Luxury trains are an important niche within the tourism industry. They facilitate slow tourism and are generally more environmentally friendly than flying. This article explains what luxury trains are, their advantages and disadvantages, their history and examples of luxury trains around the world.
What are luxury trains?
Luxury trains are designed to be comfortable and enjoyable – an experience in themselves, rather than just a way of getting from A to B.
Luxury trains operate in several countries. A premium travel option, luxury train travel is generally more expensive than general train travel and even short-haul air travel.
Luxury trains promote a slower kind of tourism with plenty of perks, and luxury rail travel has grown in popularity in recent years, with several new trains launched since 2024.
In a similar way to a cruise, luxury train journeys often last several days or a week, allowing passengers to see multiple places in one holiday.
Some advantages of luxury train travel
There are several advantages of luxury train travel, as outlined below.
Luxury trains are better for the environment than, for example, flying or travelling by car. Trains generally have much lower carbon emissions than most other forms of transport. So for those who are looking to lower their carbon footprint while still enjoying a special travel experience, luxury train travel is a great option to consider.
Travelling by luxury train is also more scenic than flying. From a plane, passengers often see little more than clouds, but on a train they can watch an ever-changing landscape of towns, countryside, mountains and coastlines. This is what makes rail travel an experience in itself.
Luxury trains are also more comfortable than planes and more spacious than cars, with larger seats, private cabins and room to walk around during the journey.
Luxury trains have bars and restaurants on them, too. You can sit down for a proper meal or a few drinks during your journey, which is not possible on most flights.
Passengers’ luggage travels on the train with them, so lost luggage is far less of a risk than when flying.
There is also usually no lengthy airport-style security process, so passengers do not need to arrive hours before departure.
Disadvantages of luxury train travel
Every mode of transport has its disadvantages. Luxury trains can be very expensive, with multi-night journeys often costing thousands of pounds per person, which puts them out of reach for many travellers.
A more affordable alternative is to visit one of the many heritage railways around the world.
Luxury trains are also slow. As a way of getting from A to B, they take much longer than other modes of transport, but most passengers choose them for the experience rather than the speed.
The history of luxury trains
Long-distance train travel was once tedious and uncomfortable.
In 1865, George Pullman introduced the Pioneer, a sleeping car that set new standards of comfort for long-distance rail travel. It is often said to have been used in Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train in 1865, which helped to raise its profile.
Pullman went on to introduce hotel cars and dining cars, such as the ‘Delmonico’, which was dedicated to fine dining. He employed thousands of formerly enslaved African Americans as sleeping car porters, making the Pullman Company one of the largest employers of Black Americans after the Civil War – although porters were poorly paid and later formed the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, an important early African American labour union.
Belgian businessman Georges Nagelmackers was inspired by luxury trains in the USA. He returned to Europe and founded the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits: creator of the Orient Express.
Nagelmackers built a fleet of over 30 luxury trains. They travelled to various destinations around Europe, and became incredibly popular.
The Orient Express, of course, was its most famous. It went on to be the setting for Agatha Christie’s well-known Poirot novel, Murder on the Orient Express. It was one of Europe’s first luxury trains, making its first official journey from Paris in October 1883.
Belmond Ltd. luxury trains
Belmond operates some of the world’s best-known luxury trains. Since 2019 it has been owned by the luxury goods group LVMH.
They run services in Asia, Europe and South America, offering continental and intercontinental travel.
The company was founded in 1976 when James Sherwood bought a hotel in Venice . He then bought and restored vintage carriages from the original Orient Express era. Sherwood restored it in order to offer rides from Paris and London to the beautiful Venice hotel, for his wealthy clientele. The company was later known as Orient-Express Hotels Ltd before being renamed Belmond in 2014.
Belmond now owns hotels and experiences around the world, including in Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, the Americas, southern Africa and Asia.
Its trains include:
Sleeper trains
- The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, which travels between London and Venice
- The Belmond Royal Scotsman, which tours the Scottish Highlands
- The Britannic Explorer, launched in 2025, which travels through Cornwall, Wales and the Lake District
- The Eastern and Oriental Express which relaunched in 2024 with journeys through Malaysia and Singapore
- The Belmond Andean Explorer which travels within Peru
Day trains
- The Belmond British Pullman which travels within Great Britain
- The Belmond Hiram Bingham which travels within Peru
Belmond is one of the major players in the luxury train industry. Other new entrants include Accor’s Orient Express brand, which launched La Dolce Vita Orient Express in Italy in 2025.
