You have probably seen the claim: you can travel from Portugal to Vietnam by train, 17,000 km, 327 hours, across Europe, Russia, Mongolia and China. It is a lovely idea, and it is mostly true in spirit but fuzzy in the details. There is no single scheduled train from Lisbon to Hanoi. What exists is a chain of real services you can book yourself, and the 327-hour figure is an estimate that depends entirely on how many stops you add. The primary source for most of these numbers is the Man in Seat 61, which tracks the actual timetables rather than the viral version.
So I went looking for the routes that genuinely reward the long way round. Below are sixteen rail journeys that are long, strange or quietly spectacular, plus a few bonus mentions. Times are approximate and timetables change, so check before you commit a fortnight of your life.
Table of Contents(Click to Toggle)
- Why the Portugal-to-Vietnam Claim Is Worth Testing
- The 16 Longest and Most Rewarding Train Journeys
- 1. Portugal to Vietnam Overland Chain
- 2. Trans-Siberian Railway
- 3. Trans-Mongolian Railway
- 4. Trans-Manchurian Route
- 5. The Silk Road by Rail
- 6. Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City Reunification Express
- 7. The Ghan
- 8. Trans-Australian Indian Pacific
- 9. The Canadian
- 10. Amtrak Coast Starlight
- 11. Rovos Rail Cape to Cairo Attempts
- 12. The Blue Train
- 13. Oslo to Bergen Bergensbanen
- 14. The Glacier Express
- 15. El Chepe through Copper Canyon
- 16. The Andean Explorer
- Bonus: The Jacobite
- Bonus: The Flam Railway
- Bonus: The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
- Bonus: The Bernina Express
- The Long Way Round, Honestly Assessed
Why the Portugal-to-Vietnam Claim Is Worth Testing
The pin says 327 hours and 17,000 km. Those figures circulate widely, but they are not from a single operator. They come from adding up segments: Lisbon to Paris, Paris to Moscow, the Trans-Siberian to Beijing, then south to Hanoi. The 17,000 km is plausible if you route through Mongolia rather than Manchuria. The 327 hours is a rough sum of timetable hours, not counting waiting for connections, which can add days. The honest version: it is possible, it is not one ticket, and it is longer than the pin suggests once you account for layovers. That is exactly why the routes below are worth knowing individually.
The 16 Longest and Most Rewarding Train Journeys
1. Portugal to Vietnam Overland Chain : The route behind the viral claim
What it is: A self-assembled itinerary of scheduled trains from Lisbon through Europe, Russia, Mongolia and China to Hanoi.
Category: Multi-country overland expedition
Why it stands out: It is the only way to actually do the pin’s promise. You book each leg separately, which means you can stop in Moscow, Irkutsk or Ulaanbaatar for as long as you like.
Best for: Travellers with three to six weeks and patience for visa paperwork.
2. Trans-Siberian Railway : The backbone of every long Eurasian route
What it is: The classic Moscow to Vladivostok service, roughly 9,289 km and six days of continuous rail.
Category: Long-distance scheduled rail
Why it stands out: It is the longest single railway line in the world. The Moscow to Beijing variants branch off it, so this is the trunk you build on.
Best for: Anyone who wants the pure distance without the border complexity.
3. Trans-Mongolian Railway : Steppe views and a night in Ulaanbaatar
What it is: The Moscow to Beijing route via Ulaanbaatar, around 7,800 km.
Category: International scheduled rail
Why it stands out: The Mongolian section crosses open grassland with no fences and no roads, which is the part people photograph. You can break the journey in Ulaanbaatar for a few days.
Best for: Travellers who want landscapes rather than cities.
4. Trans-Manchurian Route : The quieter eastern branch
What it is: The Moscow to Beijing line via Harbin in northeast China.
Category: International scheduled rail
Why it stands out: It skips Mongolia and runs through the Chinese northeast, which means fewer tourists and a different border crossing at Zabaykalsk. The trade-off is less dramatic scenery.
Best for: Repeat riders who have already done the Mongolian branch.
5. The Silk Road by Rail : Central Asia in slow motion
What it is: A loose network of trains through Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and western China.
Category: Regional overland route
Why it stands out: It is not one line but a set of connections, including the Afrosiyob high-speed service between Samarkand and Bukhara. The limitation is that some borders close at night, so planning matters.
Best for: Travellers who like building their own route from timetables.
6. Reunification Express : Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City in one go
What it is: Vietnam’s north-south line, roughly 1,726 km and about 30 hours end to end.
Category: National scheduled rail
Why it stands out: It is the natural final leg of the Portugal-to-Vietnam idea. The coastal stretch near Da Nang passes through Hai Van Pass, which is the scenic highlight.
Best for: Finishing the long route with a soft sleeper and a view.
7. The Ghan : Adelaide to Darwin across the outback
What it is: A 2,979 km Australian journey taking about 54 hours, with stops in Alice Springs.
Category: Long-distance luxury rail
Why it stands out: It crosses the Red Centre, which is genuinely empty for hundreds of kilometres. It is expensive compared with a flight, and that is the honest limitation.
Best for: Travellers who want comfort over distance records.
8. Indian Pacific : Sydney to Perth, coast to coast
What it is: A 4,352 km crossing of Australia in about 65 hours, including the Nullarbor Plain.
