China, commemorative Battlefield tours and the Northern Lights in Lapland – these are just three trends in rail tours for 2014 identified by Great Rail Journeys, the UK’s leading specialist in holidays by rail, and its sister company Treyn.

Rail holidays have never been more popular, and with 58 new tours across both brands for 2014, out of a total of 360, Great Rail Journeys has put together what it sees as its key trends for 2014.

NEW - China by rail – 2014 sees Great Rail Journeys offering a programme of tours to China for the first time. Julian Appleyard, Director of Commercial at Great Rail Journeys & Treyn says, “This is because there has been a lot of investment put into the railway lines between Beijing and Xian, with the Chinese investing heavily in high speed services even more advanced than high speed bullet trains.” Great Rail Journeys’ 17 day ‘Grand Tour of China’ from £2,995pp: http://www.greatrail.com/tours/grand-tour-of-china.aspx

100 Year Anniversary of First World War - Battlefields Tours
With 18 special tours to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the First World War, Great Rail Journeys is predicting that many people will wish to mark this special year by soaking up the history of Northern France and Belgium, both of which are very easily accessible by train from London’s St Pancras International into the Northern area of Flanders and the Somme. In addition, there are Bruges & Battlefield tours and Remembrance Day tours.

Julian says, “Northern France and Belgium are easily and quickly reached by rail, and our specially designed rail tours will take you from London, St Pancras International, into the heart of the western front area in a matter of hours. The journey itself is part of the experience as you pass through the countryside of south east England into Northern France – a similar journey that was taken by the men nearly 100 years ago. As well as that, we’re predicting that our tours commemorating the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings will also prove popular.”

Great Rail Journeys’ battlefields tours start from £425 per person for the five day ‘Battlefields of Flanders’ tour: http://www.greatrail.com/tours/battlefields-of-flanders.aspx and Treyn’s battlefield tours start from £295 per person for the four day ‘Bruges & Ypres’ tour: http://www.railholidays.com/tours/belgian-rail-tour.aspx

70th Anniversary D-Day Landing. Treyn is offering a six day ‘Normandy Landing Beaches’ tour priced from £725pp: http://www.railholidays.com/tours/normandy-landing-beaches.aspx, and Great Rail Journeys is offering ‘Honfleur & Enchanting Normandy’ tour from £895pp: http://www.greatrail.com/tours/enchanting-normandy-rail-holiday.aspx, which visits Normandy’s D-Day Landing beaches on one day.

NEW - Lapland – Lapland and the Northern Lights has been introduced to make the most of next year’s peak in solar activity during an 11-year cycle. The tour features Lapland as well as Norway’s spectacular Lofoten Islands travelling on one of Scandinavia’s most scenic railways. There are two opportunities to view the Northern lights in Lofoten and Narvik, and the rail tour itself goes well into thearctic circle.

Great Rail Journeys’ 11 day ‘The Northern Lights & Lapland’ tour from £2,325pp: http://www.greatrail.com/tours/northern-lights-lapland-tour.aspx

NEW - Ecuador & Galapagos - Julian says, “Our customers are wanting to go further afield each year to places they would never consider going without one of our Tour Managers and a group of like-minded guests. We expect this new tour of Ecuador will appeal to train and wildlife enthusiasts alike as it also takes in the stunning Galapagos Islands.”

The new ‘Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands’ uses the luxury ‘Tren Crucero ‘cruise train’ which launched in June 2013. The trainhas been carefully restored to offer luxury rail travel through Ecuador’s mountain and coastal scenery. The train has four vintage carriages, including one offering traditional Ecuadorian coffees and one an open-air terrace at the rear, where you can enjoy uninterrupted views. On the tour guests enjoy three days on the train (nights are in hotels) as they travel from Quito to Cuenca and then on to the Galapagos Islands. NEW 2014 TOUR – Great Rail Journeys’ 17 day ‘Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands’ - from £4,995pp: http://www.greatrail.com/tours/ecuador-galapagos-islands.aspx

Other destinations which continue to be popular for Great Rail Journeys and Treyn include:

“We’re still seeing high levels of interest in customers’ favourite destinations such as India, USA and Switzerland” says Julian, “and for 2014 we have worked to create new tours and rail holiday experiences to these popular countries”.

India – Great Rail Journeys has a number of new tours to India for 2014 which offer great value for money. One of these covers India and Nepal and includes rhino spotting. NEW 2014 TOUR – Great Rail Journey’s 17 day ‘Grand India & Nepal’ tour is from £2,695pp: http://www.greatrail.com/tours/grand-tour-india-nepal.aspx

The USA – The USA is still very strong for Great Rail journeys as the varied landscape is ideal for rail tours. Most tours go between the East and West coasts, and so for 2014 we’ve introduced a American Pullman tour which goes right into the deep south. NEW 2014 TOUR – Great Rail Journey’s 15 day ‘The American Pullman’ tour is priced from £3,495pp: http://www.greatrail.com/tours/american-pullman-rail-tour.aspx

Switzerland - This continues to be one of Great Rail Journeys’ most popular destinations. Julian says, “Great scenic rail experiences on board iconic trains such as the Glacier Express, Bernina Express and Jungfrau Railway, mean that Switzerland remains one of our most popular destinations.” NEW 2014 TOUR – Treyn’s new ‘Swiss All Inclusive’ tour is priced from £1,158pp: http://www.railholidays.com/tours/swiss-all-inclusive-in-winter.aspx

Italy – Julian says, “Our 14 tours into Italy have proved an enormous success. The Calabria region, as well as Puglia are very easily by train, and there are many places which are best accessed by rail than anything else, including less well-known areas such as Elba.” NEW 2014 TOUR – 14 day ‘Beauty of Calabria’ tour from £2,195pp. http://www.greatrail.com/tours/calabria-italy-tour.aspx <http://www.greatrail.com/tours/calabria-italy-tour.aspx>

Scotland - This continues to be a very popular destination amongst Great Rail Journeys customers – especially around the beautiful Ardnamurchan peninsular. Our ‘Castle in the Highlands’ tour regularly sells out as guests love spending four nights at Glenborrodale Castle which is a unique, romantic castle on the Ardnamurchan Estate. Great Rail Journey’s seven day ‘Castle In the Highlands’ tour is priced from £625pp: http://www.greatrail.com/tours/castle-highlands-rail-tour.aspx

For bookings or further information call Great Rail Journeys on 01904 521 980 or visit www.GreatRail.com
For bookings and further information call Treyn on 01904 734 940 or visit www.railholidays.com

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For press information please contact: Sarah Lloyd-Morrison sarah@magentapublicrelations.co.uk