The World's Greatest Luxury Train Journeys: Orient Express, Rocky Mountaineer, and Beyond

Luxury train travel is the most unhurried form of travel available to the modern traveller, and in an era defined by the compression of transit time, this is precisely its appeal. The journey itself is the experience: the landscape unfolding across a panoramic window at a pace that allows actual observation, the dining car producing serious food from a moving kitchen, the sleeping compartment converting from sitting room to bedroom and back. The finest trains offer settings that no hotel can replicate, because the view outside changes constantly. These are the journeys worth planning around.

Venice Simplon Orient Express: The Legendary European Route

The Venice Simplon Orient Express (VSOE), operated by Belmond (a LVMH company), runs on restored 1920s and 1930s carriages between London and Venice (via Paris, Innsbruck, and Verona) and on seasonal routes including Paris to Istanbul, Paris to Prague, and a new circular route through the Scottish Highlands. The 1,900km London-to-Venice route takes 32 hours, departing London Victoria on selected dates between March and November.

The train consists of original Art Deco sleeping cars (each individually restored and named), a bar car with a pianist, and two dining cars where three-course dinners are served to passengers seated at linen-laid tables with original silverware. The experience of waking in the Swiss Alps as the train descends toward the Italian Dolomites is among the most theatrical moments available in European travel. Fares: £2,000 to £6,000 per person (London to Venice), depending on cabin category (Twin, Double, or Grand Suite). The Grand Suite cabins, at approximately £5,500 per person, include a private lounge area, en suite bathroom, and butler service.

Rocky Mountaineer: North America's Most Scenic Rail Journey

The Rocky Mountaineer operates two-day journeys between Vancouver and Banff/Jasper through the Canadian Rockies, running exclusively during daylight hours (passengers overnight in hotels in Kamloops, allowing the scenery to be seen rather than slept through). The glass-dome GoldLeaf service provides an upper-level observation dome and a lower-level dining room where meals are prepared fresh onboard.

The route crosses 117 tunnels and 600 bridges, passes through Spiral Tunnels (where the train loops through the mountain twice to descend the grade), and runs along the Thompson and Fraser River canyons in scenery that aviation cannot show and driving cannot match at this vantage point. Cost for the two-day Vancouver-to-Banff GoldLeaf journey: approximately $2,500 to $3,200 per person, including meals and hotel in Kamloops but not the end-point hotels. The Rocky Mountaineer runs from April to October only.

Maharajas Express: India in Maximum Luxury

The Maharajas Express, operated by IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation) in partnership with Cox and Kings, is the most awarded luxury train in Asia and one of the most expensive in the world. Five itineraries of 4 to 8 nights cover the Golden Triangle (Delhi, Agra, Jaipur), Rajasthan, and routes including Mumbai, Varanasi, and Ranthambore National Park. The train carries 84 passengers in 23 cabins across four cabin categories, with two restaurants, two bars, and a spa car.

The Presidential Suite aboard the Maharajas Express is the largest and most elaborate private rail accommodation in the world: a full living room, separate bedroom, and private lounge with dining for two, decorated in the style of a Rajasthani maharaja's palace. Cost: approximately $1,000 to $2,000 per person per night for standard suites; the Presidential Suite runs $5,000 to $8,000 per night.

Rovos Rail: Africa's Pride of Africa

South Africa's Rovos Rail, headquartered in Pretoria and operating since 1989, runs the most extensively restored vintage train collection in the world: Edwardian-era coaches from the 1910s and 1920s, restored to original specification with modern plumbing and air conditioning discreetly integrated. The flagship route, the 4,000km Cape Town to Dar es Salaam journey (15 nights), traverses South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Tanzania, visiting Victoria Falls, crossing the Hwange National Park, and arriving at the Indian Ocean coast. The shorter 3-night Cape Town to Pretoria route provides the Rovos experience at a lower commitment: approximately $2,500 per person. The full Cape Town to Dar es Salaam: $8,000 to $15,000 per person depending on cabin.

The Ghan: Australia's Iconic Transcontinental

Australia's The Ghan (operated by Journey Beyond) connects Adelaide to Darwin across 2,979km of the Australian continent, passing through the Red Centre and stopping at Alice Springs, Katherine, and the MacDonnell Ranges. The journey takes 54 hours on the weekly Platinum and Gold Service departures. Named for the Afghan cameleers who mapped the outback in the 19th century, the train runs through landscapes that are otherwise inaccessible by any reasonable alternative: the flat red desert of central Australia, the cattle stations of the Northern Territory, and the crocodile-inhabited rivers of Kakadu approaching Darwin. Platinum Service (all-inclusive): approximately AUD $3,000 to $5,000 per person for the full Adelaide-to-Darwin route (approximately $2,000 to $3,500 USD).

The Belmond Royal Scotsman: Scotland's Highland Journey

The Belmond Royal Scotsman operates 2 to 7 night journeys through the Scottish Highlands, departing Edinburgh and exploring the West Highland Line, the Kyle of Lochalsh line to the Isle of Skye approach, and the far north toward Inverness and Caithness. The 36-passenger capacity makes it the most intimate of Belmond's rail products. Evenings in the observation car watching the glens darken as dinner service begins in the dining car are the defining image of the experience. Cost: £3,500 to £6,500 per person for 2 to 4-night journeys.

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