The Venice Simplon Orient Express

A Journey Through Time with the Venice Simplon Orient Express

It all begins on a grand train platform in Paris at the Gare de l’Est, where excitement hangs in the air. The navy-blue carriages of the Venice Simplon Orient Express gleam under the glass canopy, polished to perfection as if the 1920s never really ended. They’ve just been running a little late. Porters in impeccable uniforms glide by with luggage that looks too elegant to be lifted. The conductor greets guests with the kind of smile that says, “Yes, this is going to be good.”

Step aboard, and the modern world immediately dissolves. The scent of mahogany and polished leather mingles with the soft clink of crystal glasses and the faint rustle of silk. Paris slips away. The rhythm of the rails takes over, and you suddenly realize your phone has lost signal, which somehow feels like the best gift of all.

Outside, the French countryside rolls past like a living painting, but inside, time moves differently. The world slows down. Conversation feels easy, laughter feels inevitable, and the journey begins to whisper a secret: the best destinations don’t always need Wi-Fi.

A Living Legend on Rails

The Venice Simplon Orient Express isn’t just a train. It’s an icon that refuses to age. Born in the early 1900s, it carried spies, royals, and artists across Europe long before Instagram tried to. Its legend grew with every story told under art deco lamps. Also, every champagne toast made as the Alps drifted by added to its allure.

Through wars and revolutions, its name survived; a whisper of glamour in a world that was always in a hurry. When Belmond revived it, carefully restoring each carriage to its original 1920s glory, it wasn’t about nostalgia. It was about keeping a promise that the art of travel should never lose its sparkle.

Today, to board the Venice Simplon Orient Express is to enter a living love letter to craftsmanship and charm. It’s history that moves, quite literally, and somehow makes you feel both like royalty and the star of your own vintage film.

The Golden Age of Travel, Reimagined

Every inch of the Venice Simplon Orient Express carries history in its bones. These carriages once ferried Europe’s elite—from diplomats to duchesses—across a continent rebuilding itself between wars. They were the setting for whispered affairs, secret deals, and stories polished into legend. When the original Orient Express routes faded into memory, the cars themselves nearly disappeared—sold, forgotten, or left to rot in railway yards.

Then came the resurrection. In the 1980s, hotelier James Sherwood began collecting the abandoned carriages one by one, restoring them with near-religious devotion. Artisans spent years reviving the marquetry panels, Lalique glass, and burnished brass until the interiors looked less like replicas and more like time capsules. Today, the train is a moving museum of pre-war glamour. One that still hums with life rather than nostalgia.

Today, the train belongs to Belmond, part of the LVMH group—proof that even legends can evolve without losing their soul. The craftsmanship remains the same, the devotion obsessive. Step aboard and you feel it instantly: the scent of varnished wood, the hush of velvet, the slow rhythm that feels almost human.

Step aboard and you feel it instantly. The scent of polished wood, the hush of velvet, the low rhythm of motion—it’s all designed to slow you down. As the train winds past mountains and vineyards, meals unfold over hours, conversation replaces distraction, and the world outside looks like a painting you don’t need to own.

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express isn’t pretending to be something from the past. It simply is. A survivor from an age when travel meant mystery, when luxury was measured in craftsmanship. Here, the journey doesn’t take you back; it reminds you how far forward we’ve drifted.

Cabins and Suites: Your Sanctuary on the Rails

Every cabin aboard is a world of its own. In the Historic Cabins, banquettes turn into beds with a magician’s grace. Moreover, the sound of the wheels below becomes the most luxurious lullaby imaginable.

The Suites take things up a notch while blending Art Deco flair with Italian marble and fabrics that practically whisper “touch me.” Bathrooms gleam, and mosaics shimmer. For a moment, you forget that you’re on a train at all, until the countryside slides past your window like a scene directed by Wes Anderson.

And then there are the Grand Suites: opulent hideaways that redefine indulgence. Picture a private dining space, a marble bath, a personal butler, and enough champagne to make Gatsby proud. They’re less “cabins” and more “rolling penthouses.”

But perhaps the boldest statement of all is L’Observatoire by JR, an entire carriage reimagined as a celestial work of art. Think curved walls, secret tearooms, and a freestanding bathtub with a view of the stars. It’s proof that even legends can dream bigger.

