Get on track for 2010 with a Great Rail Journeys holiday
Great Rail Journeys, tour operator for escorted holidays by rail, reports forward bookings for 2010 holidays up 30 per cent compared to this date last year with over 20 new itineraries across its programmes.
The choice of UK tours is doubled to ten itineraries, with the ultimate ‘British rail’ trip undoubtedly a new 14-day Land’s End to John O’Groats holiday combining mainline services with branch and heritage lines to explore the country from Cornwall to the Highlands, with journey’s end in Edinburgh.
The four departures between May and October cost from £1,595 per person (twin share) including rail travel from London, accommodation in three- and four-star hotels on a (mostly) half-board basis, a full programme of excursions and the services of a Tour Manager.
Within Europe, new holidays include a 21-day tour of Scandinavia on the Grand Arctic Circle Explorer holiday. This ‘classic rail journey’ from London to Denmark, Sweden and Norway, crosses the Arctic Circle into Lapland and discovers the fjords by ferry and scenic rail, including the Flåm Railway. With three summer departures, the cost is £3,475.
The iconic Venice Simplon-Orient-Express joins the programme for the first time as the culmination of Great Rail Journeys’ nine-day, three-centre holiday taking in Paris, Milan and Venice. Guests return from Venice on the legendary train after an escorted holiday that includes guided visits to the Louvre in Paris, La Scala in Milan and a tour of Venice by private boat. The holiday costs from £2,625.
The Danube Express also features for the first time, with three nights on Europe’s latest hotel-train included within a 12-day journey from London to Istanbul, including stays in Berlin, Prague and Budapest. This holiday costs from £2,950.
For 2010 the company is also stressing the inclusive value of its tours which typically include all travel and transfers, half board accommodation in quality hotels, comprehensive excursion programmes including entrance fees and local guides – all accompanied by a Tour Manager from start to finish.
For example, the new 15-day Las Vegas & the Golden West itinerary – with departures on 21 April, 12 May, 1 September and 6 October – is great value. Highlights include a journey to the Grand Canyon in the vintage carriages of the Grand Canyon Railway, tours of San Francisco, the Valley Floor of the Yosemite National Park and the Californian coastline. In addition, there’s a visit to the Hoover Dam, plus free time in Las Vegas and Los Angeles – with a night spent on board the RMS Queen Mary, moored at Long Beach.
The cost is £1,875 per person, based on two sharing - which equates to just £125 per day – and includes return London/San Francisco flights, rail and coach travel, 13 nights’ accommodation (12 hotel, one on the Southwest Chief), all excursions as per itinerary, transfers in the USA and the services of a Tour Manager throughout.
For more information and reservations, visit GreatRail.com.