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Venice Simplon-Orient-Express Prices 2024 & 2025

Embark on a journey of unparalleled luxury and romance aboard the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express - where every moment is a timeless tale of relaxation and elegance. See below for fares for 2024 and 2025.

› › Grand Suites with en-suite facilities ‹ ‹

› › suites with en-suite facilities ‹ ‹.

Prices are per person and based on two people sharing a cabin.

These prices are meant as a guide to Orient Express fares. Actual prices can vary depending on season and availability.

As cabins are booked up and there is less availability, fares will increase , so make your reservation early to get the best fare.

Please call our reservations team on 0333 405 0192 for up-to-date fares .

Accommodation on Board

VSOE Destinations

Venice simplon-orient-express train fares : march - november 2024 & 2025.

* Paris to London and vice versa is by Eurostar .

Prices : are per person and based on twin occupancy of a twin cabin. These prices are meant as a guide to fares. Actual prices can vary depending on season and availability. Single occupancy of a twin cabin prices available on request. If a fare is not shown on the table above, please call and we may be able to quote a fare for your journey.

Please also see 'Accommodation' .

Please also see ' Venice Simplon-Orient-Express '.

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express Information

Since the inception of the Orient Express service in 1883 from Paris, France to Istanbul, Turkey, this exclusive mode of transport has been considered the utmost in luxury train travel. Film stars, royalty, spies, aristocrats, and writers have all made the journey in style and indeed, for anyone, a trip on this magnificent train will create memories to last a lifetime. If you have the opportunity to travel on today's Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, you can expect a trip like no other.

About the Train

The Belmond VSOE has been assembled from original European Orient Express route carriages dating from the 1920s and 1930s, each of which has been meticulously restored and is exquisite down to the last detail. Art deco reigns supreme and you'll even get a glimpse of work done by the famed French glass artist René Lalique. Each of the cars has been lovingly restored with top quality materials and is a wonder to behold.

Compartment Options

There are several compartment options that you can choose from for your journey on the Orient Express train. Each has a cabin steward to attend to your needs during your travel. The cabins also come stocked with fresh linens and soft, fluffy towels and your cabin steward transforms your space from lounge to sleeping configuration at night while you enjoy dinner. The Historic Twin Cabins features a lounging area, convenient fold down footstool and table and a cabinet with a washbasin and hot and cold water. Suites have either double or twin beds with private en-suite bathroom including toilet, shower and wash basin. Finally, the three Grand Suites feature a double bedroom and living area with private dining. A private en-suite bathroom is also included with a toilet, shower and wash basin. Each cabin also offers slippers and a bathrobe for your comfort.

While you travel on the Orient Express, your personal steward is on hand to assist you with any needs you have. Enjoy watching the beautiful European scenery glide by past your window and you can join the community feel of the train by leaving your door open and mingling with other travellers. Breakfast and afternoon tea are served in your cabin whilst lunch and dinner are served in the restaurant cars. Dressing for dinner is essential, with lounge suit and tie a minimum requirement for gents. However many gentlemen prefer to enjoy the formality of the occasion and wear a black tie with ladies appropriately attired. In the evening, the Bar Car is the social hub where you can stop by for pre and post-dinner drinks, and you won't want to miss trying the famous Guilty 12 cocktail inspired by " Murder on the Orient Express ."

All meals on board the Belmond Venice Simplon-Orient-Express are prepared by French chefs. Breakfast is served in your cabin by your steward, lunch and dinner are served in the restaurant cars by Italian waiters. The train uses fresh, local ingredients that are collected en route. Crisp linens, sparkling crystal, and gleaming utensils are on the tables for every meal, giving you a truly luxurious dining experience at each sitting.

Destinations

The most popular Orient Express train route starts in Paris and takes you to Verona or Venice , or vice versa. You can also depart Paris to Prague , Vienna and Budapest and back to Paris. Of course, you can also book the train for the original journey from Paris to Istanbul, or back, which recreates that maiden voyage during a memorable six-day excursion. This route is extremely popular and should always be booked as early as possible.

Considerations

Whilst the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is luxurious, the cars are original and the Historic Twin Cabins don't have too many modern updates, meaning you need to be prepared for a bit of adventure when you embark. The train operates from mid-March to December and the fares range from £3,530 per person for a Venice to Paris journey, up to £61,200 for a Grand Suite on the Istanbul journey. You can often save by booking the Orient Express early. All fares include meals and some beverages.

If you'd like to see Europe from a fantastic perspective that you've never considered before, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is a breath-taking way to do so. Book your trip now and be ready to make memories that will last a lifetime.

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express Train Fares

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Train travel in europe..., train travel in asia..., train travel in africa..., train travel in america..., train travel in australasia, the luxury vintage train to venice.

If you can afford it, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is the most romantic and luxurious way from London or Paris to Venice.  Its vintage carriages are a delight and the food & on-board service are truly world class.  Unlike many expensive tourist experiences, this train really does live up to its five-star and you won't be disappointed.  Watch the video .

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (VSOE) is a privately-run train of beautifully-restored 1920s, 30s & 50s coaches, providing a 5-star luxury train experience between London, Paris, Verona & Venice, running roughly once a week from March to November.  The journey from London to Venice takes 24 hours and costs over £3,300 per person one way, including meals.

The train is run by Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (VSOE) Limited, part of Belmond, who also operate the equally luxurious Eastern & Oriental Express from Singapore to Bangkok, the Royal Scotsman cruise train and the PeruRail trains to Machu Picchu .  The VSOE should not be confused with the real Orient Express, the true descendant of the original 1883 Orient Express, a regular scheduled train which was finally withdrawn on 12 December 2009, see here for an explanation .

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express also runs occasional trips to Florence, Rome, Krakow, Budapest, Stockholm and even Istanbul once a year, in August.

Important changes for 2024

2023 was the last season in which VSOE passengers travelled from London Victoria to Folkestone by British Pullman , got ferried through the Channel Tunnel by road coach and boarded the Continental train at Calais.  From 2024, the VSOE will operate between Paris Gare de l'Est and Venice , with connections to/from London St Pancras by Eurostar .  No more British Pullman.  This is due to Brexit, delays caused by longer border checks made the Folkestone-Calais coach transfer increasingly unreliable which in turn delayed the departure of the VSOE train from Calais.  A great shame.

Southbound dates , London to Venice

2024 :  14, 21, 28 March.  4, 11, 25 April.  5, 20 May.  27 June.  11 July.  3, 14 August.  5, 22 September.  6, 22 October. 1, 19, 23 November.  5, 12, 22 December.

Northbound dates , Venice to London

2024 :  5, 12, 19, 26 March.  9, 27 April.  10, 15 May.  1, 6, 12 August.  14, 24 September.  1, 15, 20 October. 5, 17, 21 November.  3, 10, 14 December.

Timetable 2024 (subject to confirmation)

How much does it cost .

Solo travellers:   The prices above are per person assuming two people share a 2-berth compartment in an LX-type type sleeper dating from 1929.  If you're a solo traveller, sole occupancy costs the same price if you book a single-berth compartment in a slightly less intricate slightly smaller mid-1920s-built S-type sleeper, but costs significantly more if you book a 2-berth compartment in an LX sleeper for sole occupancy, see the advice & explanation below .

Children:   Infants under 2 sharing a berth travel free.  Children under 12 sharing a compartment with a full-fare-paying adult get a 20% reduction.

The extra-cost cabin suites & grand suites are explained below .

How to buy tickets

Can a 24 hour train ride to venice be worth £3,350 per person , single travellers.

The VSOE consists almost entirely of luxurious LX-type sleeping cars built 1927-1929.  But there is usually one mid-1920s S-type sleeping-car on the train with 10 compartments which it sells as singles for the same price per person as two people sharing a 2-berth in an LX.  When booking at www.belmond.com with 1 adult selected you'll be sold sole occupancy of an S-type sleeper compartment if one remains available, otherwise you'll see a significantly higher price which is for sole occupancy of a 2-berth LX sleeper compartment.

The compartments in an S-type sleeping-car are very slightly smaller and have less intricate wood marquetry than an LX, but they are just as comfortable and just as historic - indeed, had you travelled from Calais to Istanbul in the 1930s you'd have travelled in an S-type sleeper rather than an LX-type, as the Calais-Istanbul car was usually an S, although the other (Paris-Istanbul) sleeping-car on the Simplon Orient Express was usually an LX.  My advice?  It's simply not worth paying so much more for a compartment in an LX if a single compartment in the S class is available.  And if you're lucky enough to get S-type car number 3425, Mrs 61 & I got engaged in the corridor, send me a photo!

Journey suggestions

Which is better, a southbound or northbound trip.

Either is great, but in my opinion the southbound has the edge.  Although the northbound journey tends to be less popular, so often has better availability and sometimes better rates.  But personally, I feel the journey works best going out from London with the arrival in Venice over the causeway a fitting climax.  You'll also see more of the Alpine scenery in daylight in the morning from a southbound train than (depending on the time of year) in the evening from a northbound train.

One way by VSOE, one-way by TGV & Eurostar

If you only take the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express one-way, you don't need to fly the other.  Take Eurostar from London to Paris in 2h15, have lunch at the amazing Train Bleu restaurant inside Paris Gare de Lyon, then take the afternoon TGV or Frecciarossa from Paris to Turin in 5h40, a comfortable & scenic journey through the French Alps, see the video & photos here , arriving in the evening.  Stay overnight in Turin, and next morning take a high-speed train from Turin to Venice in around 4h30.  This works equally well in either direction, see the London to Italy by train page for all you need to know.

For the ultimate scenic ride between London & Venice, take Eurostar & a TGV-Lyria to Zurich on day 1, then take the wonderful narrow-gauge Bernina Express through the Swiss Alps to Tirano with connections for Venice on day 2, see the Bernina Express page .  You can easily arrange this yourself, or you can ask custom-made tour agency www.railbookers.co.uk to arrange both your Venice-Simplon-Orient-Express trip and your scheduled trains and suggest some excellent hotels in Venice.

VSOE to Krakow, Budapest, Prague, Rome & Istanbul

As well as its regular London-Paris-Venice route, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express runs occasional departures to Krakow, Vienna, Budapest, Prague, Rome, Stockholm and sometimes even Istanbul (London to Istanbul usually in late August, 5 nights for around £7,000 pp), see www.belmond.com/venice-simplon-orient-express or call Railbookers .

Day trips in the UK by Belmond's British Pullman & Northern Belle

The VSOE's British Pullman cars run a regular programme of day-trips, dinner trips and excursions around the British Isles, mostly around London and typically £210-£420 per person.  Belmond also used to own (but have now sold) a set of more modern cars dating from the 1970s converted to classic Pullman standard which is used on Northern Belle excursions in the north of England, see www.northernbelle.co.uk for routes, dates, prices & tickets.

Back to top

Option 1, call Railbookers

Railbookers are train specialists who often have special rates for the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express.  They can also arrange hotels and regular scheduled European trains to create a customised trip - for example Eurostar & high-speed TGV-Lyria from London to Zurich, 1 night at the superb Hotel Schweizerhof (first introduced to me by Railbookers, now a personal favourite), onward travel through the Alps via the wonderfully scenic Gotthard Pass route to Venice, 3 nights 4-star hotel in Venice, then by fabulous Venice Simplon-Orient-Express from Venice to London.  Railbookers take good care of their clients, and they now have offices in the UK, US & Australia.

