The World's Greatest Luxury Train Journeys: From the Orient Express to the Ghan

There is a specific pleasure in crossing a continent at ground level — watching the landscape change outside your window over 12 or 48 hours, dining in a wood-paneled restaurant car, sleeping to the rhythmic sound of rails. Flights compress geography into nothing. Trains make you feel it.

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express

The original: the train that Agatha Christie rode when she wrote Murder on the Orient Express. The restored 1920s and 1930s carriages run from London to Venice (and extended routes to Istanbul, Athens, and Rome).

The carriages are original Art Deco — mahogany paneling, Lalique glass, velvet upholstery. Dinner in the restaurant car (three courses, silver service) is served while the Alps roll past. Champagne is delivered to your cabin.

Route: London to Venice (2 days/1 night). London to Istanbul (4 days/3 nights, a rarer and more expensive routing).

Cost: London-Venice from £2,500 per person (cabin). The best cabins (Grand Suites) reach £15,000. Book 6-12 months in advance.

The experience: The bar car stays open until 2 AM. Other passengers dress for dinner. The conversation is excellent. The Brenner Pass at sunrise is extraordinary.

The Maharajas' Express (India)

A 5-star hotel on rails crossing Rajasthan and Central India. Eight itineraries ranging from 3 to 8 nights covering Delhi, Agra (the Taj Mahal), Ranthambore (tiger safari), Udaipur, Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Varanasi.

The train: 23 carriages, 88 cabins, two restaurants, a bar, a spa. Suite categories from Deluxe to Presidential (with a personal lounge car). The service-to-passenger ratio is extraordinary.

Cost: From $3,500 per person for 3 nights (Deluxe cabin, all-inclusive). Presidential suite runs $6,500 per person.

What it delivers: India's most extraordinary landmarks seen from the most comfortable possible vantage point. The practicalities of India travel (the heat, the dust, the logistics) handled seamlessly.

The Ghan (Australia)

Named for the Afghan cameleers who opened the Australian interior, the Ghan runs 2,979km from Adelaide to Darwin (or vice versa) through the center of Australia in 54 hours — crossing the South Australian outback, the Northern Territory desert, and the tropical Top End.

The landscape from a train window: red desert, ghost gum trees, dry riverbeds, termite mounds, and eventually the tropical north. Off-train excursions in Alice Springs (Uluru is accessible by additional tour) and Katherine Gorge.

The Platinum Service: Private cabin with en-suite bathroom, all meals in the Queen Adelaide Restaurant (three courses, Australian wine, impeccable) included.

Cost: Adelaide to Darwin in Platinum: approximately AUD $4,000 per person (roughly $2,500 USD).

The Glacier Express (Switzerland)

The world's slowest express train: 291km in approximately 8 hours between Zermatt (the Matterhorn) and St. Moritz across the Swiss Alps, crossing 291 bridges and 91 tunnels.

The panoramic windows are the point — the engineering that built the Landwasser Viaduct and the Albula Tunnel in 1904 is visible from every window. Excellence Class (the premium option) includes a dedicated restaurant car with four-course lunch service.

Cost: Excellence Class: CHF 399 for the full route. Economy: CHF 68. Reservations required.

🌍 Luxury trains deliver an experience no flight can match. [Find cheap flights →](https://www.aviasales.com/?marker=4132) to get to the train's starting point and [book accommodation →](https://www.booking.com/searchresults.html?ss=Venice&aid=YOUR_BOOKING_AFFILIATE_ID) at the destination.

The Rocky Mountaineer (Canada)

Vancouver to Banff or Jasper through the Canadian Rockies over 2 days (no overnight on the train — you sleep in a hotel mid-route at Kamloops). The Rocky Mountaineer operates in daylight only — the premise being that you should see the landscape.

The Rockies in daylight from a glass-dome observation car: the Fraser Canyon, the Spiral Tunnels, the Kicking Horse Pass. GoldLeaf Service (dome car with an observation deck) is the premium option.

Cost: GoldLeaf Service Vancouver to Banff: approximately CAD $2,500 per person for 2 days.

[Book tours and experiences](https://www.getyourguide.com/s/?q=Banff&partner_id=PARTNER_ID) at the destination to complete the Canadian Rockies experience.

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