PUT down your smart phones, and look out the windows — sometimes the best part of a journey is the journey itself.

After an 11-day, six-country rail route was launched this month by the Shanghai Railway Bureau, travelers are increasingly enthusiastic about climbing aboard for short or long trips.

When it comes to luxury train travel, finding the fastest route between two points is not the goal. It is more about reclining your seats and savoring the experience.

The following train trips are captivating journeys across cultures, such as a two-hour excursion from the Alps to the Italian city of Tinaro, and a two-day journey through Australia.

In this week’s travel issue, Shanghai Daily picks 10 of the world’s great train routes:

• New Orient Express

The Shanghai Railway Bureau now offers 80 new routes, including an 11-day, six-country package. The ground tour passes through Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Austria.

Travelers who sign up will fly to Istanbul and stay for two days, and the package will include a 2-hour visit to Blue Mosque (the Sultan Ahmed Mosque) with vivid blue tiles on the exterior.

Passengers start the journey on the night of the second day. The express passes through the Bosporus Strait and heads to Sofia, Bulgaria. There, visitors can explore Boyana Church, a medieval Bulgarian Orthodox church on the outskirts of Sofia. It’s on UNESCO’s World Heritage list.

The express also stops in Budapest, Hungary, where travelers visit famous Visegrád Castle overlooking the Danube and enjoy lunch, featuring local delicacies. And it’s free-flow wine.

The journey ends in Vienna, Austria, where travelers will visit Schoenbrunn Palace, a former imperial summer residence.

The package includes a four-night stay on the express that has hotel-standard accommodation. Each air-conditioned suite can accommodate two guests, and it has a minibar. Each carriage has a bathroom, kitchen and several attendants.

The express can carry 97 passengers and usually has three guides.

The ticket covers visas, flights, tourist attractions and accommodations.

The tour is the first transnational cooperation between Shanghai Railway and the Turkish State Railway.

Route: Shanghai, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Czech Republic, Austria

Duration: 11 days

Tickets: 32,300-33,300 yuan (US$5,209-5,371)

• Chang’an Route

The Silk Road is an ancient corridor for trade and cultural exchange running from China to the Mediterranean Sea. It was traversed by traders, merchants, pilgrims, monks, soldiers, nomads, adventurers and many others.

This 11-day railway route along key points was launched by the Xi’an Railway Bureau. It starts in Xi’an, capital of Shaanxi Province, passes through Gansu Province and ends in Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Xi’an is one of the oldest cities in China and was known as Chang’an before the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

The express also stops in Dunhuang, site of one of China’s most famous Buddhist grottoes, the Mogao Grottoes. It is the world’s largest, best preserved and richest treasure house of Buddhist art, also known as the Thousand Buddha Caves. Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Moon Spring in Gansu are also hot destinations.

Only the morning is spent in Dunhuang.

Travelers take in dramatic views of Xinjaing’s Kanas Lake, sometimes compared with Lake Geneva in Switzerland because of similar climate and scenery.

Urumqi is a major stop along the journey, a major Silk Road hub during the Tang Dynasty (AD618-907 AD). The trip also includes a visit to the regional museum for a glimpse of history and archeology.

Route: Xi’an to Urumqi, China

Duration: 11 days

Tickets: 1,680-3,480 yuan

Tips: Discount for seniors. Medics aboard.

• Qinghai-Tibet Railway

This route contains the world’s highest train station at Tanggula Pass in Tibet at 5,072 meters above sea level.

The high-elevation railway connects Xining in Qinghai Province with Lhasa in the Tibet Autonomous Region.

The trains wind their way past meadows, snowy mountains and Qinghai Lake, the biggest saltwater lake in China at 3,260 meters above sea level. Millions of migratory birds can be seen on the islands.

The views are breathtaking, literally, so the railway is prepared for altitude sickness. Trains are specially built for high elevations and each passenger has an oxygen supply. Every train has a doctor.

Each passenger is required to obtain a Health Registration Card to take the train between Golmud and Lhasa. The card can be obtained when purchasing tickets. Passengers must read the notice for high-elevation travel and sign the agreement on the card.

Route: Xining to Lhasa, China

Duration: 24 hours

Tickets: 217-794 yuan

Tips: Not recommended for people with heart problem or hypertension.

A Passenger Health Registration Card is required.

• Darjeeling Himalayan Railway

Also known as the “Toy Train,” this vintage steam locomotive runs on a narrow gauge between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal. Built by the British between 1879-81, the railway is about 78km long and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The 8-hour journey begins in New Jalpaiguri and winds past tea plantations, maples and cherry trees. There’s a spectacular view of the Himalayas.

The train stops at Ghum Station, the summit and highest rail station in India. It houses a museum with railway and other relics.

The journey ends in Darjeeling, legendary for its tea and British colonial architecture. Travelers can take afternoon tea at the Windamere Hotel where its repast is famous.

