We are regular travellers with Railtrail. As always, excellent rail trips, hotel good. Fantastic scenery. Good service by the "baggage man" who couriered our suitases. Underwhelmed by the tour man... See more
Company replied
While we don't verify specific claims because reviewers' opinions are their own, we may label reviews as "Verified" when we can confirm a business interaction took place. Read more
To protect platform integrity, every review on our platform—verified or not—is screened by our 24/7 automated software. This technology is designed to identify and remove content that breaches our guidelines, including reviews that are not based on a genuine experience. We recognise we may not catch everything, and you can flag anything you think we may have missed. Read more
Review summary
Created with AI, based on recent reviews
What people talk about most
Reviews shaping this summary
I came across Railtours when browsing on the Internet & found a holiday that sounded ideal for me. I rang the company up & spoke to a really helpful person, who answered my questions. The holiday in q... See more
Company replied
We like to travel with Railtrail because you always have the option of talking with someone directly by phone during office hours, looking at their varied rail trip brochures either by post or online... See more
Company replied
As is the norm with Railtrail , the booking experience was superb - beautifully handled as usual by Marie. Even after a few slightly complicated changes to the travel arrangements by me, the final b... See more
Company replied
Company details
- #94 of 146 best companies in Tour operator
Written by the company
Welcome to Railtrail Tours Railtrail Tours is one of the UK’s leading specialists in escorted holidays by rail. Established in 1979, we have over 45 years of experience in crafting award-winning rail tours that combine comfort, scenery, and cultural discovery – all with the reassurance of an experienced Tour Manager throughout. Departing from your local railway station, our holidays take you on unforgettable journeys across the UK, Europe, and worldwide. From nostalgic steam adventures to luxurious rail cruises and scenic trips through the Highlands, Alps, or beyond, our tours are carefully designed for those who love the romance and relaxation of rail travel. We offer small group holidays with First Class rail travel, quality hand-picked hotels, and expertly planned itineraries. Our specialist Steam Railway Tours are especially popular with enthusiasts, offering rare locomotives, heritage lines, museum visits, and exclusive events that celebrate the golden age of steam. As a proudly family-run company, we take great pride in offering personal service, attention to detail, and a warm, welcoming experience from booking to boarding. Many of our customers return to travel with us again and again, which speaks volumes about the care we put into every tour. At Railtrail, we believe the journey should be just as memorable as the destination – and we look forward to welcoming you aboard soon.
Why Travel with Railtrail
Written by the company
- Award-Winning Holidays by Train in the UK, Europe & Worldwide
- Our Promise to You At Railtrail Tours, we believe the journey should be just as memorable as the destination. Since 1980, we have been creating award-winning escorted rail holidays that combine comfort, scenery, and discovery. Every Railtrail holiday is fully escorted by an experienced Tour Manager, giving you peace of mind from start to finish. We do include First Class rail travel where possible, carefully selected hotels, and itineraries that blend iconic railway journeys with fascinating excursions. Whether you dream of steam locomotives and heritage railways, a scenic cruise through the Highlands, or a grand European rail adventure, we take care of every detail so you can simply relax and enjoy the experience. As a family-run company, we pride ourselves on personal service and have built a loyal community of travellers, many of whom return year after year. With thousands of happy customers and excellent reviews, you can book with confidence knowing you’re in safe hands.
Book with Confidence – Our Railtrail Guarantee
Trusted since 1980, we promise every journey is fully protected and expertly escorted.
At Railtrail Tours, your peace of mind is our priority. Every holiday you book with us is financially protected, so you can travel with complete confidence. Our tours are fully escorted by experienced Tour Managers who are there to support you throughout your trip, ensuring that everything runs smoothly. We carefully select quality hotels, plan seamless rail connections, and create unique itineraries that blend unforgettable railway journeys with cultural highlights. As a family-run business, we take pride in personal service and attention to detail. Should the unexpected happen, our friendly UK-based team is here to put things right. That’s the Railtrail Guarantee.
