ALL ABOARD: LUXURY TRAINS WORTH TAKING ONCE
Flying is transport. A great train is a destination that happens to move. You dress for dinner, nobody's in a hurry, and for once the phone has nothing on the view.
They are not cheap, and they are not meant to be. Here are the ones worth doing once, with routes and fares taken from each operator's own website. All prices were checked on October 28, 2026; they change with the season and availability, so treat them as a guide and confirm before you book.
Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (Belmond)
The one everybody means. Belmond describes "opulent sleeper carriages from the 1920s", three restaurant cars and a bar car, with cabins ranging from the Historic Cabin to Grand Suites, and routes to more than 15 European cities (Belmond).
- The classic: Paris–Venice, one night. Belmond lists 2027 departures from €4,510 per adult in a Historic Cabin, as are Venice–Paris, Paris–Verona and Paris–Prague via Vienna.
- Remaining 2026: Venice–Paris from £3,885 per adult; Paris–Venice via Florence from £4,275.
- The long way round: Paris–Istanbul or Istanbul–Paris, five nights, October 2027, from €20,940 per adult.
- With a hotel: Paris to Venice plus Hotel Cipriani, three nights, from €9,510; Paris to Portofino plus Splendido, from €14,350.
Fares from Belmond's journeys page.
Royal Scotsman (Belmond)
The country-house weekend, on rails. Eighteen sleeper cabins, two dining cars, an observation car and bar, and a spa. Every journey is a round trip from Edinburgh Waverley, from two to seven nights (Belmond).
- The Highlands, 2 nights: from £14,800 per cabin (Double Cabin).
- The Highlands, 4 nights: from £23,200 per cabin.
- Scotch Malt Whisky Tour, 4 nights, with the Scotch Malt Whisky Society: from £25,400 per cabin.
- Grand Tour of Scotland, 7 nights: from £62,400 per cabin (Suite).
Note these are per cabin, not per person. Belmond says it is introducing Suites from April 2027. Fares from the journeys page.
Britannic Explorer (Belmond)
Belmond's newer British train heads south and west instead of north: Cornwall, the Lake District and Wales. The Cornwall journey departs London Victoria on a Friday afternoon and returns Monday morning (Belmond).
- Cornwall, 3 nights: from £14,200 per cabin.
- Lake District, 3 nights: from £14,000 per cabin.
- Wales, 3 nights: from £14,200 per cabin.
- Two regions, 6 nights: from £28,400 per cabin.
Fares from the journeys page.
Eastern & Oriental Express (Belmond)
Singapore into Malaysia and back: jungle, rice paddies, Penang, a piano bar. Thirty-two sleeper cabins, a Dior spa car and menus curated by chef André Chiang, on three-night round trips from Singapore's Woodlands station (Belmond).
- Wild Malaysia, 3 nights: from $5,200 per adult.
- Essence of Malaysia, 3 nights: from $5,500 per adult.
- Tiger Express, 6 nights, ending with a stay at The Datai Langkawi: from $8,000 per adult.
The lowest fares Belmond showed were for sole occupancy. Fares from the journeys page.
Rocky Mountaineer
Daylight only: you sleep in a hotel, not on board, so you miss none of the Rockies. The First Passage to the West route runs between Vancouver and Banff or Lake Louise over two days, through the Spiral Tunnels and Kicking Horse Canyon, with an overnight in Kamloops (Rocky Mountaineer).
- 2027 rail fares, First Passage to the West: from C$2,354 per person (April, westbound, standard service level) up to C$4,224 (September, eastbound, top service level), before tax.
- Journey Through the Clouds (Vancouver–Jasper): C$2,354 to C$4,104 per person, by month and service level.
Fares from Rocky Mountaineer's 2027 rail rate sheet (dated April 1, 2026). Hotel-and-train packages cost more; see the package search.
La Dolce Vita Orient Express
Not to be confused with Belmond's train. This is the Orient Express brand's Italian train, running between Rome, Venice, Tuscany, Sicily and beyond (Orient Express).
- Tastes of Tuscan Vineyards: round trip, November 22–24, 2026, fares from €4,260 including taxes.
- Rome to Venice: December 9–11, 2026, from €5,060.
- Rome to Sicily via Naples: November 6–9, 2026, from €7,880.
- The Grand Tour, 4 nights: May 8–13, 2027, from €14,000.
If you do only one
The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, Paris to Venice. One night, a 1920s carriage, the Alps out the window and Venice at the end of it. The Scottish and Malaysian trains are better holidays; this is the better story. Some things are worth exactly what they cost.
Prices are the lowest "from" fares shown on each operator's site on October 28, 2026, before any taxes or fees the operator notes. They are not quotes. The Graze has no affiliate relationship with any of these operators.
