What are the best luxury train journeys in the world?
By Aspen Travel Advisors · Last verified · Counts drawn live from the Virtuoso-sourced atlas
The luxury rail canon: the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express for the definitive one-night journey, La Dolce Vita Orient Express for Italy, Belmond's Royal Scotsman for the Highlands and Andean Explorer for Peru, Rovos Rail and the Blue Train in South Africa, Japan's ballot-only Seven Stars and Shiki-shima, and the Glacier Express Excellence Class through the Alps.
The canon, ranked by how often they reward the fare: the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (Belmond) remains the definitive one-night masterpiece — Paris/London to Venice in 1920s carriages, the single best first luxury train; La Dolce Vita Orient Express is the new Italian counterpoint, running Rome-based loops in midcentury-modern style; Belmond's Royal Scotsman (Highlands, whisky, 40 guests) and Andean Explorer (Cusco–Titicaca–Arequipa, the highest luxury sleeper on earth) own their landscapes; and Rocky Mountaineer (daylight-only, hotel nights) is the right answer for the Canadian Rockies and travelers who want scenery without sleeping on rails.
Our rail atlas tracks 127 luxury rail journeys and rail-centered itineraries worldwide — including Japan by rail (where the ultra-exclusive Seven Stars and Shiki-shima run by ballot), the Alps by Glacier Express Excellence Class, and multi-country itineraries that thread trains into a larger trip, which is how we most often deploy them.
The shortlist, honestly differentiated
| Train | Route | Nights | The verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venice Simplon-Orient-Express | Paris/London–Venice (+ seasonal routes) | 1–2 | The icon; book Grand Suites for the bathtub-on-rails flex, historic cabins for the romance |
| La Dolce Vita Orient Express | Rome loops: Tuscany, Sicily, the south | 1–2 | New-school Italian glamour; food and design forward |
| Royal Scotsman | Edinburgh Highlands circuits | 2–7 | House-party-in-tweed; 40 guests, whisky ambassador aboard |
| Andean Explorer | Cusco–Puno–Arequipa | 1–2 | Altiplano scenery no road matches; pairs with Machu Picchu's Hiram Bingham day train |
| Rocky Mountaineer | Vancouver–Banff/Jasper | 2 days (hotels at night) | GoldLeaf dome + hotel beds; the pragmatist's great train |
| Eastern & Oriental Express | Singapore–Malaysia | 2–3 | Teak, orchids and jungle; Southeast Asia's only true luxury sleeper |
| Glacier Express Excellence Class | Zermatt–St. Moritz | Day journey | Eight hours, seven courses, one guaranteed window seat |
What luxury trains are actually for
They're not transportation — they're a destination that moves at 60 km/h. The correct uses: a milestone celebrated in one extraordinary night (VSOE), a landscape best consumed from a window with a drink (Scotland, the Andes, the Rockies), or the connective set-piece inside a bigger itinerary — Cusco to the lake, Singapore to Malaysia — where the train replaces a flight you'd forget with a day you won't.
Cabin honesty: historic carriages mean compact cabins and, on some trains, shared-era plumbing quirks; the new-build suites (Dolce Vita, VSOE's newest Grand Suites) are the answer for travelers who want the romance with modern bathrooms. Price ranges from roughly $1,500 per person for the Glacier Express day to $5,000–$15,000+ per cabin-night at the top of the VSOE and Japanese trains.
Frequently asked
Which train first?
VSOE Paris–Venice for couples and celebrations; Rocky Mountaineer for families and view-maximalists; Royal Scotsman if the ideal vacation is a country-house weekend that happens to move.
Are the Japanese luxury trains bookable?
Seven Stars in Kyushu and Train Suite Shiki-shima sell by lottery/ballot months ahead with tiny capacity. They're bucket-list-lightning; we build the Japan trip around the ballot and hold superb rail-adjacent alternatives for when the ballot says no.
Train + expedition in one trip?
The classic pairings: Andean Explorer + Galápagos; Rocky Mountaineer + Alaska cruise; VSOE into a Mediterranean sailing. Rails to the dock is the itinerary trick that makes both halves feel intentional.