The Top 15 Most Scenic Train Routes in the World: 2026 Ranking

Rail routes can transform an ordinary trip into a full-fledged visual journey—from Alpine glaciers to tropical forests and red deserts. Using eye-tracking technology, researchers have identified which routes capture the eye the longest. Learn more about the 15 most attractive train journeys in the world and their rankings in the 2026 list

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Traveling by train remains one of the most convenient ways to see the world from a new perspective. Recently, the British insurance company InsureAndGo conducted a large-scale study to determine which train routes around the world are the most visually appealing. Using eye-tracking technology, researchers evaluated 24 routes from different continents and compiled a ranking of the 15 most visually appealing train journeys.

Japan took the top spot, while Europe dominates the upper part of the ranking—four of the top ten routes are located on this continent. Australia was a surprise, securing two spots in the top 15 despite the relatively small scale of rail tourism in the country.

We’ll explain how the study was conducted, which routes made the list, and why they received the highest scores in the article below.

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Planning a trip from Ukraine to Europe or in the opposite direction?

Visit Ukraine offers comfortable transfers from Ukraine to Europe and back. This is the best option for those who want to cross the border quickly, avoid unnecessary transfers, and arrive stress-free.

How did InsureAndGo evaluate the appeal of the routes?

The study involved 100 respondents from various countries around the world. Each was shown a series of photos of the scenery visible from train windows on 24 well-known routes. Using eye-tracking technology, two parameters were recorded: time to first fix (TTFF)—that is, how quickly the image captured attention—and total viewing duration, which reflected sustained interest in what was seen.

The final “attractiveness” score for each route was calculated using a weighted formula: 25% was based on the TTFF, and 75% on the total viewing duration. Thus, greater weight was given to routes whose landscapes people viewed longer, rather than just those that instantly caught the eye. Data current as of March 2026.

Asian Train Routes: Japan and Taiwan Top the Rankings

The Japanese “Sagano Romantic Train” took the top spot in the rankings with an attractiveness score of 91.9 out of 100. The route runs between Saga-Arashiyama and Kameoka stations in Kyoto, along the Hozu River. The trip itself lasts only 25 minutes, but during this time, passengers see the Arashiyama bamboo forest, riverside cliffs, and mountain scenery. The train’s open-air cars provide a panoramic view. Tickets for the route sell out quickly, especially during the cherry blossom season in spring and the autumn foliage season.

Photo: Freepik

The fifth spot in the ranking went to Taiwan’s Alishan Forest Railway with a score of 84.8 points. This mountain railway climbs to an altitude of over 2,000 meters, passing through five distinct vegetation zones—from dense forest to tea plantations. The scenery outside the window changes literally with every kilometer of ascent. Morning trips at dawn are particularly popular, offering a view of the sunrise above the clouds, so more passengers are expected on these departures.

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European Routes: Switzerland, Scotland, and Austria

Europe turned out to be the most represented continent at the top of the ranking. Two Swiss routes made it into the top three. In second place is the Bernina Express (91.5 points)—a railway included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The route connects Chur in Switzerland and Tirano in Italy, passing through the Alps. The highest point of the journey is Ospizio Bernina—the highest railway point among all non-rack-and-pinion Alpine routes. During the four-hour journey, passengers see glaciers, frozen lakes, and snow-capped mountain peaks.

Photo: Christoph Benz

Third place went to the Glacier Express (88.5 points), known as “the slowest express train in the world.” The journey between Zermatt and St. Moritz takes about eight hours, and this pace is intentional—the train moves slowly so passengers can admire the Matterhorn and the Rhine Gorge, known as the “Swiss Grand Canyon.”

Fourth place in the ranking went to Scotland’s West Highland Line with a score of 86.0 points. The route between Glasgow and Mallaig passes by Loch Lomond and over the Glenfinnan Viaduct—a bridge that Harry Potter fans will immediately recognize as a filming location. Unlike many other routes in the ranking, the West Highland Line operates as a regular service, and no special tourist ticket is required. The “Jacobite” steam locomotive additionally runs on part of the route during the season.

Photo: BBC

The Austrian Semmering Railway (78.7 points) took eighth place in the ranking. It is the world’s first mountain railway built using a steam locomotive, and since 1998 it has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The route crosses the Semmering Pass in the Eastern Alps, with small picturesque villages dotted along the way.

Routes in North and South America: from Canada to Peru

Both American continents are represented in the ranking by five routes. In sixth place is the Brazilian Serra Verde Express

(84.4 points), the only South American route in the top ten. The train runs from the city of Curitiba to the coastal town of Morretes, covering 110 kilometers through one of the world’s largest remaining tracts of Atlantic Forest. These forests are home to jaguars and toucans.

Canada’s Rocky Mountaineer took seventh place with a score of 83.2 points. The route passes through the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta—passengers see glaciers, mountain lakes, and occasionally eagles, bears, or moose in the valleys. The cars are equipped with floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows, and the train runs exclusively during the day, allowing passengers to see the Rocky Mountains in full light.

Photo: Rocky Mountaineer

The American Coast Starlight (77.8 points), which runs between Los Angeles and Seattle, took ninth place. The route runs along the Pacific coast with ocean views, then heads inland through Oregon’s Cascade Mountains and the forests of Washington State. The entire trip takes about 35 hours, so a sleeper car is a practical choice for this long journey.

In tenth place is the White Pass & Yukon Route (76.9 points), a historic railway built during the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898. The route connects Skagway, Alaska, with Whitehorse, Yukon, passing through virtually untouched wilderness. Peru’s Central Andean Railway (76.8 points) rounds out the American portion of the ranking in eleventh place.

Photo: Tripadvisor

Routes in Australia, New Zealand, and Africa

Australia was one of the surprises of the study. For a country where rail tourism is far less developed than in Europe, two routes made it into the top 15. The Kuranda Scenic Railway took twelfth place with a score of 76.5 points.

The route passes through an ancient rainforest in the state of Queensland. In fifteenth place is The Ghan (73.3 points), which offers a completely different landscape: the red desert of the Australian outback.

New Zealand’s TranzAlpine took thirteenth place (75.6 points), and South Africa’s Blue Train took fourteenth (75.5 points). These routes, despite being located in different hemispheres and on different continents, received nearly identical attractiveness scores, indicating fierce competition at the lower end of the ranking.

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