• Introduction
• 1. The Bergen Line
• 2. The Blue Train
• 3. Denali Star Train
• 4. Eastern & Oriental Express
• 5. The Ghan
• 6. The Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express
• 7. Hiram Bingham Train
• 8. Napa Valley Wine Train
• 9. TER Méditerranée
• 10. Tokaido Shinkansen

Tokaido Shinkansen

No list of the world’s best train rides would be complete without a nod to Japan’s remarkably efficient high-speed “bullet trains,” known locally as a shinkansen. Their sleek futuristic design, incredible speed, high frequency, and on-the-dot departures and arrivals put the shinkansen, operated by Japan Railways, in a league of their own. The popular Tokaido Shinkansen line’s Nozomi train reduces the 320 miles between the bustling urban metropolis of Tokyo and temple and shrine-speckled Kyoto to a mere 131-minute journey, traveling at speeds of an astonishing 168 miles per hour (and accelerating to 186mph just beyond Kyoto). On a clear day, you’ll catch glimpses of majestic Mt. Fuji as you zip by the mix of urban and bucolic landscapes. Inaugurated in 1964, this first of Japan’s current eight shinkansen lines holds historical significance as the world’s first high-speed rail, although its shiny new trains (which debuted in July 2007), feature entirely modern perks like PC power outlets at most seats. 

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