Making life a holiday with interesting vacation and adventure ideas.

If you have a taste for adventure and 23 days to spare, you will soon be able to take a 7,000 mile rail journey from London in the UK to Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. Of course, to really enjoy the trip you may want to explore some of the venerable cities on route.

The United Nations-sponsored scheme, links London, Brussels, Cologne, Vienna, Bucharest, Istanbul, Tehran, Quetta, Lahore, Amritsar, Delhi, Calcutta and Dhaka; it incorporates one of the old Trans-Asian Silk Paths and is already laying claim to being the world's greatest railway journey.

Read a detailed report from Dean Nelson in Delhi.

You might also be interested in Michael Palin's Great Railway Journeys (DVD).

Labels: Bangladesh, Dhaka, London, rail, Trans-Asian, UK

More than 3,000 railway enthusiasts are expected to attend the Swindon Railway Festival, on Saturday 15 September and Sunday 16 September, 2007. The festival is to be held at STEAM, the UK's Museum of the Great Western Railway, which is housed in the beautifully restored Grade II railway building, right in the heart of the former Swindon railway works. In its heyday, 'the works' was the powerhouse of a railway network that was regarded as the most advanced in the world.

The Swindon Railway Festival celebrates the town's glorious railway heritage and features some of the UK's biggest and best model railway layouts. Pop guru Pete Waterman is also a keen railway enthusiast and he will be exhibiting his 'Just Like the Real Thing' models. Other features include Hornby and Bachmann roadshows, model making and repair workshops, railway art, talks, book signings and trade stands.

A large number of Railway Holidays from around the world, can be found in our listings.

Labels: 2007, festival, Pete Waterman, rail, railway, Swindon Railway Festival

The new high-speed rail link between France and Germany opened today. It cuts travel time between Paris and the German city of Stuttgart by a third to just under four hours. Eventually, it is planned to extend the service to eastern European cities such as Budapest and Bratislava.

One of travelling's most atmospheric memories, is to stand on the footbridge linking platforms at a great European rail station like the Hauptbahnhof Munich and read the destination signs for trains heading to the far corners of the continent. Trains seem much more tangible and engaging than planes.

Labels: France, Germany, Paris, rail, Stuttgart

This year is being dubbed the age of the train in Europe because of the introduction of several high-speed rail links. At present, the rail journey from London to Strasbourg currently takes about 8 hours but from June 10, 2007, this will be reduced to a mere 4.5 hours with the launch of the French TGV Est high speed train. Suddenly, the range for European day-trippers has dramatically increased; the British will be able to enjoy a weekend break in Champagne country and the French will be able to pop across the Channel to watch the start of this year's Tour de France.

Later in the year, the new St Pancras International rail station in London is due to open and Eurostar will operate even faster trains between Paris and London thanks to the completion of the final segment of high-speed track. This will make the journey time about 2 hrs 15 min.

A similar reduction in journey time is promised for Spanish travellers with the completion of a high-speed line between Madrid and Barcelona; bringing the journey time down to around 4 hours.

Eurostar recently commissioned a study comparing flying with travelling by train and concluded that Eurostar releases ten times less carbon dioxide than a plane, making train travel the green choice for eco-conscious travellers.

Labels: European, Eurostar, rail, TGV Est, train

Train fares between London and South Wales are being slashed to £25 return or £50 first-class return, in an effort to boost the Welsh tourism trade.

The fares from First Great Western will be available from London Paddington and Reading stations only and are exclusive to people who have booked overnight accommodation in South Wales but hey, there are going to be some bargain weekends for some. Read the full story on icwales.

Labels: First Great Western, offer, rail, Tickets, Wales