How to plan your 1st luxury train trip

The COVID-19 pandemic has given us a rare opportunity to re-evaluate the way we travel, and many people have vowed to prioritize slower, more sustainable travel. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that some travelers are looking to train travel to reach these destinations, especially since planes emit six times as much carbon dioxide per passenger-mile as trains, according to Time Magazine.

But not only efficient high-speed rail networks in major European cities are gaining in importance. Luxury train travel is also becoming increasingly popular.

Luxury trains like the famous Orient Express offer a very different way of travelling, not only transporting passengers from point A to point B, but transporting them back to a more romantic time. Luxury trains are as much about the journey as the destination, with cocktails in the bar car and fine dining in the dining car, comfortable (if compact) accommodation and excursions that allow you to hop off and delve deeper.

Sounds like the kind of trip you would like to take? Here’s everything you need to know to plan your first luxury train journey.

Choose your travel destination

There are many luxury train routes around the world, but when you think of luxury train travel, the first trip that probably springs to mind is the Orient Express. Originally developed by a Belgian businessman, the Orient Express first went into service in 1883 and – despite interruptions during World War I and World War II – continued to carry passengers between Paris and Istanbul until 1977. A version of the train called the Venice Simplon Orient Express was revived in 1982 and is now operated by Belmond, which also operates luxury train routes in Asia, Peru and the UK.

“The Orient Express from Venice to Paris is so mystical because so many books and so many stories have been written about this train and this passage that it draws you to this place even more,” Ana Checa, luxury travel consultant at Embark Jenseits, said TPG.

She recommends clients who not only want to see new landscapes, but also want to take a trip back in time to the 1920s, a trip on the Venice Simplon Orient Express or Belmond’s Eastern & Oriental Express. The trains are furnished with rich fabrics, wood inlays, antiques and lamps from Lalique and Baccarat. Passengers enjoy sumptuous multi-course meals in the dining cars and sip martinis while being serenaded by pianists in the bar car.

However, Belmond could soon face competition.

Accor recently announced that it will launch its own version of the Orient Express in 2024. The train will feature 17 original Orient Express carriages from the 1920s and 1930s.

Of course, Europe is far from the only great destination for luxury train travel. Based in South Africa, Rovos Rail has been offering luxury train travel aboard restored vintage trains in Southern Africa for more than 30 years. Itineraries range from a two-night itinerary between Pretoria and Durban in South Africa, which includes game drives in Nambiti Private Game Reserve and Spionkop Dam and Nature Reserve, to an epic 15-day voyage from Cape Town to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania . with game drives, a tour of the Kimberley Mine Museum and a visit to Victoria Falls.

If you have fantasies of Wes Anderson’s “Darjeeling Limited,” you might want to book a ticket aboard the Maharajas’ Express, one of India’s premier luxury trains. It has four to seven day itineraries that include trips to the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, a tiger safari in Ranthambore National Park, Amber Fort in Jaipur and cultural activities such as dance performances and a visit to a silk weaving center in Varanasi.

Perhaps the best way to experience the rugged Australian outback is aboard The Ghan, which traverses the country from Darwin to Adelaide. Over the course of four days, the train stops in Alice Springs for a barbecue dinner under the stars at the historic Telegraph Station, the opal mining town of Coober Pedy and the Nitmiluk Gorge to see natural wonders and experience Indigenous culture. There’s even the option to upgrade to include a scenic flight over Uluru. As a bonus, you can earn Qantas points for your travel.

A little closer to home is the Rocky Mountaineer, the largest privately owned luxury tourist train in the world. One of its distinctive features is the glass dome design, which offers spectacular views in all directions – and the scenery is breathtaking. The train has a handful of routes that cut through the Rocky Mountains and the wild Pacific Northwest, with routes from Vancouver, British Columbia to Banff or Jasper, Alberta. The train also has a route in the United States connecting Moab, Utah with Denver.

Arguably the most luxurious train of all is the Seven Stars in Kyushu. The train crosses the Japanese island of Kyushu and connects seven prefectures over a distance of 3,000 kilometers (more than 1,800 miles). It’s a deep immersion into Japanese culture, with visits to a traditional pottery village, onsen soaks, and a stay at a ryokan. Expect luxurious accommodations, attentive service and delicious onboard cuisine.

Book your flights

Before booking a multi-city flight, consider booking two separate outbound flights, arriving at the start point and departing at the end point of the train route. It’s a good idea to arrive at least 24 hours before the train’s departure, especially if you’re not flying non-stop if your flight is delayed. If you miss the train’s boarding point, there is no guarantee that you will be able to meet it later on the route.

Reserve train

In general you can book directly with the company that operates the train, but if you are planning a more complicated journey you might want to enlist the help of a travel advisor like Checa. A good travel advisor will help you choose the right route, book flights and plan tours and excursions before, during and after your train journey.

As far as booking goes, it’s important to plan this type of trip well in advance.

“I would recommend taking care of this at least six months in advance because there aren’t that many seats on the trains,” Checa said. “They might have a cancellation and a vacancy, but most of the time they fill up pretty quickly.”

Prices range quite drastically from around $1,000 to over $15,000 depending on the route, the length of the itinerary and the accommodations you book. Most luxury sleeper trains have basic Pullman carriages with fold-away beds, but on many trains you can upgrade to a more spacious suite that comes with a full bed and perks like butler service.

Consider excursions

Most of the luxury trains mentioned above have excursions built into their itineraries, so you don’t have to worry about what to do along the way. There are a few options to choose from depending on your interests, physical stamina or how adventurous you are feeling.

“You could stay on the train, you could visit a small village, you could go hiking and come back, you could do many activities with different extremes,” Checa said, explaining her experience aboard Belmond’s Eastern & Oriental Express.

However, in my experience aboard the Belmond Simplon Orient Express from Venice, Italy to Paris, there were no excursions; Passengers only had a few short stops where they could disembark and stretch their legs.

On other trains, like the Seven Stars in Kyushu, you might have a trip to a temple, a visit to a traditional pottery workshop lasting a few hours, or even an overnight stay in a ryokan before boarding the train again the next morning.

Plan what you pack

Packing for a luxury train journey is not without its challenges. It’s important to pack light as you probably won’t have a lot of storage space, but in most cases you’ll need both casual daywear and more formal evening wear. Especially aboard the Venice Simplon Orient Express, guests love to dress up for dinner, perhaps even in vintage attire to really soak up the 1920s glamour.

“Belmond actually tells you everything you need to bring, but I would say pack really light these days,” explained Checa. “You must dress up for dinner; You cannot go in with sneakers and shorts. You feel like you are in a special place.”

Since you can’t count on doing laundry, pack a few versatile outfits in neutral colors like black, white, beige, and gray and swap out your accessories. That may mean bringing a few different scarves and trinkets, or an assortment of different ties (or bow ties), handkerchiefs, and the like. You can also save space by wearing the same comfortable shoes every day and only taking a pair of dress shoes with you in the evening.

bottom line

A luxury train journey is a fun and sustainable way to immerse yourself in beautiful destinations around the world, from the Pacific Northwest to Southeast Asia. These trains are designed to immerse guests in their surroundings, often transporting them back to the heyday of train travel.

“It’s fun because you see so many places and you can literally experience the places through the window,” said Checa. “It moves at a pace where you enjoy the view and don’t have to pack and unpack.”