The 10 Best Train Journeys for Luxury Travelers
From the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express to Peru's Andean Explorer, these are the 10 luxury train journeys worth taking in 2026.
Photo Credit: Royal Scotsman, A Belmond TrainTen trains, one shared belief: that getting there should never have become the part of travel everyone tries to rush through. The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express still runs its Art Deco 1920s carriages from Paris to Venice, with Grand Suites that come with private bathrooms and 24-hour butler service. Belmond’s Andean Explorer climbs to 4,800 meters between Cusco and Arequipa, with a spa car and a baby grand piano on board for the descent. The Royal Scotsman now has a Dior-designed spa carriage rolling through the Highlands, and Rovos Rail’s Royal Suites take up half a carriage each on the run from Pretoria to Cape Town. Seven Stars in Kyushu holds just 14 suites total, the Golden Eagle Danube Express spends the better part of a week crossing seven countries between Istanbul and Paris, and The Vietage by Anantara turns a domestic transfer through central Vietnam into a multi-course event with an onboard massage. Rocky Mountaineer’s glass-domed GoldLeaf coaches keep the Canadian Rockies in view all day, every day, because the whole point is not sleeping through them. The Maharajas’ Express lets you see Rajasthan and the Taj Mahal without repacking a single bag. And the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, again, has a newer trick: a route that ends not in Venice but at Belmond’s Splendido hotel on the Italian Riviera.
Here are the ten journeys worth building an entire trip around, not just a leg of one.
Royal Scotsman, A Belmond Train — The Scottish Highlands
Think of the Royal Scotsman less as a train and more as an exceptionally chic Scottish country house that happens to move. With only a small number of guests aboard, the atmosphere is intimate and wonderfully old-fashioned: tartan fabrics, mahogany-paneled carriages, formal dinners, excellent whisky, and evenings spent in the observation car as the Highlands roll past. Days might include visits to castles, private estates, and whisky distilleries before returning for dinner and drinks aboard — and there’s now a Dior Spa carriage for guests who want to fold in a treatment between excursions. For travelers who want Scotland at its most romantic, misty lochs and dramatic glens included, there may be no better way to see it.
The Haute Living Verdict: Scotland, but make it a house party on wheels.
Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, A Belmond Train — Paris to Venice
There are luxury trains, and then there is the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express. Belmond’s Art Deco icon remains the gold standard of glamorous rail travel, carrying guests from Paris to Venice in meticulously restored 1920s and ’30s carriages where black tie at dinner doesn’t feel remotely overdressed. Days unfold over leisurely lunches and Champagne; nights belong to cocktails and piano music in Bar Car 3674 before retreating to your cabin. Even the Historic Cabins deliver plenty of old-world romance, but the Grand Suites — with private bathrooms, free-flowing Champagne, and 24-hour butler service — turn one of travel’s great bucket-list experiences into something genuinely extraordinary.
The Haute Living Verdict: the benchmark every other luxury train is still quietly measured against.
Andean Explorer, A Belmond Train — Cusco to Arequipa, Peru
The Andean Explorer proves that sometimes the greatest luxury is simply having time to look out the window. Traveling between Cusco and Arequipa across the Peruvian Altiplano, Belmond’s luxury sleeper climbs through landscapes that feel almost otherworldly, passing snowcapped peaks, vast plains, and Lake Titicaca along the way. Inside, the mood turns considerably more indulgent: beautifully designed cabins, elegant dining cars, a piano bar, an open-air observation deck, and even a dedicated spa car. This is slow travel at its best, where waking up somewhere high in the Andes with coffee delivered to your cabin feels far more exciting than arriving anywhere quickly ever could.
The Haute Living Verdict: proof that South America’s mountains deserve the same reverence as the Alps.
Rovos Rail — Pretoria to Cape Town, South Africa
Rovos Rail calls itself the “Pride of Africa,” and there is something wonderfully cinematic about boarding its wood-paneled carriages in Pretoria and disappearing into the South African landscape. The classic journey to Cape Town crosses the vast Karoo, combining sweeping scenery with the kind of unapologetically traditional service that has become increasingly rare: elegant multi-course meals, proper afternoon tea, and an observation car with an open-air balcony at the rear. The Royal Suites are the ones to book, each taking up half a carriage and offering an extraordinary amount of space by train standards, along with a full private bathroom.
The Haute Living Verdict: romantic, leisurely, and deliberately removed from modern life — which is precisely the point.
