Sleeper Trains Worth Experiencing on Your Travels
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Whether you’re on a European city-hopping adventure or want to cross vast swathes of countryside at once in Southeast Asia, the sleeper train is a convenient and exciting option. Here are the best overnight sleeper journeys you can take with Culture Trip.
You doze off slowly to the soothing motion of a train gently whizzing through the countryside. You wake up in a totally different part of the country, perhaps having arrived at your destination already. Sleeper trains are a unique experience that turn your travel time into an activity in itself, without having to waste a minute of your daytime schedule. It’s a strange blend of efficiency mixed with a sense of childlike wonderment – it’s a gimmick, but it’s fun. Our trips are carefully curated by Travel Experts who know how to perfectly plan out an itinerary that lets you see lots of a country, or even a continent, in just one trip. Our Rail Trips embrace sustainable slow travel, while sleeper trains even feature on our classic Culture Trips, too.
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Caledonian Sleeper train, London to Scotland
Overnight trains from London to Scotland date as far back as 1873, and the Caledonian Sleeper ensures modern travellers get a classy and comfortable journey through the heartlands of England, all the way up to the Scottish Highlands. Setting off from London Euston, you’ll doze off somewhere between the Midlands and the North of England, waking up to truly splendid views of the ruggedly handsome Scottish countryside. After waking yourself up with a good stare outside your cabin window, you can slink down to the dining carriage for a hearty full Highland Breakfast with a view – the perfect way to start the day. It’s how we start our Edinburgh and the Scottish Highlands trip. You’ll meet the group in London, hop onboard and go all the way to Fort William – the starting point of our stunning Scotland rail adventure.
From US$2406.75
Next available from 2nd Sep 2024
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Trip highlights and details
STARTS AT
London, England
ENDS AT
Edinburgh, Scotland
DURATION
7
GROUP SIZE
18
PHYSICAL RATING
Moderate
STYLE
Discovery
Summer Sale
Thai Sleeper, Nong Khai (near Laos) to Bangkok
This comprehensive two-week epic utilises the trains of Thailand and Laos to cover vast swathes of Southeast Asia – swapping the tracks for a Mekong river cruise across the first few days in Laos. The sleeper experience is a particularly useful one that turns our trip into a full loop. Having started in Bangkok and explored Sukhothai, Chiang Mai and Chiang Khong, as well as crossing into Laos and exploring the Mekong and Nam Song rivers, we’ll end up in Vang Vieng. From there we’ll catch a high-speed train to Vientiane, near the Laos-Thai border. We’ll transfer across the border to Nong Khai, where we can catch a sleeper train all the way to Bangkok, meaning you can have two more days in the Thai capital and depart from the same airport you arrived at. The carriages themselves are surprisingly comfortable and, thankfully, air-conditioned. This is no luxury experience, but the convenience is next level.
From US$2226.15
Next available from 12th Oct 2024
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Trip highlights and details
STARTS AT
Bangkok, Thailand
ENDS AT
Bangkok, Thailand
DURATION
14
GROUP SIZE
16
PHYSICAL RATING
Light
STYLE
Discovery
Summer Sale
Watania Sleeper, Giza to Luxor, Egypt
People forget just how massive Egypt is, and often don’t realise how spread out some of its greatest attractions are. Our nine-day Ultimate Egypt trip aims to offer the most comprehensive Egyptian experience out there. All of the most famous sights – Pyramids, Sphinx, Cairo – are in the north, but there’s so much to explore in Luxor and Aswan, both of which we’ll explore during a four day luxury cruise down the Nile – kind of like the water equivalent of a sleeper train. To get from Cairo or Giza to Luxor is a bit of a slog, so we figured the way to do it is by sleeper train, cutting the journey in half thanks to the power of sleep. Cabins have two seats each, which fold out into beds at night, with an extra bunk bed above. Warm and cold drinks are served in a lounge car, while dinner and breakfast is included with the ticket. It’s a big old trip, but an adventure in itself, which unlocks a whole different side to Egypt that you’ve never seen before.
From US$2047.65
Next available from 10th Oct 2024
Secure your spot with a low deposit
Trip highlights and details
STARTS AT
Cairo, Egypt
ENDS AT
Aswan, Egypt
DURATION
9
GROUP SIZE
16
PHYSICAL RATING
Light
STYLE
Discovery
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