Contact info
21 The Smithfield Centre, ST13 5JW, Leek, United Kingdom
- 01538382323
- enquiry@railtrail.co.uk
- www.railtrail.co.uk
Award-Winning Escorted Rail Holidays
4.7
Excellent
307 reviews
Asks customers to review
This company invites their customers to review, whether positive or negative
Replied to 100% of negative reviews
Typically replies within 24 hours
How this company uses Trustpilot
See how their reviews and ratings are sourced, scored, and moderated.
Easy booking system.
Very helpful staff and all questions were solved and booked online with no problems.
19 January 2026
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you very much for your five-star review.
We’re delighted to hear that you found the booking system easy to use and that our team were helpful in answering all your questions. It’s great to know everything was completed smoothly online with no problems.
We hope you have a wonderful holiday and we look forward to welcoming you on tour.
Kind regards,
The Railtrail Tours Team
Administration and communications leave…
Administration and communications leave a lot to be desired.
16 January 2026
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback.
We’re genuinely sorry to hear that our administration and communications did not meet your expectations on this occasion. This isn’t the level of service we aim to provide, and your comments are being taken seriously.
If you’re happy to do so, we would really welcome the opportunity to understand where things fell short and see what we can learn from your experience. Please feel free to contact our Customer Care team directly so we can review this properly and work towards improving things for future travellers.
Thank you again for your honesty — feedback like this helps us do better.
Kind regards,
The Railtrail Tours Team
Fairly straight-forward process on line.
9 January 2026
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you for your kind review.
We’re pleased to hear that you found the online booking process fairly straightforward. We’re always working to make things even clearer and easier, so your feedback is very much appreciated.
If you need any assistance at any stage, our team will be happy to help. We hope you have a great trip and look forward to welcoming you onboard.
Kind regards,
The Railtrail Tours Team
Very easy to discover what we wanted…
Very easy to discover what we wanted and to book it.
9 January 2026
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you for your five-star review.
We’re delighted to hear that you found it easy to discover the right trip and to make your booking. Making the whole process clear and straightforward is really important to us.
We hope this positive experience continues as you look forward to your holiday, and our team is always on hand should you need any help in the meantime.
Kind regards,
The Railtrail Tours Team
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you very much for your five-star review.
We’re delighted to hear that you found the booking process easy, and it’s lovely to know you’re looking forward to your holiday. Our team will be on hand if you need any help before you travel, and we hope you have a wonderful time.
Kind regards,
The Railtrail Tours Team
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you very much for your five-star review.
We’re delighted to hear that you found the telephone booking process easy and efficient. Our team takes great pride in providing clear, friendly support, so it’s lovely to know this came across.
We hope you have a fantastic holiday on the Isle of Wight and very much look forward to welcoming you on tour.
Kind regards,
The Railtrail Tours Team
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you for your review. We’re really pleased to hear that everything worked well for you. We appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback and hope to welcome you on another Railtrail holiday in the future.
A smooth booking experience
I made a booking by telephone and received careful and very helpful consideration of all our needs. Co-ordinating this booking with that of two friends who will be accompanying us was made easy.
13 January 2026
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you so much for your lovely five-star review. We’re delighted to hear that your telephone booking experience was smooth and that our team took the time to carefully consider all your needs. We’re especially pleased we could help coordinate your booking with your friends and make the process easy for you. We hope you all have a wonderful Railtrail holiday and look forward to welcoming you on board.
very helpfull when I phoned and let me…
very helpfull when I phoned and let me delay the booking until I had seen my consultant who gave me the clearance to be able to book my holiday.
12 January 2026
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you for your kind five star review. We’re pleased our team could help when you phoned and give you the time you needed before confirming your booking. We’re glad to support you and hope you enjoy a wonderful holiday.
Communications Straightforward
Found dealing with Railtrail straightforward and had no problems to date.
9 January 2026
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you for your five star review. We’re pleased you found dealing with Railtrail straightforward and that everything has gone smoothly so far.
Polite, tactful and knowledgeable member of staff.
Filled in the booking form on line, paid the deposit, and sent it off without realising I had missed one question, which did not actually matter for my purposes.
