With more travellers choosing journeys where getting there is part of the full experience, Trafalgar, one of the world’s most loved and trusted travel companies, is putting train travel at the forefront with its Rail Journeys collection – one of four dedicated travel categories across its portfolio.
From Kyoto’s temples to the foot of the Matterhorn, the guided itineraries span across Japan, Switzerland, Italy and New Zealand, trading road travel for alpine passes, Renaissance cities and spectacular mountain views. With an expert Travel Director looking after all trip logistics from purchasing tickets to making connections, guests are left to simply choose a window seat and enjoy the view.
Japan by Bullet Train from Tokyo to Osaka
Trafalgar’s 10-day journey through Japan puts the country’s famous bullet trains at the heart of the experience, linking four cities at high speed. After a Taiko drumming lesson in Tokyo and views from Mt. Fuji’s 5th Station, travellers will board the bullet train to Kyoto to wander Arashiyama’s bamboo groves and the Golden Pavilion of Kinkakuji Temple. The journey continues by rail to Hiroshima, with a ferry crossing to Miyajima Island to see the great torii gate rising out of the sea, before a final bullet train ride to Osaka. Along the way, guests will support local artisans during a MAKE TRAVEL MATTERTM Experience at a Kiyomizu pottery workshop.
Trafalgar’s 11-day Classic Japan tour is priced from R113 500 per person, excluding flights. Selected departures available at this price from 05 February 2027.
A sustainable journey in Switzerland on the Glacier Express
As the world’s first ‘Swisstainable’ tour, this eight-day journey reveals Switzerland’s scenery from the comfort of a train. After a rail journey via Chur to the stylish resort of St. Moritz, travellers will board the legendary Glacier Express, crossing bridges and the Oberalp Pass at 2,044 metres, arriving in Zermatt at the foot of the Matterhorn. Continuing by train to lakeside Geneva and along the Golden Pass route to Interlaken and Lucerne, highlights include a MAKE TRAVEL MATTERTM walking tour of Zürich’s Old Town with a local change maker and a Be My Guest home-cooked dinner on the Meyer family’s farm.
Trafalgar’s eight-day Contrasts of Switzerland tour is priced from R77 700 per person, excluding flights. Selected departures available at this price from 27 June 2027, first departures available from 4 April 2027.
Italy’s High-Speed Trains Through the Renaissance
On this 10-day Italian adventure linking Rome, Florence and Venice by high-speed train, guests will enjoy the Tuscan countryside and the Apennines rolling past the window. In Rome, guests will visit the Colosseum and see St. Peter’s Basilica, before travelling by rail to Florence to admire Michelangelo’s David and the Ponte Vecchio. A visit to Pisa’s Square of Miracles is followed by a Be My Guest lunch at Agriturismo Borgo Vigna Vecchia, surrounded by vineyards and olive groves. The journey concludes in Venice, where travellers cruise by private launch to St. Mark’s Square and witness the centuries-old craft of Venetian glassblowing.
Trafalgar’s 10-day Contrasts of Italy tour is priced from R64 000 per person, excluding flights. Selected departures available at this price from 30 August 2027, first departures available from 19 April 2027.
Discover New Zealand by TranzAlpine
Trafalgar’s 10-day South Island journey saves its grand finale for the rails, as travellers board the TranzAlpine, one of the world’s most scenic train journeys. Crossing the Southern Alps from Greymouth to Christchurch, the route winds through tunnels and over viaducts past snow-capped peaks, beech forests and dramatic river gorges. Before boarding, guests will cruise the tranquil waters of Milford Sound, take in the majesty of Franz Josef Glacier and enjoy a Be My Guest Pavlova afternoon tea with former farmers Angie and Stan Taylor on the shores of Lake Tekapo. A MAKE TRAVEL MATTERTM Experience on Lake Manapouri also supports conservation efforts to restore Pomona Island as a sanctuary for native birds.
Trafalgar’s 10-day Southern Spectacular tour is priced from R76 500 per person, excluding flights. Selected departures available at this price from 13 April 2027, first departures available from 10 November 2026.
