Luxury train travel is the new business class

If you’ve ever dreamed of the luxury train travel depicted in “The Darjeeling Limited” or one of the litany of Agatha Christie film adaptations, you’re in luck: Luxury train travel is making a comeback, and this time with 21st-century benefits.

For example, on the upcoming La Dolce Vita Orient Express in Italy, guests can choose from eight detailed itineraries that transport passengers in style to destinations such as Tuscany, Sicily and Rome.

Each guest is introduced to a private concierge before the start of the journey and has access to a private lounge on board for chess and backgammon games. In the evening, guests can expect handwritten notes to dine in the train’s restaurant, where a storyteller circulates among tables sharing “legends and fables.” Guests with questions about their evening wear can even receive clothing advice from the train conductors.

One of the trips available is the Truffle Route tour from Rome to Monferrato: on this particular trip, guests start their journey with a dinner prepared by 3 Michelin-starred chef Heinz Beck, while listening to performances by live musicians. On the second day, the train stops in the village of Nizza Monferrato for a tour of a UNESCO World Heritage-listed winery and a truffle hunting expedition.

The train’s exclusivity gives travelers “an opportunity to double the Italian experience and access parts of Italy they wouldn’t normally think about,” Samy Ghachem, general manager of the train, told Conde Nast Traveler. “It is the first slow cruise concept for luxury trains of its kind in Italy.”

It is not surprising that new companies are entering the extravagant train travel industry. According to Andrew Channell, senior vice-president of product at Railbookers, a specialist rail travel agency, the number of luxury train journeys is up 43% this year compared to 2023.

“That enormous increase is not just happening in one place. It is not driven by one destination or one campaign,” Channell told Conde Nast Traveler. “It’s driven by the demand for these types of experiences around the world.”

Channell cites the pandemic as an influencing factor – as well as the holistic nature of train travel. While an airplane is usually a means of getting from point A to point B, spending time on the rails is a travel experience in itself.

On the Venice Simplon Orient Express (no relation to the La Dolce Vita Orient Express), wine-loving guests can take advantage of the train’s sommelier, who will pair each of the train’s locally sourced three-course meals with a bottle of wine. This version of the legendary train – owned by luxury travel company Belmond – has a festive atmosphere in the evening, with a pianist and mixologists on staff.

Shorter journeys on the Belmond Orient Express take guests from one European city to the next: routes include Paris to Budapest and Amsterdam to Venice. Guests can also book a five-night trip from Paris to Istanbul, with cabins starting from £17,500 ($18,917). In keeping with the 1920s train atmosphere, guests are expected to wear formal evening wear to dinner, while the wearing of jeans is strictly prohibited.

“That feeling of specialness, exclusivity, rarity and (of something) one-off” is what is behind the popularity of luxury train travel, Channell told Conde Nast Traveler. “The key is to enjoy the entire journey from start to finish.”

Click further to see images of the most extravagant luxury train journeys.