Seven Stars in Kyushu — Kyushu, Japan
If the Orient Express represents European nostalgia, Seven Stars in Kyushu is luxury rail travel through a distinctly Japanese lens: meticulous, intimate, and obsessed with craftsmanship. The train explores Japan’s southern island of Kyushu while showcasing the region’s food, landscapes, hot springs, and artisanal traditions, with interiors filled with exquisite woodwork and custom details. Every guest accommodation is a suite, and with only 14 in total, securing a place can feel like gaining admission to an exceptionally exclusive traveling club. For serious luxury travelers who have already done Tokyo, Kyoto, and the country’s best ryokans, it offers an entirely different way in.
The Haute Living Verdict: the most exclusive reservation in Japan that most people have never heard of.
Photo Credit: Steve Grogan Photography
Golden Eagle Danube Express — Istanbul to Paris
For travelers who believe a great train journey should actually be a journey, the Golden Eagle Danube Express delivers. Its grand European itineraries stretch across countries rather than merely connecting two glamorous cities, and the Istanbul-to-Paris route is particularly spectacular, traveling through the Balkans and Central Europe with stops in cities including Sofia, Belgrade, and Vienna before eventually reaching France. Days are filled with private touring and cultural excursions; evenings bring cocktails, dinner, and the pleasure of returning to the same cabin rather than packing another suitcase.
The Haute Living Verdict: the European grand tour, reimagined for people who’d rather watch the continent pass than fly over it.
Photo Credit: Rocky Mountaineer
Rocky Mountaineer — The Canadian Rockies
Few train journeys make a stronger argument for staying awake. Rocky Mountaineer’s routes through the Canadian Rockies are built entirely around the view, which is why GoldLeaf Service — with its bi-level glass-domed coaches — is the way to do it. Guests spend the day watching mountains, turquoise rivers, forests, and waterfalls pass seemingly inches from their seats, heading downstairs for meals in a dedicated dining room before returning to the dome above. Unlike traditional sleeper trains, Rocky Mountaineer travels during daylight hours and guests stay in hotels overnight, ensuring none of the scenery is wasted while you sleep.
The Haute Living Verdict: one of North America’s greatest landscapes, presented in cinematic widescreen.
The Vietage by Anantara — Central Vietnam
The Vietage is the train for travelers who like being slightly ahead of everyone else. Anantara’s intimate luxury rail experience travels through central Vietnam, passing rice paddies, rural villages, mountains, and stretches of coastline between destinations including Da Nang, Quy Nhon, and Nha Trang. The carriage feels more like a beautifully designed private club than conventional rail travel, with plush booths, a bar, and a multi-course dining experience that turns the journey itself into an event — there’s even an onboard head-and-shoulder treatment included. Pair it with stays at Anantara’s resorts at either end and what might otherwise be a domestic transfer suddenly becomes one of the highlights of the trip.
The Haute Living Verdict: a one-carriage train that outclasses plenty of full-length ones.
Maharajas’ Express — India
If your idea of luxury involves palaces, Champagne, and a healthy dose of theatricality, India’s Maharajas’ Express does not disappoint. Its journeys through northern and western India connect some of the country’s most extraordinary destinations — Jaipur’s palaces, Rajasthan’s forts, the Taj Mahal — while allowing guests to unpack once and return each evening to polished cabins, fine dining, and attentive service. The train embraces the grandeur of India’s royal past, particularly in its top accommodations, but the real luxury is logistical: covering a substantial amount of India while avoiding endless hotel changes, flights, and drives.
The Haute Living Verdict: for a first-time visitor who wants the icons without sacrificing comfort.
Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, A Belmond Train — Paris to Portofino
Yes, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express deserves to appear twice — and the Portofino journey explains why. Rather than following the classic route to Venice, this limited itinerary carries travelers south from Paris through France before crossing into Italy and continuing toward the Ligurian coast, turning one legendary travel experience into the prelude to another. After a night of Champagne, formal dining, and Art Deco decadence aboard the train, the journey continues to Portofino and Belmond’s Splendido, one of the Italian Riviera’s most storied hotels. It is gloriously excessive in exactly the right way: Paris, the Orient Express, the Mediterranean, and Portofino rolled into a single trip.
The Haute Living Verdict: if the classic Paris-to-Venice route is the bucket-list journey, consider this the upgrade.
Pairing a train journey with a hotel stay? Explore more of Haute Living’s travel coverage, or browse the Travel section for more ideas on where to go next.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is included in a Grand Suite on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express?
Grand Suites include a private en-suite bathroom, free-flowing Champagne, and 24-hour butler service, along with interiors inspired by the suite's namesake city.
How high does the Andean Explorer travel?
The train climbs to roughly 4,800 meters (15,700 feet) on the Peruvian Altiplano between Cusco and Arequipa, making it one of the highest train routes in the world.
Does the Royal Scotsman have a spa?
Yes. The Royal Scotsman added a Dior Spa carriage with two treatment rooms designed in Dior's signature burgundy toile de Jouy motif.
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