  UK call 0207 864 4600, www.railbookers.co.uk . 

  us call free 1-888-829-4775, www.railbookers.com .,   canada call free 1-855-882-2910, www.railbookers.com .,   australia call toll-free 1300 971 526, www.railbookers.com.au . ,   new zealand call toll-free 0800 000 554 or see website ., option 2, call tailor made rail.

UK-based Tailor Made Rail can also organise a trip on the Venice Simplon-Orient Express.  Call their dedicated seat61 phone line 020 3778 1461 and quote seat 61 when booking.  From outside the UK call +44 20 3778 1461.  Lines open 09:00-17:30 Monday-Friday.  See www.tailormaderail.com/trains/venice-simplon-orient-express .

Option 3, book at belmond.com

You can also buy tickets at www.belmond.com/venice-simplon-orient-express .  If you feel like packing some lucky loved one off to Paris or Venice, you can buy Venice Simplon-Orient-Express gift certificates.  Double cabin or Suite cabin?   See the explanation here .  However, I'd call Railbookers before booking, as sometimes Railbookers can offer VSOE plus hotels more cheaply than a train-only booking with Belmond.

What's a journey on the Venice-Simplon-Orient Express like?

London to paris by eurostar.

From 2024, passengers no longer use the British Pullman from London to Folkestone, and the Continental train no longer starts from Calais.  From 2024 onwards, passengers take Eurostar from London St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord , which is a short 7-minute walk from Paris Gare de l'Est .  I expect Belmond will bus you from station to station, but it really is just a 7 minute walk !

See more about the Eurostar journey here .  Passengers bound for the VSOE travel in Business Premier, a meal with wine and champagne is served at your seat.  There are power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.

The Venice Simplon Orient Express

In the evening at Paris Gare de l'Est you board the VSOE's continental train of restored blue-and-gold 1920s Wagons-Lits sleeping-cars for Innsbruck, Verona & Venice.  You've time to take photos.

The sleeping-cars

Historic compartments - authentic, see car layout.

Your sleeper attendant greets you at the door and shows you to your compartment.  The VSOE's sleeping-cars are mostly classic 1929-vintage LX-series cars with ten 2-berth compartments that convert to private sitting rooms with sofa and small table for daytime use.  With their inlaid wood marquetry, the LX-types were the most luxurious sleeping-cars ever built for La Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits (CIWL, the original operator of the Orient Express), and the VSOE's restored LX-series cars were originally used on various CIWL trains including the Calais-Paris-Nice Train Bleu, the Paris-Rome Rome Express , the Paris-Berlin-Warsaw-Riga Nord Express .  One Paris-Istanbul sleeping-car and the Calais-Trieste sleeping-car of the Simplon Orient Express would also have been an LX-type in the 1930s.

VSOE also own two earlier 1927-built S-series cars which had less fancy woodwork and slightly smaller compartments, but they were both gutted in 2018 to create Belmond's modern Suites & Grand Suites.  In the 1930s, the Calais-Istanbul sleeping car & Calais-Athens sleeping-car of the Simplon Orient Express would normally have been an S-type.

Sleeper facilities :   Each historic compartment has a large sofa convertible to an upper and lower berth at night, a footstool, small folding table.  There's a broad luggage rack towards the ceiling capable of taking fairly large items.  In a corner (either by the door or the window), two doors open to reveal a washstand with soap, towels, flannels and hot & cold water.  Mineral water, slippers & dressing gown are provided, and (a modern addition) there are two plug sockets of the normal 2-pin European type.  Authentic 1920s sleeping-cars don't have en suite toilets or showers, they also didn't have air-conditioning, but this has now been fitted.  You can still wind the window down, great for reflection-free photos of the scenery.

The correct term is 'Compartment' not 'Cabin':   These sleeper compartments are described on the Belmond website as historic cabins .  Trains don't have cabins, that is a nautical term used for a room on a ship.  The correct term on a train is a compartment .  Travellers in the 1920s & 1930s would have known this perfectly well, travellers unused to trains & ships now seem to use 'cabin' for everything and even Belmond don't seem to know the correct term.

Suites & Grand Suites - not authentic

For the 2018 season, Belmond created 3 luxurious Grand Suites with double bed, parlour area and en suite shower & toilet, they also now offer several smaller Suites with either twin or double beds and en suite toilet & shower.  These modern suites were created by taking one of the VSOE's two historic S-type sleeping-cars (car 3425, the car my wife & I got engaged in, as it happens), completely gutting the car's original 1920s interior (it had ten 1 or 2 berth compartments with washbasin) and building these new suites from scratch inside the empty bodyshell.  The suites are a modern creation for the 21st century tourist market and completely unauthentic - the real Orient Express of the 1920s and 1930s would have no suites, no showers, and no en en suite toilets, just a chamber pot kept in a hidey-hole under the sink (hence the famous CIWL sign, Sous le lavabo se trouve une vase ...).  In fact the Orient Express wouldn't have had a bar car or piano either, just sleeping-cars and a restaurant car.  If you want the authentic 1920s/30s experience, save your money and stick with the basic, original, historic LX sleeper compartments.  Check prices for the suites & grand suites online at www.belmond.com or call Railbookers .

The place to go before or after dinner is the VSOE's lively bar car, with lounge area, cocktail bar and piano.  Needless to say, the real Orient Express even in its 1920s & 1930s heyday would have not have had any such fripperies as a bar or lounge, let alone a piano, just sleeping-cars and a restaurant.  It was a much more work-a-day train than most people imagine.  The piano-bar-lounge has been created for modern-day tourists out of a former Wagons-Lits Company pullman car built in 1931 - but it's still great place to mingle.  You'll find a small VSOE Boutique counter in these cars.

The 3 restaurant cars

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express has three restaurant cars, each with unique decor: 

The Cote d'Azur was originally a 1st class Pullman car built in 1929, first used on the Cote d'Azur Pullman Express.   With lovely Lalique glass panels, it's my favourite.

The Etoile du Nord restaurant car was built in Birmingham in 1926 for the Paris-Brussels-Amsterdam Etoile du Nord Pullman train, it was later used on the Edelweiss from Amsterdam to Switzerland and the Lusitania from Madrid to Lisbon.

L'Orientale was originally a Pullman kitchen car, built in Birmingham in 1927 and also used on the Etoile du Nord and later the Lusitania , and it features Chinese-style lacquer wall panels.

Soon after departure the Maitre d' comes down the sleeping-cars handing out dinner reservations.  You'll be allocated a restaurant car but feel free to request a table in your favourite.  Make sure you experience two different ones at dinner and lunch.

Dinner in the diner

Meals are included in the fare on the VSOE, and the food is truly excellent.  Drinks on the Continental train cost extra, reckon on the cheapest half bottle of wine costing €35, a full bottle €50.  A dress code applies in the evening, for men a dark suit is essential, but the majority of passengers bring a dinner jacket and bow tie as dressing up is part of the fun.  You can't be over-dressed on the VSOE!

Time for bed

You'll return from dinner to find your compartment converted into a bedroom by the sleeper attendant, with upper and lower berths.  The beds are the most comfortable I have ever slept in on a train, in fact they're more comfortable than many hotel beds.  There are toilets at each end of the corridor.  The door locks securely with both a lock and security chain.

Scenery next morning in Switzerland, Austria & Italy

In spite of its name, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express no longer uses the Simplon route via Lausanne, Brig & Milan.  Instead, it runs overnight from Paris to Switzerland and you'll probably wake up just beyond Zurich.  When I last took it, I found the train running alongside the sparkling waters of the Zürichsee or Walensee with a breathtaking mountain backdrop, heading for the Arlberg Pass then the Brenner - although from 2016 it travels via the Gotthard Pass to Milan, only using the Brenner and Arlberg northbound.  A Continental breakfast of excellent coffee, juice and fresh croissant is served on a tray in your compartment by your sleeper attendant.  When I took it, the train clipped a corner of Liechtenstein and entered Austria via the wonderfully scenic Arlberg Pass - which once gave its name to the Paris-Switzerland-Vienna Arlberg Orient Express which used this route.  The VSOE turned right after Innsbruck, and as a 3-course lunch was served in the restaurant cars we headed into Italy via the almost equally scenic Brenner Pass to Verona, passing Padua and Venice Mestre before finally rumbling slowly across the 2km causeway to Venice Santa Lucia station on the banks of the Grand Canal in central Venice, just 15 minutes walk from the famous Rialto Bridge or 25 minutes walk from St Mark's Square.

Video guide:  Venice Simplon-Orient-Express

More videos:   arlberg pass scenery video    brenner pass scenery video.

These two videos show the scenery through the Arlberg and Brenner Passes which you'll see over breakfast and lunch on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express.  They were shot from scheduled trains on the route, but the scenery is of course the same!

Travel tips

Dress up!   You'll need (for men) at least a dark suit and tie for dinner on the VSOE Continental train, but many travellers change into a dinner jacket with bow tie for dinner - indeed, you may feel under-dressed in just a suit.  A significant number of travellers dress up in 1920s or 30s style, you won't feel out of place if you do!  During the day dress code is smart-casual, you can't wear jeans on the VSOE.

Ask for your favourite restaurant for dinner - and a different one for lunch next day.   There are three restaurants on the VSOE continental train, each unique.  The Maitre d' will make a dinner reservation for you, feel free to request a table in your favourite restaurant - my favourite is the Cote d'Azur with its lovely glass panels by Lalique.  Next day, request a table in one of the other two, to experience a different car.

Are there showers?   Not in the original authentic 1920s sleeper compartments, no.  These were built in an era when hotel rooms didn't have en suite bathrooms, people survived without taking a shower every few hours and Sunday night was bath night whether you needed it or not.  The sleeper compartments have a washstand with hot & cold running water which was a luxury for the 1920s, when many hotel rooms didn't even have this.  Incredibly, Belmond tell me that the lack of en suite showers is the biggest thing that surprises many VSOE travellers even though they know they're going on an authentic 1920s train!  However, the more expensive suites and grand suites have en suite toilet & shower, as these are a modern innovation, they are not original or authentic.

Is there WiFi?   The train now has WiFi and there's decent mobile data reception all along the route, even inside the Channel Tunnel.

Are there power sockets?   Not on the British Pullmans, no.  But each sleeper compartment on the VSOE Continental train has two European-style 2-pin sockets, one under the sink, one under the window.  A post-1920s addition!

Special dietary needs. You can request these when you book, yes.

Smoking.   The VSOE train is all non-smoking.

Tips.   The fare includes service, although you can always tip a member of staff who gives particularly good service.

Dress code.   Jeans & trainers aren't allowed on the VSOE.  The dress code is smart casual during the day, and at least dark suit with tie for men in the evening.  But I'd take a DJ (that's a tuxedo if you're American) if you have one.

