Journeys · The great train journeys

Five luxury train journeys worth every mile

From a 1920s sleeper to Venice to a spa car at 4,000 metres in the Andes. What each one is really like, what it costs from the UK, and who should skip it.

Every train has its own colour, all the way down the page.

01Venice Simplon-Orient-ExpressParis to Venice overnight in 1920s carriages. Black tie at dinner. From £4,275 each.
02Belmond Royal ScotsmanThree to seven nights in the Highlands, whisky and a spa on board. From £7,320 each.
03Rocky MountaineerVancouver to the Rockies by daylight, glass-dome cars, a hotel night in Kamloops.
04Glacier ExpressZermatt to St Moritz in eight hours, 291 bridges and 91 tunnels.
05Belmond Andean ExplorerCusco to Lake Titicaca and Arequipa, over a pass above 4,300 metres.

The short answer

The luxury train journeys worth booking

The five luxury train journeys worth booking from the UK are the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (Paris to Venice, one night, from £4,275 each), Belmond's Royal Scotsman (three to seven nights in the Highlands, from £7,320), the Rocky Mountaineer (two days through the Canadian Rockies by daylight, from C$2,289), the Glacier Express (eight hours across the Swiss Alps, packages from about £2,070) and Belmond's Andean Explorer (one or two nights across the Peruvian altiplano, from US$1,400).

Pick by what you want to wake up to. A sleeper gives you the romance of a night on board; a day train gives you every mile of the view and a proper bed at the end of it. Every fare below was checked on 15 October 2026 and links to where we checked it. If you are pairing a train with a city, start with one day in Rome: the Orient Express ends in Venice, under four hours away on the fast train.

Sleep on board

The sleepers

Orient Express · Royal Scotsman · Andean Explorer

You wake up somewhere new, which is half the magic.
Dinner is the event: dress for it.
Cabins are small. Historic ones share washrooms.

Daylight only

The day trains

Rocky Mountaineer · Glacier Express

You see every mile, because nothing runs in the dark.
A real hotel bed each night, a real shower each morning.
Cheaper per day, and easier to fit into a longer trip.

The Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits crest on a blue sleeping car

01 · Paris to Venice · One night

The Orient Express, still worth the fuss?

Restored 1920s carriages, a cabin steward, a three-course lunch and dinner in black tie as the Alps go past. It is theatre, and it knows it.

ParisAlpsVeronaVenice

Historic cabin, each: £4,275
Grand Suite, each: £13,530
Paris to Venice: 1 night
Season: Mar to Nov

Our verdict · hover to turn the ticketBook it for a milestone, and book a Grand Suite if you can.Admit two · Paris Gare de l'Est

Skip it ifYou want a shower and real sleep. Historic cabins share washrooms, and the night is short.Fare source: VSOE 2026 fares

A vintage dining car with gold-patterned blue chairs and pale blue tablecloths — "Lunch is served at noon. Dress for dinner."The dining car. Photo: Unsplash

A train on a curving stone viaduct in the Highlands, autumn mist on the hills

02 · Edinburgh and the Highlands · Three to seven nights

Whisky, lochs and a piper on the platform

Belmond's Royal Scotsman carries about forty guests from Edinburgh Waverley into the Western Highlands, with a spa car and an observation car with an open deck.

3 nights, each: £7,320
Nights: 3 to 7
Season: Apr to Oct
Meals, drinks, trips: All in

Who it suits: couples and small groups who want Scotland without driving it, and who like long dinners and good whisky. Skip it if you get restless: the train stops overnight in sidings and stations, and the pace is slow on purpose.

Fare source: Belmond: Royal ScotsmanThe West Highland line at Glenfinnan. Photo: Unsplash

A train blurs round a curve through pine forest beside a frozen river

03 · Vancouver to Banff · Two days

Never in the dark

The Rocky Mountaineer only runs by day, so you see every mile. You sleep in a hotel in Kamloops, not on board.

VancouverKamloopsBanff

Pick your carriage

From: C$3,109
Carriage: Two-level glass dome, outdoor viewing deck
Meals: Dining room downstairs, cooked to order
Verdict: Worth the gap for the dome and the deck

Who it suits: first-timers to Canada who want the Rockies at their most dramatic, with no night on board to worry about. Skip it if the romance of a sleeper is the point for you: this is a day train with a hotel stop.

Fare source: Rocky Mountaineer fares

04 · Zermatt to St Moritz · Eight hours

Red on white

The slowest express in the world, by its own boast. Book Excellence Class for a guaranteed window seat, a seven-course lunch and a bar.