Dining Aboard: A Feast for the Senses

Dining here isn’t just a meal. It’s a performance, and every plate has a standing ovation built in. Under the genius of chef Jean Imbert, the menu becomes a love letter to the landscapes rushing by outside. Local ingredients from the route are transformed into haute cuisine that somehow manages to feel both sophisticated and comforting.

Breakfast arrives on a silver tray: buttery pastries and coffee strong enough to restart history. The fruit is so perfect it looks photoshopped. Lunch is a three-course affair that would make any Michelin inspector weak at the knees. In the afternoon, tea and pastries turn the Bar Car into the happiest salon on rails.

When evening falls, the train itself seems to sigh. The chandeliers glow, laughter fills the air, and the pianist begins to play something smooth enough to make time stop. Dinner is pure theatre. Gowns, tuxedos, clinking glasses, and dishes so artful you’ll hesitate before taking the first bite (but don’t worry, you will).

And if you think the night ends there, think again. Midnight brings lobster rolls and truffled sandwiches for those who refuse to go quietly. On this train, even the snacks wear bow ties.

A Journey from Paris to the Amalfi Coast

From May 4 to 7, 2026, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express will set off on one of its most dazzling adventures yet. A journey from Paris to the Amalfi Coast. Picture it: three days of elegance, cuisine, and coastlines that could make poets weep.

It begins in Paris, of course, with champagne in hand and anticipation bubbling higher than the glass. Lunch rolls by with the French countryside. Tea arrives with pastries so delicate you’ll hesitate to touch them. As night falls, dinner becomes an event. The Bar Car hums with conversation, piano notes drift like smoke, and everyone looks like they’ve stepped out of a dream.

By morning, you wake to Italy. Sunlight, sea air, and espresso that deserves its own applause. After breakfast, guests explore the ruins of Pompeii with rare private access. Then they continue to Ravello, where Belmond’s cliffside jewel, Caruso, awaits. The welcome dinner that night, in a candlelit garden filled with music, laughter, and lemon trees, is the kind of moment you wish you could bottle.

The next day, guests can drift along the Amalfi coast on a private boat to Positano. Alternatively, they can stay behind to paint in Caruso’s gardens, pretending, for a few hours, that they actually live there. The final evening is a gala beneath the stars. It is a celebration of beauty, belonging, and good taste that doesn’t want to end.

And when it finally does, breakfast overlooking the sea serves as the most poetic goodbye imaginable. The end of a journey that somehow feels like a dream you’re still half living in.

Caruso: Ravello’s Crown Jewel

Caruso it’s what happens when heaven decides to have better views. Perched above the Amalfi Coast, this 11th-century palace feels less like a place and more like a secret the gods forgot to keep. Frescoed ceilings, lemon-scented terraces, and an infinity pool that seems to melt into the sky. Every inch is designed to make you sigh audibly.

By day, Caruso hums with serenity. The sound of cicadas, the glint of sunlight on the water, yoga at sunrise if you must. By night, it comes alive with film screenings, live music, and cocktails so well-crafted they practically deserve their own passports. For explorers, Mare by Caruso offers private cruises along the coast, with hidden coves that seem designed specifically for you.

And if you crave absolute privacy, Villa Margherita offers two suites wrapped in gardens, each with its own terrace, marble bath, and butler service that somehow reads your mind before you speak.

What you should know

Tickets for the Orient Express start at 10 861,45 € per person, and this is no ordinary getaway. In fact, it’s travel for the elite who crave nostalgia served with caviar. This isn’t just a train, it’s a moving fantasy. Every inch of brass and velvet reminds you that once upon a time, people actually dressed to travel.

Of course, there’s a dress code, because time travel demands commitment. At night, it’s all about full glamour: black tie, silk, sequins, and attitude. As a result, the dining car feels like a film set, and you’re the star, your only line is “another glass, please.”

By day, keep it sharp and refined. Opt for tailored looks and effortless chic. After all, this is the kind of journey that could land you in a Slim Aarons frame. Jeans? Absolutely not.

Ultimately, the Venice Simplon Orient Express isn’t about the destination—it’s about how good you look getting there.

A Journey Without Equal

From the first whistle in Paris to the final toast on the Amalfi cliffs, every detail feels choreographed to delight. Indeed, it’s a moving masterpiece that reminds you travel isn’t just about where you go, it’s about how you feel getting there.

And when it’s all over, what stays isn’t just the memory of landscapes or flavors, but a glow that golden, floating feeling of having lived something extraordinary.

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VENICE ARCHITECTURE BIENNALE 2025 FUTURE DESIGN