Luggage.   One large suitcase per person can be checked in to your final destination, and one item of hand luggage plus a suit carrier or overnight bag can be taken into your sleeper compartment.  In London, you can check your overnight bag or suit carrier in and you'll find them waiting for you in your sleeper compartment when you board the VSOE Continental train.  However, don't worry too much about luggage limits as unlike airlines, VSOE seem relaxed about exact bag weights or dimensions, as long as you don't take the Mickey.  There is a reasonably large luggage rack in your sleeping-car compartment.

Can children travel on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express?   Yes they can, of any age, see the fares section above .

Do you have to go from London to Venice?   Belmond will sell journeys from London to Verona or Venice, or Paris to Verona or Venice, and in the opposite direction.

Is a northbound or southbound trip best?   See my answer here .

Does the train go across the Channel?   No, and the Orient Express never did. 

Today's VSOE journey is described above .  When it started in 1982 passengers used a ferry from Folkestone to Boulogne with the sleeper train waiting for it at Boulogne Maritime station, in the later years until 2023 they used an executive road coach from Folkestone to Calais which went through the Channel Tunnel on a car-carrying Eurotunnel shuttle train.  From 2024 onwards, VSOE passengers will use Eurostar from London to Paris Gare du Nord and board the VSOE continental train at the nearby Gare de l'Est .

Historically, the Orient Express always started at Calais with a totally separate British 'boat train' and ferry providing a connection from London.  The only passenger train ever to be physically ferried across the Channel on board a ferry were the London-Paris (and later, London-Brussels) sleeping-cars of the Night Ferry , which start in 1936, suspended during WW2, and discontinued in 1980, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_Ferry .

Is the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express the original Orient Express?   You'd better read the next section!

Is this the original Orient Express ?    See the Orient Express history page

No.  Because there is no such thing as the original Orient Express.  The Orient Express was a service, not one specific set of coaches.  The Orient Express used different rolling stock at different times in its long history, and at any given time it required more than one set of coaches to operate - common sense, really, as in the 1920s & 1930s the Simplon Orient Express left Paris every day on a 3-night journey to Istanbul so clearly required at least 6 separate sets of coaching stock to operate.

In fact, by the 1930s there were several different Orient Express routes, including the Orient Express (Paris-Munich-Vienna-Budapest-Bucharest/Istanbul), Simplon Orient Express (Calais-Paris-Lausanne-Milan-Venice-Belgrade-Athens/Istanbul, as featured in Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express), Arlberg Orient Express (Paris-Zurich-Vienna-Budapest-Bucharest) and Oostende-Vienna Orient Express (Oostende-Brussels-Frankfurt-Vienna-Budapest-Belgrade-Istanbul, as featured in Graham Greene's novel Stambul Train ), all taking different routes across Europe and switching cars between them at key points.

Furthermore, these were not huge long trains going from a single point A to one point B like today's 16-car VSOE.  They were relatively short trains of individual sleeping-cars from different starting points to different destinations, with cars switched between trains at key interchange points such as Vienna or Belgrade.  Restaurant cars would be attached for all main sectors, but there would not have been any bars, lounges or pianos.  More work-a-day than most people imagine. 

To give you a flavour of what it was really like, in the 1930s the Orient Express would leave Istanbul Sirkeci station at 10pm consisting of just 4 sleeping-cars and 2 baggage vans ( fourgons in French).  No restaurants, no bars, no lounges nor seats cars, just those 4 sleeping-cars and two fourgons, nothing more.  Two sleeping-cars and a fourgon were for Paris Gare de Lyon via Venice & Lausanne on the Simplon Orient Express , usually an LX and an S, with the S-type sleeping-car going through to Calais for the London connection attached to a Paris-Calais boat train.  Depending on the day of the week, the third sleeping-car was either for Brussels & Oostende via the Oostende-Vienna Orient Express or for Paris Est via Vienna and Munich on the (plain) Orient Express.  Again depending on the day of the week, the fourth sleeping-car was for either Prague or Berlin via the Balt-Orient Express.  A restaurant car was added at the Bulgarian border (where it had been detached from an eastbound Orient Express a few hours previously) in time to serve breakfast.  Still no lounges or pianos!

In addition to the various Orient Express routes, the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits (the company which ran the Orient Express) operated sleeping-cars and restaurant-cars all over Europe, both as all-luxury trains such as these and providing the sleeping- and restaurant-car service attached to regular trains in many countries.  Cutting a long story short, the CIWL handed over responsibility for the sleeping- and dining-cars to the various national rail operators themselves in 1971, but the company still exists.  For example, if you take Austrian Railways Nightjet sleeper trains , the sleeper attendants and catering are provided by NewRest, a subsidiary of the CIWL.  VSOE has been allowed to use the CIWL's name and crest on its vintage carriages under licence.

Most of the sleeping-cars on today's VSOE are 1929-built LX-type cars.  If you'd travelled from Calais to Istanbul on the Simplon Orient Express in the 1930s you'd have travelled in an S-type car built in 1927, with slightly smaller compartments than the LX-type and lacking the intricate wood marquetry decoration that distinguishes the more glamorous 'LX'.  In the 1950s and 60s, you'd probably have travelled in a newer Z-type sleeping-car which replaced the S-type on those routes after World War 2.  VSOE own a couple of S-type cars which they tend to use for solo travellers because of their smaller compartments.

Is it the one that stopped running in 1977?  Was it restored & put back into service?

No.  It is sometimes suggested that the 'original' Orient Express made its last run in 1977, and was taken out of service, then bought and restored and put back in service as today's Venice Simplon-Orient-Express.  VSOE's marketing department don't exactly disabuse you of this notion.  Again, this is some way from the truth. 

The Simplon Orient Express (which ran daily, with direct sleeping-cars from both Calais and Paris to Istanbul) was replaced in 1962 by a slower train called the Direct Orient Express , which included one direct sleeping-car from Paris to Istanbul just three times a week.  The Direct Orient Express was almost entirely composed of ordinary seats & couchette cars belonging to the various State-run national railways along the route, with just one Z-type sleeping-car (a type of car not owned by VSOE) going through to Istanbul, still staffed by the Wagons-Lits Company.  The last Direct Orient Express left Paris Gare de Lyon at 23:56 on 19 May 1977 - in fact it left a little late, on 20th May.

But although the end of the Direct Orient meant the end of direct trains between Paris and Istanbul, it didn't mean the end of the (plain) Orient Express .  This was a separate train on a different route, Paris-Munich-Vienna-Budapest-Bucharest, originally conveying a thrice-weekly through sleeping-car from Paris to Istanbul which was attached at Belgrade to the Simplon Orient Express cars from Calais and Paris which had come via Venice.  The Paris-Istanbul car via this route ceased in the early 1960s.  This (plain) Orient Express was indeed the true descendant of the very first 1883 Orient Express which took a similar route, and it continued in one form of another until it's withdrawal in December 2009, by which time it had evolved into a Strasbourg to Vienna EuroNight sleeper train, run by the Austrian Railways with modern air-conditioned seats, couchettes and a 1980s-built sleeping-car.  It had been cut back in 2007 from running Paris to Vienna when the Paris-Strasbourg TGV-Est high-speed line opened.  All is explained in more detail on the Orient Express history page .

So what exactly is the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express?

In 1977, a number of classic pre-war Wagons-Lits Company sleeping-cars and restaurant cars were offered for sale at an auction in Monte Carlo.  James Sherwood of Sea Containers Inc bought most of them, with the dream of restoring them and recreating a 'Train de Luxe' for modern-day travellers on part of the route of the fabled Simplon Orient Express.  He subsequently acquired a series of 1920s and 1930s Pullman cars for the London-Folkestone part of the operation. 

VSOE's LX-type sleeping-cars originally ran on front-rank Wagons-Lits Company trains all over Europe, including the Train Bleu from Calais & Paris to Nice & Monte Carlo, the Nord Express from Paris to Berlin, Warsaw & Riga, and the Rome Express from Calais/Paris to Rome.  The Calais to Trieste sleeping car attached to the Simplon Orient Express would have been an 'LX', as would a Paris-Istanbul and a Paris-Athens sleeping-car, even if the Calais-Istanbul and Calais-Athens cars would have been slightly older S-types.

Today's tourist-orientated VSOE has been running since 1982, London-Paris-Venice once a week from March to November.  Although it is a 'resumption' of the Orient Express more in spirit than in terms of historical accuracy but the VSOE has superbly-restored pre-war carriages, top-class food and service, and it has now become an institution in it own right.  Don't miss your chance to ride it!

The British Pullman train

This is a beautiful train of restored 1920s/30s/50s British Pullman cars, from 2024 it's no longer used as part of the London-Paris-Venice journey, but the train is still used for excursions within Britain so I shall leave this section here.

Each car features plush armchairs in open-plan saloons, arranged as intimate tables for two each side of the aisle.  It's strange how 80 years of ergonomics haven't produced anything as luxuriously comfortable as a 1920s Pullman seat.  Most Pullmans also have an enclosed 4-seat compartment at one or both ends known as a coupé, these can be requested if you want privacy though I prefer the more convivial open saloon.  You can read a brief history of each individual VSOE Pullman Car at www.belmond.com/british-pullman-train/british-pullman-carriages , worth checking as the history is fascinating, and many of the cars have links with famous trains or famous people.  You'll find a booklet about the history of the Pullman cars at your seat on board the train which you can keep.  Some cars were used on the Golden Arrow boat train between London & Dover, others on the Brighton Belle between London & Brighton, a couple were used on Winston Churchill's funeral train, and so on...  If one car particularly interests you, by all means request it!  The British Pullman train leaves Victoria station, rumbles slowly across the Thames past Battersea Power Station, then takes one of several possible routes to Folkestone.  Indeed it sometimes goes the long way round via Canterbury and Dover, dropping off day-trippers at Canterbury and doubling back along the coast to Folkestone.  A 3-course brunch is served on the way to Folkestone with sparkling Bellinis, all included in the fare.

Orient Express books, gifts & souvenirs

Venice simplon-orient-express gift certificates.

Belmond offer gift certificates, if you want to make someone a present of a journey on one of their trains:  https://www.belmond.com/venice-simplon-orient-express/monetary_gift_certificates .

Books about the Orient Express

If you want to learn more about the Orient Express, you can click the pictures to buy these books online at Amazon.  The book on the left has more about the history of the Orient Express, the book on the right concentrates on the restored Venice Simplon Orient Express.  Also recommended is 'The Orient Express - The life and times of the world's most famous train' by E H Cookridge.  Although out of print, you can buy it second hand through Amazon - click here for details .  The Orient Express also features heavily in fiction.

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (actually set on the Simplon Orient Express, as she knew full well)

Murder on the Orient Express (DVD, 1974 film)

Stamboul Train by Graham Greene (actually set on the Oostende-Vienna Orient Express, not the Orient Express)

Hotels in London, Paris, Venice

If you need to search for decent hotels in London, Paris or Venice, this is the system to use.

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11 Things I Wish I’d Known Before Going on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express

Tips on how to pack, when to eat, and what else to expect on the european rail trip of a lifetime..

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The remodeled carriages on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express were all built in the early 20th century.

Courtesy of Belmond

For a lot of people, a journey on an antique luxury train such as the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (VSOE) is a dream come true, even if they’ve never read or seen Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express . The ride is an opportunity to return to the golden age of train travel, when passengers handed off their steamer trunks to white-gloved stewards and dined on porcelain plates.

