Switzerland

Switzerland has an abundant rail system, both standard cross-country and alpine.

Certainly the most famous railway in Switzerland is the Jungfrau Railway that starts from Interlaken and wends it way up the mountain and through a mountain tunnel to the peak of the Jungfraujoch. The terminus is carved out of solid rock and opens out to a snow covered peak (even in summer) with a spectacular view of the glacier.

Jungfraujoch Weather Station

Two of the most scenic and popular rail journeys in Switzerland are the Bernina Express that goes from Chur, Switzerland to Tirano, Italy; and the Glacier Express that goes from St. Moritz to Zermatt.
The Glacier Express is the most expensive of the excursions listed on this page. You can take shorter journeys on the line for as little as CHF37, but for the full route from St. Moritz to Zermatt the lowest cost is 2nd class at CHF213; 1st class at CHF326 and Excellence class at CHF812. See more details on here.

Bernina Express

Glacier Express

Bernina Express

Glacier Express

Three other scenic railways use the the same track: the Golden Pass line from Montreux to Lucerne. Two run from Montreux to Zweisimmen. The Golden Pass Panoramic has panoramic windows for fantastic views. The other trip is the Belle Époque that provides a luxury experience in classic cars (at a luxury price). The Golden Pass Express has a longer route going from Montreux to Interlaken. All trips pass through Gstaad, Rochers-de-Naye and a few other small towns.

Golden Pass line

Belle Époque classic cars

A popular steam railway runs from Brienz to the summit of Brienz Rothorn. Brienz is located on the eastern end of Lake Brienz, Interlaken in on the west end.

The Vevey to Les Pléisades Line starts in Vevey on the shore of Lake Geneva. From the Swiss Rail website:

At Les Pléiades, the view is breathtaking: Lake Neuchâtel on one side, Lake Geneva on the other. A unique panorama inviting you to relax and explore.

Vevey to Les Pléisades

The Gornergrat Railway goes from the resort ton of Zermatt to the Gornergrat Station, the second highest railway station in Switzerland, at 3,089m (10,135ft) with a view of 29 peaks above 4,000m (13,123ft) including the Matterhorn (4,478m or 14,692ft). It is also called the Matterhorn Railway because of the prominent view of that peak from the railway.

 

Gornergrat Railway with a view of the Matterhorn

Kazakhstan

There are both old and new trains in Kazakhstan including a new high speed train book your tickets on the Kazak rail website. On the upper right drop down menu click on "AFЫДШЫНШa" to select English. Unfortunately, the locations are in still in Russian. Here is a translation of the more popular stops:

Astana: АCTAHA
Almaty: АЛМАТЫ
Karaganda: КАРАГАНДЫ
Shymkent: ШЫМКEНT

Serbia

 The Belgrade to Bar is a great train ride.

Sri Lanka

 The ride from Kandy to Ella is one of the great scenic train rides. Ella is the heart of the tea plantations.

Turkey

The Doğu Ekspresi tourist class train is a sleeper train that goes from Ankara to Kars (near the border of Armenia) in about 30 hours.

Australia and New Zealand

 AUSTRALIA

NEW ZEALAND

The Northern Explorer runs from Wellington to Auckland in both directions. The train departs southbound from Auckland on Monday, Thursday and Saturday. Northern Explorer departs from Wellington northbound on Friday, Sunday, and Wednesday. They also have two other train journeys: Coastal Pacific and Tranzalpine.

Deccan Odyssey, India

Deccan Odyssey is a luxury railway provider that has multiple journeys throughtout India.

Maharashtra Splendor: Mumbai – Nashik - Aurangabad (Ellora Caves) - Ajanta Caves - Kolhapur - Goa - Sindhudurg – Mumbai

Indian Odyssey Journey: Delhi- Sawai Madhopur - Ranthambore National Park- Agra- Jaipur- Udaipur- Vadodara- Aurangabad- Ellora Caves- Mumbai

Maharashtra Wild Trail Journey: Mumbai – Aurangabad (Ellora Caves) – Pench (Ramtek) – Tadoba – Ajanta – Nashik - Mumbai

Indian Sojourn Journey: Mumbai – Vadodara – Udaipur – Jodhpur – Agra – Sawai Madhopur (Ranthambore) – Jaipur – Delhi

Cultural Odyssey: Delhi - Sawai Madhopur - Jaipur - Agra - Gwalior - Orchha - Khajuraho - Varanasi - Delhi

Heritage Odyssey: Delhi - Agra - Jaipur - Sawai Madhopur – Udaipur – Jaisalmer - Jodhpur - Delhi

My preference for a first trip would be the "Cultural Odyssey. This would visit Agra, site of the Taj Mahal, and Jaipur. Jodpur has many interesting sites: a giant fort on a hilltop and some excellent colonial period buildings.

January, February and March are the best times to go. The other months are far too hot.

All are 8 day, 7 night tours. Prices start at $8,330 (USD) for single occupancy.