The following morning I had a phone call which pointed out my omission and, explained what I needed to do. The caller was polite and made no comments about my silly mistake assuring me that my booking was now all in order.
9 January 2026
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you for your lovely review. We’re pleased our team could quickly resolve the issue and support you in such a polite and helpful way. We’re glad everything is now in order and wish you a wonderful holiday.
NEVER BEEN DISAPPOINTED WITH OUR HOLS
The guide was well versed into all areas where we have been to. Every thing worked out as described .
Hence the 5 star
9 January 2026
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you for your 5-star review. We’re delighted you enjoyed the tour and found the guide so knowledgeable.
Excellent customer service as always
Excellent customer service as always. Phone answered quickly. Questions answered and booking made by friendly lady.
9 January 2026
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you for your feedback. We’re glad you received the excellent service you’ve come to expect.
Very helpful and pleasant staff.
Very helpful and friendly staff, a pleasure to deal with. I would certainly use your company again.
6 January 2026
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you for your kind review. We’re delighted you found our team helpful and pleasant, and we look forward to welcoming you again in the future.
Flexible travel arrangements
I had slightly different requirements for journies to and from the tour being booked. Dealt with most professionally.
9 January 2026
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you for your review. We’re pleased we could accommodate your travel requirements and that everything was handled professionally.
Very friendly and helpful Agent who was…
Very friendly and helpful Agent who was able to administer my booking and answer most of my questions. Just waiting for confirmation of the route to be travelled across Lonfon.
9 January 2026
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you for your feedback. We’re glad our team could assist with your booking and queries, and your route confirmation will follow soon.
We have joined 5 experiences over the…
We have joined 5 experiences over the last few years, including cruises on the Seine and Great glen. Each one has lived up to expectations with excellent guides, good mixed groups and a good range of accommodation. Travel hitches (cancelled and delayed transport) have been resolved effectively and always well communicated. The range of visits has always been exceptional and even poor weather on occasion has not detracted from our enjoyment.
All round, an excellent company with very experienced and adaptable guides.
Looking forwards to another break, or two, in 2026.
28 November 2025
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you for your fantastic 5-star review and for travelling with us on so many memorable experiences. We’re delighted that each tour has met expectations, with great guides, well-matched groups, and a varied range of visits — even when the weather hasn’t helped!
It’s wonderful to hear our team handled any travel hiccups smoothly and kept you well informed throughout.
We truly appreciate your loyalty and look forward to welcoming you on another Railtrail adventure in 2026.
Excellent service.
This is my first time using Rail Trail and their level of service was great. It was good to be able to speak to a person on the phone and also via email. We asked for a bespoke train trip from central Europe back to the UK. It was efficiently organised and I got all the tickets both by post and email. Thanks to John Salt for organising our trip.
15 September 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you for your wonderful 5-star review, and for choosing Railtrail for your first experience with us. We’re delighted to hear that our team made everything straightforward, from phone and email support to organising your bespoke rail journey from Central Europe to the UK.
It’s great to know the process felt smooth and efficient, and John will be very pleased to receive your thanks.
We hope this is the first of many trips with us, and we’d be delighted to help plan your next Railtrail adventure.
Interesting Tour
The tour included very interesting visits and were very well organised with a tour manager who was very helpful.
19 November 2025
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you for your lovely review. We're delighted you enjoyed the tour and found the visits interesting and well organised. Great to hear your Tour Manager was so helpful too.
Well organised with a competent guide…
Well organised with a competent guide and excellent range of activities
28 October 2025
Reply from Railtrail Tours Ltd
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a 5-star review.
The Trustpilot Experience
Anyone can write a Trustpilot review. People who write reviews have ownership to edit or delete them at any time, and they’ll be displayed as long as an account is active.
We use dedicated people and clever technology to safeguard our platform. Find out how we combat fake reviews.
Learn about Trustpilot’s review process.
Here are 8 tips for writing great reviews.
Verification can help ensure real people are writing the reviews you read on Trustpilot.
Offering incentives for reviews or asking for them selectively can bias the TrustScore, which goes against our guidelines.