Each itinerary has its own rewards, and indeed, every night is different depending on where you’re going and who you’re with. Here’s what I learned during my own train journey from Venice through Vienna to London on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express with Belmond.

There are several routes—research the itinerary that’s right for you

The original Orient Express ran between Paris and Istanbul, with stops in Hungary and Romania, but on Belmond’s Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, there are nearly two dozen journeys you can take. A five-night itinerary from Paris to Istanbul is offered only a few times in the spring and summer and includes three nights on the train. The 2024 dates are May 31 to June 5 (Paris to Istanbul), June 7 to June 12 (Istanbul to Paris), August 23 to August 30 (Paris to Istanbul), and August 30 to September 4 (Istanbul to Paris).

At other times, trips include stops in such cities as Vienna, Budapest, Prague, Verona, Amsterdam, Florence, Rome, Brussels, and Innsbruck.

Left: Gardens at the Belmond Hotel Cipriani; Right: Laundry hangs above a street in Venice.

Photos by Sara Button

Note that if your itinerary includes London (which many do), you’ll actually take a bus through the Chunnel before picking up a train on the other side. Passengers ride another Belmond train, the British Pullman, in England and the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express in Europe.

Knowing what I know now from riding from Venice to London with the Chunnel interruption at the end of the trip, I would do my itinerary in reverse to experience more of a crescendo: Start in London with a stay at Belmond’s stylish Cadogan Hotel in Chelsea, ride on the Pullman, then take the more luxurious VSOE to Venice. To top it all off? A night at the dreamy Belmond Hotel Cipriani on the Venetian island of Giudecca.

As you book, think about how much time you want to spend on the train and how the journey itself will unfold. If you board in the afternoon and get off again early the next morning, you’ll miss more of the scenery via train and may not get to enjoy a leisurely breakfast or brunch—but you’ll have more time in your final destination.

If you board in the morning and arrive at your destination late the next night, you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy the VSOE, but be prepared for a lot of sitting around. My favorite leg of the trip was when I had about 24 hours riding rather than rushing to disembark on time.

Staff of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express lines up to greet guests as they board the train.

Photo by Sara Button

There’s no such thing as too dressy . . .

Guests are informed of the dress code in advance of the trip. Jeans and tennis shoes are not acceptable daywear, and formal attire is requested for dinner. It’s no joke. I saw folks dressed in tuxedos and floor-length ballgowns and wearing antique jewelry. My advice? Embrace it. I was a bit intimidated by the idea of dressing up. But it turned out to be fun, almost like putting on a costume.

. . . but don’t panic if you’re not a fashionista

During the day, I wore a couple of simple linen dresses; for dinners, I brought two cocktail dresses. The train is a great opportunity to recycle wedding party attire you thought you’d never wear again or to check out the vintage section of a thrift shop. Services like Rent the Runway let you wear fancy clothes without having to buy them.

All that being said, try to fit everything in an overnight bag and a carry-on suitcase . The train compartments are authentically small, with only narrow overhead luggage racks and a couple of hangers for long garments. Large suitcases will be put into the train’s storage, and you won’t have access to them during the ride. I was fine fitting my beloved Osprey Meridian carry-on (sans day pack) and a Steve Madden weekender bag in my compartment.

(Though the Meridian is no longer available, the Osprey Fairview wheeled travel pack is similar.)

Take in the details

Riding on the VSOE truly is like being inside a time capsule; each car was built between 1926 and 1949 and has been meticulously restored. One of the most celebrated design moments onboard is the intricate glass windows in the dining car, designed by René Lalique in a Côte d’Azur style in 1929. The Grand Suites , meanwhile, are a masterclass in art deco style with hand-beaded embroidery, rich color palettes across plush fabrics, and special design elements inspired by Orient Express destinations like Paris, Istanbul, and Vienna. To step into one of the historic cabins is to be instantly transported to the 1920s.

Read the placards that describe each carriage’s history (car 3544 was reportedly used as a wartime brothel), track down car 3309 to admire the art deco marquetry panels by lauded French designer René Prou, and make time to admire such details as the painted flowers adorning your ceramic wash basin.

The bar car 3674 was refurbished in 2016; guests socialize here until late into the night.

Unplug . . .

It’s a lot easier to enjoy the views, get to know fellow passengers, or write postcards (anything posted from the train itself will get a special Venice Simplon-Orient-Express stamp) when you’re not looking at your phone.

. . . but don’t forget to take some photos

There are so many magical elements on the VSOE, it’s hard to keep track. I took plenty of pictures of the train, but once I got home I realized that I only had a couple photos of myself. As a solo traveler , I wish I had asked fellow riders to help me document the occasion. I had gotten dressed up after all, and sometimes a selfie just won’t cut it.

Be prepared to eat—A LOT

Most overnight itineraries include afternoon tea, dinner, and breakfast or brunch the next day. When I boarded in Venice, I was welcomed with a glass of sparkling wine, then served afternoon tea with five different sweets. Only a couple hours later, there were snacks for cocktail hour, and supper was a four-course meal.

Decide if you’re an early bird or a night owl

There are two dinner seatings on the VSOE: one around 7 p.m., the other around 9 p.m. The maître d’ will note your seating preference in the afternoon and will also ask if you’re open to sitting with other travelers.

Eat early and you’ll have more time to digest all five courses before going to bed. Eat late and you’ll have to wait until the first shift finishes up in the dining cars.

The resident pianist plays in the bar car from 6 p.m. to midnight nightly, sometimes longer if passengers are still enjoying themselves later than that. Either way, there’s plenty of time for drinks before or after dinner—the bar car doesn’t close until the last guest has left.

Because of my route, I was able to try dinner at both times and personally, I ended up liking the later seating more; there was a bigger gap between afternoon tea and dinner, and I felt like I had even more time to make friends in the bar car before heading to the meal seating than during the earlier seating.

Breakfast aboard the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express includes fresh fruit, pastries, tea or coffee, and juice.

Manage your expectations

Yes, a trip on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is the trip of a lifetime. But you’re still riding an antique train. Unless you’ve booked one of the six grand suites , you’ll have to use the toilet at the end of each car. Twin cabins have bunk beds; if you’re traveling with someone else, your compartment will be, well, intimate. There is an option to book a double cabin, which adjoins two singles that can be combined as a double bed allowing for more space. As comfortable as the beds may be, there will be some jolts and bumps during the night. If the clacking of the tracks will keep you awake, bring earplugs.

Grand Suites on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express have a double bed and en suite toilets.

Meet your fellow passengers

Many different types of travelers ride on the VSOE. I met couples, a mother-daughter duo, a family with two young children, former college roommates, and another solo female traveler. Some were Agatha Christie buffs, others wanted to bask in the atmosphere. Those looking for a bit of serenity could relax in the comfort of their cabin and dine alone or with only their traveling companions. Others could dine with strangers or chat in the bar car. Striking up a conversation is easy—just start with, “What brought you on the train?”

This article originally appeared online in 2019; it was most recently updated on October 13, 2023, to include current information.

The experience

Cabins and suites, itineraries, venice simplon-orient-express, welcome aboard the luxury train venice simplon-orient-express.

An icon of art-deco design and an eternal symbol of luxury , the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is a true classic of luxury train travel . Travel on board this European rail legend and enjoy an unforgettable adventure.

A quintessential icon of luxury train travel , this train has for many decades captured the hearts and imaginations of its lucky travelers. The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is simply the most famous and luxurious luxury train in the world : polished wood finishes, upholstery with the finest fabrics, sumptuous and antique decoration… This wonder of sophisticated travel will make you appreciate several of the most beautiful landscapes in Europe while enjoying an atmosphere of opulence and elegance without equal that will transport you from the first moment aboard the Golden Age of train travel.

Authenticity is one of the protagonists of this luxury train . The Venice Simplon- Orient-Express is made up of several luxurious cabin cars from the 1920s and 1930s, together with 3 restaurant cars that offer you an exquisite culinary experience and invite you to be dazzled by their luxurious finishes : stained glass windows with Lalique crystals from the French Riviera, cutlery and glassware from the finest and most exclusive brands, delicious dishes that will delight your palate. The wagon-bar sparkles with its golden details and offers you to enjoy a glass of fine champagne while the pianist gives that charming touch to the atmosphere with its elegant and happy melodies.

A butler in the most elegant royal blue and gold uniform greets you with a white gloved hand and welcomes you on board with a discreet and sincere smile. Step into your luxurious cabin finished in polished cherry wood and adorned with art-deco accents, relax and enjoy the start of a journey into the golden age of train travel.

What is the history of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express?

The original Orient-Express was inaugurated on October 4, 1883 and characters such as Tolstoy, Lawrence of Arabia, the spy Mata Hari Trotsky, Marlene Dietrich traveled in its luxurious carriages ... Many films based on the fabulous Venice Simplon-Orient-Express have even been produced as "The Spy Who Loved Me" in 1963 starring Sean Connery. And more recently, in 2017, inspired by the 1934 Agatha Christie novel, "Murder on the Orient Express" with Penelope Cruz, Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer and Kenneth Branagh.

It was 1977 at an auction in Monte-Carlo, Monaco, where the founder of Belmond, Mr. James B Sherwood, bought two vintage train cars.

Sherwood was passionate about luxury and sophisticated travel. He searched everywhere for railway relics and disused wagons in private gardens,** museums and railway stations**. The wagons of famous vintage trains such as Le Train Bleu and the Rome Express deserved a spectacular return to service, but they needed a very high level of craftsmanship and engineering expertise to be restored and adapted to modern standards of quality and safety. Fortunately, he found a group of experienced craftsmen and mechanics who carried out the task of painstakingly restoring the wagons to their former glory from bygone days.

After nearly 5 years of meticulous restoration, the iconic midnight blue wagons were finally operational for 1982, ready to welcome their lucky travelers in incomparable luxury on a journey between Venice and London.

What journeys does the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express propose?

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express covers the route between London and Venice , this route being one of the most famous, as well as the route from Paris to Venice . Feast your eyes on the beautiful landscapes of Europe: lush rolling meadows and majestic mountains, beautiful villages. This impressive journey can be done in either direction or round trip. Delve into local culture with stops in Budapest and Bucharest. Reach the ends of Europe on an authentic adventure of more than six days taking the route from Paris to Istanbul, a city divided between Europe and Asia.

Paris - Berlin is the newest trip in the catalog, an exciting adventure connecting two of the most vibrant cultural centers in Europe.

Venice, Paris, London, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Istanbul ... They are just some of the legendary cities the legendary Venice Simplon-Orient-Express visits.

The Côte d’Azur

The Étoile du Nord

Single Cabin

The perfect option for total relaxation.

The individual cabins have one bed. During the day, the bed is transformed into a comfortable sofa from where you can admire the beautiful views that this journey offers you.

Thin cotton sheets and goose feather pillows will create a cozy and peaceful setting for a perfect night's rest.

Included in your cabin:

• Day and night configuration
• Sink with hot and cold water
• WC at the ends of each wagon-room
• Towels in luxurious cotton
• Bathrobes and slippers
• Dual voltage sockets
• 2 x 220 volt outlets

Historic Cabin

Take in Europe from the romantic setting it deserves with your own private historic twin cabin.

