updated June 7, 2025
The train wasn’t always my favourite thing…
Over the years, I’ve come to love travelling by rail. Nothing against trains; I got motion-sickness on planes, boats, and cars, too. With time, better motion-sickness remedies, and a stronger constitution, I now enjoy the relaxation that comes with slower travel. It’s allowed me to see and experience Canada, Japan, Europe, and Asia in ways I wouldn’t have otherwise.
Recently, I took the Pacific Surfliner from Los Angeles to San Luis Obispo. It’s a five-hour journey that takes guests through some of the most beautiful and untouched land on the West Coast. I also chose to take the train from Bodø in Northern Norway to Trondheim. I loved the slow transition from the expanse to the urban.
No matter who I travel with, having those quiet moments and solitude are so important to my health. Riding on the train gives you the space, for each person to stare out into the passing scenery and be with our own thoughts. The point, after all, is the journey, and not the destination. Some say travelling gets you away from home. Yet, when we break from our everyday habits, we come to see who we truly are, in close quarters, new experiences, and out of our comfort zones. Train travel can open us up to parts of ourselves we don’t normally see, entering what Caroline Myss calls our interior castle.
In this article :: Canada | Japan | Paris-Luxembourg-Monte Carlo | Italy | China | Thailand – Eastern & Orient Express
Canada
My first recollection of a train ride was the crazy 3-day-4 night NON-STOP cross-Canada trip. If there were any earlier experiences, this one would have annihilated them. Trumped them all. I wouldn’t say it was traumatic; it was certainly memorable. Doesn’t it say something when the crystal-clear distillate of this experience nearly 30 years ago is the length of the trip? 3 DAYS 4 NIGHTS S.T.R.A.I.G.H.T.
We were all very young and my memories of it are admittedly spotty. I do remember it being incredibly boring (imagine 3 kids stuck on a train for that long!). Plus getting motion-sickness really didn’t add any joy. I spent much of the trip with my head gingerly propped up, fearing the next bump or the next turn, praying for the queasiness to dissipate or for sleep to consume me.
And being a little compulsive about showering, I was disturbed about the whole sink-shower experience (aka splashing water). Never mind sharing a public bathroom for a good part of a week.
I’m sure we complained incessantly. Poor mom. It wasn’t unusual for us to travel without our dad. In fact, when we were young, our parents never travelled together, for fear of orphaning us.
The saving grace, for both us and my mom, was meeting a very sweet elderly woman from Nova Scotia, or was it New Brunswick? Maybe it was PEI. She spoke to us at length and loaned us her Reader’s Digests. All three of us LOVE to read and I’m sure mom appreciated the golden silence.
That’s the thing, I guess, you never know who you meet. It’s never really by chance, is it? It’s remarkable how people seem somehow friendlier on trains than they do on planes. Perhaps it’s because we are free to move about and we have already decided to take it slow, and take the rush out of the journey.
Train travel across Canada is booked with VIA Rail Canada or trans-Canada tours with Canada Rail Vacations.
Costs on VIA Rail Canada depend on travel dates. Leaving Vancouver for Toronto on July 21, 2025, Economy Class starts at $649 Canadian and Sleeper Car Class starts at $1,949 Canadian (based on available information June 7, 2025). The reservation calendar goes one year out.
Sleeper Class options are Berth, Cabin for 1, and Cabin for 2, and Prestige. Sleeper Class is available for long travel and options vary depending on journey. Prestige is only available between Vancouver and Toronto. Below are some of the differences between the Sleeper Class options. Note not all descriptions and services have been included.
| Sleeper Class Options | Daytime – Nighttime | Washroom | Meals | Other |
| Berth | Wide seat converts to upper/lower berth; curtain for privacy | washroom facilities same car; access to shower facilities | none included | no electric outlet |
| Cabin for 1 | daytime seat folds out as a single bed | private toilet (gets covered by bed at night); shower facilities in car | none included | window with blinds; cabin door locks from inside only |
| Cabin for 2 | two sofa chairs for daytime; upper and lower berths at night | private washroom with amenities; shower facilities in car (1 per car) | none included | large window with blinds; cabin door locks from inside only |
| Prestige | couch converts to double bed | private washroom with shower with amenities | gourmet meals & bar service | entertainment system; reserved seating in the Dining car, as well as the dome section of the Park car |
Japan
The first time I travelled solo by rail was the summer I graduated from UBC. Was that the first time I travelled by myself? I was thinking about that the other day in the shower.
