About the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express

Luxury train travel usually features beautifully restored carriages to enhance comfort and style. When you climb aboard the original Orient Express carriages, you step back into a more congenial and elegant era. In an age that too often reduces travel to the speed and efficiency of getting you to your destination, the experience of this journey is more alluring than ever.

The Belmond Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is distinctive down to the smallest detail. The train is composed of original 1920s and 1930s Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits carriages, painstakingly restored to their original elegance and grandeur. Each cabin boasts exquisite marquetry panels and designs by artists of the Art Deco movement, including the work of Rene Lalique. The overall effect is one of breathtaking craftsmanship, a rolling gallery of the finest decorative work of the period.

Life on Board

From the moment you step on board, a personal steward will show you to your compartment of polished brass, gleaming inlaid wood, crisp linen and soft towels. He will explain how everything works and how to call him if you need anything at any time during the journey. Your compartment provides a restful and private world with panoramic views of the ever-changing landscape outside the window. Most passengers leave their cabin doors open during the day to enjoy the scenery on both sides of the train and to chat with other passengers in the corridor, which creates quite a convivial and sociable atmosphere on board.

A relaxed breakfast and an opulent lunch can be taken either in your cabin or in one of the dining cars. In the late afternoon your cabin steward will bring tea with cakes and pastries to your compartment, after which it is time to start preparing for dinner. Dressing for the occasion is very much part of the experience, and as the saying goes on the Orient Express, you can never be overdressed.

The Bar Car

The tone of each evening is set in the Bar Car, which is the heart of the train and famous for its delicious cocktails and warm, welcoming atmosphere. The Bar Car resonates with the voices of royalty, heads of state and celebrated guests who have sat in its seats since the 1920s. It is intimate, stylish and completely unlike anywhere else. Try the Guilty 12, a cocktail created by Walter the barman containing twelve mystery ingredients and inspired by the novel Murder on the Orient Express. Enjoy a few pre-dinner drinks here while mingling with fellow travellers and soaking in the atmosphere of this genuinely once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Waiter serving in the Orient Express Bar Car
The Bar Car
Istanbul Grand Suite
Istanbul Grand Suite
Orient Express in the Alps
Orient Expres in the Alps

Dining on Board

Three beautifully restored 1920s Art Deco restaurant cars each have their own distinct character. L'Oriental is decorated in black lacquer, Etoile du Nord features beautiful marquetry, and Cote d'Azur showcases stunning Lalique glass panels. Softly muted lighting enhances the mood while fine linen, French silverware and heavy crystal invite you to prepare for a meal to remember.

The attention to detail in the dining cars is extraordinary: the linen, the silverware and the crystal glassware are all alluring parts of the wider experience. All dishes are freshly prepared on board by French chefs, with the finest supplies taken on at stations along the route. Brunch, lunch and dinner are served in the restaurant cars with service provided by attentive Italian waiters. Breakfast and afternoon tea come to your compartment, delivered by your cabin steward.

Accommodation on Board

Every cabin on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is a work of art. The compartments are all individually designed and decorated, each reflecting the finest craftsmanship of the 1920s and 1930s. The result is a level of surroundings that no modern hotel train can replicate, because no modern train was built in that era with those materials by those craftsmen.

Historic Twin Cabin

During the day your cabin is a comfortable lounge with a large sofa, footstool and small fold-out table. An inlaid cabinet conceals a washbasin with hot and cold water and luxuriously soft towels. While you enjoy dinner in the restaurant car, your cabin steward will convert your daytime seating into cosy upper and lower sleeping berths with crisp white linen. Bathrobes, slippers and Temple Spa luxury amenities are provided throughout.

Double or Twin Suite

Bringing a new level of luxury to the ageless Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, the Suites offer all the grandeur of the established cabins with the added benefit of an en suite bathroom, the choice of double or twin beds, and a new daytime configuration that invites you to unwind in real style and privacy.

Grand Suite

Six Grand Suites provide the ultimate experience on board the world's most famous train. Each comprises a double or twin bedroom, a generous living area with space for private dining, and a sofa that can be converted into a child's bed in the evening. The private en suite bathroom includes a shower, washbasin and toilet, plus bespoke amenities and complimentary designer bathrobes. First launched in 2018, with three further suites added in 2020.

