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From New York to Old Delhi, rush hour never looked better!

Have you ever been on a crowded train, listening to an incessantly screaming toddler, while at the same time wondering what that funky smell is? If you answered 'yes', then take a second and see how the other half lives.

Lonely Planet have put together their top 10 list of the most spine-tingling commutes for you to day-dream about next time you find yourself on that train.

Taken from LONELY PLANET'S BEST IN TRAVEL 2009 - 850 trends, destinations, journeys & experiences for the year ahead.

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Grand Central Terminal, USA
Morning rush hour at New York's Grand Central is one of the most beautiful commuting moments in the world. The sun spills across the great echoing main concourse, a giant stage under the four-faced clock. The massive windows are worthy of a cathedral, and below them scurrying figures cast long, long shadows, interspersed with golden light. The beaux-arts station dates from 1903, the heyday of the railroads; and it's still busy - around 150,000 commuters pass through here every day.

Ferry across Sydney Harbour, Australia
The best way to see the beauty of Sydney Harbour is from its ferries, which are sleek, efficient and cheap. This is a commute to raise goose bumps. With its many coves and bays; the harbour has an incredible 240km of coastline, the landscape varying from awesome skyscrapers to sandy beaches. Two iconic landmarks greet the boats as they zoom towards the city - the graceful iron arch of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the armoured petals of the Sydney Opera House.

Vespa in Rome, Italy
Epic traffic blights this epic city, and the best way to commute is by scooter. As well as making it easier to park, it's hard to beat the cool factor of navigating ancient cobbled roads on a Vespa. Sunglasses are essential. The highlight of any scooter trip is zooming down alongside Circo Massimo, the mammoth chariot racing track in Rome's historic centre, today a lozenge-shaped grassy park. Perched above, on the Palatino, are the ruins of the great imperial palaces.

Vaporetto in Venice, Italy
Aside from walking, the vaporetto (steamer) is undoubtedly the finest way to get from A to B in the floating city, with surroundings of extraordinary beauty and services every few minutes. Spot the locals by their easy nonchalance, standing (not even clutching the rail), talking and texting. The vaporetto might not have the glamour of a gondola - it's more of a floating bus - but it feels much more autentico and is a lot cheaper.

Express Ferry along Chao Phraya in Bankok, Thailand
In a city where gridlocked tuk-tuks and cars belch out fumes and it feels like you're never going to get anywhere, the river offers thrilling freedom. There's no better way to get around Bangkok than the hop-on, hop-off express ferry along the Chao Phraya - stop off and see the Grand Palace, with its magical gardens and gold-leaf spires. The only problem is that boats are scarily full during rush hour - if you can, commute at a time when other people are not.

The Star Ferry, Hong Kong
Like floating through a scene from Blade Runner in a 19th-century boat, crossing Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong is one of the world's most surreal and amazing journeys. The Star Ferry Company was founded in 1898. The fixtures - all varnished wood and rows of life buoys - resonate with another era, a dramatic contrast with the concrete, neon and steel that surround the harbour. Prices seem from another, gentler, time as well.

Tokyo Subway, Japan
Rush hour is the ideal time for indulging in some social observation. Sardines don't get crammed closer than Tokyoites on the subway, yet people are notably considerate of others - the result of being a polite race living in a crowded space. Some people wear face masks to prevent the transmission of colds. Uniformed attendants in white gloves help pack people in before the doors close. The Japanese are masters of sleeping on the commute, so you might have to move a fellow passenger's head gently from your shoulder before getting off at your stop.

Rickshaw in Old Delhi, India
A Wacky Races-style jamboree fills the narrow, bumpy streets in the mayhem that is Old Delhi. Rickshaws, bicycles, carts, cars and people narrowly, and incredibly, miss each other in a meandering onward dance. It's an intense experience. The traffic creates a chorus all of its own: hooting horns and ringing bells is important, not only to warn other road users, but for the sheer joy of being noisy.

Walking across London Bridge, England
Here's your chance to feel immersed in a piece of epic modernist poetry. Join the sea of dark-suited figures streaming over London Bridge in the morning - workers coming in from the suburbs by train, then walking the last 15-minute stretch to work in the City, the capital's financial centre. TS Eliot describes the commute in his seminal poem The Wasteland (1922). It evokes faceless figures flowing across London Bridge, their eyes downcast - and the modern city haunts the poem like a miserable spectre. It might not be the most cheerful of commutes, but it's poetic.

Tram 28 from Martim Moniz to Prazeres Cemetery, Portugal
The legendary tram 28 winds through the narrow, hilly streets of Moorish Alfama district in Lisbon. It is sunflower-yellow, trimmed in wood, endearingly rounded and old fashioned, and is always chock-ablock with enraptured tourists, as well as casual commuters. Despite its age it trundles up and down with impressive tenacity. It twists and turns to expose views down narrow streets, past washing lines, ornately tiled facades, and over the electrifying blue waters of the Tagus.

For more information visit the Lonely Planet website.

This is an extract from LONELY PLANET'S BEST IN TRAVEL 2009. Lonely Planet Publications, 2008. AUD$34.95.

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