Venice Simplon-Orient-Express: What the Money Actually Buys

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is operated by Belmond and runs on several routes across Europe. The most iconic is London to Venice, which takes roughly 33 hours via Paris, the Simplon Tunnel through the Swiss and Italian Alps, and down to Venice Santa Lucia. Prices in 2024 started at approximately £2,000 per person for a single-occupancy cabin and reached £5,000+ for a Grand Suite. This is expensive. The question of whether it’s worth it depends entirely on what you want from it.

What you get: the train itself, restored from 1920s and 1930s Wagons-Lits stock, is genuinely beautiful. The marquetry woodwork, the Lalique glass panels, the white linen tablecloths in the dining car, the narrow art deco corridors between cabins - these are the real thing, not a theme park reproduction. You are sleeping in a carriage that actually ran the original Orient Express route in the 1930s and has been maintained with meticulous care since Belmond acquired the train in 1982.

What you don’t get: privacy from the noise of a working train. The narrow cabin beds. Fast progress. Reliably consistent food (reviews vary year to year). These are the realities of travelling in 90-year-old rolling stock, and they’re part of it.

The Routes

London to Venice (and reverse): The classic route. Eurostar from London St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord; the VSOE train departs from Paris Gare de Lyon, travelling through France, Switzerland (Zurich, then through the Alps via the Simplon Pass tunnel), and northern Italy to Venice. One night on board. Operates spring through autumn.

London to Venice via Innsbruck: A longer, more circuitous route through Austria that adds a day and a change of scenery. Operated less frequently.

Venice to Istanbul: The route that gave the original Orient Express its mystique no longer operates end-to-end as a connected service. Belmond offers a “Grand Journey” that combines several legs including the VSOE and other trains, but the continuous London-Istanbul journey of the original 1883 service no longer exists.

Other routes include Paris to Venice, Venice to Krakow, and various European city pairs. Check belmond.com for the current season schedule.

The Cabins

Standard cabins convert between seating compartments during the day and sleeping berths at night. The steward handles the conversion and your luggage is stowed away. Single cabins are genuinely narrow (you sleep with your face very close to the window). Double cabins are more comfortable for two people. Grand Suites have a separate sitting room and are the only option with anything like generous space.

The cabin class largely determines your dining experience: the onboard restaurants have three sittings per service and you’re assigned a time based on your booking. The food varies; the setting is exceptional. Breakfast in your cabin is included; dinner is a formal affair with a set menu.

Dress code for dinner: smart. Jacket and tie required for men; cocktail dress equivalent for women. This is enforced. If you want to avoid the dress code, the bar car is an alternative for drinks but not a substitute for the dining car experience.

What the Journey Actually Looks Like

London to Paris by Eurostar in the morning (tickets separate, booked independently). Transfer across Paris by taxi or Metro. The VSOE train departs Paris Gare de Lyon mid-afternoon. By evening you’re in the Swiss Alps. Dinner on the train as you cross into Italy. Sleep somewhere around the Italian lake district. Wake in Venice.

The mountain scenery between Switzerland and northern Italy - specifically the Simplon Pass approach and the descent toward Lake Maggiore - is the best part of the journey visually. The Italian section overnight is less dramatic but the arrival in Venice Santa Lucia by boat taxi completes the story.

Luggage limits are real: the narrow corridors and cabin storage are not built for large suitcases. A small overnight bag per person is practical. Ship larger bags ahead if needed.

Alternatives to the Full Journey

Rovos Rail in South Africa and The Ghan in Australia offer comparable (or, for some travellers, superior) luxury train experiences at comparable or lower prices, depending on route.

If the train’s the point but the price is prohibitive, the Glacier Express from Zermatt to St Moritz (approximately £200-400 per person in first class with meals) covers spectacular Alpine scenery in a modern train with large panoramic windows. It’s not the same as the VSOE but it’s genuinely beautiful and a fraction of the cost.

The Douro, Royal Scotsman, and Eastern & Oriental Express are other Belmond trains worth comparing if you’re specifically drawn to the company’s offering and want alternatives to the Europe-Venice route.

Practical Booking Notes

Book directly through belmond.com or through a specialist travel agent. The most popular routes sell out 6-12 months ahead, particularly for peak season departures (May, September). Off-peak spring and autumn departures have more availability. Last-minute availability occasionally appears but the full price is charged regardless of when you book.

The train is adult-oriented. Children are permitted but the pace and format are designed for couples celebrating significant occasions or experienced travellers who want an unhurried, concentrated experience of early 20th-century European travel at its most formal.