The Holiday

There is no finer way to arrive in Venice than by the Orient Express. After a night crossing the Alps, the train glides over the lagoon on the long causeway into Santa Lucia, and a water taxi carries you down the Grand Canal to your hotel as the lights come on across the city.

This is the classic southbound journey, ending rather than beginning in Venice. You leave London St Pancras by Eurostar Premier in the morning, transfer across Paris and board the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express in the afternoon, with a bottle of chilled Champagne waiting in your cabin. Dinner is served as the train heads east through France, and the evening carries on in the Bar Car to the sound of the piano.

The next day is spent crossing Switzerland and Austria and descending through the Dolomites into Italy, with breakfast in your cabin and lunch in the restaurant car. You reach Venice in the early evening for two nights at the Nani Mocenigo Palace in Dorsoduro. Winter is a wonderful time to be there. The museums, galleries and churches are far quieter than in summer and a soft mist rolls over Piazza San Marco in the morning. The 20 December departure gives you two nights in Venice in the days before Christmas.

Winter special offers:
Winter in Venice  Three night holiday from £3,698 per person on the 28 November departure, saving £1,200 per person.
Stay longer  Four nights from £3,869 per person with three nights at the 4★ Superior American Dinesen, or five nights from £3,698 per person at the 4★ Superior Ca' Dei Conti, with four nights for the price of three.
Suite upgrade  Upgrade from a Historic Twin to a Suite Twin or Suite Double from £3,580 per person.
4 for 3  Travelling with friends? Four passengers for the price of three, saving around £8,000 for the group. See our 4 for 3 offer.
Boarding the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express in Paris
Paris
A Historic Twin Cabin on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express
Your Cabin
The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express arriving in Venice
Arriving in Venice

Day by Day

1 Day One

London to Paris and the Orient Express

Travel from London St Pancras to the Gare du Nord by Eurostar Premier, with a meal served at your seat. A private transfer then takes you across Paris to board the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, which departs at around 16:00. Your steward shows you to your cabin, where a bottle of chilled Champagne is waiting.

As the train heads out through the French countryside, dress for dinner and take an aperitif in the Bar Car before a four-course dinner with selected wines in one of the restored 1920s restaurant cars. Afterwards, the pianist plays on in the Bar Car while your steward turns your cabin down for the night.

Eurostar Premier, private transfer in Paris, dinner with selected wines. Overnight on board.

2 Day Two

Over the Alps to Venice

Wake to a continental breakfast in your cabin as the train winds through the mountains of Switzerland and Austria. Lunch is served in the restaurant car as you cross the Brenner and descend through the Dolomites into Italy, calling at Verona in the afternoon. The train arrives at Venice Santa Lucia at around 17:30.

A private water taxi meets you at the station and takes you along the Grand Canal to the Nani Mocenigo Palace in Dorsoduro. After a day of mountain scenery, the first sight of Venice by night is unforgettable.

Breakfast and lunch on board. Overnight at the Nani Mocenigo Palace, Venice.

3 Day Three

Venice in Winter

A full day to enjoy the city. Your holiday includes entrance tickets to one of three great collections: the Doge's Palace, seat of the Venetian Republic for nearly a thousand years; the Gallerie dell'Accademia, home to Bellini, Titian and Tintoretto and almost on your hotel's doorstep; or the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, her modern art gathered in a palazzo on the Grand Canal.

With fewer visitors in winter, this is the season to linger in the Frari or the Basilica of San Marco without the summer queues. Unique Venice guide notes and a concierge service are included to help with restaurant reservations and private guides.

Bed and breakfast at the Nani Mocenigo Palace.

4 Day Four

Venice to London

Enjoy a final breakfast and perhaps a last walk along the Zattere before a private water taxi takes you across the lagoon to Marco Polo Airport for your flight home to London.

Breakfast, water taxi to the airport and flight to London.

The Hotel

The garden courtyard and Gothic facade of the Nani Mocenigo Palace in Dorsoduro, Venice
The Garden Courtyard
A bedroom at the Nani Mocenigo Palace with Venetian terrazzo floor and antique furniture
A Palazzo Bedroom

Nani Mocenigo Palace 4★ Deluxe, Dorsoduro

The Nani Mocenigo Palace occupies a restored fifteenth century Venetian Gothic palazzo on the Fondamenta Nani in Dorsoduro, the quieter, artistic quarter on the southern side of the Grand Canal. Original frescoes and antique furnishings sit alongside comfortable modern rooms, and the hotel has something rare in Venice: a hidden garden courtyard, where the G Lounge and Garden Bar serves aperitivo in the evening.

The Gallerie dell'Accademia is about two minutes on foot, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection and the great white dome of Santa Maria della Salute are a short stroll away, and the Accademia bridge takes you across the Grand Canal towards Piazza San Marco. Rooms have air conditioning, a minibar, tea and coffee making facilities and a private bathroom.

Prefer a different hotel? If you would like to stay elsewhere, including some of the grander five-star properties on our Venice Hotels page, or add extra nights in Venice or Paris, please call us on 0333 405 0192. Most hotels can be arranged and the price adjusted to suit.

Departure Dates Winter 2026

The holiday is available on the following Venice Simplon-Orient-Express departures from Paris to Venice.

Leave London Arrive Venice Fly Home Nights
Saturday 28 November Sunday 29 November Tuesday 1 December 2 nights in Venice3 nights total
Sunday 20 December Monday 21 December Wednesday 23 December 2 nights in Venice3 nights total

Winter 2026 Prices

Per Person, Two Sharing

OfferAccommodationFrom
Winter in Venice Historic Twin Cabin and 4★ Deluxe Nani Mocenigo Palace £3,698 pp
Suite upgrade Suite Twin or Suite Double on the VSOE £3,580 pp
4 for 3 Four passengers for the price of three Save around £8,000

The £1,200 saving applies to the 28 November departure. On 20 December the holiday costs from £4,649 per person. Please call for the exact price on your chosen departure. All prices are subject to availability at the time of booking.

What Is Included

Venice tourist tax: Venice charges a local tourist tax, paid directly to the hotel on check-out. For a four-star hotel this is €4.50 per person per night.

Questions and Answers

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express leaves Paris for Venice on Saturday 28 November and Sunday 20 December 2026. You travel from London to Paris by Eurostar Premier on the morning of departure.
Eurostar Premier from London St Pancras to Paris, a private transfer across Paris, one night on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express in a Historic Cabin with all meals and selected wines, a private water taxi to your hotel, two nights bed and breakfast at the Nani Mocenigo Palace, museum entrance tickets, a water taxi to the airport and your flight home.
Yes. When four people travel together, the holiday is priced for three, saving around £8,000 for the group.
Yes. You can upgrade from a Historic Twin Cabin to a Suite Twin or Suite Double, which has its own private marble bathroom, from £3,580 per person. See our accommodation guide for more on the cabins.
Yes. Venice charges a local tourist tax which is paid directly to the hotel when you check out. For a four-star hotel it is €4.50 per person per night.
Please note: The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express route is subject to change without prior notice due to railway engineering works or other operational requirements. Flights and hotels are on request and cannot be confirmed until a deposit has been received. All flights and hotels are subject to availability at the time of booking.
Enquire About This Holiday Venice to Paris Holiday