World's Most Scenic Railway Journeys Episode Rating Graph

A ride is taken aboard the Northern Belle in and out of England and Wales.

Cameras follow a train route from Bergen to Oslo, through the extraordinary mountains of southern Norway in winter. This super-fast train travels daily to the country's capital, and first stop is Dale - a place where Norway's most famous knitters design and craft the country's famous jumpers. The final stop is Sandvika, where Monet painted around 30 scenes.

A journey through the mountains of the Italian Riviera in a restored vintage 1920s train, beginning at Cinque Terre national park, and concluding in the historic port city of Genoa. Along the way, the train stops at the elegant resort of Santa Margherita and the remote 10th-century abbey of San Fruttuoso.

A 600-mile journey through one of the most world's most northern countries - Finland - from Helsinki in the south to Kemijärvi in Finnish Lapland. The line whisks passengers through the thickest of forests, past vast frozen lakes 63 times the size of Lake Windermere and to station stops where time has stood still. As the train enters the Arctic Circle, it calls at Rovaniemi, a place destroyed by German soldiers at the end of the Second World War. Now the town has been re-built, famously in the shape of a reindeer, serving as the official home of Santa Claus.

Cameras focus on the island of Taiwan, and three extraordinary railways. The journey begins in the eastern port city of Hualien, from where we travel north along the rugged Pacific coast. The trek ends with a view of Taiwan's highest mountain peaks above a sea of clouds.

A look at Bavaria's rich history of steam travel, seeing world-beating miniature railways and visiting a whole host of interesting places on a journey to the heart of the Bavarian Alps, where a beer-brewing monk and a town made famous by the Winter Olympics await. Later, a trip to Germany's highest mountain Zugspitze - which offers amazing panoramic views right across Germany and Austria.

Beginning in the mountaintop town of Creel, the Chihuahua Pacifico Express - or El Chepe for short - winds its way through the Tarahumara Mountains, home to the reclusive Raramuri people. Divisadero, Mexico's most panoramic station, offers the first glimpse of Copper Canyon. Created by six separate yet conjoined gorges, it is four times the size of the Grand Canyon. The train continues on to the Urique Canyon, which at 6,200ft deep it is the deepest in North America. The final leg crosses the state of Sinaloa, Mexico's breadbasket, before reaching Los Mochis and the gateway to the Pacific Ocean.

A 500-mile journey across South Africa in a luxury hotel train, which travels between Pretoria and Durban on the coast over the course of three days.

A trip beginning in Inverness and soon passing Culloden, the site of the last pitched battle on British soil. It then enters the Cairngorms National Park, home to some of Europe's finest landscapes as well as valleys steeped in Gaelic folklore. The park's station at Aviemore is home to the Strathspey Railway, where Victorian steam locomotives come to life. There is then a climb to the highest point on Britain's railway network before the train winds its way through Fife. Eventually the route crosses the Forth Bridge before arriving in Scottish capital Edinburgh, admired for its architecture and annual arts festival.

A magical mid-summer railway journey through central Sweden starts in Mora on the Inlandsbanan. This traditional town is in the county of Dalarna, the heart of Swedish traditional culture and often known as 'Sweden in miniature'.

Cameras focus on Austria's stunning Transalpine railway, which crosses the snowy peaks of the Tirol. Our journey begins in the historic city of Graz and heads west through famous alpine beauty spots, including Zell am Zee, where the sounds of yodelling still echo across pristine mountain valleys. The final stretch passes through the 10.6- kilometre Arlberg Tunnel.

A train journey across Sri Lanka along one of the world's best-preserved Victorian railways. The trip begins in the coastal city of Colombo and moves on to the country's cultural and spiritual heart in Kandy. The journey continues through a a very English town that produces some of the world's finest teas, coming to a stop at a hill station surrounded by tropical forests close to one of the world's most spectacular viaducts - the Nine Arch Bridge.

A trip through the Peak District at full steam, pulled by the Royal Scot, one of the finest locomotives ever built. On the way from Crewe to York, the train travels over Chat Moss on a line built by Robert Stephenson, which once served the famous Rocket.

The Cambrian Line starts in Pwllheli and travels 200km to Shrewsbury, taking in the fairytale village of Portmeirion, the seaside resort of Aberdovey and the ancient capital of Wales, Machynlleth.

Our Scottish rail journey starts in Kyle of Lochalsh, a tiny fishing village on the far west coast and takes us east across the breathtaking Highlands.

The New Zealand South Island line scales the snow-capped Southern Alps, travels through Maori hunting grounds and finally reaches Christchurch, a city sitting on a volcano.

Pulled by a gleaming Siemens Charger locomotive, our double-decked coaches will take us on a 350-mile trip into the Californian dream. On our way we'll stop off in Carlsbad.

This week, we're celebrating Italy and following the Neapolitan Line. Travelling west from the gelato shops of the seaside town of Pescara, we cross Italy through the remote and wild Apennine Mountains down to the hustling city of Naples on the west coast. Our journey ends on-board the royal carriages preserved in the old locomotive works of Pietrarsa.

Starting from one of the world's most remote cities, Walvis Bay, in Namibia, we roll 1,500 miles through the Kalahari desert to Pretoria, South Africa's Executive Capital.

This is a scenic railway journey like few others. Leaving chic 21st century Nice behind the Train des Pigne takes us back into the Provence of the past.

The Northern Spain line begins near Leon in the Picos de Europa mountains, takes in Bilbao's Guggenheim Museum and the beautiful coastline of Galicia, finally ending in the spectacular harbour of Ferrol.

The latest train excursion includes a trip to Portugal's Quinta de Vargellas, a vineyard that has been making port for centuries. Cameras also focus on the seaside city of Aveiro, and there's a trip to Lisbon to visit the home of the regional custard tart.

A trip through Devon to the tip of Cornwall, going back in time to recapture the golden age of luxury train travel. Travelling in the elegantly restored Statesman, passengers relax in its vintage carriages and enjoy the exquisite service. The first stop is on the stunning Devon coast, which suffered devastating destruction during the heavy winter storms of 2014. From Dawlish, it heads to Cornwall and across the Royal Albert Bridge, a masterpiece of railway engineering.

We travel on one of the oldest steam railways in Australia, the Zig Zag Railway and on a coast-to-coast journey aboard the iconic Indian Pacific, where cameras focus on the spectacular Blue Mountains.