An Artwork in Motion

Influenced by astronomical observatories of the Renaissance, JR has conceived a space that invites you to look upwards, outwards and beyond. The result is a carriage that is simultaneously a work of art, a private residence and the most extraordinary place to spend a night on a moving train.

L'Observatoire is not simply a cabin upgrade. It is an entire carriage on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, reimagined from the floor to the ceiling as a singular creative environment. JR, the French artist and activist known for his monumental photographic installations across the world, was given the task of transforming a 1920s Wagons-Lits carriage into something that had never been attempted before on any train anywhere. He did not disappoint.

The carriage takes its name from the astronomical observatories that inspired JR's design. The oculus-shaped skylight above the bed is the most obvious expression of this, allowing guests to look upward at the stars as the train crosses the Alps at night. But the observatory concept runs deeper than a single skylight: the entire carriage is designed as a space for observation, curiosity and wonder, drawing on the Renaissance tradition of the cabinet of curiosities to create an environment in which every surface, every object and every corner rewards careful attention.

L'Observatoire carriage on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express

L'Observatoire: the carriage exterior, in the iconic dark blue VSOE livery

The Design and the Craftsmanship

JR collaborated with both established masters and emerging artisans to realise L'Observatoire, and the level of intricate detail achieved across the carriage is unprecedented in a railway environment. The marquetry, stained glass, photography and custom objects that fill the space represent hundreds of hours of craft work, all integrated into a coherent visual narrative rather than accumulated as separate decorative elements.

The approach reflects JR's wider practice, in which the specifics of a site, its history, its materials, its relationship to the world outside, are central to the work produced for it. The VSOE's original 1920s carriage structure is not disguised or overwhelmed by the new design; it is the foundation on which JR built, and the tension between the historic fabric of the vehicle and the contemporary artistic vision applied to it gives L'Observatoire much of its character.

The L'Observatoire bedroom with oculus skylight
The Bedroom
The L'Observatoire dining area
The Dining Room

The Spaces Within the Carriage

The Bedroom

The double bed sits beneath the oculus-shaped skylight, which is the defining feature of the sleeping area. Guests can observe the stars, the passing landscape or, on the Alpine crossing, the dramatic mountain scenery above the train. The view from a fixed point on a moving train at night, looking upward through glass at a sky that shifts with every curve of the track, is an experience available nowhere else. Bespoke amenities and designer bathrobes are provided throughout.

The double bed beneath the oculus skylight in L'Observatoire

The double bed, positioned beneath the oculus-shaped skylight

The Lounge and Library

The lounge area contains a library of hundreds of Gallimard books, chosen with care and forming a genuine reading collection rather than a decorative gesture. A record player with a vinyl collection curated personally by JR provides the soundtrack to the journey. The bespoke marquetry, photography and objects throughout the lounge are all curated by JR and include work created specifically for this carriage.

The Secret Tearoom

Concealed within the carriage is a tearoom with a fireplace and a miniature model train. The tearoom is one of the hidden elements that JR built into the design as a reward for curiosity, the carriage is intended to be explored, and the tearoom cannot be found without looking carefully. The fireplace adds a warmth and intimacy to the space that is particularly welcome on overnight crossings through the Alpine passes.

The Bathroom

The en-suite marble bathroom contains both a shower and a freestanding bathtub, the latter an extraordinary provision in a 1920s railway carriage and a measure of how completely JR and Belmond reimagined what the space could contain. The bathroom continues the visual language of the rest of the carriage, with details that echo the observatory theme without becoming literal.

What Is Included

L'Observatoire Private Carriage

from £80,000

Per night • Exclusive private use of the entire carriage • All inclusive

About the Artist JR

JR is a French artist whose work has appeared on buildings, streets, bridges and monuments across the world. He is known for large-scale photographic installations that place human faces and stories in unexpected and often monumental contexts: the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, the separation barrier between Israel and Palestine, the Louvre pyramid in Paris. In 2011 he was awarded the TED Prize, the most prestigious prize in ideas, for his work using art to transform communities.

His project at the Palais Garnier in Paris, which wrapped the facade of the Paris Opera House in a vast photographic installation, and his work at the Great Pyramid of Giza, which placed a photograph across the surface of the pyramid itself, are among the most celebrated public art projects of the last two decades. L'Observatoire represents JR's first permanent work in a moving environment, and it is the most intimate expression of his practice to date: a private space rather than a public gesture, designed to be inhabited and explored over the course of a night rather than glimpsed from a distance.

Enquire About L'Observatoire ⇓Download Brochure