Brief Encounter would never have happened on a Ryanair flight. Airports have none of the romance, mystery and old-fashioned charm of train journeys; instead they have all of the discomfort and the carbon footprint.

A poll of 22,000 people recently suggested that most people prefer train travel. At Mpora, we agree. No hellish queues at security, no noisy jet engines, no painful popping ears…until you reach the Jungfraujoch, that is, the highest altitude railway station in Europe at 11,332 ft. Unlike planes, which are just a means to an end, train journeys can be destinations in their own right.

Travelling through Europe by train has long been popular. Interrailing is a gap year classic, and a brilliant way to hop between capital cities, mountains and beaches.

Taking a Gap Year: Everything You Need To Know

While Europe offers some of the most scenic and nostalgic train journeys, the rest of the world is also, in our opinion, better explored by rail. Here is Mpora’s guide to the best train journeys on the planet.