L'Observatoire Suite

The newest and most extraordinary way to travel on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express. The L'Observatoire carriage features a magnificent private observation lounge with panoramic windows, transforming the view of the passing landscape into the defining feature of the journey. An exceptional and entirely new experience on the most famous train in the world.

Full Details of All Cabins

Destinations

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express departs from and returns to Paris, which is the gateway to the entire network of journeys. The most popular and most frequent route runs between Paris and Venice, crossing the Alps overnight and arriving in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. From Paris, the train also makes departures to Vienna, Prague and Budapest on selected dates throughout the season.

For the most adventurous travellers, the twice-yearly journey from Paris to Istanbul recreates the original Orient Express route of 1883 across six extraordinary days, travelling through Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey to reach the city where Europe meets Asia. This is one of the great rail journeys in the world and demand for it is always high.

A variety of journey types is available. You can travel on the train alone and make your own arrangements at either end, or we can arrange a complete inclusive holiday incorporating flights, luxury hotels and transfers in Venice, Paris, Vienna, Prague or Budapest. We are happy to tailor-make a luxury itinerary to your own specification.

Please note: A journey on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is not suitable for everyone, only those who appreciate the adventure of this unique experience. The carriages are the original 1920s and 1930s vehicles and, although beautifully restored and regularly maintained, they have received very few modernisations. During cooler months you may well see your steward shovelling coal into the small boiler in each carriage to heat the radiator in your cabin. The Twin Cabins do not have private facilities other than a washbasin. There is a WC at the end of each carriage. There are no laundry facilities on board. The train now features WiFi throughout, though guests are requested to keep their phones on silent while on board. All cabins and public areas are air-conditioned.

Frequently Asked Questions

No. The train operates from March to December. Please see our timetables page for full details of all departure dates.
The most popular route, Paris to Venice or vice versa, starts from around £3,885 per person in a Twin Cabin. Fares vary depending on the route, the season and availability. As a general rule, booking earlier gives you access to lower fares, as prices rise as availability reduces. The Paris to Istanbul journey, which is the longest and most celebrated, starts from £17,500 per person in a Twin Cabin. All fares include meals on board. Please see our fares page for full details.
The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express departs from and arrives into Paris. The most popular and most frequent journey runs between Paris and Venice, or in the reverse direction. The longest journey is Paris to Istanbul or Istanbul to Paris, which runs twice a year. The train also visits Budapest, Vienna and Prague on selected departures. If you are travelling from the UK, we can arrange the Eurostar to Paris and join the train there.
During the day, smart casual dress is appropriate. Jeans, shorts, T-shirts and trainers are not acceptable attire on board. For dinner it is a very different matter, and many guests choose to embrace the occasion fully: gentlemen in dinner suits or black tie, ladies in cocktail or evening dresses. The minimum dress code in the evening is a lounge suit and tie for gentlemen, with smart attire for ladies. Dressing for dinner is very much part of the experience and is warmly encouraged.
Historically, there was no single Orient Express train. The Orient Express was a network of long-distance passenger services created in 1883 by Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits. The service was officially renamed the Orient Express in 1891. The 1930s marked the peak of its popularity. The last voyage of the original Orient Express departed from Paris on 8 June 2007. The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express that operates today is made up of lovingly restored carriages from the original 1920s service. It operates on some of the historic routes, including the iconic Paris to Istanbul journey, and authentically recreates the glamour of the golden age of European rail travel.
The train is constantly moving and can accommodate passengers with slight walking difficulties, provided they are accompanied by an able-bodied companion. Wheelchairs cannot be used on board as the dimensions and layout of the original carriages do not allow wheelchair passage through the corridors. Guests must be able to make their own way from their cabin to the bathroom at the end of the carriage, and must be able to embark and disembark the train independently using the two high steps and grab rail. Foldable mobility scooters can be brought on board for use at the destination. Please let us know of any special requirements at the time of booking.
Call us on 0333 405 0192 and our experienced team will help you choose and book the right journey. We can also arrange a complete package including the train, hotel accommodation, flights and transfers, tailored to your exact requirements.