What are the most opulent train journeys across Europe?

Four stand above the rest, and they are genuinely different products. The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is the historic one — restored 1920s Art Deco carriages running Paris to Venice and, seasonally, as far as Istanbul. The Belmond Royal Scotsman is the most intimate, with thirty-six guests in ten cabins through the Scottish Highlands. Orient Express La Dolce Vita, launched in 2025, is a new-build Italian train on domestic routes. El Transcantábrico Gran Lujo runs eight days along northern Spain and offers the most itinerary for the money.

How do you book a luxury European train journey?

Through the operator or an advisor, and earlier than you would expect. Dates are released a year or more ahead, fares are quoted per journey rather than per seat, and the best cabin categories sell first — for a specific departure in a specific cabin, plan on nine to twelve months. What an advisor adds is the trip around the train: the nights either side in the right city, a private transfer to the platform, and honest advice on which cabin upgrade is worth paying for on that particular train, since it differs between them.

Is a luxury train in Europe worth it compared with flying or driving?

It is worth it when the journey is the point, and poor value when it is transport. As a way to get from A to B, a grand train is slower and dearer than a flight or a car with a driver. As an experience — a single overnight from Paris to Venice, or a week through northern Spain — it is a destination in itself. If you simply want to move between European cities comfortably, first class on a scheduled service with a private car at each end is faster and far cheaper.

How far in advance should you book a luxury train in Europe?

Nine to twelve months for a specific date and cabin category, and longer for the once-a-year departures such as the Paris-to-Istanbul run. Suites and the largest cabins go first, often within weeks of dates being released. Shorter notice is sometimes possible on the scheduled panoramic services in Switzerland, which sell per seat and open a few months out.

What is included in a luxury train fare?

On the grand trains, more than most people assume: the cabin, all meals aboard, wine with dinner, the off-train excursions, and luggage handling. What is usually extra is the travel to and from the departure city, the nights either side, spa treatments where offered, and premium wines. On the scheduled panoramic services in Switzerland you are buying a seat and a reservation, with meals ordered separately.

Which luxury European train is best for a first journey?

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express on the Paris-to-Venice route, for most people. It is a single overnight rather than a week's commitment, the itinerary needs no explanation, and it delivers the thing people picture when they imagine a grand European train. If sleeping while in motion concerns you, the Royal Scotsman stables each night instead. If you want the region as much as the railway, El Transcantábrico gives you eight days of northern Spain.

Luxury Train Travel in Europe: The Great Journeys Compared (and How to Book Them)

Curated by Juan David· Travel Agent, Forest Travel· Updated July 2026

There is no single best luxury train — choose by what you want the journey to be

Europe's grand trains are not competing versions of the same thing. One is a restored piece of the 1920s that happens to move; another is a country house on rails that returns you to the same glen each night; a third is a new-build tribute to Italian cinema. Ask which is best and the honest answer is that they answer different questions. Here is how the four that matter compare.

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express — the historic one

Belmond's restored 1920s Art Deco carriages run roughly March to December, two to four times a month on the classic Paris-to-Venice route, with seasonal departures reaching Vienna, Budapest, Prague, Florence, Cannes, Amsterdam and — once a year — Istanbul. The shape of the trip varies enormously: the Paris-Venice run is a single overnight of about fifteen hours, while the Paris-Istanbul grand journey takes six days. Cabins range from historic twins to suites with private facilities, and the dress code at dinner is part of the point.

Belmond Royal Scotsman — the most intimate

Thirty-six guests in ten cabins makes this the smallest of the grand trains, and it feels less like a train than a private house party moving through the Highlands. Days are spent off the train — distillery tastings, castles, glens — and it returns to a siding each night so you sleep still rather than in motion, which matters if you are a light sleeper. There is a spa car. Journeys run two to seven nights.

Orient Express La Dolce Vita — the new one

Launched in 2025, this is a new-build Italian train rather than a restoration, styled after the Italy of the 1960s and 70s and running domestic routes across the country. It suits travellers who want the ceremony of a grand train without the period authenticity — and the compromises — of hundred-year-old carriages.

El Transcantábrico Gran Lujo — the long one

Eight days and seven nights along the north coast of Spain, from San Sebastián to Santiago de Compostela, threading the Cantabrian mountains and the Atlantic with UNESCO sites along the way. It is the best value of the four by a wide margin and the most substantial itinerary, and it draws travellers who want the region as much as the train.

A sleeper or a panoramic day train?

This is the distinction most first-time enquiries get wrong. Switzerland's Glacier Express and Bernina Express are scheduled scenic services with panoramic first-class carriages — extraordinary views, a few hours, no cabin. They are day trips, sold per seat, and bookable weeks out. The grand trains above are closer to a small ship: a cabin, all meals, excursions ashore, priced per journey rather than per seat. Wanting one and booking the other is a costly mistake.

How the booking actually works

Three things surprise people. Fares are quoted per journey, not per seat, and usually include all meals aboard, wine at dinner, and the off-train excursions. Dates are released a year or more ahead and the best cabin categories go first — for a specific departure with a particular cabin, plan on booking nine to twelve months out. And you carry your own luggage only on the scheduled services; on the grand trains it is handled.

Where an advisor changes the trip is the shape around it: the nights either side in the right city, the private transfer to the platform rather than a taxi queue, and the cabin category actually worth the upgrade on that particular train. Read how we arrange private transfers, rail and air across Europe, see Europe, privately, or speak with an advisor.