Soon you can hop aboard The Orient Express in five new European megacities.
After a year of lockdowns and virtual train rides, I think we all deserve to treat ourselves to a bit of luxury travel once again. Well you might want to start saving up, because once you’ve hopped aboard The Orient Express, it will be hard to go back to road trips and airplanes.
The luxury long-distance train, run by the travel company Belmond and also known as the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, will whisk you away to Europe’s most glamorous cities, and has now added Rome, Florence, Geneva, Brussels and Amsterdam to its available routes. Wait until you see the train’s suites—trust me, you’ll never want to set foot outside again.
As you’ve probably guessed by now, this isn’t your typical crammed and uncomfortable cross-country train. No no, The Orient Express is a whole experience, straight out of a movie. Think fine dining, vintage décor and stewards dressed in blue and gold to match the feel of the train’s restored 1920s cabins.
The Orient Express operates from March to November (so you’ve got a couple of months to book this year), with routes covering some of Europe’s top cities such as London (duh), Paris, Budapest, Prague, Verona, Venice, Vienna, Innsbruck and Istanbul. With the addition of Rome, Florence, Geneva, Brussels and Amsterdam, you have several new grand voyages to embark on. Start your journey with a three-course brunch and sparkling bellini to kick off the trip of a lifetime in true high-class fashion. If their standard trips of one night are too short for you, you can book a round trip from London to Venice with two nights aboard the train and two nights spent in the Italian city. It’ll only set you back a mere £6,248 per person.
You can check out their routes here and book your post-pandemic trip in advance. Depending on the route, rates for one night start at £1,429. Good thing we have one year worth of travel savings, am I right?