Agenda - Trains

Glamour and comfort are perfectly combined for this European adventue on the Danube Express (www.danube-express.com). The 11-day fully-escorted Istanbul Odyssey is a spectacular journey over 4,000km and passes through nine countries. The adventure begins in London on Eurostar where guests travel to Brussels to meet the Danube Express. For two nights the hotel on wheels threads its way through rural Germany and the Bohemian countryside to the spa town of Carlsbad. Sightseeing stops in Prague and Vienna follow before disembarking for three nights in Budapest. Rejoin the Danube Express for a champagne reception in the elegant Royal Waiting Room at Budapest Nyugati station to continue the passage through the Balkans to the Bosphorus, stopping en route for sightseeing tours in Novi Sad and Sofia.

Rovos Rail (www.rovos.co.za) is a leader of world-class travel in Africa. Step aboard the wood-panelled coaches - classics remodelled and refurbished to mint condition - and enjoy fine cuisine in five-star luxury as some of the most varied scenery imaginable unfolds. Recapture the romance and atmosphere of a bygone era, in a relaxed and elegant fashion. Pride of place in the Rovos stable goes to the historic Capital Park Station and locomotive yard, which is the heart and new headquarters of this private railway company. Check the site for routes in southern Africa.

If you plan to travel across the heart of India then do it in style and relive the luxury of a regal age on the royal train the Deccan Odyssey. The journey takes you to beaches in Goa and Maharashtra, and visits grand forts and palaces of the Marathas and the Osho Ashram in Pune and the historic sites of Ajanta, Ellora and Aurangabad. The luxury train ride finishes in Mumbai. Check route details at www.deccan-odyssey-india.com