The IRT Society's Best-Loved Railway Journeys 2018 - 70

the irt society's best-loVed railway journeys®

El Transcantábrico Gran Lujo:
Northern Spain,
Santiago-San Sebastián

Angela Walker

he 52-passenger El Transcantábrico Clásico train started
in 1983. In April 2011, Gran
Lujo, a brand-new Transcantábrico, was added. It features all
Deluxe Suites, each occupying
half a train car. Due to the size
of the large suites, the Gran Lujo
takes only 28 passengers. This is
huge for travelers requiring more
space and greater intimacy. Both
trains traverse Northern Spain's
narrow-gauge tracks. Overnights
are spent at quiet sidings on both
trains.
Sleeping CarS
Gran Lujo Train: Compartments are 129 square feet and
have private, en-suite toilet, sink
and shower (with sauna-hydro
massage), minibar, safe, closet
and desk. Each has double bed
(four have two twins) and separate lounge area with long sofa,
lots of storage, flat-screen television and computer with wi-fi
access (connectivity limited).
Clásico Train: This train set
has six sleeping cars, each with
four double compartments at 65
square feet. Each has en-suite toilet, sink and shower (with saunahydro massage), mini-bar, closet
and desk. All rooms have double
beds (not queen size); three also
have a small upper bunk. This

is a narrow-gauge train, making
onboard accommodations tiny.
Dining & lounge CarS
The focus of both El Transcantábrico journeys is Northern
Spain's food and wine. IRT's
Owen and Eleanor Hardy, and
Angela Walker, loved both trains,
staff and the towns visited, not to
mention the dining (and Spanish
wines!). Our advice: pace yourself
with all the food, wine and sightseeing. Skip a meal, have soup in
a small café and go to bed early.
Most of the dining is very late
(typical in Spain) and meals are
long. Some meals are on board;
others in local restaurants. All
meals and wine are included; bar
drinks are additional.
El Transcantábrico has four
public cars where you can relax,
enjoy the scenery, socialize, read
or play one of the many board
games. There are two handsome
salon cars, where a buffet breakfast is served, as well as a bar car
and pub car with dance floor. Entertainment is provided nightly.
Sometimes, it's live Spanish
music. Other times, it's recorded.
But many nights, there's a party.
Join in!
We recommend couples book
two rooms on the Clásico so each
of you can spread out. The earlier

Angela Walker

"I loved breakfasts on board
the El Transcantábrico Gran
Lujo, with offerings such as
made-to-order crepes and
delicious, fresh Iberian ham!"
- Angela Walker, IRT
you book, the closer you are to
dining and lounge cars.
The main complaint: too
much food! (A major compliment: great food!) Days can be
long with a considerable amount
of walking. Tours are conducted
in several languages.
Angela Walker

70
70 || FOR
Visit our
DATES,
website
PRICES:
for dates,
WWW.IRTSOCIETY.COM
prices, more tours * www.irtsociety.com
* (800) 478-4881
* (800) 478-4881,
* TOURDESK@IRTSOCIETY.COM
u.s. & canada; (502) 897-1725, elsewhere * tourdesk@irtsociety.com

https://www.irtsociety.com/journey/el-transcantabrico-gran-lujo/

The IRT Society's Best-Loved Railway Journeys 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The IRT Society's Best-Loved Railway Journeys 2018