South Africa’s Blue Train

The Blue Train is an icon of luxurious South African travel. For more than 70 years the train between Cape Town & Pretoria has been thought of us one of the world’s great railway journeys. The Blue Train experience is less about needing to get to your destination and much more about how you get there.

The Blue Train covers a total distance just short of 1000 miles across two nights onboard, so comfort and hospitality are key. A journey on the Blue Train has been likened to a step back in time, when all journeys were an event in themselves.

Your journey begins (in either direction) with check-in at the VIP pre-departure lounge. Guests will be able to enjoy canapes and drinks usually with live music as the train is prepared for departure. Once on the train guests can move freely between their private cabins and a variety of coaches. The Club Car Lounge offers a well-stocked bar, books and board games to help pass the time, whilst a second lounge car offers High Tea and snacks on the journey. The Observation car at the rear end of the train offers panoramic windows so guests can enjoy the ever-changing scenery as they pass through the country, whilst the Dining Car serves breakfast, lunch and evening dinner across two optional sittings. The Blue Train prides itself on its fine cuisine and offers guests a variety of freshly prepared menus accompanied by some of the finest South African wines.

Your deluxe cabin provides the comfort of a 5-star hotel on wheels. It is your elegant and relaxing lounge during the day, and it is transformed in to tranquil bedroom at night. Expect monogrammed towels and crisp cotton sheets, in an air-conditioned cabin with under-floor heating. Event the ensuite bathrooms are fitted with marble inks and gold fittings. All of this is yours with the addition of your own private window on the ever changing world outside.

Pretoria is South Africa’s executive capital and has calmer and more relaxed atmosphere than neighbouring Johannesburg. It is known as the Jacaranda city due to the large number of Jacaranda trees that are planted on its streets, parks and gardens. When they are in bloom with their lilac blossom between September and November it is quite a spectacle.

There is nowhere quite like Cape Town. A city that is constantly overlooked by the magnificent Table Mountain National Park. The V&A Waterfront is quintessentially Cape Town, as the old-world charm of the historic harbour meets the modern demand for restaurants, hotels and entertainment. It is this fusion of old & new, nature and invention that brings people back to Cape Town again & again.

The Blue Train offers one en-route excursion to stretch your legs at Kimberley. Guests can disembark and gather at the Railway Museum before being transferred to the Kimberley Open Mine Museum. Guests can view the various historical sites as take to the enclosed ramp for views in to the “Big Hole”.

At certain times of year the Blue-Train offers a two-night branch-line tour to the Kruger National Park. Kruger National Park is home to the “Big Five” African animals, and so is perfect for an all -day guided safari excursion from the train.