Travelling by plane from A to B might offer some convenience to the time-strapped traveller, but the days of non-stop flying seem best resigned to the past. Travelling by train provides a welcome – and planet-friendly – antidote, allowing you to see the world that lies between take-off and landing and proving that sometimes the journey is better than the destination. Here, we choose five of the world’s most magnificent routes to explore first – from a winding trip into the Himalayas to a coast-side cruise along the French Riviera