What Makes Us Special?

“We had a fantastic holiday and much of that was due to you! All the travel arrangements went very smoothly and we particularly appreciated the taxis in Paris. We loved the food and wine, the staff, the fellow passengers (all either American or Australian) and particularly Magali who was our bus driver and expert guide - we learnt so much more about the history of France and about wine than we have done in all the years we have been going there! I hope we will be able to book a holiday with you again and would have no hesitation in recommending you.”
Mr. & Mrs. Crossley – East Yorkshire

“My holiday to the Verona Opera went like clockwork from start to finish – our seats were perfect and the Opera itself was a wonderful experience” Mrs. Gill - London 

“This was one of the best holidays we have ever had – thank you for all your personal service and attention to detail. We will definitely book with you again.”
Mr & Mrs. Lewis – St. Helens 

“A most well-organised and superb break, away from all airports and hold-ups! Great food and great company!”
Mr. Bobbie Caplin OBE - Leeds

What the press have said about us


‘Site of the Week’ – The Times June 28th 2008 – “Trying to avoid air travel? This new Yorkshire-based rail holiday company promises a more personal service, regional departures, special offers and greener trips than those available from your local airport. A sensible option for travellers who believe the journey is as much a part of the holiday as the destination”

Daily Telegraph – 5th July 2008 – 50 last-minute summer holidays – “Take to the rails, France – The new rail specialist Planet Rail promises to offset all the carbon emissions of its holidays to Europe and beyond at no extra cost to travellers. A six-night luxury rail and barge holiday from London to Lyons start at £895, with weekly departures in July and August” 

The Observer – 8th June 2008 – “Green Track – New rail specialist Planet Rail is promising to offset all the carbon emissions of its holidays to Europe and beyond at no extra cost to travellers.” 

Yorkshire Post 14th June 2008 – “France – Special offer six-night holiday by First Class rail, with departures from Leeds and York, to Dijon where customers board the Libellule hotel barge for a First Class cruise along the river Saône to Lyon (return by First Class rail). From £895 per person for departures in July and August.” 

The Press – York 9th June 2008 – “Travel man launches green site – A Travel agent from York has launched his own internet rail travel company. Guy Saunders, 46, has left his role as general and commercial manager at York-based Great Rail Journeys to start www.planetrail.co.uk from his home in Stillington. His new venture boasts carbon neutral “green” credentials, regional departure points, including York, and holidays by first- class rail, such as the Verona Opera which begins in June, plus French hotel barges and destinations in Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Russia and France. The tailor-made holidays also include staying at hotels en route to break the journey. Guy, who has worked at a senior level in the travel industry for 15 years, is fluent in French and also speaks German, Italian and Spanish. He is a former regional manager with My Travel, responsible for holidays to Italy, Greece, Austria, Bulgaria, North Africa and Turkey. He has also worked as an area manager in France for self-drive camping specialists Eurocamp. 

Yorkshire Post 16th August 2008 – “Italy. Special offer six-night holiday by First Class rail, with departures from Yorkshire to Venice. Travel on daytime trains with a meal and drinks on Eurostar, through France to Dijon overnight. Four-night stay in Venice at boutique Una Hotel Venezia. Return home via Montreux. Travel, six nights' B&B, private transfers including water taxi in Venice included in price from £995 for departures this autumn/winter.”
  • We are experts in holidays by rail
  • Our specialist knowledge of all our featured regions, especially Italy, Switzerland and France, and, of course, rail travel developed over more than 15 years
  • We are a small, family-run company with an ethical approach to travel and a belief in providing a more personal and comprehensive service
  • We can tailor-make an itinerary to create your perfect holiday by rail
  • Our tailor-made service is available for both individuals and groups
  • Our holiday prices include First Class rail travel to/from London to your destination
  • We also include private transfers in the holiday price (where necessary)
  • All our rail holidays are Carbon Neutral at no extra cost to you
  • Travel by train produces far lower emissions than air travel so you can relax in the knowledge that you are doing your bit for the environment(rail is greener than flying)
  • We offer complete flexibility so if you prefer to fly to/from your destination we can book this for you
  • We can organise some fantastic days out to further enhance your holiday such as a private boat trip, dinner in an exclusive restaurant, city sightseeing or a night at the Opera
  • Should you wish to extend your holiday we can offer additional nights or help you to craft a multi-centre holiday
  • You can save money by choosing to travel on a sleeper train on your way to/from your destination
  • We include First Class rail travel on all our holidays. However, we can book Standard Class Rail for all or part of your journey enabling you to reduce your holiday costs
  • Planet Rail is a member of the Travel Trust Association giving your holiday complete financial protection and you peace of mind