Banquette seating offers the perfect vantage point to watch the landscape by day, while convertible sleeping berths — with soft, luxurious bedding — transform the cabin into an intimate retreat by night.

Morning breakfast can even be served to your bed, should you desire.

Its comfortable plush sofa turns into an upper bed and a lower one at night.

Both are dressed in soft, luxurious lingerie for optimal rest and each has its own reading light.

Included in your Historic Cabin:

These marvelous suites are inspired by a fusion of the landscape the train travels through and design from the Art Deco period.

Each suite will immerse you in diverse European scenery through glorious colours, patterns and textures. Plush fabrics and furnishings channel famed Art Deco designers, such as Dufrene and Lalique.

These reimagined suites were fully restored by expert craftsmen in France, and complement the existing Grand Suites and Historic Twins that make up the sumptuous on board experience.

Included in your Suite:

• Double bed or twin beds
• Private marble en-suite bathroom with shower, basin and wc
• Lounge area by day, as your bed converts to seating area
• Complimentary amenities including a kimono and slippers to take home

Grand Suite

On a train where unparalleled luxury is the standard, the exquisite Grand Suites are the jewel in the crown. Let yourself be carried away by the feeling of opulence and elegance of these large suites where only royalty traveled in the Golden Age of train travel.

Three beautiful suites make up the collection, each named after 3 of the most attractive cities in Europe: Paris, Venice and Istanbul. In honor of the inaugural train route through the heart of continental Europe, the Grand Suites embody the soul of each city and the art-deco indulgence while offering all modern comforts. Spacious sinks and impeccable cabin service complete the experience.

Each Grand Suite has a bedroom with double or twin bed, a living room with space for private dining, and a sofa that can be converted into an additional bed at night. A private bathroom in the suite includes a shower, sink and toilet, plus accessories and luxury products and complimentary bathrobes. 24-hour suite service includes unlimited champagne consumption at no extra charge.

Included in your Grand Suite:

• Private WC and shower
• Complimentary champagne by the glass in your Suite

Paris - Venice

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How long does the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express journey take?

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Venice Simplon-Orient-Express

Romantic. Timeless. Matchless. The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is a glamorous luxury rail journey like no other.

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express holidays

For decades, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express has been synonymous with everything that is sophisticated and glamorous in the world of luxury train travel. The name echoes like a spell. Since its maiden journey from Paris to Istanbul in 1883 the Orient Express has been intrinsically linked with luxury travel. Now operated by the connoisseurs at Belmond, the train has been restored, refurbished and returned to its Art Deco-influenced origins. Today the enchantment and romance are as strong as ever and, in an age that prioritises speed and efficiency when it comes to conveying you to your end destination, the experience of travelling slowly and being on a (luxury) journey is even more alluring.

Indeed, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express doesn't simply stand on a par with the world's other great rail journeys, it stands above them – not least because of its fascinating history and enduringly elegant design. The rolling stock is distinctive down to the smallest detail. Made up of original 1920s and 30s European carriages, painstakingly and lovingly restored to their original elegance and splendour. Look out for marquetry panels and designs by artists of the Art Deco movement, including Rene Lalique. The overall result is a beguiling evocation of the golden age of travel. Yet the experience of being onboard transcends its historical origins and feels utterly contemporary and fresh. Luxury at this level is timeless.

The train now visits a number of Europe’s most enchanting cities. Alongside the traditional, classic journey from London to Venice via Paris (or vice versa), you can now take in everywhere from historic Budapest to luxurious Lake Como. There's also a collection of new routes for 2021, taking in the likes of Geneva , Brussels , Florence , Rome and Amsterdam . Or, for the ultimate luxury rail journey, we suggest that the most discerning traveller should secure a berth on the very special, once-a-year departure from London to Istanbul, a nine-day journey that recreates the original 1883 route. The sheer romance of this experience is unmatchable. 

Special experiences

There is no more memorable an experience than seeing the train for the first time. Arrive early at the station to get caught up in the giddy excitement reverberating through the air. It could be at London’s Victoria station, where you board the umber and cream carriages of Belmond’s British Pullman or at Calais or Venice, where you’ll get your first glimpse of the blue and gold carriages of the Continental Wagons-Lit. The thrill is palpable and these are memories that will stay with you for a lifetime. 

Climb aboard and step back in time to a more refined, congenial and elegant era. Walk through all the carriages to understand that you’re travelling on a page of history, taking the time to read the plaques identifying each carriage and observing the different décor of each one.

Head to your compartment and settle in, meeting the cabin steward who will anticipate and attend your every need. Unpack your tuxedo and ball gown; you can never be overdressed aboard the elegant carriages of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express. When dressed to the nines, hang out in Bar 3674, the social hub of the train and mingle with other passengers. Listen to a pianist play period pieces as you sip pre-dinner signature cocktails expertly prepared by the head barman. Alternatively toast your good taste with a vintage champagne from the train’s extensive selection.

Then, settle yourself into one of the three beautifully restored restaurant cars, taking note of the fine linen, French silverware and heavy crystal that hint at the extravagance ahead. Perhaps you’ll try lobsters from Brittany or salt marsh lamb from Mont St Michel.

After a four-course culinary adventure, retire to your cabin, which will have been discretely converted into a sleeping compartment. Spoil yourself with a night cap then climb the upholstered ladder to your upper berth or snuggle down under luxury linens on the bottom bunk to be lulled by the movement of the train as it travels across Europe, perhaps having taken steps to arrange a celebration breakfast in the morning so that you can start the next day with another magical memory.

White-gloved service on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express

Sip vintage champagne in the elegant bar car

Cabins on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express

There are 88 double cabins (upper and lower berth) and 11 single cabins modelled on the 1920s originals. Each private compartment is attended by a cabin steward throughout the journey, which means that you are assured of attentive yet discreet service. Want to idle your way across Europe in your pyjamas, plush bathrobes or indeed anything else, mesmerised by the scenery flashing by from the privacy of your bed or sofa? The staff are impeccably trained.

Historic Cabin

During the day, your cabin acts as a comfortable lounge with a large banquette sofa, footstool and small fold out table. There is a washbasin stylishly hidden away in its own cabinet. While, you enjoy a sumptuous dinner in one of the dining cars and drink cocktails in the bar car, your cabin steward will convert your compartment into a cosy sleeping space with upper and lower berths, complete with crisp white linen. Bathrobes, slippers and luxury amenities by Temple Spa are provided.

For a shot of additional luxury take a Suite, new for 2023. Featuring an en-suite bathroom – all decadent marble and Venetian glass – they bridge the gap perfectly between the Historic Cabins and the ultra-luxury Grand Suites, detailed below. Of course, you can expect all the usual touches, from art-deco flourishes to polished wood and exquisite marquetry. Suites come with a choice of double or twin beds, which convert into a lounge for daytime relaxation. 

Grand Suite

These incredibly spacious suites bring a new level of luxury to the already opulent train. And, in a welcome departure from the faithful reproduction elsewhere, each Grand Suite includes a private en suite bathroom with showers, sinks and toilet, as well as a double bedroom and a sizeable living area. Named after the cities most associated with the train, these suites are designed in keeping with the general Art Deco motif but draw on their namesake’s associations; chic haute couture flourishes, renaissance design, Venetian-style glass lamps, grand Baroque touches and opulent embroidered pillows and rugs that echo the Grand Bazaar can all be seen. There are also more choices of where and when to dine, including private dining in your own suite, complimentary caviar on arrival and free-flowing champagne in your suite at all times. Perfection!.

The 1920s styling of a Historic cabin

The all-new Suites: elegant and private

A Grand Suite: the ultimate in onboard luxury

Suggested itineraries

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express: Venice to London

4 days from £4,660 pp incl. flights

A counterpoint to the classic London to Venice route, this journey aboard the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express starts in Italy's floating city before crossing the Alps in style en route to Paris, then via Eurostar to London.

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express: Florence to London

4 days from £4,980 pp incl. flights

Journey aboard the iconic Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, starting amid the exquisite architecture of Florence before crossing the Alps in style en route to London.

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express: Verona to London

4 days from £4,255 pp incl. flights

Beginning with a luxury city stay and included walking tour in Verona, you'll board the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express for an unforgettable journey across Europe, steeped in the elegant traditions of 1920s rail travel.

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express: London to Paris & Venice

5 days from £4,860 pp incl. flights

With Eurostar included, this is the iconic southbound journey from Paris to Venice aboard the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, paired with stays in two luxury hotels.

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express: A taste of luxury

3 days from £4,870 pp incl. flights

Enjoyed across three unforgettable days, this itinerary is perfect for those looking to experience the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express but are short on time

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express: Venice & Brussels to London

6 days from £5,845 pp incl. flights

This journey aboard the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express starts among the exquisite architecture of Italy's floating city before crossing the Alps in style en route to the gastronomy, architecture and cafe culture of Brussels.

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express: Venice & Amsterdam to London

6 days from £5,530 pp incl. flights

This journey aboard the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express starts among the exquisite architecture of Italy's floating city before crossing the Alps in style en route to the canals and museums of Amsterdam.

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express: Vienna to London

4 days from £4,570 pp incl. flights

Board the world’s most elegant train for a luxury journey to remember as you're transported not just from Vienna to London but all the way back to the glamour of the Roaring Twenties.

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express: Budapest to London

5 days from £5,380 pp incl. flights

From the Ottoman treasures of Budapest to the 1920s fineries of the world's most elegant train, this is luxury rail travel at its finest.

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express & Venice’s Islands

4 days from £4,370 pp incl. flights

Before travelling on the world’s exclusive train, hop between Venice’s archipelago, centring on a luxury stay on your very own private island.

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express Grand Suite Experience

5 days from £12,280 pp incl. flights

From free-flowing champagne to complimentary caviar, experience the ultimate in luxury rail travel with the butler-served indulgences of the new Venice Simplon-Orient-Express Grand Suites.

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express & Verona Opera

5 days from £6,470 pp incl. flights

This spectacular short break combines a journey on the world’s most elegant train with a stay in a converted palace and of opera at the iconic Arena di Verona.

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express: London to Istanbul

10 days from £19,525 pp incl. flights

Experience the glamour and style of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express as it returns to its original route, sweeping across Europe through France, Hungary and Romania to the gateway between east and west – Istanbul.

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express: London to Cannes

5 days from £5,190 pp incl. flights

Enjoy a slice of the high life as you pair the world's most iconic train with the glamour of the French Riviera – a summer journey not to be missed.

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express & Lake Como

7 days from £6,890 pp incl. flights

Travel from London to Verona onboard the world’s most famous train, finishing off with a truly opulent stay on the shores of Italian lake country.

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express & Northern Italy River Cruise

12 days from £8,640 pp incl. flights

Discover Venice and its surrounds in unmatched style as you pair the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express with a five-star cruise.

Northern Italy Cruise & Venice Simplon-Orient-Express

11 days from £7,800 pp incl. flights

Experience one of travel's great pairings as you combine a cruise among the treasures of Northern Italy with the luxurious delights of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express.