Trains between Ghum and Darjeeling are still powered by British built, steam locomotives.

Route: New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling, India

Duration: About 8 hours

Tickets: Starts at US$1

• Bernina Express

There are not many places in the world where a 4-hour trip takes travelers from ice-age glaciers to palm trees. Bernina Express is one of them.

The journey begins in Switzerland in Chur, on the right bank of the Rhine. It’s known as the oldest town in Switzerland.

The express goes to Pontresina in the Val (Valley) Bernina, and gradually ascends to the Bernina Pass.

It passes the Morteratsch station (1,896 m), where travelers can see the glacier of the same name and the highest summit of the Eastern Alps, the Piz Bernina.

The journey with panorama ceiling windows ends in northern Italy in Tirano town, Sondrio Province. On the way it crosses 196 bridges and passes through 55 winding tunnels.

A multi-lingual commentary explains the sights.

There is no dining car, but there are small bars serving drinks and snacks.

Route: Chur, Switzerland, to Tirano, Italy

Duration: 4 hours

Tickets: US$67-117

Tips: Reservations is strongly recommended, the trip is extremely popular.

• Semmering Railway

This is Europe’s first mountain railway, a feat of engineering built between 1848 and 1854, on a standard gauge track. The tunnels, bridges, viaducts and other engineering have been in continuous use to this day.

The spectacular journey within Austria begins in Gloggnitz, surrounded by the highest mountains in lower Austria. The trains make a stop in Semmering, a famous mountain health resort. Winter sports and summer hiking are popular.

The train passes through 15 tunnels before the journey ends in Mürzzuschlag town in northeastern Austria, a popular ski resort.

Route: Gloggnitz to Mürzzuschlag, Austria

Duration: 1 hour

Tickets: US$12-25

• Bergen Railway

This the highest railway in Northern Europe, crossing Norway’s Hardangervidda Plateau at around 1,200 meters above sea level.

The 7-hour journey begins in Oslo, the Norwegian capital and most populous city, a trade, shopping, industry and finance hub.

The trains stop at Finse Station, the country’s highest station, which contains a railway museum that explains the construction engineering feat. Snow-clearing locomotives can be explored.

The journey ends in Bergen, the country’s second-largest city and gateway to the fjords of western Norway.

Routes: Oslo to Bergen, Norway

Duration: 7 hours

Tickets: US$134

• The Passage to the West of The Rocky Mountaineer

This is the best journey through the Canadian Rockies.

The spectacular and legendary route from Vancouver to Calgary, Canada, has been listed since 2005 as one of the world’s top 25 train rides by the Society of International Railway Travelers. National Geographic calls it one of the world’s best journeys.

Starting in Vancouver on the coast of British Columbia, the Rocky Mountaineer with dome windows zigzags past wilderness, glaciers, lakes and gorges — even grizzly bears and bighorn sheep.

The two-day journey ends in Calgary, in Alberta Province, at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow rivers.

The railway offers premium gold leaf service, as well as silver leaf and red leaf — but the views are the same. The onboard experience is excellent in all classes because of quality food and service.

Route: Vancouver to Calgary, Canada

Duration: 4 days and 3 nights (2 days on the train)

Tickets: US$3,416 plus taxes for gold leaf

• The Ghan

The world-famous Ghan cuts a trans-continental route through the heart of Australia.

The route runs from the fertile countryside surrounding Adelaide to the Red Center to the tropical splendor of Darwin.

Visitors marvel at the spectacular colors of the outback plains and the rugged MacDonnell Ranges. And there’s plenty of exposure to indigenous culture.

The 2,979km journey features off-train tour options at Alice Springs and Katherine Gorge, located in the Nitmiluk National Park and consisting of 13 gorgeous gorges. Travelers can cruise, canoe, walk, fly or swim their way around the most significant parts of this vast area.

Route: Adelaide to Darwin, Australia

Duration: 3 days and 2 nights

Tickets: AU$889-3,489 (US$835-3,273)

• Chihuahua-Pacific Railway

This is one of the most scenic rail routes in Latin America. It’s not only a tourist draw, but is also used for daily passenger transport and freight.

The journey begins in Chihuahua, Mexico’s largest state that is slightly larger than the United Kingdom. It has more forests than other Mexican states.

Passengers are in for a wild ride. The train travels 673 kilometers, crosses 36 bridges, passes through 87 tunnels, and traverses the spectacular Copper Canyon, a beautiful and rugged series of canyons.

Trains pass by Divisadero, a popular lookout over the canyons. There are also deserts, plains and waterfalls.

The journey ends in Los Mochis, on the coast of northern Sinaloa state.

Route: Chihuahua to Los Mochis, Mexico

Duration: 13 hours

Tickets: US$120-191

Tips: Reservations strongly recommended. It’s very hot in summer.