The best heritage rail journeys in Europe – and what they cost

Belmond’s signature golden-age touch is evident throughout - Mattia Aquila

“The Grand Tour”. What traveller’s heart does not leap at those words, used originally to describe the extended journeys to Europe, particularly the classical sights of Italy so popular with British aristocrats in the 17th and 18th centuries?

The term has an irresistible allure, conjuring up travel, adventure and the prospect of seeing stupendous works of art and architecture, while being transported between them in considerable comfort.

Fast forward to the present day and travellers once again have the opportunity to embark on a Grand Tour of Italy, though rather than gilded horse-drawn coaches, the means of transport now will be La Dolce Vita Orient Express, a recent addition to the fleet of luxurious trains seeking to recraft the majesty of an earlier age of travel.

Now, as then, the privilege will set you back a pretty penny. Nonetheless, the demand for such journeys is rising and there are multiple options to whet the appetite. Here are eight of the best to fire up your imagination.

La Dolce Vita Orient Express

Opulent La Dolce Vita Orient Express interiors have an art deco feel with a modern twist - Mr Tripper

Start/end: Rome/Rome

Stops: Venice, Matera, Taormina and Palermo

Duration: Five days

Cost: From £13,650pp

While not following the precise itinerary of the original Grand Tour, this journey on La Dolce Vita Orient Express does open up many of the glories of Italy, including Rome, Venice and Palermo – and the spectacular Adriatic coast. Leisurely travel in a train that evokes the spirit and style of the Italian Dolce Vita of the 1960s is punctuated with Michelin-star-quality meals and pleasurable hours in the buzzing Bar Car. Lovers of the quirky will appreciate the transportation of the train by ferry to Sicily.

Venice Simplon-Orient Express

The Venice Simplon-Orient Express harks back to the golden age of rail travel - Martin Scott Powell

Start/end: Paris/Venice

Duration: Two days

Cost: From £3,885pp

For four decades, this aristocrat of trains has been delighting those keen to experience the golden age of rail travel, as epitomised in the works of Agatha Christie. Think art-deco elegance, lalique and lacquer finishings, and guests in black tie clinking glasses while watching the wonders of Europe pass by. Belmond’s Paris-to-Venice run – a classic for those marking special celebrations – is the signature journey, but twice a year the train follows the original Orient Express route between Paris and Istanbul, too. The actor David Suchet (who famously played Hercule Poirot) is reportedly a huge fan.

Al-Andalus

The Al-Andalus dining carriage has hosted many an aristocrat, including members of the British Royal family

Start/end: Madrid/Seville

Duration: Seven days

Cost: From £5,720pp

When it comes to finding favour with aristocrats, this Al-Andalus train has impeccable credentials, incorporating French-built Wagons-Lit carriages said to have been used by members of the British Royal family travelling from Calais to the Côte d’Azur in the early 20th century. These days, those carriages – back to their Belle Époque best – are attached to a train that, as the name suggests, takes the period of Moorish rule in Spain as its guiding star. Think wooden marquetry with patterns hinting at the east and visits to some of the magnificent sights of Andalusia such as the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba.

Majestic Imperator Train de Luxe

Once popular with emperors and poets, the Majestic Imperator Train de Luxe is pure old-school glamour

Start/end: Vienna/Vienna (Imperial Adriatic Days)

Stops: Rijeka, Opatija 

Duration: Four days

Cost: From £2,250pp (including three-night hotel stay in Opatija)

Another train with the mark of majesty is the one that served the Habsburgs, once rulers over great swathes of central and eastern Europe. It was used extensively by Emperor Franz Josef, who loved its smoking salon. His wife, Sissi, found travelling on the train inspired her to write poetry. Today’s iteration goes by the suitably grand name of Majestic Imperator Train de Luxe and is a meticulous reconstruction of the original. Itineraries include a journey from imperial Vienna to Opatija, a coastal town in Croatia built in Habsburg style. Poetry in motion indeed.

Comboio Presidencial/Presidential Train

Northern Portugal’s Presidential Train whisks passengers alongside the River Douro - Chakall

Start/end: Porto/Porto

Stops: Ferradosa 

Duration: 10 hours

Cost: From £650pp

One of the loveliest parts of Europe – the Douro Valley – can be explored on board a train also built for a monarch, Portugal’s King Luís I. When the country became a republic, the Royal Train became the Presidential Train, but its regal manner remained intact. Sumptuous carriages, a lounge bar and fin de siècle class characterise a train that transports passengers alongside the River Douro and its stunning hillside vineyards. Fine wines accompany a multi-course culinary experience – truly a feast fit for a king.

Golden Eagle Danube Express

After much fanfare at departure, hop aboard the Golden Eagle Danube Express to tour Istanbul and Budapest

Start/end: Istanbul/Budapest

Duration: Seven days

Cost: From £10,225pp

Majesty takes many forms and, when it comes to rivers, the Danube is as majestic as they come. This Golden Eagle train, which once served the rulers of communist Hungary, has been extensively upgraded to provide a luxurious way to travel through some of Europe’s eastern delights. The Castles of Transylvania tour journeys from Istanbul to Budapest with visits to the ancient Bulgarian capital of Veliko Tarnovo and the tantalising territory of Transylvania, allegedly home once to one Vlad the Impaler – aka Count Dracula.

Bernina Express

The Bernina express crosses 196 bridges on its journey between Chur and Tirano - Alamy

Start/end: Chur, Switzerland/Tirano, Italy 

Duration: Four hours 

Cost: From £62pp (plus mandatory seat reservation, from £38pp)

There’s majesty in mountains too, especially in Switzerland, a key staging post for those early pioneers of the Grand Tour heading to Italy. Whereas they struggled to get their coaches and retinue of servants along challenging passes, travellers today can board the Bernina Express, which climbs to the highest rail crossing point in Europe and links the Teutonic north with the Latin south.

This is not a particularly luxurious train, but it is certainly comfortable and the line, which passes through 55 tunnels and over 196 bridges, is a marvel of engineering that has Unesco World Heritage status. A signature moment comes when the train twirls round the extraordinary Brusio spiral viaduct.

Le Grand Tour

Lavishly appointed, Le Grand Tour promises a theatrical tour across France

Start/end: Paris/Paris

Stops: Épernay, Annecy, Avignon, Puy du Fou

Duration: Six days

Cost: Not yet fixed

You wait 200 years for a new Grand Tour and then… along come two. Although not yet up and running, this new venture from the company behind the spectacular Puy du Fou theme park in France also carries the name Grand Tour. This will be a very different proposition: an extended journey through some of France’s greatest highlights and periods of history on a lavishly appointed train that will be the epitome of Belle Époque. Expect plenty of theatricality along the way and a launch date later this year, or early in 2027.

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