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express: Veuve Clicquot Journey

4 days from £7,945 pp incl. flights

Combine the golden era of luxury rail travel with a celebration like no other – with Veuve Clicquot champagne.

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Venice Simplon Orient Express

Orient express 2024 prices & timetables, the world's most famous train.

Orient Express Holiday Experts

Tailor made holidays unique to you, journey on the magnificent orient express in 2024.

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Specialists in luxury rail holidays, tailor-made just for you, the legendary venice simplon-orient-express, offers a unique travel experience..

Take a Venice Simplon Orient Express 2024 Holiday – you can travel on the famous Venice Simplon Orient Express either from Paris to Venice or Venice to Paris – Our Orient Express Signature Journey for 2023.

Other Destinations include:

Florence – Verona – Rome – Amsterdam – Istanbul – Vienna – Prague – Budapest – Lyon – Cannes – Innsbruck – Geneva

Holidays can be tailored to include outbound / return First Class rail travel or flights – with flights offering a saving of £600 per person.

Get in touch with us and we can help build your perfect Orient Express Holiday.

Book now to travel on the Venice Simplon Orient Express in 2024

We are pleased to announce that the Venice Simplon Orient Express 2024 departure dates and prices are now confirmed. We would advise booking as soon as possible to avoid disappointment

Orient Express Departures from Venice / Verona to Paris

• March : 12th / 19th / 26th
• April : 2nd / 9th / 27th
• May : 10th / 15th
• June : 29th
• July : 28th
• August : 1st / 6th / 12th / 20th
• September : 14th / 20th
• October : 1st / 10th / 15th
• November : 5th / 17th / 21st
• December : 10th

2024 Orient Express Departures from Paris to Venice / Verona

• March : 7th / 14th / 21st / 28th
• April : 4th / 11th / 25th
• June : 27th
• July : 1st / 11th
• August : 3rd / 14th
• September : 5th / 22nd
• October : 6th / 22nd
• November : 1st / 19th / 23rd /28th
• December : 5th / 22nd

2024 Orient Express Departures from Paris / to Florence & Venice

• September: 16th

2024 Orient Express Departures from Venice / Florence to Paris

• April : 23rd
• May : 29th 
• September : 10th

2024 Orient Express Departures from Paris to Rome & Venice

• July : 18th

2024 Orient Express Departures from Venice / Rome to Paris

2024 Orient Express Departures from Amsterdam to Venice

• April : 18th
• July : 25th

2024 Orient Express Departures from Venice to Amsterdam

• April : 15th
• July : 22nd

2024 Orient Express Departures from Paris to Vienna / Prague & Paris to Vienna / Budapest​

• July : 7th – Paris to Vienna / Prague
• October : 2nd – Paris to Vienna / Budapest
• December :  16th – Paris to Vienna only

2024 Orient Express Departures from Prague / Vienna to Paris & Vienna / Budapest to Paris

• July : 10th – Vienna / Prague
• October : 5th – Vienna / Budapest
• December : 17th – Vienna only

2024 Orient Express Departures from Paris / Lyon to Cannes / Venice

• August : 8th

2024 Orient Express Departures from Paris / Geneva to Innsbruck / Venice

• September : 12th
• October : 17th

2024 Orient Express Departures from Paris to Istanbul

• August : 23rd

2024 Orient Express Departures from Istanbul to Paris

• August: 30th

We would advise booking as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Travel From Paris to Venice on the Orient Express - an example Planet Rail holday

Travel from Paris to Venice on the world famous Orient Express, returning by First Class rail via Montreux on the shores of Lake Geneva.

Your holiday includes a twin/double compartment on the train with all meals on board, 3 nights’ accommodation with breakfast in an excellent 4 or 5 star hotel in Venice, First Class rail from Venice to Montreux, overnight accommodation with breakfast in a deluxe lake view room in Montreux on Lake Geneva, First Class rail from Montreux to London, private taxi transfer in Paris and water taxi transfers in Venice. 2024 prices for our highly-recommended hotels start from £4,595 per person – based on 2 people travelling together. 

If you prefer to fly home from Venice then your 4 night / 5 day holiday is from £3,995 per person

Travelling from London to Venice by First Class rail and returning to Paris on the Orient Express

Departing from London, your holiday includes First Class rail from London to Venice, an overnight stay B&B in a deluxe lake view room in Montreux on the shores of Lake Geneva, a 3 night stay B&B in a twin/double room at a highly-rated 4 or 5 star hotel in Venice and an overnight journey from Venice to London in a twin/double compartment on the legendary Orient Express with all meals on board to Paris & taking the Eurostar back to London.   

A taxi transfer in Paris and water taxi transfers in Venice are also included in the price of your holiday which is  from £4,595  per person (based on 2 people travelling together).

If you prefer to fly out to Venice then your 4 night / 5 day holiday is  from £3,995  per person.

Example Orient Express Holiday Itinerary

What's included, orient express, holiday highlights for 2024.

• Venice Simplon-Orient-Express
• Scenic rail journey through the Alps & Dolomites - Brenner Pass
• Stunning Montreux
• Incomparable Venice
• St. Mark's Square
• Rialto Bridge & Grand Canal
• Doges Palace & St. Mark's Basilica

Day 1 – Paris Aboard the Venice Simplon Orient Express

Your adventure begins in London where you journey across the channel by Eurostar to begin your adventure. 

In Paris,  you board the world-famous Venice Simplon Orient Express, with its distinctive blue and gold carriages. Your own personal steward is on hand to attend to you throughout your Venice Simplon Orient Express holiday.

Take the time to settle in to your comfortable private compartment, relax and admire the elaborate flourishes and spectacular marquetry of this elegant train, before dressing for dinner.

Enjoy a pre-dinner cocktail before making your way to one of the magnificent restaurant cars, where you will be served a delicious four-course dinner, prepared by skilled French chefs.

Following dinner you may wish to enjoy a drink in the bar car, listening to the sound of the baby grand piano.

By now your compartment has been transformed into a cosy bedroom, which you can retire to whenever you are ready.

Day 2 – The Venice Simplon Orient Express signature journey through the Swiss Alps to Venice

Breakfast is served in your compartment this morning at a time to suit you; be sure to admire the stunning views of the Swiss Alps as you start the day.

You may wish to continue gazing out at the incredible scenery from your compartment, or perhaps spend the morning chatting to fellow guests over coffee.

Later you enjoy a leisurely three-course lunch served in another of the beautiful restaurant cars. Perhaps visit the on-board boutique to purchase souvenirs, while away the hours in conversation or take it easy in your compartment and admire the superb views of Lake Lucerne and Lake Como.

Afternoon tea is served in your compartment during the journey, then all too soon it is time to disembark as the train crosses the Venetian Lagoon and arrives at Venice Santa Lucia station.

Here a water taxi transfers you to your hotel for the next three nights. The Hotel Ai Mori d’Oriente* (4 star) is an attractive, welcoming hotel located in a quiet area just 15 minutes from the Rialto Bridge with its friendly service, elegant and comfortable rooms.

*Please note other hotels are available if you prefer, according to your preferences and budget.

Days 3 & 4 – At leisure in Venice

Enjoy two full days in Venice; make the most of the time to experience the uniqueness of this incredible city. 

You may decide to visit St. Mark’s Square, the Doges Palace and St. Mark’s Basilica or explore the market and shops in and around the Rialto Bridge. 

Perhaps wander through the hidden campi (squares) and over the countless bridges which link the criss-cross of canals, or take to the water on a romantic gondola to see a different side of Venice.

Day 5 – Venice to Montreux through the Swiss Alps by First Class Rail

This morning your private water taxi transfer takes you back to Venice Santa Lucia station. Here you are re-united with the rest of the world as join the Eurostar Italia service for the First Class rail journey to Milan.

In Milan you change trains and bid farewell to Italy as you connect with the Euro City service for the journey into Switzerland.

This train takes you into the Alps on the spectacular journey through the Simplon Pass and on to the pretty lakeside town of Montreux on the shores of Lake Geneva.

Here you spend tonight at the Grand Hotel Suisse Majestic (4 star superior), a charming belle époque hotel ideally located right next to the station.

Take a stroll alongside sparkling Lake Geneva and discover the attractions of Montreux.

Day 6 – Montreux to London – Homeward bound

This morning, after a leisurely breakfast overlooking the sparkling lake, you have more time to perhaps visit the beautiful Château de Chillon, one of the best-preserved castles in all of Europe.

Later you return to the station and take the train to Lausanne, where you connect with the high-speed service to Paris. Watch the rolling hills flash past or reminisce on the wonders of the past few days.

On arrival in the French capital, your private transfer takes you across the city to the Gare du Nord where you join the Eurostar to London.

Let the train take the strain as you stretch out and savour the light meal and drinks included in your Standard Premier service.

At 186mph the landscape is a blur at times, though memories abide as you return to London St.Pancras International.

Please note this holiday is also available in reverse, where you travel to Venice by First Class rail, returning to London on the Venice Simplon Orient Express. Please get in touch for more details.

Further information

On board the orient-express.

Travel in a private compartment, attended by Cabin Stewards throughout your journey, where you are assured of attentive yet discreet service.

Each compartment has its own original washbasin cabinet with hot and cold water, and at night-time becomes a comfortable bedroom, complete with soft towels and crisp linen.

Your double compartment converts in moments from daytime seating to a comfortable bedroom. A private lounge during the day with a banquette sofa, footstool and small table, it is transformed to night configuration with an upper and lower bed.

A washbasin with hot and cold water is enclosed in a cabinet and towels and toiletries are provided.

POSSIBLE VARIATIONS AND UPGRADES

Travel in a suite on the orient express from £6,990 per person.

You may wish to upgrade your twin/double cabin on board the Venice Simplon Orient Express to a cabin suite.

Formed of two interconnecting double cabins, the cabin suite offers additional comfort and extra space.

By day, guests can stretch out and relax with two lounges, and by night a choice of bed configurations are available depending on your preferences.

The cabin suite is available from an additional £2,350 per person (based on two people travelling together), depending on departure date – please contact us for more details.

Travel in a Grand Suite on the Orient Express from £9,990 per person

Why not make your journey of a lifetime on the world’s most famous train even more special, by travelling in one of just three exclusive Grand Suites?

Each luxurious suite is beautifully appointed with its own individual theme, and comes with its own private bathroom, double bed and spacious living area. Other additional touches are also included.

Grand Suites are available from an additional £4,495 per person (based on two people travelling together), depending on departure date – please contact us for more details.

Enjoying a great location in an area exclusively reserved for local Venetians, the Hotel Ai Mori d’Oriente (4 star) offers an attractive and calm setting from which to enjoy and explore this most evocative of cities. 

Named after Turkish tradesmen, “mori”, who for centuries lived in this beautiful palace, the hotel offers guests contemporary accommodation equipped with air conditioning, mini-bar, hair dryer, direct-dial telephone, satellite television, radio, safe, and internet access. 

The hotel benefits from a tastefully decorated breakfast room, bar and reading room. 

You can relax amidst the exotic atmosphere of the hotel’s furnishings which hark back to the times of oriental merchants, and traders, plying their trade on the “Silk Route” which had Venice as its main port. 

