GetRail refers to Great Rail Journeys, a specialist travel company focused on worldwide train tours and rail holidays. The company creates travel experiences centered around railway journeys, combining scenic train routes with accommodation, sightseeing, cultural activities, and excursions.
With more than five decades of experience in rail travel, Great Rail Journeys has developed a broad portfolio of holidays across Europe and destinations around the world. Its offerings include escorted rail holidays, independent journeys, tailor-made trips, river cruises, and premium rail experiences.
The GetRail concept is built around a simple idea: the train journey can be an important part of the holiday rather than merely transportation between destinations. Travelers can watch mountains, countryside, coastlines, cities, and historic landscapes pass by while moving between destinations.
This approach makes rail travel particularly attractive to people who enjoy scenic journeys, slower-paced exploration, and multi-destination vacations.
GetRail and Great Rail Journeys
The name GetRail is closely associated with the Great Rail Journeys brand and its focus on rail-based travel.
Great Rail Journeys specializes in designing holidays where trains form an integral part of the itinerary. Instead of asking travelers to arrange every train, hotel, transfer, and excursion independently, many of its packages combine these elements into a single organized experience.
The company offers both guided and independent options, allowing travelers to choose the level of support they want.
Escorted tours provide the structure of a planned itinerary and the assistance of a tour manager, while independent and tailor-made options offer greater flexibility.
Worldwide Train Tours
One of the defining characteristics of GetRail and Great Rail Journeys is the international scope of its rail holidays.
Its itineraries cover destinations across Europe, the United Kingdom, Asia, India, Africa, Australasia, Canada, and the United States.
This gives travelers the opportunity to experience very different railway systems and landscapes.
A European journey might involve Alpine railways and historic cities, while an Asian itinerary could combine high-speed trains with cultural sightseeing. A Canadian trip may focus on dramatic mountain scenery, while an Indian itinerary can combine railway travel with historic landmarks and wildlife experiences.
The variety allows rail enthusiasts and general travelers alike to choose journeys according to their interests.
Escorted Rail Holidays
Escorted rail holidays are an important part of the GetRail offering.
These tours are designed for travelers who want an organized experience without having to manage every detail themselves.
A tour manager accompanies the group and helps coordinate the journey, while the itinerary brings together railway travel, accommodation, excursions, and sightseeing.
This can be especially useful when a holiday involves multiple destinations and several train journeys.
Rather than researching every connection and hotel individually, travelers can follow a pre-planned itinerary with assistance throughout the trip.
Small-Group Rail Travel
Great Rail Journeys emphasizes small-group experiences on many of its escorted tours.
Its travel materials state that European, UK, and several long-haul escorted holidays operate with a maximum group size of 25.
Smaller groups can create a more personal travel experience.
They can also make it easier for a tour manager to coordinate passengers and for the group to visit museums, historic sites, restaurants, stations, and other attractions.
For travelers who enjoy the social aspect of organized holidays but prefer to avoid very large groups, this can be an appealing format.
Scenic Railway Journeys
Scenery is central to the GetRail experience.
Railways often pass through landscapes that can be difficult to appreciate from an airplane or highway. Mountain valleys, forests, lakes, rivers, villages, and coastlines become part of the journey.
Great Rail Journeys builds many itineraries around some of the world’s most famous scenic railways.
European examples include the Glacier Express, Bernina Express, Jungfrau Railway, Flåm Railway, and West Highland Line.
These routes are destinations in their own right, allowing travelers to experience railway engineering and spectacular scenery at the same time.
GetRail in Switzerland
Switzerland is one of the world’s best-known destinations for scenic rail travel and features prominently in Great Rail Journeys’ portfolio.
The Glacier Express is particularly famous for its journey through the Swiss Alps, while the Bernina Express travels through mountain landscapes between Switzerland and Italy.
Other Swiss railway experiences include the Jungfrau Railway and mountain railways serving high-altitude destinations.
For GetRail travelers, these journeys combine transportation with sightseeing.
Large windows and panoramic views allow passengers to experience alpine scenery without having to drive or navigate mountain roads themselves.
