Rhine River Cruise | Avalon Waterways
Everyone loves a room with a view. The difference with certain trips is that the view begins long before you check in. A rail route through Europe, a small ship navigating a remote coastline, or a stay positioned in front of something iconic can shape the entire experience. The landscape is not an afterthought. It is part of why you go.
Top Left: Colorado - Canyon Spirit | Bottom Left: Tuscany, Italy - Orient Express La Dolce Vita
Right: Peru - Belmond Andean Explorer
Rail travel is one of the most rewarding ways to experience scenery at scale, and Europe does it exceptionally well. In Italy, countryside journeys turn vineyards and coastal stretches into part of the itinerary rather than something you fly over, while alpine crossings through Switzerland, including the route between Zermatt and St. Moritz, reveal valleys, gorges, and historic bridges through panoramic windows that make every seat feel like the right one. In winter, you may even spot sledders racing down the Preda-Bergün run as the train curves past.
Beyond Europe, equally striking scenery unfolds in the American Southwest and across Peru’s Andean plateau, where red rock canyons and high-altitude plains stretch for miles in every direction.
Left: Antarctica - Silversea Cruises
Top Right: New Zealand - Fjordland Jewel | Bottom Right: Amazon - Uniworld
Small ship and expedition cruising offer a similar shift in perspective. On New Zealand’s South Island, an intimate yacht exploring Milford Sound hugs towering fjord walls where waterfalls spill directly into the water, and guests head out by kayak or tender, often spotting fur seals, Fiordland crested penguins, dolphins, and even humpback whales along the way.
In Western Australia’s remote Kimberley region, vessels approach cliff-drop waterfalls and ancient rock formations, while Antarctica offers ice stretching to the horizon and wildlife gathered along stark shorelines. Deep in the Amazon, rainforest lines both banks of the river, and the scenery shifts with every bend. Different landscapes, same advantage. Access changes everything.
If the view matters to you, we design trips where it
never feels like an afterthought.