Located about 10 minutes’ walk from the Rialto Bridge, the Ai Mori d’Oriente offers visitors a fascinating insight into the real Venice as well as easy access to charming restaurants frequented by locals rather than tourists.

Other hotels are available, at a supplement. Please contact us for more information.

For information and booking: Tel: 01347 825292 or email [email protected]

Orient Express questions?

If you have a specific Venice Simplon-Orient Express question – why not review our Venice Simplon Orient Express FAQs here  ?  

FURTHER INFORMATION

Art at the Belvedere Palace in Vienna

The Giant’s Causeway

Two iconic cities to explore

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VENICE SIMPLON-ORIENT-EXPRESS (London) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

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Orient Express Route

What is the route of the Orient Express?

The original Orient Express route travels from Paris across Europe through Strasbourg, Munich, Vienna, Budapest, and Bucharest before arriving in Istanbul. The Orient Express sister train, the Simplon Orient Express (later known as the Direct Orient Express), also travelled a route from Paris to Istanbul, but headed south through Lausanne, Simplon, Milan, Venice, Belgrade and Sofia before arriving in Istanbul. Coming into service in 1883, all original Orient Express routes finally retired in 2009 after almost 100 years of the most famous train journeys in the world.

Where did the Orient Express travel?

The Orient Express travelled across Europe, most famously departing from Paris and heading to Istanbul. As the popularity of these journeys grew, two more Orient Express trains were brought into service offering more varied journeys to more destinations across Europe.

Orient Express Route Map (1883 – 1962)

Orient express route:.

Paris Strasbourg Munich Vienna Budapest Bucharest Istanbul

The original Orient Express route was modified over its years of service, but the general departure from Paris and destination of Istanbul remained the same. Starting service in 1883, the original Orient Express train ran this route from 1883 – 1914, 1919 – 1939 and 1945 – 1962. From 1883 until 1889, the original Orient Express route also included a connection over the Black Sea, but this was later revised. Taking passengers through the highlights of Europe, the original Orient Express route was a long voyage across numerous countries. The journeys became more and more luxurious and exclusive and a talking point among the wealthy. Anyone who was anyone took a journey on board the Orient Express for the experience, to meet the people on board and to return home with stories to tell.

Simplon Orient Express Route

Route of the simplon orient express:.

Paris Lausanne Milan Venice Belgrade Sofia Istanbul

The Simplon Orient Express came into service in 1919 and was given its name as it would travel south towards the Simplon Pass in Switzerland. Offering the same levels of luxury just on a different route, the Simplon Orient Express would head south to Lausanne on the first leg of its journey rather than east to Strasbourg like the original. The Simplon Orient Express ran this route from 1919 – 1939 and again from 1945 – 1962. It was then renamed the ‘Direct Orient Express’ and continued to run this route until retiring in 1977. It wouldn’t be until 1982 that the sister train the Venice Simplon Orient Express would take the original Orient Express route once more. Sister train, the Venice Simplon Orient Express originally ran from Paris to Venice via the Simplon Pass in Switzerland, hence its given name. It is the only train in existence that continues to follow the original route.

Arlberg Orient Express Route

Route of the arlberg orient express:.

London Calais Paris Zurich Innsbruck Vienna Budapest Bucharest Or… Belgrade Athens

You may not have heard of the Arlberg Orient Express, but it once followed a route between the Orient Express and Simplon Orient Express and headed as far as Athens, Greece. Running from 1930 – 1939 and again from 1945 – 1962, the Arlberg Orient Express offered passengers the same lavish, glamorous journey through Europe but with an entirely different view from the other two trains.

By 1962, the original Orient Express and Arlberg Orient Express had stopped running, leaving only the Simplon Orient Express. This was replaced in 1962 by a slower service called the Direct Orient Express, which ran daily cars from Paris to Belgrade, and twice weekly services from Paris to Istanbul and Athens. Not as famous as the original Orient Express, this Arlberg Orient Express route ended at either Bucharest or headed south through Belgrade to Athens. An extensive journey that would have shown passengers the very best Europe had to offer across a multitude of countries and climates. The Arlberg Orient Express was the shortest running of the original trains with just 32 years in service running this route.

Alternative modern-day routes:

Verona to Paris Verona to London* Venice to Paris Venice to London Paris to Verona Paris to Venice London to Verona London to Venice Prague to London Budapest to London

*Please note that from 2025, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express will no longer be offering journeys to or from London

Experience the luxury train

LuxuryTrainTickets.com are pleased to offer a wide range of luxury train journeys across almost every luxury train in the world. Choose from a generous range of journeys throughout the year on board one of the most famous trains ever to exist and experience what life was like during the Golden Age of Travel.

We offer many other journeys across Europe. These journeys offer exceptional value and guarantee to create memories you will cherish for a lifetime. Booking through LuxuryTrainTickets.com also entitles you to our complimentary concierge service as well as regular discounts and promotions off your journey as standard.

Should Europe be out of reach, we are also pleased to offer luxury train journeys across England, Scotland, Ireland, Asia and South America. Each of these luxury sleeper trains includes a choice of exceptional cabins and all meals and any exclusive visits mentioned in your itinerary are all included in the ticket price.

As well as sleeper trains, LuxuryTrainTickets.com also offer a wealth of luxury day trip journeys across England. These day trips offer all the exceptional qualities of sleeper journeys, simply in a day-trip format without the sleeper carriages.

Should you require any additional information, have any questions about the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express or any routes, or wish to book your luxury train journey, please do not hesitate to get in touch either by phone or by using the form below. We endeavour to get back to you within one working day, often sooner.

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For the 2025 version of this itinerary, click here . Please note that we also a run a journey from Istanbul to Paris, in 2024 and 2025 .

La Dolce Vita Orient Express

• The Orient Express
• The Endowment Fund

A Journey through Italy

Indulge in the enchanting radiance of La Dolce Vita Orient Express. Delight in the allure of an iconic train’s pure elegance and delights. Embark on an unforgettable voyage through Italy.

150 years ago, Georges Nagelmackers transformed his dreams into reality with the introduction of the first Orient Express train across Europe. Today, this legendary experience has returned to Italy. You are invited on a captivating journey aboard La Dolce Vita Orient Express.

A celebration of the glamor, joie de vivre, and artistic fervor of the 1960s, La Dolce Vita Orient Express pays homage to life itself, to the spirit of freedom, well-being, and pleasure.

Set out on the journey of your dreams aboard a train with sumptuous décor curated by the imaginative and bold Dimorestudio, the architecture and design studio established by Emiliano Salci and Britt Moran, both inspired by the craftsmanship and golden age of Italian design.

Experience a remarkable voyage with prestigious cabins and suites as you discover the wonders of Italy.

A dream train

Accommodation

Italian gastronomy at its finest

Stay on track....

Life on board

Explorations.

Private Parties

Immersive Itineraries

@ladolcevitaorientexpress.

This Highly Anticipated Italian Train Is Taking Reservations Soon — Here's a Peek Inside

It's just as glamorous as you'd expect.

La Dolce Vita Orient Express announced that it will soon be ready for guests to book tickets for what could arguably be called the most luxurious train journey in the world. 

In a press release shared with Travel + Leisure , the train operator shared it will open its virtual ticket window in April, with the train's specific run dates coming later this year. Though we don't know the exact dates, we already know the routes — and just got a peek at the lavish interiors. 

As the release further details, the train pays tribute to the years of " La Dolce Vita " in the 1960s, when Italy experienced an economic boom, giving rise to a more glamorous lifestyle. This is evident inside all 12 of the train's deluxe cabins, 18 suites, and its "La Dolce Vita" signature suite, all boasting cozy bedding, sitting areas, delicious chocolate wood accents, and massive picture windows, so guests can enjoy the view during every second of the ride. 

"We are thrilled to officially open the doors to a new era of travel with La Dolce Vita Orient Express," Gilda Perez-Alvarado, the CEO of Orient Express, shared in the statement. "This endeavor embodies the essence of exquisite exploration, where sophistication meets adventure. As we embark on this journey together, we invite travelers to experience the pinnacle of elegance and excitement, immersed in the charm and splendor of Italy."

Beyond the private quarters, guests can also mix and mingle with their fellow travelers in the train's expansive restaurant and lounge areas, or sip their favorite cocktail at the bar, which all share the same '60s mid-century modern design ethos. 

Travelers can choose from nine distinct journeys, each "promising a blend of luxury, culture, and history," according to the company, with the first departure setting off in the spring of 2025.  La Dolce Vita guarantees an unforgettable adventure, with its first departures taking place in the spring of 2025.

Travelers can choose from nine distinct itineraries, each season dependant), including the Coast to Coast, Venezia e Portofino; the Bella Italia, Venezia e Siena; the Matera e Palena La Transiberiana Italiana; theMontalcino, Viaggio tra i vini Italiani; the Monferrato Vino e Tartufo; the Sud Italia – Maratea e Palermo; the coastal exploration from Palermo to Roma, Alla scoperta della costa Tirrenica; the Le meraviglie della Sicilia; and Le meravigle della Sicilia e del Mediterraneo.

"Today marks a concrete step towards the realization of a dream for many, but also the beginning of a new Italian frontier in the luxury market. We have created a new market segment: Rail cruises, and the response from pre-bookings has already signaled the success of this initiative," Paolo Barletta, CEO of Arsenale Group, a partner on the train, added. "Italy can once again play a leading role, not only nationally but also internationally, in the world of tourism, increasingly intercepting high-end tourism and creating a winning model. That's why we have decided to invest in a unique product capable of creating the conditions to welcome millions of travelers in a new, entirely Italian form of slow, sustainable, and luxury tourism”.

Pricing will depend on travel dates, but one-night itineraries begin at €3,500 (about $3,799) per person in a deluxe cabin and €4,700 ($5,100) per person in a suite. Starting on April 2, guests can make reservations by calling +1-833-661-3080 and can book via orient-express.com starting on April 24. 

Related: The Orient Express Will Return to Italy After 46 Years — With 6 Luxurious New Routes

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Read the original article on Travel & Leisure .

American Express: Write-Offs And Valuation Risks Make It A Hold

• American Express Company stock has seen significant price advancement, outpacing the S&P 500 Index.
• Key drivers include strong demand from Millennial and Gen Z customers, which should continue, in our view.
• However, we are concerned over the provision for credit losses and the subsequent risks in the face of macroeconomic uncertainties, which could cause even higher delinquency rates.
• Moreover, we are also concerned about American Express Company's current valuation, which is quite high even with its projected growth and dividends factored in.
• Looking for a portfolio of ideas like this one? Members of Envision Early Retirement get exclusive access to our subscriber-only portfolios. Learn More »

AXP stock trades near all-time-high prices

Stockholders of American Express Company ( NYSE: AXP ) have been rewarded handsomely recently. As illustrated by the chart below, the stock has enjoyed a price advancement of nearly 50% in the past 12 months alone, far outpacing the S&P 500's ( SP500 ) ~30% gain (which is already terrific by itself).

Looking ahead, there are certainly several reasons to keep the momentum going. The top factor in my mind is its customer base. AXP’s strong performance recently was driven by a combination of positive catalysts: a rise in revenues, increased net interest income, and also higher card member spending levels. The company continues to see strong demand from Millennial and Gen Z customers. For example, this group comprised more than 60% of new accounts acquired worldwide in the March period. A reputable brand name, combined with this affluent client base, positions AXP very well for card member spending levels. Moreover, its new digital solutions could further enhance the experience of this group of customers.

