Railway tourism

It’s travel in which the train is the reason for the trip. It’s not an official category of the Ministry of Tourism or the World Tourism Organization: it’s a way of traveling that combines landscape, history and the memory of a time when people went everywhere by train.

Brazil’s tourist trains run on sections of old railways, many from the 19th century, with restored locomotives and carriages. A steam train is a locomotive powered by wood, coal or oil that emits smoke from its chimney and steam at the sides.

Railway museums without a train ride fall under cultural and historical tourism. Here, what matters is boarding.

In Paraná, the train linking Curitiba to Morretes descends the Serra do Mar on a 19th-century railway, with tunnels, bridges and viaducts hanging on the slope, amid one of the country’s largest continuous stretches of Atlantic Forest. The trip takes the morning, and many passengers have barreado for lunch in Morretes and return by road.

In Rio Grande do Sul, a steam train departs from Bento Gonçalves and crosses the grape-and-wine region of the Serra Gaúcha, passing two neighboring towns, with Italian and gaucho music on board. In Minas Gerais, the steam train between São João del-Rei and Tiradentes has run since 1881 on narrow gauge, with tracks only 76 centimeters apart, over a stretch of about 12 kilometers.

In Rio de Janeiro, the Corcovado Train climbs through the Tijuca Forest up to the Christ the Redeemer statue. The railway opened in 1884, before the statue itself.

For those who want a long journey, a passenger train connects the metropolitan region of Vitória to Belo Horizonte every day on the Vitória a Minas Railway. The trip takes the whole day, about 13 hours, and follows the Doce River valley for much of the route.

Tickets should be purchased in advance, especially for higher-category carriages and holidays. Trains have different classes that change comfort, onboard service and window size: check the current chart and operating days before finalizing your itinerary.

On the descent of the Serra do Mar, the left side of the carriage is usually recommended, in the direction from Curitiba to Morretes, for the more open views. On any train, arrive at the station early, bring a warm layer because old carriages are open or very ventilated, and bring water.

Almost all tours are one-way. You must arrange the return trip—by train if available, or by bus or van—or plan to spend the night in the arrival town. On the long journey between Vitória and Belo Horizonte, it’s wise to bring reading material and a snack and to check how to get to the departure station, which is outside the city center.