We are regular travellers with Railtrail. As always, excellent rail trips, hotel good. Fantastic scenery. Good service by the "baggage man" who couriered our suitases. Underwhelmed by the tour man... See more
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I came across Railtours when browsing on the Internet & found a holiday that sounded ideal for me. I rang the company up & spoke to a really helpful person, who answered my questions. The holiday in q... See more
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We like to travel with Railtrail because you always have the option of talking with someone directly by phone during office hours, looking at their varied rail trip brochures either by post or online... See more
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As is the norm with Railtrail , the booking experience was superb - beautifully handled as usual by Marie. Even after a few slightly complicated changes to the travel arrangements by me, the final b... See more
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Company details
Written by the company
Welcome to Railtrail Tours Railtrail Tours is one of the UK’s leading specialists in escorted holidays by rail. Established in 1979, we have over 45 years of experience in crafting award-winning rail tours that combine comfort, scenery, and cultural discovery – all with the reassurance of an experienced Tour Manager throughout. Departing from your local railway station, our holidays take you on unforgettable journeys across the UK, Europe, and worldwide. From nostalgic steam adventures to luxurious rail cruises and scenic trips through the Highlands, Alps, or beyond, our tours are carefully designed for those who love the romance and relaxation of rail travel. We offer small group holidays with First Class rail travel, quality hand-picked hotels, and expertly planned itineraries. Our specialist Steam Railway Tours are especially popular with enthusiasts, offering rare locomotives, heritage lines, museum visits, and exclusive events that celebrate the golden age of steam. As a proudly family-run company, we take great pride in offering personal service, attention to detail, and a warm, welcoming experience from booking to boarding. Many of our customers return to travel with us again and again, which speaks volumes about the care we put into every tour. At Railtrail, we believe the journey should be just as memorable as the destination – and we look forward to welcoming you aboard soon.
Why Travel with Railtrail
Written by the company
- Award-Winning Holidays by Train in the UK, Europe & Worldwide
- Our Promise to You At Railtrail Tours, we believe the journey should be just as memorable as the destination. Since 1980, we have been creating award-winning escorted rail holidays that combine comfort, scenery, and discovery. Every Railtrail holiday is fully escorted by an experienced Tour Manager, giving you peace of mind from start to finish. We do include First Class rail travel where possible, carefully selected hotels, and itineraries that blend iconic railway journeys with fascinating excursions. Whether you dream of steam locomotives and heritage railways, a scenic cruise through the Highlands, or a grand European rail adventure, we take care of every detail so you can simply relax and enjoy the experience. As a family-run company, we pride ourselves on personal service and have built a loyal community of travellers, many of whom return year after year. With thousands of happy customers and excellent reviews, you can book with confidence knowing you’re in safe hands.
Book with Confidence – Our Railtrail Guarantee
Trusted since 1980, we promise every journey is fully protected and expertly escorted.
At Railtrail Tours, your peace of mind is our priority. Every holiday you book with us is financially protected, so you can travel with complete confidence. Our tours are fully escorted by experienced Tour Managers who are there to support you throughout your trip, ensuring that everything runs smoothly. We carefully select quality hotels, plan seamless rail connections, and create unique itineraries that blend unforgettable railway journeys with cultural highlights. As a family-run business, we take pride in personal service and attention to detail. Should the unexpected happen, our friendly UK-based team is here to put things right. That’s the Railtrail Guarantee.
Contact info
21 The Smithfield Centre, ST13 5JW, Leek, United Kingdom
- 01538382323
- enquiry@railtrail.co.uk
- www.railtrail.co.uk
Award-Winning Escorted Rail Holidays
4.7
Excellent
307 reviews
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Pleasant company to deal with - any issues quickly solved
Pleasant company to deal with - staff friendly and helpful
November 3, 2025
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a 5-star rating – it’s much appreciated!
Wonderful train trips and Scottish scenery
We are regular travellers with Railtrail. As always, excellent rail trips, hotel good. Fantastic scenery. Good service by the "baggage man" who couriered our suitases. Underwhelmed by the tour manager this time. We would have liked an extra day to explore Inverness itself independently.
October 21, 2025
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you for your five-star review and for travelling with us again. We’re delighted you enjoyed the scenery and rail journeys. Your comments about the Tour Manager and time in Inverness have been shared with our Operations Team for review. We appreciate your feedback and look forward to welcoming you on your next trip in 2026.
Always a pleasure to speak to…
Always a pleasure to speak to Railtrail. Questions and queries answered and booking made easy.
October 26, 2025
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a 5-star rating – it’s much appreciated!
We like to travel with Railtrail…
We like to travel with Railtrail because you always have the option of talking with someone directly by phone during office hours, looking at their varied rail trip brochures either by post or online and/or booking your trip directly through their office or online.
We have travelled with them frequently and have always thoroughly enjoyed these holidays. We would highly recommend.
November 1, 2025
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
We greatly appreciate your five-star rating. It’s fantastic to know that you had a wonderful experience with us. If there’s anything we can do to make your next tour even better, please don’t hesitate to let us know.