GetRail in Scotland
Scotland is another destination where railway travel and scenery naturally complement each other.
Great Rail Journeys offers itineraries featuring the West Highland Line, which travels through some of Scotland’s most dramatic landscapes.
The route includes areas around Loch Lomond and Rannoch Moor before continuing toward the west coast.
Some itineraries also feature the Jacobite Steam Train, which has become internationally recognizable because of its connection with the Harry Potter films.
The combination of heritage railway travel, dramatic scenery, historic destinations, and Scottish culture makes these journeys particularly attractive to rail enthusiasts.
GetRail in Scandinavia
Scandinavia offers another distinctive rail-travel experience.
Great Rail Journeys’ European itineraries include journeys involving Norway’s Flåm Railway and Bergen Railway.
These routes provide views of mountains, valleys, waterfalls, and fjord landscapes.
Scandinavian rail holidays can also combine train travel with cruises and excursions, allowing travelers to experience the region from different perspectives.
The ability to connect multiple forms of travel is one of the strengths of organized rail touring.
GetRail and India
India is an important long-haul destination within the company’s worldwide portfolio.
Rail travel is deeply connected with India’s history and culture, and the country’s enormous railway network provides opportunities to connect major cities and tourist destinations.
Great Rail Journeys has offered itineraries combining destinations such as Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Ranthambore, and Shimla.
Such tours can combine railway journeys with India’s historic architecture, cultural attractions, wildlife, and Himalayan scenery.
For international travelers, an organized itinerary can also simplify the logistics of traveling between several destinations in a large and geographically diverse country.
GetRail and Japan
Japan is another particularly suitable destination for a rail-focused holiday.
The country’s railway system is known for its extensive network, punctuality, and high-speed trains.
Rail holidays in Japan can combine major cities such as Tokyo and Kyoto with cultural excursions and scenic journeys.
The contrast between modern urban centers, historic neighborhoods, temples, mountains, and rural landscapes makes Japan well suited to a multi-destination train itinerary.
Traveling by rail also allows visitors to experience an important part of everyday Japanese transportation culture.
GetRail in North America
Great Rail Journeys also operates in the North American market.
In 2026, its U.S. operation, formerly known as Vacations By Rail, adopted the Great Rail Journeys name.
The rebranding brought the U.S. business under the wider Great Rail Journeys identity and expanded its connection with the company’s worldwide portfolio.
The North American offering includes rail holidays and experiences in the United States and Canada, including journeys through scenic mountain and wilderness regions.
Canada in particular is well suited to scenic rail travel because of its vast landscapes and dramatic mountain scenery.
Independent Rail Holidays
Not every GetRail traveler wants to join an escorted group.
Great Rail Journeys therefore also provides independent rail holidays.
These journeys offer a more flexible alternative while retaining the advantages of a professionally arranged itinerary.
Travelers can explore destinations independently while having their accommodation, rail arrangements, and other components organized in advance.
This can be particularly attractive to experienced travelers who want freedom during the day but do not want to spend significant time organizing transportation and hotels.
Tailor-Made GetRail Trips
For travelers with specific interests, Great Rail Journeys also provides tailor-made options.
A rail travel specialist can help create an itinerary around preferred destinations, travel dates, accommodation, and experiences.
This allows customers to combine different railway routes and destinations according to their own priorities.
A traveler might want to focus on scenic railways, historic cities, luxury accommodation, cultural experiences, or a particular region.
Tailor-made travel provides greater flexibility than a fixed group tour while still benefiting from specialist rail-travel knowledge.
River Cruises and Rail Travel
Although GetRail is primarily associated with train travel, Great Rail Journeys also offers river cruise holidays.
Some itineraries combine rail travel with river cruising, creating a broader travel experience.
European rivers such as the Rhine, Danube, and Moselle can form part of these programs.
Passengers can travel between destinations by rail and then continue their exploration by river, combining two slower forms of travel.
This style of holiday is particularly appealing to travelers who enjoy seeing multiple destinations without constantly changing hotels.
