Ed Perkins on Travel: Luxury Train Land Cruises

Orient Express (Dreamstime/TNS)

You might say that luxury train land cruises are the next little thing. Little, because even after substantial growth it will still be a small niche market. Next thing because it’s making a strong post-Covid comeback and some big new outfits are getting in on the play.

What exactly is a luxury train cruise? By my definition—and I think most other folks in the business would agree—a luxury train cruise is a multi-day trip on a specially outfitted train with all accommodations in private cabins with fancy meals in a dining car included. On most, each cabin includes a private bathroom area including a shower. The closest analog is perhaps a river cruise boat. Like a riverboat, the train provides all your needs on board; it also makes stops along the way for local sightseeing. You’re just on a train, not a boat or ship.

The granddaddy of all luxury train trips is the Orient Express from Western Europe to Istanbul or reverse. Dame Agatha immortalized that journey, and for good reason. Eastern Europe and the Balkans provide great stops along the way and both ends of the trip are easily accessible. Murder usually not included.

Belmond (belmond.com/), a leading operator, runs its Venice Simplon-Orient—Express between Istanbul and Paris twice a year, with the next trip scheduled for May 2024. It’s a five-night journey with updated heritage equipment. Most cabins have no shower, so there’s a mid-trip hotel night. The rest of the year, Belmond operates shorter trips around Western and Eastern Europe. The company also operates short luxury trips in the UK.

Also using the Orient-Express name, giant European hotel operator Accor (orient-express.com/) recently obtained luxury trains for the Orient Express route and for travel around Italy. Presumably, service will start in 2024.

The newest “hot” area for luxury train trips is the “Silk Road” region of central Asia, hitting such storied stops as Samarkand, Tashkent, and Bukhara. Golden Eagle is running a robust schedule to tours in that area from April to December 2024. Other operators are planning to get in on this area.

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India has been a popular luxury train area for years. Currently four trains—the Daccan Odyssey, Golden Chariot, Maharajas Express, and Palace on Wheels—operate mostly seven-day schedules that hit many of India’s top destinations, with loop routes from Delhi and Mumbai. Check Indian Luxury Trains (indianluxurytrains.com/) for details.

Southern Africa remains popular for luxury train cruises. Rovos Rail (rovos.com/) runs a varied schedule, with the longest trip linking Capetown with Dar Es Salaam taking 15 days. Many Rovos itineraries include Victoria Falls; some include wildlife excursions, and some feature golf stops at premier resorts along the way. The Blue Train continues to run two-night trips between Capetown and Pretoria.

Belmond has been operating shorter trips in two other areas for years: linking Bangkok with Singapore through the Malay Peninsula and in the Peruvian Andes.

The closest you can come to a luxury train cruise in North America is the weekly Canadian transcontinental trip linking Toronto with Vancouver. For the most part, it’s not much different than Amtrak, but Prestige Class cabin accommodations come close.

Luxury trains run in many other areas. Luxury Train Club ( luxurytrainclub.com/) is a good source of more information.

Rail cruises are not for the shallow of pocket. Most of the trains I list charge somewhere north of $1,500 per person per day, double occupancy, with deluxe options going higher. The least expensive trips are in India, where rates start at around $800 per person per night. Even Via Rail Canada charges more than $2,000 per night. Clearly, you can pay a lot less for a great ocean or river cruise. But the rail experience is unique. It’s up to you.