with an extra half day and extra night if starting in Chicago. The train is run by Amtrak which is the organisation that operates all the long distance trains in the USA and is well appointed with comfortable roomettes or bedrooms for overnight accommodation plus a dining car with a good range of meals (including vegeterian options) and an observation lounge car and bar. What more could you need?

Incidentally, all meals are included in the cost if using the sleeping cars but not if you sit up all night in Coach Class - absolutely not recommended unless you are on a tight budget or a backpacker. Just one word of warning - timekeeping can be erratic due to the distance involved and the fact that long distance freight takes priority in the USA. It really doesn't matter of course because there's nothing to rush for but don't plan an important engagement half an hour after scheduled arrival.

The Amtrak website only takes credit cards issued in the USA. Nevertheless you'll find the site useful for schedules, fares and details of the trains and routes. To purchase a ticket, go to a rail specialist travel agency or visit the Travel Bureau, Womborne.

What's your advice for getting the cheapest European rail tickets?

Most long distance European trains, including Eurostar and the British "domestic" services, now work to a system which allows the first bookings to be charged at a cheap fare then, when the quota is full, the next comers are charged slightly more and so on until, when the train is near capacity, last minute folk are charged full fare. The difference between cheapest and most expensive is substantial and so it pays to book early if you can.

Eurostar bookings open 120 days before travel and most other services are now 90 days although some countries still work to the old 60 day rule. If you are making a journey involving two or more railway administrations you really need a "one stop shop" for ticketing which will enable you to put a Eurostar reservation on hold until the later booking windows open. Otherwise you may find you have got yourself a cheap Eurostar ticket but then can't get beyond Paris without paying an arm and a leg because there's an important football match or some such on the same day.