SOUTH AMERICA

ACCESSIBILITY RATING: 1/5 LENGTH: 66 DAYS

For many, rail is one of the most enjoyable methods of transport, but interrailing takes this up a notch. With your flexible Interrail Pass, permitting you travel between 33 European countries for up to three months at a time, you can make the Continent your own.

Many Interrail trips begin in Amsterdam, but why not start in Belgium? Fly, or get the Eurostar, to Brussels and enjoy a spot of Flemish architecture. From Brussels, hop on the train an hour to Bruges to explore the canals, before the 90-minute journey to Antwerp, where you can enjoy jazz at the De Muze café. From here, Amsterdam is just over an hour away on the train; if you’d rather Rotterdam, it’s even closer.

From Amsterdam, northern Europe opens up: the train to Berlin is an enjoyable six- to seven- hour trip, comfortable preparation for your action-packed trip further south. Arrive in Berlin and Europe is your oyster. Look east towards Warsaw, six hours away, or visit Leipzig, an hour south, famed for its connections to both Bach and Mozart.

Journey on another hour to Dresden, to cycle along the River Elbe from the city to Pillnitz Castle, a restored baroque residence of the kings of Saxony. Prague is over the border, from where you can continue south-east to Vienna, on to Budapest, or to Munich, four hours to the west.

Dipping south, take the five-hour trip to Verona, where you can continue on, or return home. If you choose the latter, a special train awaits: the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, and its overnight trip to London, where you will be welcomed aboard with a glass of sparkling wine.

If carrying on, make the five-hour journey to Zurich, before exploring Bern, and head to the south of France: Lyon, Nice, Montpellier, and anywhere else that takes your fancy. Wend your way home through France, or extend your trip again with a three-hour train from Montpellier to Barcelona where you can board a 22-day Mediterranean cruise, ending up in Athens.

Interrail tickets cost from £154 (interrail.eu). A twin cabin on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express starts at £2,754pp (luxurytraintickets.com). Princess Cruises (0344 338 8663; princess.com) runs a 22-day grand Mediterranean cruise from

£2,889pp based on two sharing

STEP 1

Kick off your trip to South America by joining Trailfinders’ 14-day End of the Earth tour, which begins in Buenos Aires. Fly to El Calafate in Patagonia, before winding through the Los Glaciares National Park to El Chaltén. The next day’s hike will have you marvelling at Mount Fitz Roy, before returning to El Calafate to explore the town. Crossing the Chilean border, you’ll enjoy the post-glacial landscape of Torres del Paine National Park before visiting Ushuaia, the world’s southernmost city where riding, hiking and cruising are on offer. Trailfinders (020 7084 6518; trailfinders.com) offers its End of the Earth tour from £2,464pp, including internal flights and 13 nights’ accommodation

STEP 2

Fly to Santiago to begin a 35-day tour beginning on Route 40, wine and steak country. Arriving at Cafayate, there’s time to explore the wineries before chances to ride, cycle, or trek in the city of Salta. Visit the Uyuni salt lake in Bolivia before touring the local silver mines in Potosí and moving on to Lake Titicaca to stay the night with a local Andean family. Then it’s on to Cusco for six days where you will hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, before visiting the Colca Canyon, one of the world’s deepest, before heading to Lima, where South America’s contrasts are there for all to see.

Oasis Overland (020 3725 8924; oasisoverland.co.uk) offers a 35-day Cordilleras tour from £1,945pp

STEP 3

Fly from Lima to Quito, Ecuador, to join a 17-night cruise around the Galapagos. First, explore Quito before flying to Baltra, right in the centre of the volcanic archipegalo, where an early highlight is a trip to Isla Santa Island in search of giant tortoises. Explore Plaza Island’s cactus forest, the white sand beaches of Santa Fe, and swim with sea lions at Gardner Bay on Española Island. Venturing to the island of Chinese Hat, snorkel with penguins, if you’re lucky, before exploring Isabela Island, where there is some whale-watching to be had.

The 17-day Galapagos Wildlife

Cruise with Exodus (020 3811 4374; exodus.co.uk) costs from £8,099pp, excluding flights

‘Take train travel up a notch’: from Brussels to Barcelona (via the Swiss Alps), Interrailing is for grown-ups, too

Sparkle and shimmer: Salar de Uyuni, in the Andes in south-west Bolivia, is the world’s largest salt flat