Category: Long-distance luxury rail
Why it stands out: It is one of the few trains that crosses a continent from ocean to ocean. The Nullarbor section is the longest straight stretch of track in the world.
Best for: Anyone who wants a continent-sized journey without a border crossing.
9. The Canadian : Toronto to Vancouver in four nights
What it is: VIA Rail’s flagship, roughly 4,466 km and about 86 hours.
Category: Long-distance scheduled rail
Why it stands out: It runs through the Canadian Shield and the Rockies, and the observation car is open to all passengers. Delays are common because freight trains have priority.
Best for: Travellers who value scenery over punctuality.
10. Amtrak Coast Starlight : Seattle to Los Angeles along the Pacific
What it is: A 2,216 km route taking about 35 hours, with a sightseer lounge.
Category: National scheduled rail
Why it stands out: The stretch through California’s Central Coast and the Cascade Range is the reason to take it. Sleeper passengers get meals included, but coach is a long night.
Best for: A first long train ride in the United States.
11. Rovos Rail : Cape Town to Dar es Salaam on a private train
What it is: A multi-week luxury itinerary across southern and eastern Africa, not a scheduled service.
Category: Luxury expedition rail
Why it stands out: It covers a distance no scheduled passenger train manages, with stops at Victoria Falls and in Tanzania. The limitation is cost and limited annual departures.
Best for: A once-in-a-decade splurge.
12. The Blue Train : Pretoria to Cape Town in luxury
What it is: A 1,600 km overnight journey taking about 27 hours.
Category: Luxury rail
Why it stands out: It is short compared with the others, but it is one of the most polished rail experiences in the world, with butler service and suites. It is not a budget option.
Best for: Travellers who want the romance without the endurance test.
13. Bergensbanen : Oslo to Bergen across the roof of Norway
What it is: A 496 km route taking about seven hours across the Hardangervidda plateau.
Category: Scenic national rail
Why it stands out: It is short but reaches 1,237 metres above sea level, the highest point on the Norwegian network. The views are the point, not the distance.
Best for: A day trip that feels like a long journey.
14. Glacier Express : Zermatt to St Moritz in eight hours
What it is: A 291 km Swiss route through 91 tunnels and over 291 bridges.
Category: Scenic mountain rail
Why it stands out: It is famously slow, averaging under 40 km/h, which is the appeal. Panorama windows and a dining car make it a full day out.
Best for: Travellers who want scenery density rather than distance.
15. El Chepe : Chihuahua to Los Mochis through Copper Canyon
What it is: A 673 km Mexican route taking about 16 hours through the Barrancas del Cobre.
Category: Scenic regional rail
Why it stands out: The canyon system is deeper and larger than the Grand Canyon in places, and the train stops at Divisadero for the view. The first-class service is comfortable; the second-class is slower and cheaper.
Best for: A long ride that does not require a visa.
16. The Andean Explorer : Cusco to Arequipa across the altiplano
What it is: A Peruvian luxury service crossing the Andes at over 4,000 metres.
Category: Luxury scenic rail
Why it stands out: It is one of the highest passenger routes in the world, and the altitude is the real challenge. The journey is overnight, with an observation car at the rear.
Best for: Travellers who want altitude and comfort together.
Bonus: The Jacobite : Fort William to Mallaig on a steam train
What it is: A seasonal steam service across the Glenfinnan Viaduct in Scotland.
Category: Heritage steam rail
Why it stands out: It is short, about 135 km return, but the viaduct crossing is the reason people book months ahead.
Best for: A half-day heritage ride.
Bonus: The Flam Railway : A 20 km climb in Norway
What it is: One of the steepest standard-gauge lines in the world, climbing 863 metres.
Category: Scenic mountain rail
Why it stands out: It takes about an hour and passes a waterfall stop at Kjosfossen. It is short but dramatic.
Best for: Combining with the Bergensbanen.
Bonus: Darjeeling Himalayan Railway : A UNESCO narrow-gauge climb
What it is: A 2-foot gauge line climbing from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling.
Category: Heritage mountain rail
Why it stands out: It is a working heritage line, not a museum piece, and the loops and zig-zags are the engineering story.
Best for: Travellers already in West Bengal.
Bonus: Bernina Express : Chur to Tirano over the Alps
What it is: A UNESCO-listed narrow-gauge route crossing into Italy without a tunnel.
Category: Scenic mountain rail
Why it stands out: It climbs to 2,253 metres at Ospizio Bernina and descends through the Valposchiavo. It runs year-round.
Best for: A cross-border day trip.
The Long Way Round, Honestly Assessed
The Portugal-to-Vietnam pin is not wrong, it is just imprecise. No single ticket exists, the 327 hours is an estimate, and the real journey takes longer once you count connections. What the claim gets right is that the long way round is possible, and that the individual legs are worth doing on their own terms. Start with one route rather than the whole chain, and check current timetables before you book anything.
Which of these have you actually ridden, and what did the timetable do to your plans? Check it twice, then share it.
Marta writes about the everyday facts people repeat without checking, from kitchen science to common sayings. Her angle is simple: find the original source, show what it actually says, and explain where the popular version drifted. She favors short pieces that end with a clear takeaway you can use the next time the topic comes up.