ZermattAndermattOberalpChurSt Moritz

The red Glacier Express crossing a wide, empty snowfield

8
Hours on board: 291
Bridges: 91
Tunnels: 2,000 m+
Oberalp Pass

Packages with hotels from about £2,070 each. Best in deep winter, when the valleys are white. It suits anyone who wants one perfect day of Alpine engineering and snow; skip it if you hoped to sleep on board, because it is a day train, end to end.Fare source: Glacier Express packages

05 · Cusco, Titicaca, Arequipa · One or two nights

The spa car at 4,000 metres

Belmond's Andean Explorer crosses the altiplano to Lake Titicaca, with an open-air observation deck for sunset and stars, and the only spa car on a South American sleeper.

Altitude on the line

1 night, each: US$1,400
2 nights, each: US$4,700
Meals, drinks: All in
Dry season: Apr to Oct

Who it suits: travellers pairing Machu Picchu with Lake Titicaca who want the slow, comfortable way across. Skip it if you are sensitive to altitude: the line climbs above 4,300 metres, and oxygen on board helps, but does not cure it.

Fare source: Andean Explorer fares

A blue and yellow train curving across the altiplano, mountains behind — Rail across the Peruvian altiplano. Photo: Unsplash

What they cost

From £1,100 to £7,320 a head

Andean Explorerabout £1,100one night, US$1,400
Rocky Mountaineerabout £1,250two days, C$2,289
Glacier Express£2,0704-night package with hotels
Orient Express£4,275one night, historic cabin
Royal Scotsman£7,320three nights, all in

Each, two sharing, from-prices. Dollar fares are rough conversions at mid-October 2026 rates. Prices move: check the fare source in each chapter.

When to go

The best months, at a glance

	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Orient Express				best	best	best			best	best
Royal Scotsman					best	best	best	best	best
Rocky Mountaineer						best	best	best	best
Glacier Express	best	best	best									best
Andean Explorer				best	best	best	best	best	best	best

Our pick of the best months: snow for the Glacier Express, the dry season for the Andes, long light for the Highlands and the Rockies.

Which train is yours?

Two questions, one train

How long have you got?

What do you want out of the window?

Your trainVenice Simplon-Orient-ExpressOne glamorous night, Paris to Venice, dressed for dinner.From £4,275 each · 1 night · March to NovemberSee the train

Side by side

The five, compared

	Orient Express	Royal Scotsman	Rocky Mountaineer	Glacier Express	Andean Explorer
Route	Paris to Venice	Edinburgh, Highlands	Vancouver to Banff	Zermatt to St Moritz	Cusco to Arequipa
Time on board	1 night	3 to 7 nights	2 days, by daylight	8 hours	1 or 2 nights
Sleep on board	Yes	Yes	No, hotel in Kamloops	No	Yes
From, each	£4,275	£7,320	C$2,289	£2,070 package	US$1,400
Best for	A milestone	Slow, sociable luxury	Big scenery	A day of wow	Adventure, with a spa

Fares checked 15 October 2026 from operator and agent listings. They move, so each guide will show the latest.

Questions people ask

Luxury train journeys, answered

How much does a luxury train journey cost?

Of the five here, from about £1,100 each for one night on the Andean Explorer to £7,320 for three nights on the Royal Scotsman. The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express starts at £4,275 each for a historic cabin from Paris to Venice, and a Grand Suite is £13,530.

Is the Orient Express worth it?

For a milestone, yes: the carriages, the service and dinner in black tie are like nothing else on rails. Skip it if you want a shower and a full night's sleep, because historic cabins share washrooms and the night is short.

Which luxury trains can you take from the UK?

The Royal Scotsman starts at Edinburgh Waverley, and the Orient Express is a Eurostar away in Paris. The others need a flight: Calgary or Vancouver for the Rocky Mountaineer, Zurich for the Glacier Express and Cusco for the Andean Explorer.

Can you sleep on the Rocky Mountaineer?

No. The Rocky Mountaineer only travels by day so you see every mile. On the two-day route from Vancouver you spend the night in a hotel in Kamloops.

Do you have to dress up on a luxury train?

On the Orient Express, yes: black tie or a cocktail dress at dinner is part of the experience. The Royal Scotsman asks for smart dress at dinner; the Rocky Mountaineer, Glacier Express and Andean Explorer are smart casual.

Plan the journey

Orient ExpressHistoric cabin, suite or Grand Suite: which to bookComing soon
ScotlandRoyal Scotsman or Caledonian Sleeper Club Room?Coming soon
CanadaRocky Mountaineer: is GoldLeaf worth it?Coming soon
SwitzerlandGlacier Express in winter: where to stay each endComing soon
PeruAndean Explorer and Machu Picchu in one tripComing soon
From the UKLuxury trains you can reach without flyingComing soon