Special interest – spring
Early bookings for 2019 have seen a rise in enquiries from customers looking to combine a holiday with a special interest. Rail Discoveries offers a range of Special Interest Tours across Europe, from wintry delights of huskies and the Northern Lights in Norway to France’s elegant waterways. With the spring flowers blooming, it’s the ideal opportunity for keen gardeners to visit to the lower countries with their spectacular bulb fields. 2019 is the 70th edition of Keukenhof, with a theme of Flower Power.
Take the high-speed Eurostar train from London’s St Pancras International to Brussels for the Floralia Spring Flower Show and Keukenhof Gardens tour, which is a delightful short break in both Belgium and the Netherlands. It includes excursions to the Floralia Spring Flower Exhibition, hosted at Château de Grand-Bigard, and the National Botanic Garden of Belgium, which boasts more than 18,000 different plant species. In the Netherlands, the tour stops at the pretty pottery town of Delft and the world’s largest flower garden at Keukenhof Gardens. Three tours are departing on 8th, 15th and 22nd April 2019. At five days in length, this tour is perfect for people looking to book a second holiday for the year.
Staycations – summer
Following this year’s warm and sunny British summer, 59% of holidaymakers are planning a domestic break in 2019 (Abta Travel Trends report 2019). Visitors taking ‘staycations’ will be heading to all four corners of the British Isles, but Scotland is attracting particular attention, with the Highlands and Islands region recently voted a must-visit for 2019 by Lonely Planet.
The long summer days are a perfect time to explore the stunning landscapes of Scotland. Rail Discoveries’ tour of the Outer Hebrides and Highlands is packed full of scenic highlights, from the historic cities of Fort William and Inverness to the natural wonders of the Isles of Skye and Lewis, taking in castles and historic monuments along the way. As part of the trip, visitors will board a Jacobite steam train on the West Highland Line to travel across the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct with its 21 arches. The tour also includes Scotland’s two most prominent cities, as it begins in Glasgow and ends in Edinburgh. There are five tours running throughout summer 2019. The first tour departs on 7th May, with the final tour departing on 19th September.
Grand tours – autumn
Once-in-a-lifetime holidays that celebrate special occasions have been a strong request for 2019 bookings and many clients have opted for grand tours. Rail Discoveries offers six different grand tours in its global portfolio, covering Europe, North America and Asia. Proving popular is Asia and the Far East in particular, as customers are drawn by its rich culture, exotic landscapes and superb hospitality.
The Highlights of Vietnam and Cambodia tour takes in two of Southeast Asia’s most fascinating and beautiful countries in one unforgettable trip. Fly from London to Hanoi, where you can explore temples, sample Vietnamese street food and visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, where the former leader is interred. A cruise around the stunning Halong Bay and surrounding waters is followed by an overnight train journey to Da Nang and on to Hoi An for a walking tour. Next up is Ho Chi Minh City, from which the tour group visits the Cu Chi tunnels, last used 50 years ago by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. The journey moves onward to Cambodia, where highlights are a stay in the capital Phnom Penh and excursion to its glorious Royal Palace, and Siem Reap, which includes a stop at the world-famous Angkor Wat, a spectacular temple from the 12th Century. Autumn is the perfect time to visit as the summer heat begins to ease off and tours run on 13th September, 11th October and 1st November.
Classic rail journeys – winter
Classic rail journeys that embrace the joy of the train journey itself are also proving popular for 2019, with ABTA research showing that 45% of holiday makers feel more confident booking with a trusted expert to an established destination. Winter is a wonderful time to head to the mountains and absorb stunning snow-capped landscapes, many of which can only be reached by train. The Swiss Alps offer some of the most spectacular train journeys in the world and are a perfect short-haul destination for a winter holiday.
The magnificent railways of Switzerland can be experienced with Rail Discoveries’ best-selling Glacier Express tour, departing on 27th January and 3rd February 2019. Based at the Hotel Albula & Julier in the small village of Tiefencastel, this all-inclusive holiday includes journeys on the Arosa Line, which begins at the oldest settlement in Switzerland, and the jaw-dropping Bernina Express, which is classed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO due to its beauty and incredible engineering. The Glacier Express itself is a narrow-gauge railway with panoramic windows for passengers to marvel at the outstanding Alpine scenery. The tour also stops in Strasbourg on the French-German border, the glamorous ski resort of St Moritz and the city of Basel, which lies on the River Rhine.
