Next Stop, Monte Carlo: Monaco Is the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express’s Hottest New Destination
Belmond's Venice Simplon-Orient-Express adds Monte Carlo for the first time, with an inaugural Paris-to-Monaco journey on May 10, 2027.
Superyachts in the harbor, Formula One cars in the streets, black tie at the Casino de Monte-Carlo, and now, for the very first time, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express pulling into Monaco. Belmond’s legendary train is adding Monte Carlo to its itinerary, with an inaugural overnight journey departing Paris on May 10, 2027, tracing the Côte d’Azur into the principality before continuing on to Venice. It will become an annual departure, fares start at €4,870 per person and, in a perfect twist, it arrives 50 years after a Monte Carlo auction brought the train back to life.
Monaco has always known how to make an entrance. Now it has a new one.
Midnight-blue carriages, restored Art Deco interiors and evenings of cocktails and live piano meet Belle Époque landmarks, the Mediterranean and an endless appetite for spectacle. It’s the rare pairing that makes the arrival itself the reason to go.
Photo Credit: Belmond
A Homecoming 50 Years in the Making
For all the excitement of a new destination, this one is also a homecoming. In 1977, Belmond founder James B. Sherwood bought two original Art Deco sleeping cars at a Sotheby’s auction in Monte Carlo. That purchase set in motion the ambitious restoration that became the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, which made its inaugural journey in 1982.
Fifty years later, the city that made the revival possible finally joins the schedule, this time as a destination guests can experience aboard the very train it helped bring back. For travelers, that history adds another layer to the journey; for Monaco, it’s an arrival entirely in keeping with the principality’s sense of occasion.
Photo Credit: Belmond
Paris to Monaco, via the Riviera
The journey begins in Paris, where guests board for the overnight run south in a Historic Cabin, Suite or Grand Suite, each steeped in the train’s Art Deco heritage. The ultimate splurge is L’Observatoire, the private carriage conceived with artist JR, with a bedroom, an en suite bathroom with a freestanding tub, a generous living area, a library and a secret tearoom. For a trip to Monaco, going all out feels only appropriate.
Dinner is served in Étoile du Nord or L’Oriental, before the evening moves to Bar Car “3674” for cocktails, live piano and conversation, your cabin conveniently close when you finally call it a night.
By morning, the Mediterranean chapter begins. Breakfast arrives in your cabin as the train follows the coastal railway along the Côte d’Azur, past the red cliffs of the Massif de l’Estérel and on through Saint-Raphaël toward Cannes and Nice. Then the railway cuts into the mountainside and pulls into Monaco-Monte-Carlo station, hidden inside the rock.
From there, the principality awaits: the casino, the harbor, the grand hotels and the singular pleasure of a place that turns everyday life into an occasion. The Monaco debut also joins the second year of Belmond’s Villeggiatura by Train series, which pairs the train with Belmond hotels in Italy’s most celebrated destinations. But the headline belongs to Monte Carlo. It has never lacked reasons to visit; this one simply starts the celebration a night early, in Paris. (Let our Haute Black concierge handle the booking.)
Haute Living Verdict: The most glamorous arrival in Europe just got a new address. Book L’Observatoire, pack the black tie.
The inaugural Paris–Monte Carlo journey departs May 10, 2027. Prices start at €4,870 per person, based on two sharing a Historic Cabin, including the overnight journey, 24-hour steward service, all meals with the sommelier’s choice of wine, unlimited soft drinks and transfers.
Photo Credit: Belmond
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express to Monaco cost?
Prices start at €4,870 (approximately $5,465) per person, based on two guests sharing a Historic Cabin. That includes the overnight journey, 24-hour steward service, all meals with the sommelier’s choice of wine, unlimited soft drinks, and transfers.
What is the route from Paris to Monte Carlo?
Guests board in Paris for an overnight journey south, then follow the coastal railway along the Côte d'Azur, past the Massif de l'Estérel, Saint-Raphaël, Cannes and Nice, arriving at Monaco-Monte-Carlo station. The train continues onward to Venice.
Why is Monaco special to the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express?
In 1977, Belmond founder James B. Sherwood bought two original Art Deco sleeping cars at a Sotheby's auction in Monte Carlo, the purchase that launched the restoration behind the train's 1982 debut.
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