Ffestiniog Travel launches Rail Holidays of the World 2015
Specialist rail tour operator Ffestiniog Travel has released the 2015 edition of its popular escorted tours brochure. Featuring eight new escorted itineraries for next year, both in the UK and further afield, Rail Holidays of the World also tempts travellers to start planning for this year’s festive season, with Christmas Market trips to Vienna and Nuremberg as well as the chance to spend Christmas & New Year in spectacular Switzerland.
New for 2015 are:
UK: View historic buildings, sights, ships and steam trains on Isle of Wight & Southern England: Naval Heritage & Island Tranquillity. This ten-day trip starts in the historic waterfront city of Portsmouth before heading to the Isle of Wight and New Forest National Park, with plenty of steam railway experiences en route. Departing 20 May 2015, the price is from £1,385 pp*.
Europe: Follow the course of the mighty Rhône river by train, travelling from the Camargue Delta to its source in the Swiss Alps on The Rhône from Sea to Source. Rail highlights of this 14-day holiday include steam excursions on Le Mastrou (Vivarais Railway) and the Furka Bergstrecke as well as optional day trips including Avignon, Lake Geneva and Zermatt. Departing 23 June 2015, the price is from £1,990 pp*
Europe: The UK’s leading specialist operator to Romania, Ffestiniog Travel combines this beautiful destination (as yet untouched by mass tourism) with the equally beguiling Moldova - a small country that packs a big punch in terms of cultural and political diversity - in a fascinating 12-day Moldova & Eastern Romania itinerary. Departing 3 September 2015, the price is from £1,995 pp*.
Europe: Created with the rail connoisseur in mind, Belgian Transport Extravaganza & Waterloo is a ten-day treat for train fans and war historians alike. As well as travelling on a variety of transport modes across Belgium, including trams, steam trains and boat lifts, you’ll visit the battlefield at Waterloo with time to visit the famous Butte de Lion (Lion’s Mound) and the inn from where the Duke of Wellington prepared for battle. Departing 13 June 2015, the price is from £1,195 pp*
Europe: Join fellow rail enthusiasts on a 15-day journey over land and sea, following the Baltic Coast from Finland through Sweden, Denmark and Germany. Steaming around the Baltic highlights include one of the world’s most scenic ferry journeys (from Turku to Stockholm), city sightseeing in three Baltic capitals, two UNESCO World Heritage sites and visits to no less than six steam railways. Departing 26 June 2015, the price is from £2,395 pp*.
Worldwide: Experience the Great Little Trains of India on a 20-day tour that offers seasoned travellers to India the chance to ride the country’s three last remaining 2 ft. gauge railways: the Neral to Matheran line near Mumbai, the Scindia State Railway at Gwalior & the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, as well as sightseeing in Mumbai, Goa, Hyderabad and Gwalior, and much more. Departing 10 January 2015, the price is from £4,350 pp.
Worldwide: This 18-day Columbia & Ecuador holiday - with optional five-day extension to the Galapagos Islands - features a unique opportunity to travel on Colombia’s ‘Tren de la Sabana’ before heading into Ecuador for experiences that range from a visit to El Cajas National Park to a trip on the ‘Rice Train’ to Yaguachi and a four-day ‘Tren Crucero’ journey from Duran to Quito. Departing 12 June 2015, the price is from £5,250 pp*.
Highlights of the 2015 brochure also include The Hebridean & Orcadian Odyssey, a 16-day itinerary that combines two of Ffestiniog Travel’s most successful tours of Scotland with the Outer Hebrides (departing 29 June 2015, the price is from £2,995 pp*) and Tramways of Germany ‘The Return’, a 15-day tour that builds on the success of this year’s trip, visiting new destinations including Berlin and the tram networks of Essen, Hannover, Leipzig, Potsdam and Cologne (departing 16 September 2015, the price is from £1,990 pp*). Another popular 2014 tour, ‘Rural Romania’, has been extended for next year - to create Mountain & Forest in Rural Romania - adding three further days (now a 15-day trip) in which to enjoy delights that include family-run ‘homestay’ accommodation in remote, characterful villages, a visit to the world-famous Painted Monasteries and travel on five narrow gauge steam lines (departing 12 May, 2 June & 29 September 2015, the price is from £2,275 pp*) .
Next year also sees a welcome return to Japan and New Zealand for Ffestiniog Travel:
Blending bullet trains (including the newly-opened Hokuriku Shinkansen), rural branch lines and steam train experiences with iconic sightseeing in Tokyo, Hiroshima and Kyoto during the beautiful Cherry Blossom season, Japan: Steam & Cherry Blossom (20 days) now includes Nagoya, the Kii Peninsula and Kanazawa. Departing 25 March 2015, the price is from £4,750 pp*
Explore the raw beauty of New Zealand in Style on a 26-day rail tour of the North & South Islands, travelling from Auckland to Christchurch. Enjoy magnificent coastline and amazing landscapes in abundance, with sightseeing excursions that include Waitomo’s Glowworm Caves, the famous Franz Josef Glacier and magnificent Milford Sound as well as en-route stopovers in Hawaii and Fiji. Departing 12 April 2015, the price is from £6,995 pp*.
Depending on the itinerary chosen, prices include rail travel and transfers, flights (non-UK tours), accommodation on a B&B basis, excursions and the services of a tour leader throughout. All prices are based on two people sharing – single supplements apply.
Thinking ahead to Christmas and the New Year? Ffestiniog Travel offers three escorted tours with a festive flavour. Departing on 27 November, visit the Christmas Markets of either Vienna (from £1,135 pp*) or Nuremberg (from £1,165 pp) on a seven-night itinerary that also includes plenty of free time to explore independently or enjoy one of the optional excursions available. Both prices are based on two sharing and include B&B, one evening meal in Vienna/two in Nuremberg, second-class rail travel throughout, InterRail Pass, public transport ticket and the services of a tour leader from London and throughout the tour.
Or why not spend Christmas & New Year in Switzerland on a 12-day holiday that combines six nights in the scenic village of Wilderswil with a further five nights in the lake-side city of Lucerne? Departing 22 December, the price of £2,155 pp (two sharing) includes a first-class Swiss Pass - giving unlimited travel on trains, postbuses, lake steamers and many of the city buses and trams - as well as standard-class travel to and from Switzerland, B&B, eight dinners and a tour leader from London and throughout the tour.
Fancy one of the escorted tours but can’t make the scheduled dates? Want to add to/change the itinerary or destination to suit your particular interests or timetable? Ffestiniog Travel’s team of expert travel consultants also provides a tailor-made tour service to help you plan and fulfil your dream journey, producing personalised bespoke itineraries designed to meet clients’ requirements - whether travelling as an individual, couple or part of a group.
Just need train tickets? Myrailtrip.co.uk is the home of Ffestiniog Travel’s ticketing department, offering a ‘one-stop shop’ for rail journeys throughout the UK and Europe. No matter how large or small the journey, Ffestiniog Travel’s ticketing team makes the purchase of rail tickets as simple as possible, securing the best possible prices thanks to its relationship with Europe’s main ticketing and rail operators.
For further information, visit ffestiniogtravel.com.