My high-school friend, Cathy, and I were on an exchange program based in Tokyo. After that ended, she went ahead to visit her grandparents in Hiroshima and I was to meet her a few days afterwards.
I was completely undaunted by my rudimentary Japanese and travelling alone. In fact I was 110% stoked to ride the famous Shinkansen, visit Kyoto on the way, and overnight in Osaka with my friend Roger. After all, the entire trip, should I change my mind, was only five hours from Tokyo to Hiroshima.
Exploring Japan is easy, even if you don’t know any Japanese. A good guidebook and a willingness to communicate with hand gestures and a smile can get you far, probably anywhere; though in Japan, it’s a sure thing. I’ve been rescued many times from the labyrinths of some of the larger train stations. Like Ueno, where I couldn’t figure my way back to left luggage.
The tourist offices at the train stations are very helpful and the brochures come in English and other languages. The trains are always on time and it’s pretty clear where you are supposed to go. Even in a sprawling station, it all works out.
The Japanese Rail Pass
Be sure to get the Japanese Rail Pass which is the most economical way to travel. Previously we had to purchase the pass before arriving in Japan. It seems now you can have it delivered to where you will be staying in Japan. However, if you are wanting to use it right away from the airport, then you’ll want to get it delivered to your home first.
I bought the 7-day pass and there are 14- and 21-day options as well. Get it activated only when you are ready to travel around the country. Even though I didn’t need mine for seven days, it was cheaper than to buy a roundtrip Shinkansen ticket. Plus it covered my city train use as well. If you are going to Japan during high-season, go for the Green Pass which offers access to more spacious seatings. It’s important to remember that some lines are not covered by the Rail Pass and the trains are run by different companies so what you get is not the same across all trains.
Travelling on Japanese Trains
The Japanese people primarily commute to work, leaving their bikes at the train station and taking the train into Tokyo and other large cities. This means that the local trains, especially during rush hours, get very packed. You may have seen videos of oshiya (押し屋) who push passengers in to make sure everyone is inside the train car and not caught in the doors. So plan when you travel by local train – some lines are more congested as well.
The thing I love about Japanese trains is that the seats are spacious and swivel so I never have to stress about figuring out which is the front of the train. It’s not always obvious.
One of the highlights of travelling on the Shinkansen was the food carts that come through and you can get good food like an ekiben. An Eki-bento-uri literally means “bento sold at the station” or a packed lunch. It is a fantastic way to sample local specialities. I always find it quite filling as well. However, starting October 2023, the food carts were discontinued. You can still buy food or eat at the stations, before boarding. Platform kiosks also offer a smaller selection if you forget. Another reason to travel in the Green Car? You can still order from the mobile app.
Travelling by train from Tokyo to Hiroshima is one of the best ways to see Japan, especially as an introduction to the country.
Other train trips – Hokkaido to Tokyo 2009 and Osaka to Kyoto 2015.
PARIS – LUXEMBOURG – MONTE CARLO
In 2002 I headed to Europe and travelled by train to visit Luxembourg to see if it could be a possibility as the next stop after Bermuda. This tiny country seemed like an ideal location for exploring Europe.
The golds and reds of autumn on a cool crisp sunny day was my first impression of Luxembourg, just a short train ride from Paris. The train was accommodated with four-seaters, which are great for travelling with friends and somewhat awkward with strangers. In 2002, no one was hiding behind cell phones.
From Luxembourg it was onto Monte Carlo. Or perhaps it was from Paris as well. So long ago, these details now escape me. I do remember the light filling the cars and the seats facing the “wrong” way. Because I had to head to the dining car to head off my motion-sickness. There, I could sit more comfortably and stay hydrated.
Italy
The Rome train station had the best-tasting paninis. They were cheap and tasty and I’m sure many locals would beg to differ. It was on a train trip to Pisa that these delicious and easy meals were discovered. With breakfast taken care off, it was off for a day-trip to Torre di Pisa.
