Riding the Rails in Ridiculous Style: 5 Luxury Train Journeys

Planes are efficient, yachts are flashy, and road trips are… well, they involve gas station snacks. Nothing beats the deliciously old-school glamour of a luxury train journey.

Luxury train journeys aren’t about speed or efficiency (that’s what budget airlines are for). They’re about stepping back into a time when travel was an event—where dressing for dinner mattered, cocktails were shaken not stirred, and the journey itself was the destination.

So if your soul yearns for vintage romance, bottomless champagne, and the occasional butler who appears with chocolate just as you were craving it, you know where to book your next ticket: not on Expedia’s “cheapest flights” page, but aboard one of these glorious rides. (Shameless plug… I’m here to help with reservations & special perks)

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (Europe)

Let’s start with the queen of train glamour. The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is all Art Deco chic, polished wood, and waiters in white jackets who look like they might also be international spies. The routes snake between London, Paris, and Venice, with optional detours to places you’d only expect in Bond films.

The original Orient Express launched in 1883 and quickly became the playground of aristocrats, spies, and anyone with a monocle. It was revived in 1982 as the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, with painstakingly restored 1920s carriages. Basically, it’s the closest you’ll get to living inside an Agatha Christie novel without the pesky murder.

By day, you perch in your plush cabin watching vineyards zip by; listen to the pianist in the bar car while sipping cocktails & playing board games.  By night, you slip into a tux or evening gown (yes, that’s required) for a four-course dinner. If the idea of clinking martini glasses as the Alps roll past doesn’t make your heart flutter, check your pulse.

The Maharajas’ Express (India)

Subtlety? Never heard of her. The Maharajas’ Express is unapologetically extra—like a Bollywood wedding on wheels. Each carriage feels like a royal palace, complete with opulent décor, silk upholstery, and staff so attentive you’ll wonder if they can also read your mind.

Launched in 2010, it was inspired by the personal carriages Indian royalty used to attach to regular trains in the colonial era. It’s been crowned “World’s Leading Luxury Train” more times than we can count, proving that sometimes more really is more.

The routes cover India’s greatest hits: the Taj Mahal at sunrise, Jaipur’s palaces, tiger safaris in Ranthambore. Between excursions, you dine in chandeliered restaurants or sip single malt in the lounge car while elephants saunter by outside. It’s less a train and more a moving kingdom.

The Rocky Mountaineer (Canada)

Luxury train travel doesn’t always need crystal chandeliers—sometimes it’s about jaw-dropping scenery. Enter the Rocky Mountaineer, a Canadian darling with glass-domed coaches that give you IMAX-style views of snow-capped peaks, turquoise lakes, and the occasional moose looking slightly confused.

This one is a relative baby, starting in 1990 to showcase Western Canada’s jaw-dropping landscapes. Its claim to fame? It revived a stretch of rail travel that was otherwise destined for history books—and turned it into one of the world’s most famous daylight luxury trains.

Unlike many overnight journeys, this one only runs during the day so you don’t miss a single mountain. Your evenings are spent in hotels along the route. Onboard, it’s all gourmet Canadian cuisine, endless wine refills, and enthusiastic hosts who point out bears as if they’re celebrities. Honestly, they kind of are.

The Blue Train (South Africa)

If James Bond were South African, this is the train he’d take. The Blue Train runs between Pretoria and Cape Town, a 31-hour trip that’s less “transport” and more “rolling five-star hotel.” Think marble bathrooms, gold-tinted windows, and a cigar lounge that practically begs you to say something dramatic while puffing away.

Born in 1923 as the “Union Express,” it gained its iconic blue livery in the 1930s and has been dazzling ever since. Over the decades, it’s carried presidents, royalty, and more than a few celebrities—proof that even luxury can come with a long track record.

The real showstopper is the service. Personal butlers cater to your every whim—whether that’s champagne at breakfast or a bubble bath while the Karoo desert rolls by. It’s indulgence turned up to eleven, with lions and vineyards just outside your window.

Belmond Andean Explorer (Peru)

Some trains are glamorous. Others are adventurous. The Belmond Andean Explorer is both. Winding through the Peruvian Andes, it’s the highest luxury train in the world—literally taking indulgence to new heights.

Introduced in 2017, it’s a modern luxury sibling of Belmond’s legendary Royal Scotsman. Its restored carriages channel old-world elegance while delivering panoramic access to Peru’s most spectacular landscapes. In other words, it’s proof that you don’t have to be old to feel timeless.

Picture yourself sipping a Pisco Sour in the open-air observation car while alpacas trot along the tracks. By night, you retreat to your wood-paneled cabin with a bed so cozy you’ll almost forget you’re 12,000 feet above sea level. Add in excursions to Lake Titicaca and Cusco, and you’ve got an itinerary that combines Incan mystery with unapologetic luxury.