Swiss Rail Scene

Overnight Sleeper trains

Sleeper trains are gaining in popularity for those who want to save time travelling through the night or simply love the romanticism of arriving next morning, hopefully refreshed, to see the dawn in a brand new city. Along with their sister trains you will find that many sleeper carriages have been recently refurbished, and now offer two-berth accommodation and privacy, with comfortable seating converting to upper and lower berths for the overnight journey. As you can imagine when travelling on a train, the space in sleeping compartments can be limited. Nonetheless staff on these functional trains do their best to ensure they remain clean at all times. Depending on the route and service you choose you will find that facilities do vary. Most compartments will be equipped with their own washbasin and, in some cases, a private WC and even ensuite shower facilities. Probably one of the most enjoyable aspects of sleeper travel is the opportunity to enjoy dinner as you journey into the night. The majority of sleeper services benefit from a restaurant car, often open from the moment your train departs until late into the journey, serving hot and cold meals and a wide selection of drinks. On some journeys dinner in the restaurant car or a light meal and drinks are included. Should a restaurant car not be available, then a porter will usually be on hand to provide a small selection of snacks and drinks, payable locally. On some trains there is an attendant on board to look after you, bring additional refreshments, make the beds and even bring that welcome breakfast in the morning.

Standard Class rail travel

European trains are so efficient and comfortable these days that travel in Standard Class is a real pleasure. Seats can be reserved so you can be sure you will have your own seat and the majority of train coaches are non-smoking. The beauty of travel by train is that the ever-changing views are the same whichever class of travel you choose.

If you are travelling on a budget then Standard Class rail is the affordable option. You still get to your destination at the same time and with a little more spending money!

On one of our tours to Italy you can save over £XXX by travelling in Standard Class throughout your journey.
Rail travel emits approximately ten times less CO2 than flying to the same destinations.

Eurostar commissioned some detailed research to find out exactly how much CO2 is produced on one of their Eurostar journeys.

The bottom line was that flying between London, Paris and Brussels generates ten times more emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) than travelling by Eurostar.

The numbers

Here are the vital statistics.
Trip/Mode kg CO2 per passenger trip (return) Emissions saved by travelling on Eurostar equivalent to g CO2 per passenger km
London-Paris (return)    
Short-haul air (average) Heathrow 122 Charging 740 ipods 168
Eurostar 10.9   11
London-Brussels (return)    
Short-haul air (average) Heathrow   345 hrs on a laptop 219
Short-haul air (average) Gatwick 222 35 London sightseeing bus tours. 322
Eurostar 18.3   24.3

The source
The research was carried out by an independent consortium of Paul Watkiss Associates and AEA Technology Environment. It uses detailed data on electricity supplies, power station emissions and transmission losses; Eurostar and airline load factors; and the range of aircraft and engine types and emissions.

The future of travel is here
Taking the train is now a truly attractive greener alternative to flying. Here are a few reasons why it’s now the most seamless way to travel through Europe.

High Speed 1, the new high speed line from St. Pancras International, runs straight into the heart of London, meaning faster journey times to and from the Continent. A new European partnership of high-speed operators, Railteam, is making connecting train travel in Europe even simpler, smoother and more seamless than ever.

Holiday extensions

You can turn a fabulous short break into a holiday of a lifetime by extending your time away. We can offer extensions in a variety of countries including Italy, Switzerland, Germany and France. 

Whether you choose to spend longer in one destination or wish to create a multi-centre holiday we can organise your onward travel arrangements including rail travel, hotel and transfers.

In Italy, why not create your own ‘Grand Tour of Italy’ and visit the classic cities of Venice, Florence and Rome. Perhaps you would like to design an itinerary combining a city break with a beach or lake holiday? We can craft a tailor-made holiday in fabulous regions of Italy including Tuscany, Umbria, Piemonte and the Italian Lakes.

For those who enjoy the Lakes and Mountains of Switzerland we can give you the opportunity to make the most of your holiday by helping you to create an itinerary based around your included Swiss Rail Pass. We can enable you to experience all of the classic, scenic rail journeys including the Glacier Express, Bernina Express, Centovalli Railway and Golden Panoramic Express.

For more information about our holiday extensions service just pick up the phone or send us an email request.

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