Bored Of Road Trip? 8 Scenic Train Journeys In The Middle East To Book Instead

Road trips get all the glory in this region, but the Middle East has quietly built some genuinely spectacular train journeys through desert, mountains and coastline you’d otherwise blur past at 120km/h. Here are 8 worth swapping the car keys for.

1. Etihad Rail, UAE

تشرّفنا بتدشين سمو الشيخ خالد بن محمد بن زايد آل نهيان، ولي عهد أبوظبي رئيس المجلس التنفيذي لإمارة أبوظبي، محطة قطار الركاب بمدينة محمد بن زايد في أبوظبي، والإعلان عن شبكة قطار الركاب، حيث أكد سموه خلال التدشين على أهمية هذا المشروع الذي يجسد رؤية دولة الإمارات في بناء شبكة… pic.twitter.com/w1gYKT9jWG

— Etihad Rail (@Etihad_Rail) June 23, 2026

The UAE’s long-awaited passenger network finally opened its introductory phase on June 30, running between Abu Dhabi’s Mohammed Bin Zayed City station and Fujairah in an hour and 45 minutes. The route cuts past the Hajar Mountains as it heads east, a proper change of scenery for anyone used to the E11. Comfort Class tickets started from AED 55 at launch, with Dubai and Sharjah stations joining the network through the rest of 2026.

Also Read: Etihad Rail Fast-Tracks Madinat Zayed & Liwa Station Openings To November 30

2. Dream Of The Desert, Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is taking scenic rail travel up several notches with Dream of the Desert, the Kingdom’s first five-star luxury train and, by SAR’s own billing, the first of its kind in the Middle East. Launching autumn 2026, the roughly 800-mile route runs from Riyadh up towards Qurayyat near the Jordanian border, threading through AlUla and the Nabataean ruins of Hegra along the way. Expect private suites, destination dining, dedicated butlers and interiors that lean on Saudi craftsmanship and equestrian heritage rather than generic five-star gloss. This is a train built for savouring the desert, not crossing it. Cabins start from SAR 30,000 a night.

3. Hejaz Railway Heritage Train, Jordan

For something slower and considerably more theatrical, head to Wadi Rum. The Ottoman-era Hejaz Railway steam train runs from the desert station on select days, complete with a mock battle re-enacting the 1916 Great Arab Revolt, set against Wadi Rum’s red sandstone cliffs. Queen Rania herself rode it earlier this year and called the valley one of the most breathtaking spots on Earth. Book ahead, as showtimes are limited to a couple of days a week.

4. Haramain High-Speed Railway, Saudi Arabia

One of the fastest trains in the region, the Haramain line connects Jeddah, Makkah and Madinah at speeds up to 300km/h, cutting a five-hour desert drive down to just over two. The Foster + Partners-designed stations are worth the trip alone, but it’s the stretch of empty Hejazi desert between Jeddah and Madinah that makes this one properly scenic. Fares start from around SAR 49.

Also Read: Saudi Arabia And Egypt To Soon Get A Direct High-Speed Train Link Via Bridge Or Tunnel

5. Vangölü Express (Lake Van Express), Türkiye

Technically Anatolia, but firmly on every Middle East train bucket list. Less famous than its sister route to Kars, this one runs from Ankara out to Tatvan on the shores of Lake Van, climbing through central and eastern Anatolia for roughly 26 hours before the water comes into view. Couchette and sleeper cabins mean you can doze through the flatter stretches and be awake for the mountains, with the lake itself, the largest in Türkiye. It makes a properly dramatic final act. It runs twice a week, so build the trip around the timetable rather than the other way round.

6. Watania Sleeper Train, Egypt

The overnight train from Cairo to Aswan is less about the view and more about the experience of falling asleep in one city on the Nile and waking up in another. Private cabins, a dining car, and hundreds of kilometres of riverside scenery slipping past your window overnight make this one of the more romantic ways to reach Luxor and Aswan without burning a flight day.

7. Eastern Express, Türkiye

Technically Anatolia, but firmly on every Middle East train bucket list. The Eastern Express runs from Ankara to Kars, and in winter the route becomes almost absurdly picturesque, snow-blanketed steppe stretching out for hours on end. It’s a long overnight haul, but sleeper cabins mean you can wake up to the view rather than sit through all of it.

8. Riyadh–Dammam Railway, Saudi Arabia

For a more old-school Saudi rail experience, take the SAR East Train from Riyadh to Dammam. Running since the 1950s and still one of the Kingdom’s busiest intercity lines, the roughly four-and-a-half-hour journey skirts the fringes of the Empty Quarter and stops at Hofuf’s AlAhsa Oasis, home to more than two million palm trees, en route to the Gulf coast. It’s not a luxury train or a dramatic mountain route, and that’s precisely its appeal. Expect a quieter, less polished side of the Kingdom, seen from a window seat between two of its major cities instead of hours behind the wheel. Economy fares start from around SAR 105.

Worth The Detour

None of these will replace a proper road trip for flexibility, but for anyone tired of service stations and reroutes, swapping the wheel for a window seat is a solid way to see the region differently, and in a couple of these cases, a lot faster too.

Cover Image Courtesy: Dream of the Desert/Website