The Holiday
Most people take the Orient Express to Venice. Going the other way has a lot to be said for it. You see Venice first, and the train leaves in the morning, so you cross the Dolomites and the Alps in full daylight.
You fly out to Venice and spend three nights in the city, staying either at the Londra Palace on the lagoon waterfront or at the Ca' dei Conti, a small palazzo on a quiet canal in Castello. Both are a few minutes' walk from St Mark's Square.
On the fourth morning you board the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express at Santa Lucia station. The day is spent on the move, with lunch in the Dolomites, afternoon tea through the Austrian Alps and a four-course dinner as the train heads west into Switzerland and France. You arrive in Paris the next day and take the Eurostar home to London.
Day by Day
London to Venice
Fly from London to Venice Marco Polo airport in economy class, where a private water taxi is waiting to carry you across the lagoon and into the city. It is quite the way to arrive. Check in at your hotel and spend the evening finding your feet, perhaps with a spritz on a quiet campo.
Overnight in Venice.
Venice
Two full days to enjoy Venice at your own pace. Both hotels are a few minutes' walk from St Mark's Square, so the Basilica, the Doge's Palace and the Bridge of Sighs are right on your doorstep. Take a gondola through the quieter canals of Castello, cross the Rialto to the market, or catch a vaporetto out to the glass makers of Murano and the painted houses of Burano.
In the evening, the bars and trattorie of Castello are far quieter than those around St Mark's. If you would like a private guide for a morning, or tickets for La Fenice, we can arrange them.
Breakfast daily. Overnight in Venice.
Aboard the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express
After breakfast you are taken to Santa Lucia station, where the blue and gold carriages of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express are waiting. Your steward shows you to your Historic Twin Cabin and the train leaves at 11:00.
Lunch is served in the restaurant car as the train climbs into the Dolomites and over the Brenner Pass, and afternoon tea arrives in your cabin as you pass Innsbruck and cross the Arlberg. In the evening, dress for a four-course dinner by Chef Jean Imbert, then join the pianist in Bar Car 3674. While you are at dinner, your steward turns your cabin into a cosy sleeping compartment.
Lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. Overnight on board.
Paris and Home
Breakfast is served in your cabin as the train crosses France. You arrive at Paris Gare d'Austerlitz at around 13:00, where a private car takes you across the city to the Gare du Nord for the Eurostar Premier home to London St Pancras, with a meal served at your seat.
Breakfast on board. Private transfer in Paris and Eurostar Premier to London.
Choose Your Hotel
Hotel Londra Palace
The Londra Palace faces the lagoon on the Riva degli Schiavoni, the wide waterfront promenade just east of St Mark's Square, and has welcomed artists, writers and travellers since 1853. Tchaikovsky wrote part of his Fourth Symphony here in 1877. The 53 rooms are each decorated differently in Biedermeier style, with fine fabrics and marble bathrooms, and look out either over the lagoon to San Giorgio Maggiore or across the rooftops and bell towers of the old city. The Do Leoni restaurant has a terrace on the Riva, which is a lovely place to watch the boats go by.
Ca' dei Conti
The Ca' dei Conti is an eighteenth century patrician palazzo in Castello, overlooking a small canal and reached by its own little bridge. It once belonged to an aristocratic family, and their coat of arms is still set into the marble floor of the lobby. Rooms are decorated in traditional Venetian style, and there is a charming roof terrace where drinks are served. St Mark's Square is about five minutes' walk away, and the Rialto Bridge a little further.
Your Cabin on the Train
The Historic Twin Cabins are the original 1920s compartments, with inlaid wood panelling, a washbasin and a cosy lounge seat by day that your steward turns into upper and lower berths at night. Toilets are at the end of each carriage. If you would like your own bathroom, you can upgrade to a Suite or a Grand Suite. See all the options on our accommodation page.
Departure Dates 2027
The holiday follows the Venice to Paris departures of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express. These are the 2027 dates with Historic Twin Cabins available. Sold out and Suite-only departures are not shown.
| Fly to Venice | VSOE from Venice | Arrive London |
|---|---|---|
| Sat 6 Mar | Tue 9 Mar | Wed 10 Mar |
| Sat 20 Mar | Tue 23 Mar | Wed 24 Mar |
| Sat 27 Mar | Tue 30 Mar | Wed 31 Mar |
| Fri 2 Apr | Mon 5 Apr | Tue 6 Apr |
| Tue 13 Apr | Fri 16 Apr | Sat 17 Apr |
| Sat 17 Apr | Tue 20 Apr | Wed 21 Apr |
| Thu 22 Apr | Sun 25 Apr | Mon 26 Apr |
| Fri 30 Apr | Mon 3 May | Tue 4 May |
| Mon 10 May | Thu 13 May | Fri 14 May |
| Sat 15 May | Tue 18 May | Wed 19 May |
| Wed 19 May | Sat 22 May | Sun 23 May |
| Sat 10 Jul | Tue 13 Jul | Wed 14 Jul |
| Sat 24 Jul | Tue 27 Jul | Wed 28 Jul |
| Wed 25 Aug | Sat 28 Aug | Sun 29 Aug |
| Mon 30 Aug | Thu 2 Sep | Fri 3 Sep |
| Sat 4 Sep | Tue 7 Sep | Wed 8 Sep |
| Tue 14 Sep | Fri 17 Sep | Sat 18 Sep |
| Sat 18 Sep | Tue 21 Sep | Wed 22 Sep |
| Mon 25 Oct | Thu 28 Oct | Fri 29 Oct |
| Sat 30 Oct | Tue 2 Nov | Wed 3 Nov |
| Sat 6 Nov | Tue 9 Nov | Wed 10 Nov |
| Fri 12 Nov | Mon 15 Nov | Tue 16 Nov |
| Tue 23 Nov | Fri 26 Nov | Sat 27 Nov |
| Wed 1 Dec | Sat 4 Dec | Sun 5 Dec |
| Wed 8 Dec | Sat 11 Dec | Sun 12 Dec |
The train also runs from Venice to Paris via Florence on 11 September 2027, and some dates are Suites only. We can build a similar holiday around those departures.
Price
The holiday is priced on application. The train fare, hotel rates and flights all change with the date, so please call us on 0333 405 0192 or send an enquiry and we will give you an exact price.
What Is Included
- Economy flight from London to Venice
- Private water taxi from Venice Marco Polo airport to your hotel
- Three nights at the Hotel Londra Palace or Ca' dei Conti, with breakfast
- Transfer from your hotel to Venice Santa Lucia station
- One night on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express from Venice to Paris in a Historic Twin Cabin, with lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and breakfast
- Private transfer across Paris to the Gare du Nord
- Eurostar Premier from Paris Gare du Nord to London St Pancras, with a meal at your seat