The programme includes 40 train itineraries with three new trips, and will cater for average group sizes of 10 to 12 travellers. Each trip is led by one of Intrepid’s local leaders to help travellers maximise their experience during rest stops and overnight stays.
Customers will be able to travel flight-free from London on Eurostar on four of its itineraries, including Paris to Rome, Paris to Istanbul, Paris to Berlin and Paris to Madrid.
The new itineraries include a Trans-Mongolian Railway Adventure, an 11-night trip making use of the railway constructed in the late 1940s which begin in Beijing and follows the route of ancient tea caravans, travelling through China’s hilly landscape and exploring Inner Mongolia, Khustai National Park, the dunes of the Gobi Desert and Sainshand before a final stop in Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar.
A 15-night Paris to Istanbul itinerary takes travellers by train on the same route as the Orient Express, stopping off in Strasbourg, Munich and Salzburg before travelling on local trains from Serbian capital Belgrade to Istanbul.
Meanwhile, Intrepid’s new Paris to Rome by train tour, lasting 11 days, will take passengers on the Gotthard Panorama Express through Switzerland, on the original route on the railway constructed in 1872, through the alps and stopping for hikes, views of medieval castles and a farm-to-table Italian cooking demonstration.
The new range will also offer routes by rail such as Bangkok to Southern Thailand alongside lesser-known Varanasi to Agra, India and family trips from Tokyo to Kyoto and Rome to Pompeii.
Intrepid said its increased focus on rail was just “one part of the company’s broader decarbonisation efforts”.
Speaking to TTG earlier this year, Intrepid chief James Thornton highlighted Intrepid’s efforts to replace internal flights on its trips – or remove them altogether – as a “really important first measure”.