Luxury trains around the world
Many other private and state-owned companies operate luxury trains around the world, offering memorable experiences to those interested in rail travel and seeing new places in a lower-carbon way.
Luxury trains in the UK
Other than the aforementioned Belmond trains, the UK is home to the Northern Belle.
Introduced in the year 2000, the train carriages have been refurbished to resemble the Pullman coaches used on the old Brighton Belle. Journeys on the Northern Belle depart from all over the UK.
Each carriage bears the name of a British castle or stately home, and the carriages are decorated with great attention to detail in the style of 1930s British luxury.
A range of routes and special events is available throughout the year.
Luxury trains in Russia
The Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express began operating in 2007 on one of the world’s longest train journeys. However, its departures have been suspended since 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The route crosses two continents and seven time zones.
The journey of around 9,000 km (over 5,500 miles) follows the Trans-Siberian Railway between Moscow and Vladivostok. This connects Moscow and European Russia with Mongolia, China, the Sea of Japan and the Russian Far East.
Luxury trains in Spain
Renfe, Spain’s state-owned rail operator, runs several luxury tourist trains, including the Al Andalus, the Transcantábrico, the Costa Verde Express and the Expreso de La Robla.
They mainly operate between spring and autumn, in northern Spain and Andalusia.
Al Andalus, for example, is described as a palace on wheels. Its restored carriages date from the 1920s and 1930s, and some were originally built for travel between Calais and the Côte d’Azur. The train offers multi-day trips through Andalusia, with suites, on-board entertainment and dining. A typical route is:
Seville – Cádiz – Jerez de la Frontera – Ronda – Granada – Úbeda – Baeza – Linares – Córdoba – Seville.
Luxury trains in Japan
The island of Kyushu is home to the Seven Stars, a luxury sleeper-car excursion train. It has toured the island since 2013 and is one of Japan’s most sought-after luxury trains.
The train has a bar, suites, en-suite bathrooms, a piano and more.
Trips of two and four days are available, departing from Hakata Station in Fukuoka and visiting destinations such as Nagasaki, Aso, Yufuin, Miyazaki and Kagoshima. Itineraries change periodically.
Spacious suites and seating areas with panoramic windows, make for an unforgettable experience.
Luxury trains in Canada
Canada’s best-known luxury train is the Rocky Mountaineer.
The Rocky Mountaineer runs daylight journeys through the Canadian Rockies between Vancouver, Kamloops, Jasper, Banff and Lake Louise, so that passengers can see the scenery throughout. Guests stay in hotels overnight.
Trips run from spring to autumn and are often combined with time in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta and British Columbia, including some of the best national parks and provincial parks in Alberta. VIA Rail’s long-distance train, The Canadian, also offers a premium Prestige class between Toronto and Vancouver.
Luxury trains: To conclude
Luxury train travel is a growing niche in tourism around the world. Combining comfort, fine dining, scenery and a lower carbon footprint than flying, luxury trains offer an experience that is as much about the journey as the destination.
Luxury trains: FAQs
Below are answers to some of the most common questions about luxury trains.
What is a luxury train?
A luxury train is a high-end passenger train designed as an experience in itself, offering comfortable cabins, fine dining and scenic routes rather than simply transport from A to B.
What are the advantages of luxury train travel?
Advantages include comfort, scenery, on-board dining, lower carbon emissions than flying, fewer security queues and less risk of lost luggage.
What are the disadvantages of luxury train travel?
Luxury trains are expensive and slow compared with other forms of transport, and routes and departure dates can be limited.
What is the most famous luxury train?
The Orient Express, which first ran in 1883, is the most famous luxury train. Today the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, operated by Belmond, runs between London and Venice.
Who invented the luxury sleeping car?
George Pullman introduced the Pioneer sleeping car in 1865 in the USA, setting new standards of comfort for long-distance rail travel.
Further reading
If you found this article helpful, the following posts may also be of interest:
- Types of rail transport
- What is slow tourism?
- The relationship between transport and tourism
- Cruise tourism
- Types of transport
