K1 class locomotive No. 62005 pulling the 'Jacobite' train (Photo: JoachimKohler-HB CC BY-SA 4.0 )
These are UK-based tour operators and specialist travel agencies featuring rail tours and holidays by train, including vintage and steam trains.
| Belmond | 020 3117 1300 | Classic luxury rail experiences. Belmond operate the Venice Simplon Orient Express train in Europe; The Eastern & Orient Express in SE Asia; The Belmond British Pullman and The Belmond Northern Belle in the UK; The Belmond Grand Hibernian in Ireland; The Royal Scotsman in Scotland; The Belmond Hiram Bingham and The Belmond Andean Explorer in Peru. |
| Byway | 020 4525 6215 | Specialise in sustainable ‘no-flight’ travel in Europe, creating travel and accommodation packages using predominately trains, but also bikes, buses and ferries. |
| Cox & Kings | 020 3813 9446 | Cox & Kings have a portfolio of around 40 ‘Great Train Journeys of the World’. |
| Danube Express | 0161 928 9410 | Central European hotel train, operating since 2008. The train itself offers touring holidays from Istanbul to the Baltic, with itineraries in specific regions and countries eg. Transylvannia or Poland. |
| Darjeeling Tours | 0249 8943 | Special interest escorted group railtours to the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway in India since 2002, and SOMETIMES steam railway experiences in New Zealand and Colorado. |
| Ffestiniog Travel | 01766 772030 | A spin-off from the Ffestiniog railway enthusiasts. Rail based holidays on scenic routes in thirty countries worldwide. Escorted groups or tailor-made. |
| Geoff’s Trains & Tours | 07752 143657 | Small group, hosted (by Geoff) tours in Britain, Europe, Africa and worldwide for tourists and railway enthusiasts. |
| Golden Eagle Luxury Trains | 0161 928 9410 | Since 1989 they’ve been well-known to rail tour enthusiasts as GW Travel, specialising in the Trans Siberian Express and exclusive private train journeys to all 15 of the former Soviet Union countries plus China. In 2012 they become bound up with the Golden Eagle – Russia’s first privately-owned, fully en-suite train (hence the name change) operating tours across Russia, Mongolia and China. Now they also operate tours in Europe. |
| Great Rail Journeys | 01904 734 154 | Longstanding (30+ yrs) specialist rail tour operator with a large programme of escorted rail holidays to destinations throughout the UK and mainland Europe as well as North America, Russia, India, South Africa and Australasia. |
| Leger | 01709 787 463 | Leger have a small programme of holidays by rail around Europe. |
| Luxury Trains | 0333 405 0192 | Luxury Trains sell a range of luxury rail tours on, eg. The Blue Train, Venice-Simplon-Orient Express. |
| PTG Tours | 01235 227288 | Vintage train tours in Europe (Portugal & Spain in particular) and further afield. |
| RailBookers | 020 3780 2222 | Specialise in city breaks by rail, classic rail journeys and train holidays to Europe and beyond. Despite the name, they are not a rail ticketing agency; they create travel packages including accommodation whether that be in hotels or on-board trains. |
| Rail Discoveries | 01904 734 939 | Escorted group rail holidays mostly in the UK and Europe, plus a few worldwide itineraries. Sister brand of Great Rail Journeys (above), renamed from Treyn Holidays in Aug 2014. |
| Railtrail Tours | 01538 382323 | Longstanding (35+ years) operator offering small escorted holidays by train in the UK & Europe European tours. |
| Railway Touring Company, The | 01553 661 500 | Amazing range of specially chartered steam rail journeys in the UK & Europe…..AND in places as diverse as Eritrea, Sri Lanka, China, Peru, Jordan, Syria, Ukraine & Latvia. |
| Steam Dreams | 01483 209888 | Operator of The Cathedrals Express, which runs day trips during the summer from London Waterloo on an authentic steam engine, and causes much branding confusion because they also operate steam tours all over the UK and some trips to Europe. |
| Tailor Made Rail | 020 3322 7741 | Independent rail travel expert specialising in bespoke rail holidays throughout Europe and around the world. |
| Train Chartering | 01249 890 176 | Charter agents who arranges private trains throughout the UK & abroad, and group travel in private carriages on scheduled trains. Their speciality is sourcing, theming and crewing special trains for corporate & private events, film locations & airport or cruise liner transfers. They have two sub-brands, Luxury Train Club offers 26 luxury trains travelling through 35 countries on 4 continents, and they offer private rail car hire on Amtrak trains in the USA through Private Rail Cars. |
| West Coast Railways | 0333 996 6692 | Steam rail tours and excursions particularly around the Northeast of England on some of Britain’s most scenic railways, such as the Settle-Carlisle and Fort William-Mallaig (See feature image). |
By the Way – I try to check these for inaccuracies as often as is reasonable, but it’s always been a fast moving industry. Brands come, brands go, products change. Let me know if there’s something wrong.
Image: LNER K1 class (2-6-0) No. 62005 at Mallaig railway station pulling West Coast Railways’ Jacobite summer service between Mallaig & Fort William. (JoachimKohler-HB, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
