Slow travel doesn't have to cost a lot, and you don't need to book a trip on the Orient Express to experience old-school charm – a bit of relaxed luxury amidst gorgeous scenery is just as often enough.

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As the artist Edward Monkton once paraphrased on a greeting card, "it is not the destination, but the glory of the journey." Illustrate these words with an image of the "Zen Dog" sitting on an inflatable boat, but, in truth, the saying never rings truer than when traveling by train. It's slow travel at its best: eco-friendly, local and generally quite comfortable. Unlike airports and highways, there's nothing to do but sit back and enjoy the scenery as you zip past. From crossing Europe on a sleeper train to exploring Sri Lanka's much-photographed hill stations, these are nine of the most scenic rail journeys that won't blow the bank.

From Kandy to Ella

Sri Lanka

Traveling on one of the most photographed train routes in the world is not at all expensive, but also not at all comfortable. Departing the mountain town of Kandy, the train passes through rainforest and lush palm jungle for ten hours before pulling into the hill station of Ella, a backpacker haven where you can stock up. About an hour outside of Kandy, you enter the country of tea, for which the region is known. Book a second class ticket a few days in advance at the local train station if you can – it's still very cheap and will at least guarantee you a seat. That said, the experience of looking out the open door is just as memorable. In Ella, you can hike from the village and along the railway tracks to the Nine Arches Bridge for a stunning view of the old train passing by.

From Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu

Peru

While hiking Machu Picchu is the real way to see this Inca wonder, the season, weather or fitness levels may not allow for the luxury of traveling on foot. If that's the case, the amazing two-hour train ride from Ollantaytambo station is the next best thing. The Voyager is the cheapest of Inca Rail's options, costing around £100 for the return journey, and is also perhaps the most atmospheric. Comfortable cream seats and wide windows allow for a relaxing view of the sacred valley. The train also has an open-air observation car with a bar.

From Xining in China to Lhasa in Tibet

Completed in the 1980s, this 1,972-kilometer rail route is one of the easiest ways to access the Tibet Autonomous Region and also a good way to acclimatize to the altitude. Gradually climbing the Tibetan Plateau, the world's highest railway line – dubbed the “skyline” – is the only train to have an oxygen supply system in the carriages. You'll depart from the city of Xining in Qinghai Province, carving through snow-capped mountains and passing dazzling lakes, before arriving in Lhasa some 21 hours later.

From Beijing to Harbin

China

Sleep as soon as you leave Beijing's sprawling suburbs and wake up well en route to freezing Harbin in China's northernmost province, with ice crystals forming on the inside of the windows and temperatures of -35C outside. The trip takes anywhere from seven to ten hours, depending on the time of day, so wrap up warm and pack a water bottle. Trains running on the high-speed rail from Beijing to Harbin operate at over 200 miles per hour, passing through Shenyang and other northern cities. Harbin's highlight during the bitter winter months is the dazzling Snow and Ice Festival, but the destination also makes a refreshing, cooler break from Beijing's summer heat. Tickets for the sleeper train cost around £30.

From Budapest in Hungary to Istanbul in Turkey

If you don't fancy shelling out £10,000 to experience the ultra-luxurious Golden Eagle Danube Express, which takes a week to glide across Eastern Europe, then the normal sleep from Budapest in Constantinople it's for you. What you lack in five-star comfort, you make up for in a sense of adventure as you cross Romania and Bulgaria and continue through the beautiful landscape of the Carpathians, before reaching Turkey – a journey of around 21 hours. From a train, you can see the 14th-century Bran Castle, inspiration for Count Dracula's creepy abode. A sleeper train leaves Budapest every evening, with tickets costing around £41 for a bunk in a four-person apartment.

From Mumbai to Goa

India

Being on such an important route from India's largest city to the glorious palm-fringed beaches of Goa does nothing to detract from the chaotic magic of this journey. The adventure begins at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (commonly known as Victoria Terminus, or VT), Mumbai's central railway station, a particularly ornate example of 18th-century Italianate Gothic architecture. A Unesco-listed site is a wonder in itself. From here, the sleeper train heads south, passing waterfalls and lush jungle on sometimes precarious cliff edges. The train to Margao, where Goa's main station is located, takes at least 13 hours. Traveling overnight is your best bet and still leaves plenty of time to look out the window. Tickets cost under £10.

From Mandalay to Lashio

Myanmar

Two daily trains travel between Mandalay and Lashio, a long, slow journey of about 280 kilometers through Myanmar's northern Shan State. The highlight is crossing the Goteik Viaduct, which was once the longest railway bridge in the world and remains the tallest bridge in Myanmar. Completed in 1901, the epic structure offers magnificent views of the gorge and valley below. A remarkable feat of engineering, it's not for the faint of heart.

From Glasgow to Mallaig

Scotland

Used as a filming location for JK Rowling's Hogwarts Express, the West Highland Line, on the spectacular west coast of Scotland, traverses some of the wildest and most diverse landscapes of the British Isles. The journey takes just over five hours, with tickets costing £38. The train leaves busy Glasgow before heading north, passing Loch Lomond, Ben Nevis, Fort William and the Glenfinnan Viaduct (identified by the famous steam scenes in the Harry Potter franchise) and through large stretches of open countryside , before pulling into the fishing town of Mallaig.

From Zermatt to St. Moritz

Switzerland

This eight-hour Unesco-protected alpine route is a destination in itself, winding between the ski resorts of Zermatt and St Moritz. For more than 90 years, the glorious Glacier Express invites visitors to glide through Valais, Uri and Graubünden, crossing over 291 bridges and passing through 91 tunnels as they go. Bookended by the Matterhorn and Piz Bernina, it passes through world-class scenery: think the Rhône Glacier, the dizzying Oberalp Pass, the curving Landwasser Viaduct and the Rhine Gorge – the “Grand Canyon of Switzerland”.

Source: suitcasemag