Pisa is 214 miles/344 KM from Rome, only a few hours away by train, depending on whether you take the slow, medium or fast train. I don’t think I knew about these options and was happy to take the next train, whatever speed it was. You can also drive if you want to brave a four-hour trip on the faster A1 or the coastal and more scenic E80. Now with over 70 trains travelling to Pisa, there are a few high-speed options that can get you there in two hours, or less. The first ones leave around 7am and so a Pisa day-trip is highly recommended.
It’s easy enough just to show up at the station, buy the tickets for the next train, and head to Pisa. You can also get the hotel concierge to arrange it or check the schedule and buy online at Trenitalia. Here’s more information on Rome-Pisa rail travel with Italia Rail. The direct high-speed train takes just over two hours and the regional train takes about three hours. Driving takes four. On weekdays, there are 72 daily Rome-Pisa trains, including the indirect routes that require a change at Florence. The first departs at 6:15AM and the last, 8:12PM. Tickets are as low as $12/one way.
The Pisa Centrale Station is about a twenty-minute walk from the tower. Other options are the bus and taxi and depending on the weather, those may be easier. Even though it was the hottest summer in 100 years (that year), I opted for the walk.
Going to Pisa for the day, with such a great train schedule, is a fun and easy day trip from Rome.
China
By far the train ride I worried about most was the overnighter from Beijing to Shanghai. It’s definitely my prejudice that China is dirty and yes, I was worried about the toilet.
However, China’s development continues to amaze the world and trains just keep getting better, faster, and more modern. In July 2011, they introduced the G Category 300 km/h trains which can get you there in just under 5 hours. The D Category 200 km/h sleeper cars were introduced in December 2008. Another overnight option is the regular-speed Z282. More information on trains.
All these options were not yet available for my 2007 summer trip. It was only the older T trains. Luckily, with my cousin’s help, we managed to book one of the few deluxe 2-berth sleepers with a private bathroom. It was worth the extra money.
Travelling from Beijing to Shanghai by train is a great way to save on hotel bills and eliminate the headaches of air travel. The sleeper was comfortable enough and I was happy that the cars were clean and roomy.
Getting through the crowds and figuring out where to go was more daunting than what I was used to with rail travel. As soon as the conductor checked our tickets, I fell asleep from exhaustion.
The thing missing from an overnight trip, which is a bonus of travelling by train, is the scenery. For the next seven hours, we whisked through blackness. It didn’t matter much, since I was already deep asleep.
Thailand – Orient Express
In the summer of 2013, the Eastern & Orient Express took me from Bangkok to Singapore. Flying into Bangkok a few days ahead, I enjoyed some shopping, pool time, high tea, and relaxation. Even under grey skies, the beautiful pool at the Peninsula was full. With views of the Chao Phraya River, slow swims and lounging with a drink was the break I needed.
The Eastern & Orient Express whisks its guests back to a time of opulence, with well-appointed and elegant train carriages. Launched in 1993, this adventure was the vision of an American businessman.
The journey took three nights, with a guided tour at one of the stops. As the train rolled through lush forests and tea plantations, I sat in the cabin’s comfortable loungers looking outside, watching the landscapes disappear. Now and then, I would jot my thoughts down in my journal. Or I visited the Observation Car, located at the rear of the train which gave a different perspective. With its open window, I could catch fresh air and a breeze, which helped tremendously whenever I was feeling claustrophobic indoors.
Dinner was served on white-linen tables, with crystal glasses glistening in the warm sunset glow. Four-course meals of local flavours and inspiration, each plate was beautifully presented and absolutely enjoyable.
Travelling by train is a different philosophy. It’s not for everyone, or for every trip. Maybe we do it because it’s more economical, more environmentally-friendly, more romantic, and sometimes it’s just easier. With the world moving at an increasingly manic pace, I wouldn’t be surprised if more people started to seek out normality through a slower way to travel. A more grounded way to be.
Even sitting inside a bullet train, travelling at incredible speeds, we still feel more connected to the land, more aware of the distance we are moving over, as perhaps a gauge of the inner reconnection we are making. I prefer the ease, watching the countryside pass by, to the jolt of air travel. Now, seeing a country by car….that’s even better.