Most of the holidays by rail we offer are created with independent travellers in mind. We take care of all the arrangements, booking trains and seat reservations and hotel accommodation along with meet-and-greet transfers and even separate luggage transfers if required, and our customers just enjoy the ride.

But sometimes, particularly for long, complex journeys with lots of changes, travelling with an expert makes things that little bit easier. And that’s exactly what we offer with our Escorted Rail Journeys.

Tailor Made Rail offers two epic journeys – London to Marrakech and London to Istanbul.

Benefits of an Escorted Rail Journey

These holidays offer the best of both worlds; you’ll travel with a small group and a knowledgeable guide, but retain the feeling of independence and freedom.

• Travel with a rail expert. Our guides know the trains, routes and destinations inside out and will share their insight and experience with you.
• Take away the stress of a complex rail trip. Your guide will do the hard work for you, leaving you to enjoy the journey.
• Easy navigation of train stations, platforms and destinations. Our guide will make sure you know where to go, and get you there in plenty of time.
• Have confidence that any unforeseen issues can be resolved quickly by your guide.
• Travel with a small group of like-minded people
• Complete independence once you reach your destination. See what you want to see, at the pace you want to see it.

How is an Escorted Tour different?

Many people are familiar with the escorted tour concept – holidaying in groups with a guide and a fixed itinerary. Escorted tours, often by coach, have a pre-set list of excursions or places to visit each day with commentary provided by a guide. Meals are often provided, or restaurants booked for the group, along with hotels. Tour guides provide a huge amount of insight into the destination and places of interest visited throughout the trip.

Escorted tours are perfect for people who want to have everything arranged for them, and are happy to follow the set itinerary of the tour. Although free time may be scheduled, there is less opportunity to deviate from the planned route. We don’t tend to offer this kind of set holiday as our customers tend to prefer travelling independently.

There’s one exception – our Undiscovered Switzerland Tour . We decided to offer this holiday because we passionately believe that there’s so much to Switzerland that tourists don’t usually see. And our guide, James, is the perfect person to lead the way and provide an insight into this beautiful country. This holiday also has a laid back vibe with plenty of free time included.

Wengen, Switzerland

Our escorted rail journeys: 1) London – Marrakech

Our inaugural escorted rail journey to Morocco took place in spring 2024 led by Zak Nouri, one of our London-based rail experts. Born in Marrakech, Zak’s intimate knowledge of the city makes him the perfect guide. He speaks the language, knows the local customs, can recommend the best places to eat and will even help haggle in the souk.

Zak – our guide on the London to Marrakech Escorted Rail Journey

The route starts with a Eurostar from St Pancras and takes customers through France and Spain with overnight stops in Barcelona and Ronda. A short ferry ride from the south coast of Spain to Tangier, and the Moroccan adventure begins! Rabat, the capital, is the next stop, with two nights staying in a traditional Moroccan riad before the final leg of the journey to Marrakech.

Zak is on hand throughout if needed, and will offer advice and help with booking taxis, restaurants or excursions. It’s a more discreet service, with the emphasis on allowing our customers the freedom to discover these ancient, historic cities themselves.

Here’s what Stephen, one of the guests on our spring 2024 departure, said:

“What can I say about Zak! He was the most wonderful person to have to accompany us. Caring , friendly informative, generous. Extremely helpful when it came to finding and booking restaurants and taxis and advising us on our final transfers.

I felt I got the maximum I could out of the trip, a lot due to Zak, and I cannot think of a single thing I would change. Highlights were the train journeys…and all of the Moroccan travel.”

This holiday is incredible value, with prices starting at just £1,499 per person for 10 days of first class travel with 4 and 5 star accommodation. Our next departure is on 3 April 2025 – find all the details here and make a booking enquiry.

Rabat

Our escorted rail journeys: 2) London – Istanbul

This amazing and historic route to Istanbul journeys through France, Germany, Austria, Romania and Bulgaria. Your guide for this holiday will be Andy Brabin, a self-confessed rail travel geek who knows everything there is to know about travelling by rail in Europe!

The journey begins with a Eurostar from St Pancras travelling on Europe’s best high speed trains – TGV, ICE and Railjet – with stop-overs in Strasbourg, Munich and Vienna. From there, experience the Dacia overnight train en-route to Brasov, for two nights and an excursion to the Rasnov Fortress and Bran Castle – better known as Dracula’s Castle! Bucharest and Sofia follow, before the final sleeper train to Istanbul.

‘Dracula’s Castle’

With a lot of stops along the way, the 12-day itinerary leaves plenty of time for exploring. Travelling through this region of Europe doesn’t disappoint with breath-taking scenery, dramatic architecture, history, culture and an almost mystical atmosphere. Your guide Andy will be on hand to recommend unmissable experiences and places to see in each destination.

Prices to join the next departure on 9 May start from £1,799 for 12 days of first class and overnight travel with 4 and 5 star hotel accommodation. More details about the trip can be found here, along with how to book.

Istanbul

Escorted rail journey or independent travel?

Of course, it’s not necessary to take an escorted rail journey. This way of travelling suits some of our customers as it provides that little bit of extra assistance and know-how on long, complex journeys.

The majority of our customers are equally comfortable with independent rail travel and all it entails. Whether they choose rail for environmental reasons, a dislike of flying or airports, the convenience of city-to-city travel or simply to take in the scenery, getting there is very much a part of their holiday experience.

Even if you’re a seasoned independent traveller, though, booking can be time consuming and confusing. With an almost infinite number of route options, different rail companies operating in different countries and a myriad of pricing options, not to mention pages and pages of hotels to choose from, booking with Tailor Made Rail can help make things easy.

After your initial brief, we do all the hard work, researching the best routes, hotels and prices. Once you’re happy with the holiday, we book the trains, seat reservations and accommodation and prepare all of your travel documentation.

And, even if you’ve not got a rail expert with you on an escorted journey, we still offer support all the way – from our concierge service to our holiday help-line – for added peace of mind.

Ready to make an enquiry? Just get in touch!