Holiday inspiration currently loading...

Winner Best Specialist Tour OperatorAITO Tour Operator of The Year 2019 - Bronze Award20th year anniversary

Train Holidays

Enjoy a grand tour of Scotland, Ireland England or Wales by train, all carefully planned and pre-booked for you.

You’ll be spoilt for choice with our great selection of train holidays throughout the UK and Ireland.

If you’d rather reach for the camera than the gear stick, consider hopping aboard Scotland’s famous West Highland Line over the magnificent Glenfinnan Viaduct, relax on England’s Settle to Carlisle Railway with beautiful views of the Pennine Hills and the Lake District Fells or take the mountain railway to the heights of Snowdon in Wales. Our train trips can even lead you beyond the end of the line to islands such as spectacular Skye or fascinating Orkney . What’s more, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to meet and chat with locals and other travellers on such a journey if you wish.

Scottish Rail Holidays

Take a Grand Tour of Scotland by Train, a spectacular fortnight-long trip where you can relax and travel in comfort through stunning landscapes often inaccessible by road, such as the wilds of Rannoch Moor and Scottish Flow Country plus enjoy day-long guided trips of the Isle of Skye and fascinating Orkney.

Another option is to meander Slowly Along the West Highland Line, soaking up the Scottish scenery and atmosphere plus taking a day-trip to the isles of Mull, Iona and Staffa and enjoying a private guided day-tour of Skye.

If you prefer a guided tour, then our North Highlands & Orkney Guided Rail Tour might tick the box. Spend a week exploring from Inverness to Britain’s most northerly mainland extremities and discover the fascinating pre-history of the Orkney Islands. With group size limited to fifteen, and accompanied throughout by an expert tour leader, you will be assured of personal service as well as memorable stories and great rail journeys. Other small group guided rail tours are available on set departure dates throughout the year, some include trips on the Jacobite Express steam train plus getting right under the skin of Scottish island life, whether on famous Skye or spiritual Iona.

Welsh and English Rail Holidays

Wales rivals Scotland for mountain scenery and nostalgic travel by steam – try a Grand Tour taking you both north and south, including time on the beautiful Gower Peninsula, or concentrate on Snowdonia and spend just over a week exploring the Castles, Gardens and Steam Trains of North Wales.

Classic England by Train is a 12-night circular trip, combining comfortable stays in York, Chester and Bath with exploration of Hadrian’s Wall and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Lake District. We’ve sought out cosy and welcoming accommodation and pieced it all together with taxi transfers and days out with local guides, so you can relax and enjoy your own unique journey.

British Rail Holidays

If it’s a trip of a lifetime you’re after, then who not choose to combine the highlights of England and Scotland by rail and Explore Britain by Train? If time is not of the essence, we can easily tailor-make this tour to include Wales too.

Irish Rail Holidays

The trains in Ireland make planning a circular route more challenging. We’ve drawn on our in-depth knowledge and teamed up with local driver-guides to provide a choice of itineraries, from a Grand Tour of Ireland by Train, taking you from East to West and North to South, to a week-long trip featuring top-of-the-range accommodation options, Premier Ireland by Train.

If you would like to explore Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way without the need to drive, our car-free option may fit the bill. Relax on the rails as you discover the country’s most beloved touring route – we will make all of the arrangements to ensure that each location is seamlessly connected.

We’ve brought Northern Ireland’s famous Causeway Coast within reach too on a car-free exploration which includes the stunning journey pictured above past dramatic coastal scenery and the 18th-century Mussenden Temple.

Wherever you choose to go, let us organise the smartest connections, the local guides and the special places to stay; it’s what we do best.

“You could spend a month juggling maps, timetables and guidebooks without coming anywhere near the company’s expertise and astute choice of stopovers, hotels and guest houses…It has been a truly grand ‘grand tour’. “  Steve McClarence, The Times, 31 December.

Speak to us

or email us at:

Calling from elsewhere? 

Rail Touring in Scotland Guide

Download our handy guide with useful information and top tips on Rail Touring in Scotland.

Download the McKinlay Kidd 'Rail Touring in Scotland' Guide Download Now

Other Holiday Ideas to Explore

Your holiday guaranteed Request Tailor made proposal