Europe

Venice Simplon-Orient-ExpressDinner at a table, bed made while you eat

Restored 1920s carriages still run between European cities. You sit by the window in daylight, move to a formal dining car for dinner, and come back to find the seat turned into a bed. Which cities you pass through depends on the departure, not on the train's name.

The train links Paris, Venice, Prague, Vienna, Budapest and Istanbul on different dates. Boarding and arrival stations change with each route, so check the city pair before anything else.

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PlaceEurope

TypeSleeper train

SuitsAnniversaries, rail lovers

StayOne to five nights

A dining car, a bar and a berth for the night

Europe — Luxury sleeper train.

The journey starts inside the carriage. Woodwork, hand-made furniture and restored period spaces carry the sleeping and dining of a trip between cities, so the hours on board are the destination rather than the connective tissue. You are paying for the interior as much as for the route.

Paris, Venice and the other European cities belong to different departures. When you choose, read the boarding city, the arrival city and the number of nights together. Not every service is the Paris to Venice run, and the longer routes change what the journey is for.

It suits anniversaries, honeymoons, railway enthusiasts and anyone who likes a formal dinner. Cabins are compact, so if a large modern room matters to you, take one of the suite grades rather than a standard compartment. This is a night on a train, not a hotel room that happens to move.

A white double bed sits against dark wood panelling in a sleeper compartment, a lamp and a small table beside it. — A double bed in a panelled sleeper

A suite with a painted round window, a freestanding bathtub and patterned upholstery in warm light. — A painted round window above the bath

A compartment in warm-toned wood with a bed made up in white linen and reading lamps at the head.

One night inside a 1920s carriage

The original carriages were restored and put back into service. Your seat becomes a bed in the evening, and an attendant makes the change while you are at dinner. That old rhythm, with the room rearranged around the meal, is the reason to be here.

A circular lounge lined with bookshelves, armchairs arranged around the curve beneath a painted ceiling.

Dinner and Bar 3674

The formal dining car, live music in Bar 3674 and the night service form the social centre of the trip. Dress and dining are part of the journey rather than an extra. Keep what you need for dinner and the night in a small bag you can reach.

A salon carriage with round tables, upholstered sofas and tall windows along one side, wood everywhere.

Choose the route, then the cabin

Paris, Venice, Vienna, Budapest, Prague and Istanbul appear in different combinations on different dates. Decide which city pair you want before comparing cabins, because the route sets the nights and the stations. The same train name covers trips that differ by several nights. Start with the map, then look at the cabins.

Red upholstered seats on one side of a sleeper cabin, with the berth and its folded bedding opposite.

Route

A one-night link or a longer spine

It works best as a one- to five-night link inside a European city trip, with Paris to Venice as the obvious case. The long Istanbul routes can carry a trip on their own. Grand Tour and Istanbul itineraries run four to five nights and need city nights at both ends.

Matching a departure, a cabin and the nights at each end

Pick the city pair before the cabin grade, then hold a night on the ground at both ends of the line.

Stay

The classic overnight route is usually one night. Grand Tour and Istanbul itineraries need four to five nights, with city stays before and after.

Getting there

Board at Paris, Venice or another appointed European station according to the service. Stay in the departure city the night before, and keep overnight things in a small bag. Large luggage travels separately.

Season

Running dates depend on the route. Popular departures and suites need planning well ahead, and the best dates go first.

Watch out

Routes, carriages and night counts differ widely, so do not judge the whole train by one description of the experience.

Plan this into a journey

Tell us which two cities you want between, and we will match the departure, the cabin grade and the nights on either side.

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