9 of the best luxury trains around the world
Luxury train travel is gathering steam, with exciting new routes blending old-world elegance and modern comfort.
A high-end train journey enables you to experience destinations at a unique pace and in total comfort while enjoying first-class service. These are some of the most exciting luxury rail routes to have on your radar.
1. GoldenPass Express, Switzerland
Switzerland’s GoldenPass Express takes passengers from the resort town of Montreux to Interlaken in the Bernese Oberland. It’s a three-hour ride with four departures a day (in both directions). For added luxury, opt for Prestige class, where heated leather seats recline and rotate 180 degrees. They’re also raised 15 inches higher than those in other carriages, boosting the views over vineyards, plunging valleys and blue-ice glaciers. With a menu featuring caviar from nearby Frutigen and bottles of crisp Duval-Leroy Brut Champagne, this promises to be a short but very sweet service.
How to do it: A one-way Prestige class ticket costs CHF96 (£84).
2. Royal Scotsman, Scotland
With its tweed interiors, soft woollen throws and Bamford bathroom products, the Royal Scotsman is already an opulent way to make one’s way through the wild beauty of the Scottish Highlands. For the ultimate luxury, reserve one of the two Grand Suites, featuring large double beds with embossed bedheads, wall-to-wall carpeting and lacquered wood marquetry. With a lounge area of their own, passengers in the Grand Suites will be able to unwind with added privacy while marvelling at the purple-heathered fells whipping past outside.
How to do it: A two-night Highland Journey in a Grand Suite starts from £12,000 per person on an all-inclusive basis.
3. Indian Odyssey, India
The newest of six itineraries on the Deccan Odyssey, Indian Odyssey is the epitome of lavish travel, offering a sumptuous taste of the famed Golden Triangle. From tiger-spotting in Ranthambore and exploring the ancient streets of Udaipur to marvelling at Amber Fort outside the Pink City, the route’s destinations will take your breath away. Onboard breakfast followed by the Taj Mahal, anyone?
How to do it: Cabin from $9,330 (£8,045) for seven nights.
4. The Vietage, Vietnam
A single luxury carriage that couples onto the Reunification Express train, this offering from the Anantara hotel group allows up to 12 passengers to travel the 200 miles between Da Nang and Quy Nhon in supreme comfort. Onboard, there are six private compartments featuring rattan screens and plush upholstered seating that convert to beds. Travellers can take in the beauty of the Vietnamese countryside over a three-course lunch washed down with free-flowing drinks, from artisanal gins to iced coconut coffees. The ticket price also includes a head-and-shoulder massage.
How to do it: A one-way ticket from Da Nang to Quy Nhon is $420 (£330).
5. SPACIA X, Japan
Running between Tokyo’s Asakusa station and the city of Nikko, in Tochigi Prefecture, this train provides a stylish way of making the two-hour journey north. Taking inspiration from the Edo period, the window frames incorporate intricate geometrical patterns used in bamboo wickerwork. Alongside traditional train seating, Spacia X also includes compartments, sofas and lounge-style seats. From the premium Cockpit Suite, passengers will get a driver’s view of the journey as they shoot past mountains, waterfalls and temples.
How to do it: Tickets can be bought online or from any station on the Tobu line. A one-way ticket starts from 1,400 Yen (£7.50).
6. Indian Odyssey, India
The newest of six itineraries on the Deccan Odyssey, Indian Odyssey is the epitome of lavish travel, offering a sumptuous taste of the famed Golden Triangle. From tiger-spotting in Ranthambore and exploring the ancient streets of Udaipur to marvelling at Amber Fort outside the Pink City, the route’s destinations will take your breath away. Onboard breakfast followed by the Taj Mahal, anyone?
How to do it: Cabin from $9,330 (£8,045) for seven nights.
7. Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, France
In 2026, Belmond’s Venice Simplon-Orient-Express will launch a new route, connecting Paris to Italy's scenic Amalfi Coast. Passengers are given the option of snuggling down between damask sheets in Historic Cabins, Suites or Grand Suites before disembarking the following afternoon. Expect seasonal dishes in three different dining cars, clinking crystal glasses in the bar car and freshly baked viennoiserie served in bed.
How to do it: A stay in a Historic Cabin starts at £3,530 per person, including dinner, breakfast and brunch.
8. La Dolce Vita, Italy
This eagerly awaited project has been a labour of love, centred on the painstaking restoration of Italy’s iconic Z1 carriages. Launching as a fleet of six bespoke trains, the La Dolce Vita Orient Express is the first luxury rail experience to journey exclusively within Italy. With eight meticulously curated itineraries crossing 14 regions, travellers can opt to explore the delights of Tuscan vineyards or journey to Venice via the grand piazzas of Siena. ‘From Rome to Sicily’ is a one-way odyssey, where guests can visit Maratea’s Christ the Redeemer statue, cross the Strait of Messina and explore the streets of Sicily’s Taormina and ancient Palermo. Whichever route you pick, each is accompanied by opulent suites, top notch service and gastronomic delights curated to reflect the landscape by the highly acclaimed chef Heinz Beck.
How to do it: Prices start from €1,200 (£1,035) for a day excursion.
9. SJourney, Vietnam
A luxury debut in a country already famed for its train travel, SJourney’s eight-day adventure blends cultural heritage with fine dining, 24-hour butler service and panoramic views. Thirteen elegant 1930s Indochine-style carriages carry guests more than 1,200 miles through Vietnam’s stunning landscapes — a journey that brings the country’s rich, complex history to life.
How to do it: From $8,610 (£6,775) for seven nights.
