5 famous train journeys from movies that you can actually take

Well hey there, looks like you’ve got a ticket to my article. Awful joke, sorry. Anyway, my name’s Anna and I’m a Content Marketing Manager here at Wise. While having a peruse of my article, please bear in mind that it came from me and my noggin, not Wise. Enjoy!

Choooo Choooooo.

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re a fan of a train journey. They’re scenic, they’re soothing, and they’re so much more comfortable than air travel. The same can’t be said for commuter trains, but for the purpose of this article, we’ll pretend that every train ride is as picturesque and perfect as the movies make them about to me.

And with that segue let’s get to why we’re all here…

Here are 7 train journeys from around the world that the big screen made look good, and the real-life equivalents you can actually go on.

Ps. Don’t forget to pack your sandwich, a good book, sunglasses so you can avoid eye contact with anyone sitting in front of you, and your Wise card of course. It’s common sense people.

Pps. Did anyone else fancy Thomas the tank engine when they were younger? No? Just me? Ok.

🚂 All aboard the Wise train 🚂

The Hogwarts Express

Oh Harry Potter, you little wizarding wonder, you. Harry and co saw a lot of people through their childhood years but if like me, you refuse to let go, you can get yourself aboard the Hogwarts Express train and even cross the bridge. YES, THE BRIDGE. Screams into pillow. The entire thing takes a total of nine and a half hours. So you have to be committed, and if you aren’t, well quite frankly I just don’t understand you.

Here’s the route:

Starting station : Edinburgh
Callander (break)
Glencoe (photo stop)
Fort William (break, coffee)
Mallaig (lunch, free time)
Glenfinnan Viaduct (sightseeing)
Pitlochry (break)
End station: Edinburgh

Tickets are £62 per person and you can get them here.

And if the train journey isn’t enough, you can read my article on Harry Potter money conversion.

The Orient Express

Yes, yes, I know, this journey was originally made famous in the 1972 film, Murder on the Orient Express but I promise there’s no murder on this one.
If you are after murder then this British company offers a murder mystery experience lunch. Plus, you get a free case of wine if you make an order over £500. What a blumin bargain ey!
The real Orient Express tickets come at varying prices depending on what journey you select and what cabin.

The Cabins on offer are:
The Single Cabin
The Twin Cabin
The Cabin Suite
The Grand Suite

Now, before you get excited I’ll be real with you… The lowest price I could find on here was not what I’d consider to be low. It’s in the thousands…three thousand euros to be precise. But, if that doesn’t scare you off there are a wide selection of routes you can take a look at here.

The Polar Express

This is quite possibly one of the best Christmas films of all time (after The Snowman, of course). Who can compete with “WE’RE WALKING IN THE AIIIIIIRRR.”

Anyway on the Polar Express experience you’ll get a silver sleigh bell from Santa and a freshly baked cookie and hot chocolate. That’s the good news.

The bad news is you’re not really going to the North Pole. You’re going to Wensleydale, Yorkshire. And Tom Hanks won't be there either. But Yorkshire is beautiful, baked goods are involved, there’ll be storytelling, and you’ll be Santa at the end of the journey. Sign. Me. Up.

Book your tickets here.

The Darjeeling Express

Wes Anderson manages to make everything look gorgeous, but I’m mad at him right now. Why? Because he lied to us. The Darjeeling Express train isn’t real.

But it’s ok, in the midst of my breakdown upon finding this out, I did some digging and found an alternative. The very fancy Maharajas' Expresshas 14 guest cabins and is a leading luxury train that’s bagged itself multiple travel awards.

There are restaurants, varying suites, a drinks lounge varying trips you can select that range from 4 nights to 7. Find out more here. To make your extravagant journey more affordable, turn your money into rupees with Wise.

Bullet Train

So, over here in the UK we call them Bullet Trains, but they’re actually called Shinkansen. The Nozomi Shinkansen that goes from Tokyo to Hiroshima, much like in the 2022 Brad Pitt starring film, is the fastest Shinkansen there is.

The journey takes four hours, and much like on the Orient Express, there will be no murder, promise. Hope you’ve seen the movie, otherwise this is a real spoiler.

Book your ticketshere and turn your money into Yenhere.