There is a particular kind of holiday that Great Rail Journeys does better than anyone: you get to the good bits by train, somebody else carries the responsibility, and the journey stops being the boring part in the middle.
They have been at it for more than fifty years, they carry around 70,000 customers a year, and they are a Which? Recommended Provider. They are also based in York, which feels about right for a company built on railways.
What is a rail holiday, exactly?
An escorted tour where the trains are the connective tissue. A UK Tour Manager travels with the group from departure to return, the rail travel and hotels are booked and ticketed in advance, and the excursions are led by local guides.
The practical effect is that you see the country between the cities instead of thirty thousand feet of cloud. On a Swiss tour that is the entire point — the scenery is the itinerary.
The kinds of trip they run
- Escorted rail tours — the core business, with a UK Tour Manager throughout.
- Small group tours — averaging around 22 travellers, for people who baulk at a coachload.
- Luxury train holidays — including the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express.
- River cruises — across Europe, often combined with rail.
- Rail and ocean cruise combinations — arrive by train, leave by ship.
- Solo tours — with no single supplement on selected departures.
That last point is worth pausing on. A single supplement can add a serious amount to the cost of a trip, and having it waived outright on some tours is a real saving rather than a marketing line.
Where they go
Great Rail Journeys run tours across Switzerland, Italy, Scandinavia, Japan, India, Canada, the USA, Africa, Ireland and the UK itself. Switzerland is the heartland — it has the best rail network in the world for this sort of holiday — but the long-haul programme is substantial.
What it costs
A guide to the range, taken at the time of writing in August 2026. Prices move, so check the live price for any tour you are seriously considering:
| Tour | Length | From |
|---|---|---|
| India | 14 days | £2,499pp |
| Northern Lights & Lapland | 9 days | WAS |
| Switzerland | 10 days | £4,199pp |
Compare those against doing it yourself before deciding they look steep. Fourteen days in India with internal rail, hotels, guides and a tour manager is not the same product as a flight and a hotel.
Who it suits
People who want to see a lot without organising any of it, who would rather not fly internally, and who quite like trains — or at least don’t mind them. It suits solo travellers particularly well, given the no-supplement departures and the built-in company.
It suits you less if you want to change plans on a whim, or if the idea of a group itinerary makes your teeth itch. That is a fair trade rather than a flaw.
Click here to browse Great Rail Journeys tours
Itineraries, inclusions and prices change between seasons — check the current details before booking. This page was written in August 2026.
Disclosure: the Great Rail Journeys links on this page are affiliate links. If you book through them I may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It doesn’t change the price you pay.