Easy to book via phone
October 29, 2025
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a 5-star rating – it’s much appreciated!
Phone booking with Railtrail
The person on the phone, Marie, was very friendly and efficient and made our call very easy. We look forward to our holiday
October 29, 2025
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you for the fantastic 5-star review! We’re so pleased to hear that our team made your booking process smooth and reassuring. Helping you feel confident about your holiday is exactly what we aim for—can’t wait to have you on board!
Easy online booking
Easy online booking, phone before with couple questions which were answered and received a phone call within a couple hours of booking to check some details. very satisfying.
October 23, 2025
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a 5-star rating – it’s much appreciated! We look forward to welcoming you on your next Railtrail Tour.
Marie super efficient and proactive.
Marie, being proactive, was wonderful in swapping my booking from one holiday, that had a question mark over it, to another before it sold out, ensuring I would get away for Xmas. She even refunded the difference the same day. It's the first time I have used Rail trail and I am very impressed with the team's efficiency, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them
October 21, 2025
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you for your glowing feedback! It’s fantastic to hear you received quick, helpful service and prompt confirmation. We’re committed to delivering smooth experiences from the very first step—enjoy your upcoming journey!
So well organised
So well organised with an experienced and really helpful tour guide who used his inside knowledge to find us extra interesting things to do.
Great hotel too.
September 8, 2025
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you so much for your incredibly kind words and for awarding us a five-star rating! We’re thrilled to hear about your fantastic experience with us.
Very nice people to deal with
Very nice people to deal with. Good information on holidays and Very helpful
October 17, 2025
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thanks so much for your kind words and 5-star rating. We’re delighted to know everything arrived on time and that you felt supported throughout.
Speedy and Excellent Service
Rail Tours very efficiently arranged an add-on stay to our selected tour. All correspondence was dealt with by return.
October 17, 2025
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a 5-star rating – it’s much appreciated!
Very helpfull rep
October 17, 2025
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a 5-star rating – it’s much appreciated!
Stress-free holidays.
Excellent service by phone. Staff informative, helpful and patient. Website easy to navigate. Great holidays.
October 13, 2025
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
We greatly appreciate your five-star rating. It’s fantastic to know that you had a wonderful experience with us. We pride ourselves on our customer experience and it makes all our hard work feel rewarded when you say such gracious words. We look forward to welcoming you on your Railtrail Tour in 2026.
Top marks!
I called to book the Festive Tartan and Taster tour for myself and my wife. Marie, as ever, was thoroughly professional and helpful together with being very sympathetic to our needs. All was sorted in a matter of minutes - top marks to her and Railtrail!
October 11, 2025
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a five-star rating! We’re thrilled that you had a positive experience with us. If you ever have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to reach out. We can’t wait to welcome you on your Railtrail Tour in December.
Booking straightforward
Booking holiday straightforward. Good information provided on line about the hotel and excursions included. Sounded exciting.
September 29, 2025
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you for the 5-star review! We're thrilled to hear our team was able to answer all your questions and make the process easy and stress-free. We're here to help every step of the way and can’t wait for you to enjoy your holiday!
We had a great tour manager
We had a great tour manager. The tours and the hotel were very good
October 6, 2025
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you so much for the 5⭐We’re thrilled your return trip on the Forest of Dean Steam lived up to expectations! Hope to see you again soon.
2nd Trip
I have only been on one previous Rail Trail and found it to be excellent so I've booked another - which is quite easy to do.
October 4, 2025
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a 5-star rating – it’s much appreciated! We look forward to welcoming you on your Railtrail Tour in 2026.
advance planninge …
i have been looking for a long time for the "right type " of rail tour.often a small rail trip followed by a full day to do your own thing in a city.nit suitable for myself.
your tour is full on activity within that i have options within the few hours before return trip,
it looks like a small group wich will bring a degree of social interaction,a good thing.
communication and advice with the company has been good.and i have been able to asses my options in advance. Example spending my time at a heratage station to do some photography rather than walking round the town. Added attraction,retirning to the town (Bury) where i was born and raised.overall if the journey is as good as the agenda i am in for a very special holiday.
September 23, 2025
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
We truly appreciate your kind words and 5-star rating! We are so happy that you have found the right tour with plenty of heritage steam and scenic journeys for your photography. Have a great time The Railtrail Team.
Helpful manager
Helpful manager. Based in Torquay, Fawlty Towers it definately was not! Great hotel with superb food and service. Interesting trips including a tour of the River Dart on the only coal fired paddle steamer still working.
September 1, 2025
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you so much for your incredibly kind words and for awarding us a five-star rating! We’re thrilled to hear about your fantastic experience with us. We hope to see you on another Railtrail holiday soon.
Just booked another tour with Railtrail
Just booked another tour with Railtrail. Always well organised, excellent service with very good tour managers.
September 16, 2025
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you for your five-star rating! Our Product and Customer Care Teams work hard to create and support memorable tours, and we have some fantastic new journeys for 2026 that we think you’ll love. We look forward to welcoming you on your cruise with Railtrail in 2026.
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