Seeking Alpha

Against this background, the thesis of this article is to caution investors about the risks under current conditions and argue for a HOLD thesis.

First, the provision for credit losses soared about 20% recently, reflecting drastically higher levels of net write-offs (see the footnotes quoted from AXP’s recent 10-Q filing ). This is a very concerning sign in my view given the macroeconomic uncertainties ahead.

Total loans and Card Member receivables increased 12 percent year-over-year, as our Card Members continue to spend and build balances. Provisions for credit losses increased, primarily driven by higher net write-offs, partially offset by a lower net reserve build in the current year. Net write-off and delinquency rates remained best-in-class, supported by our premium global customer base, our strong focus on risk management and disciplined growth strategy.

With the persisting high inflation and high mortgage rates, I see good odds for higher delinquency rates and default rates in the near future.

Of course, these issues would negatively impact all credit card companies and not only AXP. However, there are a few factors in my mind that could make AXP more sensitive to credit losses during an economic downturn compared to its peers. The top one is AXP’s reliance on charge cards. Unlike traditional credit cards with a spending limit, AXP primarily issues charge cards, requiring full payment each month. This can be beneficial in normal times as it reduces credit losses. However, during a downturn, customers might struggle to pay their balances in full, leading to potential defaults. In addition, AXP cards also charge higher interest rates compared to some traditional credit cards. This can make it more difficult for customers carrying a balance to pay it down quickly, especially during periods of economic hardship.

Second, we are also seeing considerable valuation risks at the current price levels even when its projected growth is factored in, as detailed next.

AXP stock: growth outlook and valuation

AXP currently trades at an FWD P/E of around 18.2x, which is considerably higher than the median P/E of its sector (about 10~11x only). Its current P/E is also higher than its historical average. Its median P/E in the past 7 years is about 15x.

When analyzed from a GARP (growth at a reasonable price) perspective, the stock seems costly too, in our view. The chart below shows the consensus EPS estimates for AXP stock in the next 5 years. Based on the chart, its EPS is expected to reach $12.94 by the end of fiscal year 2024 and then increase to $14.92 by the end of fiscal year 2025. This translates to a compound annual growth rate (“CAGR”) of 4.6% in the next 5 fiscal years. At an FWD P/E of 18.2x, a 4.6% projected growth rate implies a PEG ratio (P/E growth rate ratio) of almost 4x, far higher than the gold-standard of a 1x PEG for picking GARP stocks.

Other risks and final thoughts

In terms of upside risks, the use of PEG ratio can be a bit unfair for stocks like AXP that pay regular dividends. For dividend stocks, we found the following PEGY ratio Peter Lynch promotes to be more reasonable:

For dividend stocks, Lynch uses a revised version of the PEG ratio - the PEGY ratio, which is defined as the P/E ratio divided by the sum of the earnings growth rate and dividend yield. The idea behind the PEGY is very simple and effective (most effective ideas are simple). If a stock pays out a large part of its earnings as dividends, then investors do not need a high growth rate to enjoy healthy returns. And vice versa. And similar to the PEG ratio, his preference is a PEGY ratio below 1x.

As seen in the chart below, AXP is paying a dividend yield of about 1% at this point. Once we divide the above FWD P/E by the sum 4.6% projected and CAGR and ~1% dividend yield, AXP’s PEGY ratio is about to be 3.25x, significantly lower than the usual PEG ratio but still far above the 1x threshold.

The company’s consistent share repurchase is another upside risk. As illustrated by the chart above (bottom panel), in addition to dividends, the company also rewards shareholders generously via share repurchase. Actually, shareholders have been rewarded mainly through share repurchases. Over the past 10 years, the stock’s net common buyback yield has been on average 4.3%, more than three times higher than its average dividend yield of 1.38%. In 2023 alone, the company bought back 21.6 million AXP shares at an average price of $161.21 a share, for a total of around $3.5 billion. In contrast, it paid “only” $1.8 billion in common stock dividends. We ourselves prefer share buybacks over cash dividends, and therefore consider such a capital allocation strategy as a positive.

All told, for existing shareholders, we do not see anything wrong with holding a wonderful business like American Express Company, even at a valuation premium (especially if you factor in the tax consequence if you liquidate your shares). The stock features a well-rounded combination of steady growth, excellent financial strength, and some level of income (which is augmented substantially by the aggressive share repurchases). However, for potential investors, we are concerned about the uncertainties ahead given the recent surge in credit-loss provisions and also the valuation risks. Its current valuation has priced in yeas of growth already, in our view, judging either by the typical PEG ratio or the PEGY ratio that Peter Lynch promotes.

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This article was written by

Envision Research, aka Lucas Ma, has over 15+ years of investment experience and holds a Masters with in Quantitative Investment and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on renewable energy, both from Stanford University. He also has 30+ years of hands-on experience in high-tech R&D and consulting, housing sector, credit sector, and actual portfolio management.

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Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

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More From Forbes

Amiri baraka ‘blues people’ then and now at express newark.

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"Blues People" installation photo at Express Newark.

For anyone without the benefit of an African American studies degree or having spent time in Newark, NJ, the name Amiri Baraka (1934–2014) may be unfamiliar. Too bad. When thinking about 20th century writers and thinkers, his peers would be W.E.B. Du Bois, Zora Neale Hurston, James Baldwin, Toni Morrison–those type people.

Langston Hughes described Baraka’s 1963 book “Blues People: Negro Music in White America,” written as LeRoi Jones before changing his name, "A must for all who would more knowledgeably appreciate and better comprehend America's most popular music."

The book did considerably more than serve as the first history of blues written by an African American author. “Blues People” tracked “the path the slave took to 'citizenship'”–Baraka’s words from his introduction–through the prism of Black music, blues and then jazz, expanding even further to consider how those genres transformed American social, musical, economic, and cultural history.

“He’s the first to give us this sweeping history of African American music and does so through a lens of American citizenship, that you can understand African American political identity from slavery, to freedom, to civil rights, through African American music,” Express Newark Executive Director Salamishah Tillet told Forbes.com. “Why that's important is because African American music oftentimes is seen as one of the freest expressions of African American culture. Unlike the novel, or film, or photography which required resources and funding to be able to mass produce, African American music has always been a place that has been available to Black people in the United States, even under the most dire conditions of slavery, and a place of experimentation and resistance.”

Inspired by the 60 th anniversary of “Blues People,” Express Newark–Baraka’s hometown–presents an exhibition by the same name , inviting visual artists Derrick Adams, Adama Delphine Fawundu, Adebunmi Gbadebo, Cesar Melgar, and Accra Shepp to reimagine pivotal works of theirs into five newly commissioned art installations exploring what it means to be a “Blues People” in the 21st century.

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Each considers “Blues People” and Baraka pivotal to the ideas developed through their artwork.

Shepp grew up around Baraka. His father, the avant-garde jazz musician Archie Shepp, was a good friend of Baraka’s. Archie Shepp’s music accompanies the exhibition.

Fawundu was a student of Baraka’s. Gbadebo previously created a series of works on paper inspired by the book. Melgar is a child of Newark, where Baraka is seen as a “patron saint” to quote Tillet. Adams had an artist’s residency in Newark.

“Each of these artists have a social practice embedded within their artistic practices,” exhibition curator Alliyah Allen, Express Newark’s associate curator and program coordinator, told Forbes.com. “They're all working in that spirit of art and activism, thinking about the communities that they work in, the people they're working with. (Baraka was) writing about the power of music, but also the power of people and community protest. (The exhibition) feels very within the spirit of Amiri Baraka.”

In addition to being a successful author, historian, musicologist, sociologist, and music critic as evidenced by “Blues People”–which has never gone out of print–Baraka was a poet, playwright, novelist, professor, political activist, and pioneer of the Black Arts Movement.

The Black Arts Movement

Baraka was lauded during his life, but his praise was generally limited to literary, scholarly, and African American circles. And New Jersey, where he was Poet Laureate. Baraka didn’t “break out” into popular culture the way James Baldwin or Toni Morrison did.

Perhaps he would have had he continued down the path as a notable experimental Beat poet in Greenwich Village in the 1950s alongside the likes of Allan Ginsberg and Frank O’Hara. The 1960s had other plans for him–and he for them.

“There was the death of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King and a shift in the consciousness of a lot of African American activists and artists to Black Power,” Tillet explains. “(Baraka) is a symbol in the artistic world of that shift between the civil rights movement to the Black Power movement.”

Critics wanted Baraka as a Black man to “shut up and write,” to use the parlance of today. He wasn’t having it. Baraka was a radical and open minded, variously promoting Black Nationalism, Marxism, Islam, socialism. He placed himself at the forefront of the ideas which scare the rich and powerful in America to their marrow.

Particularly Black Power.

The Black Arts Movement he helped launch in Harlem in 1965 following Malcolm X’s assassination can be viewed as the cultural division of the Black Power Movement.

With Baraka as its engine, the Black Arts Movement pushed a new aesthetic for Black art and Black people. New standards of beauty. Black is beautiful. Natural hair styles. Clothing inspired by Africa. New values. “Say it loud, I’m Black and I’m proud.”

African Americans no longer looking to white culture for validation.

Baraka was dangerous to the gatekeepers who bestow or withhold fame and fortune in America.

Blues People

What constitutes a 21 st century Blues Person?

“It's someone who is aware, who is within community, who shows up and is using their community and what they have to survive, to live, and to express who they are and to carry our culture forward,” Allen said.

Someone like the artists on view now through July 19, 2024, at Express Newark.

“(Accra Shepp’s) work is looking at the Occupy Wall Street movement and the 99% of Americans who are vulnerable. He shows that though this diverse group of Americans of different ages, different ethnic backgrounds, racial backgrounds, religious background; then he adds the Black Lives Matter protesters in 2020,” Tillet explains. “The breadth and beauty of everyday Americans is one version of the Blues People who are trying to speak truth to power.”

For Derrick Adams, it’s the hold outs , the last people on a block refusing to be gentrified. In the “Blues People” exhibition, his social sculpture is surrounded by Cesar Melgar’s photographs of Newark and the ways in which residents are being pressured out of their homes.

“Look at (Adama Delphine Fawundu), she has this diasporic lens, you're in Sierra Leone, and you're in Ghana, and they're keeping this Griot musical tradition of speaking truth to power alive,” Tillet continued. “( Adebunmi Gbadebo ), she's going back to the plantation that her family is from in South Carolina, True Blue Plantation , and she's literally having her ancestors images in her textiles and thinking about slavery, thinking about enslaved peoples as the original Blues People.”

Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka is Blues People. Amiri Baraka’s son. Kellie Jones is too . The Hans Hofmann Professor of Modern Art at Columbia University is Amiri Baraka’s first child.

Talk about a legacy.

In 1963, Amiri Baraka delivered “Blues People;” their influence, and his, continue profoundly shaping the nation today.

Admission to Express Newark (54 Halsey Street, 2nd floor), just off the Rutgers University Newark campus, is free.

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