Essential East Coast by train

New York rises at the mouth of the Hudson River, where the Atlantic meets the eastern coast of the United States, asserting itself as the most vibrant and cosmopolitan of American metropolises. Its beating heart is Manhattan, the island of skyscrapers that holds some of the world's most iconic landmarks. The walking tour ideally begins at Times Square, a crossroads of glowing signs and Broadway theatres, before slipping into the green calm of Central Park, the vast urban lung laid out in the mid-nineteenth century. Nearby, along Fifth Avenue, boutiques, museums and historic buildings line the way: the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the MoMA hold some of the most important collections on the planet. To the south, the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center offer terrace views that embrace the entire city, while the financial district of Wall Street and the moving Ground Zero memorial recount recent history. From the pier at Battery Park, ferries lead to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, symbols of immigration and the American dream. Crossing the famous Brooklyn Bridge brings you to the creative neighbourhoods of Brooklyn, while the High Line, a former elevated railway turned hanging garden, links the Meatpacking District to Chelsea. New York is also a mosaic of cultures and flavours: from the restaurants of Little Italy and Chinatown to Jewish delicatessens, from the food markets of Greenwich Village to the jazz clubs of Harlem. Between avant-garde art, shopping, shows and tireless nightlife, New York is a city that never sleeps and reinvents itself on every corner.

Cradle of the American nation, Philadelphia guards the places where the United States took shape: Independence National Historical Park is home to Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed, and the famous Liberty Bell. A city of red brick and cobbled lanes such as Elfreth's Alley, it blends historic elegance with contemporary energy. The scenic Benjamin Franklin Parkway is lined by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, made iconic by the 'Rocky' steps, alongside the Barnes Foundation and its extraordinary Impressionist collection. Don't miss Reading Terminal Market, a shrine to local food where you can taste the city's signature cheesesteak. Lively, cultured and welcoming, Philadelphia tells the deep story of America.

Washington DC rises on the banks of the Potomac River, capital of the United States and political heart of the nation, a city of monumental vistas and broad green spaces best explored on foot. Its centrepiece is the National Mall, the long esplanade lining up the symbols of American democracy: the white-domed Capitol, the soaring Washington Monument obelisk, the Lincoln Memorial overlooking the Reflecting Pool, and the memorials to Jefferson, Roosevelt and the war veterans. Along the Mall stand the world-class, free-admission museums of the Smithsonian Institution, from the National Air and Space Museum to the National Gallery of Art, the Museum of Natural History and the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Nearby, the White House can be admired across the gardens of Pennsylvania Avenue. Yet Washington is far more than its institutions: its neighbourhoods tell another story. Georgetown, the oldest, lines federal townhouses, boutiques and cafés along the C&O Canal and the Potomac; Dupont Circle is the bohemian heart of galleries and bookshops; U Street keeps alive the legacy of jazz and historic venues; Adams Morgan buzzes with ethnic kitchens and nightlife. The capital's tables mirror this diversity, from markets such as Eastern Market to an international dining scene and the local classic of the half-smoke sausage. In spring the city turns pink with the cherry blossom around the Tidal Basin, a gift from Japan and the occasion for the famous Cherry Blossom Festival. Nearby, a trip to Alexandria in Virginia or to Mount Vernon, George Washington's residence, rounds off the journey. Between neoclassical marble, great museums and neighbourhoods of distinct character, Washington DC blends the solemnity of power with the vibrancy of a capital that invites discovery step by step.