Hotels and Accommodation
Accommodation is an important component of organized rail holidays.
Great Rail Journeys states that it selects hotels for its itineraries and uses four- and five-star properties on many of its destinations.
The choice of accommodation can influence the overall character of a trip.
A centrally located hotel can make it easier to explore a city, while a resort or scenic property can become part of the destination experience itself.
By combining hotels with planned railway journeys, GetRail-style holidays provide a complete travel package rather than simply selling train tickets.
Excursions and Local Experiences
Train journeys are only one component of the experience.
Great Rail Journeys incorporates excursions and local activities into many of its itineraries.
These may include guided city tours, historic attractions, museums, cultural experiences, natural landmarks, food and wine activities, and other destination-specific excursions.
This approach ensures that travelers experience the places they visit rather than simply passing through them by train.
Tour Managers
Tour managers are an important part of escorted GetRail holidays.
They provide continuity throughout a multi-destination journey and help travelers navigate the practical aspects of the itinerary.
This can include coordinating group movements, helping with train connections, providing information about destinations, and assisting with general travel arrangements.
For travelers who prefer organized holidays, having a knowledgeable person accompany the group can make a complicated itinerary feel considerably easier.
Luggage Transfer
Moving luggage between multiple hotels can be one of the less enjoyable aspects of a rail holiday.
Great Rail Journeys offers luggage-transfer services on eligible escorted European rail holidays.
Its travel materials state that one bag of up to 25 kilograms can be transferred between hotels on qualifying trips, subject to exceptions.
This allows travelers to enjoy their railway journeys without repeatedly carrying large luggage through stations and onto trains.
Luxury GetRail Experiences
GetRail and Great Rail Journeys also cater to travelers interested in premium rail experiences.
The company’s Landmark Collection, introduced in 2026, brings together luxury escorted rail holidays featuring iconic railway journeys, high-end accommodation, exclusive experiences, and small-group travel.
The collection includes destinations in Europe, Canada, Africa, and the United Kingdom.
Some itineraries feature prestigious railway experiences such as the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, while others focus on luxury scenic rail travel in Switzerland and other destinations.
These trips position rail travel as a luxury experience as well as a practical means of transportation.
Why Choose GetRail?
The central appeal of GetRail is that it makes the railway journey part of the holiday itself.
Air travel is designed primarily for speed. Road travel can provide flexibility but requires travelers to concentrate on driving or navigating.
Rail travel occupies a different position.
Passengers can relax while watching the scenery change outside the window. They can read, talk, take photographs, enjoy refreshments, and observe landscapes that would otherwise be difficult to experience.
For travelers interested in scenery and slower exploration, the journey can become one of the most memorable parts of the trip.
Rail Travel and Slow Tourism
GetRail’s approach also fits into the broader concept of slow travel.
Slow tourism focuses on experiencing destinations rather than rushing through them.
Railways naturally support this philosophy.
Instead of spending a short period flying between distant cities, travelers can experience the landscape connecting those destinations.
This is particularly meaningful on scenic railway routes where mountains, forests, lakes, villages, and rivers form part of the experience.
The train becomes both transportation and sightseeing platform.
Conclusion
GetRail, associated with Great Rail Journeys, is centered on worldwide train tours and rail holidays that make the railway journey a major part of the travel experience.
Its portfolio includes escorted and independent rail holidays, tailor-made journeys, river cruises, scenic railway experiences, and premium rail vacations.
Travelers can explore destinations across Switzerland, Scotland, Scandinavia, India, Japan, North America, and many other regions while combining train journeys with hotels, excursions, cultural experiences, and sightseeing.
The company also provides practical services such as tour management and luggage transfers on eligible trips, helping simplify complex multi-destination holidays.
Whether traveling through the Swiss Alps aboard a panoramic railway, exploring Scotland by heritage train, experiencing India’s diverse landscapes, or discovering Japan by rail, GetRail offers a travel style in which the journey is as important as the destination.
For travelers who appreciate scenery, culture, comfort, and the romance of railway travel, GetRail and Great Rail Journeys represent a specialized approach to exploring the world by train.