Travel
The World's Most Scenic Luxury Train Journeys
The world's finest luxury trains aren't merely transport — they're private worlds on rails, moving through landscapes few travellers ever witness. Each journey on this list earns its place through impeccable craftsmanship, rare route access, and the quiet privilege of experiencing time as luxury.
Venice Simplon-Orient-Express
Paris → Venice · Europe
The most storied luxury train in Europe. Board in London, Paris, Vienna, Prague, Budapest — even Istanbul once a year — and cross the continent in restored 1920s carriages. Newer seasonal routes now reach Rome, Florence, Geneva, Brussels, Amsterdam, and Portofino.
Golden Eagle Silk Road Express
Beijing → Tashkent · 22 Days
Twenty-two days retracing the Silk Road by private train — from Beijing through Xi'an, Dunhuang, and Kashgar into Central Asia. The route crosses Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, ending in Samarkand's ancient blue-tiled bazaars.
Andean Explorer
Cusco → Arequipa · Peru
South America's first luxury sleeper train winds from Cusco to Arequipa via Lake Titicaca and Puno, climbing to nearly 4,800 metres. Overnight cabins, a piano bar carriage, and a stop at the pre-Inca Sumbay Caves. Optional extension to Colca Canyon.
L'Oriental Desert Express
Oujda → Bouarfa · Morocco
A restored colonial-era train tracing 300 kilometres of Morocco's eastern desert from Oujda to Bouarfa — through oases, ochre gorges, and the palm villages of Figuig. Best known to film audiences as the desert train in Spectre.
Seven Stars in Kyushu
Kyushu Loop · Japan
Japan's most exclusive luxury train — a 30-guest loop from Hakata/Fukuoka around Kyushu's onsen towns, active volcanoes, and Ariake Sea coast. Each cabin is craftsman-built in cedar and washi paper. Two- and four-night circuits available.
Rocky Mountaineer
Vancouver → Banff · Canada
Glass-domed carriages threading the Canadian Rockies between Vancouver, Banff, Jasper, and Calgary — bear sightings, glacial lakes, and Kicking Horse Pass by daylight. A newer Denver–Moab route runs through Colorado and Utah past red-rock canyons.
Rovos Rail
Pretoria → Cape Town · South Africa
Known as “The Pride of Africa,” South Africa's flagship luxury train runs mahogany-panelled Edwardian carriages between Pretoria and Cape Town through the Karoo desert over two nights. Longer routes reach Dar es Salaam, Victoria Falls, and Namibia's Fish River Canyon.
Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express
Moscow → Vladivostok · 15 Days
The classic Trans-Siberian by private train — fifteen days across seven time zones from Moscow to Vladivostok, via Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, and Lake Baikal. Winter and summer departures with private en-suite cabins and gala dinners in the Russian Room.
Maharajas' Express
Delhi → Mumbai · India
India's most decorated luxury train — a seven-night royal circuit through Jaipur's pink palaces, Udaipur's lake palaces, tiger country at Ranthambore, and the Taj Mahal at sunrise. Cabins panelled in silk and Rajasthani carving, with a bar carriage and observation lounge fit for a maharaja.
