The Best Luxury Train Journeys in 2026: Twelve Trains Scored

By Richard Jasinski·Updated 16 October 2026

Seven Stars in Kyushu is the best luxury train in the world in 2026, at 93 out of 100 on route, cabins, dining, rarity, value and record; the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express scores 92, Train Suite Shiki-shima 91, Rovos Rail’s Pride of Africa 89, the Twilight Express Mizukaze 88 and the Royal Scotsman 86. The Orient Express starts at GBP 3,885 for a Historic Cabin on the Paris–Vienna night and runs to GBP 19,900 for the five-night Istanbul journey; Japan’s three trains are allocated by lottery rather than sold, and two of the three application windows are shut as this is published; Rovos runs the longest journeys on earth at sixteen nights. The index below says who operates each train, where it goes and what decides its score; the breakdown, the booking calendar and the questions readers ask follow.

Twelve trains · six published criteria · re-verified 14 September 2026

93/100 · Seven Stars

#	Train · operator	Route	What decides it	Score
1	Seven Stars in KyushuJR Kyushu	Yufuin, Unzen and Waita circuits of Kyushu; one night or three	Seven cars, ten guest rooms, all suites; allocated by lottery when applications exceed capacity. Applications for journeys to February 2027 have closed; the next open around October 2026	93 Confidence 82
2	Venice Simplon-Orient-ExpressBelmond (LVMH)	Eleven journeys still bookable for 2026 and thirty-five published for 2027, among them Paris–Venice, Paris–Vienna via Budapest, the five-night Istanbul run and Paris–Amalfi Coast	From GBP 3,885 for a Historic Cabin Paris–Vienna and GBP 4,275 Venice–Paris; Istanbul–Paris from GBP 19,900; Paris–Portofino and Splendido from GBP 9,550 over three nights. 2027 is priced in euros, from EUR 4,510	92 Confidence 95
3	Train Suite Shiki-shimaJR East	Tohoku and Hokkaido loops from Tokyo, two to four days	Ten cars, fifteen suites. Applications for April–June 2027 closed on 14 September 2026; JR East says the next window opens in early October	91 Confidence 90
4	Rovos Rail, Pride of AfricaRovos Rail Tours, Pretoria, established 1989	Pretoria–Cape Town in three nights; the African Trilogy at fifteen; Cape Town–Dar es Salaam at sixteen from 2026	The longest luxury rail journeys on earth, on rebuilt vintage stock, from a company established in 1989. Fares are quoted rather than published on the site: the sixteen-night run is USD 18,200 in a Pullman suite on Rovos’s own 2026–27 rate sheet	89 Confidence 87
5	Twilight Express MizukazeJR West	San’in and Setouchi courses between Kyoto and Shimonoseki, one and two nights	Explicitly a lottery, not first come first served; THE SUITE takes a whole car. The only one of Japan’s three open now, March to June 2027 departures, applications until 30 October 2026	88 Confidence 90
6	Royal ScotsmanBelmond (LVMH)	Round trips from Edinburgh Waverley through the Highlands, two to seven nights	18 sleeper cabins, two dining cars, a Dior Spa car; the most intimate of the Belmond trains. Two nights from GBP 7,050, the seven-night Grand Tour of Scotland GBP 30,200	86 Confidence 94
7	Eastern & Oriental ExpressBelmond (LVMH)	Round trips from Singapore Woodlands into peninsular Malaysia; three nights, or six on the Tiger Express	Southeast Asia’s only luxury sleeper; 32 cabins, two dining cars, menus by André Chiang. Back in service since 2024 after a four-year pause	84 Confidence 86
8	Andean ExplorerBelmond (LVMH)	Cusco–Puno–Arequipa via Lake Titicaca, one and two nights	South America’s first luxury sleeper: 35 cabins, the Picaflor spa car, an open-air observation car and oxygen enrichment at altitude. No fares published	82 Confidence 80
9	La Dolce Vita Orient ExpressOrient Express (Accor)	Twenty-four overnight itineraries of one to four nights, now departing Rome, Venice, Palermo and Istanbul	Launched April 2025; 31 cabins; dining by Heinz Beck; a four-night Rome–Istanbul route from October 2026. Still too new for a record	80 Confidence 78
10	Britannic ExplorerBelmond (LVMH)	Round trips from London Victoria to Cornwall, Wales or the Lake District over three nights, or six combined	Britain’s first luxury sleeper touring train, launched July 2025; 18 cabins and a Wildsmith wellbeing suite. Three nights from GBP 6,300	78 Confidence 88
11	Rocky MountaineerArmstrong Collective, Vancouver (private; Armstrong Group until 2025)	First Passage to the West, Journey Through the Clouds, Rainforest to Gold Rush and, for 2026 only, Passage to the Peaks; two days each	Daylight only, hotel nights between; GoldLeaf’s bi-level dome and outdoor platform are the point. Rockies to the Red Rocks now runs under the separate Canyon Spirit brand. Passage to the Peaks is a 2026 limited run, and the operator has said Rainforest to Gold Rush may not run after 2026	77 Confidence 68
12	Glacier Express, Excellence ClassRhaetian Railway and Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn	Zermatt–St. Moritz: 7h 45m eastbound, 8h 29m the other way	A day train. Excellence Class is a mandatory CHF 540 seat reservation on top of a full-route first-class ticket, about CHF 812 all in, for a guaranteed window seat, a five-course menu with wine and a concierge for twenty	74 Confidence 96

Confidence, beside each score, is how well the evidence behind that row stands up: 96 means the operator publishes the figures on a live page we read today; 68 means the operator’s own site blocks automated reading and part of the record rests on trade sources. It measures our evidence, not the train. Train names link to the operators, which pay nothing. No partner placement is live on this page.

What changed since the 7 September scoring

25 September 2026: Rocky Mountaineer’s owner is Armstrong Collective, the name the parent has used since its 2025 rebrand. This page carried the older name, Armstrong Group, which the operator’s own board page still uses. Two route notes added in the same re-read: Passage to the Peaks runs in 2026 only, and the operator has said Rainforest to Gold Rush may not run after 2026. No score changed.
Two Orient Express prices were attached to the wrong journeys. GBP 3,885 in a Historic Cabin buys Paris–Vienna via Budapest, not Venice–Paris; Venice–Paris is GBP 4,275. Paris–Portofino and Splendido is GBP 9,550 over three nights, the GBP 17,400 previously shown belongs to a Royal Scotsman journey. Corrected.
Shiki-shima’s application window closed on 14 September 2026, the day this was re-read. JR East reopens in early October; the departure months are not yet published.
Rovos Rail’s Cape Town–Dar es Salaam is sixteen nights from 2026, not fifteen, and fares are now shown from Rovos’s own 2026–27 rate sheet rather than described as available on application.
Rocky Mountaineer’s map moved. Rockies to the Red Rocks now runs under Canyon Spirit, a separate brand in the same ownership; a fourth Canadian route, Passage to the Peaks, started in summer 2026.
La Dolce Vita has outgrown its launch description twenty-four overnight itineraries of one to four nights from Rome, Venice, Palermo and Istanbul.
Smaller corrections: the Eastern & Oriental Express Tiger Express runs six nights; Mizukaze’s courses run Kyoto to Shimonoseki, not via Osaka, and its whole-car room is THE SUITE; Glacier Express Excellence Class is a mandatory CHF 540 seat reservation on top of a first-class ticket, about CHF 812 all in.
No score changed. Scores are set quarterly and the next revision is due in December; this was a factual re-read, and where a change bears on a score it is noted in the row.

On this page

Europe: Belmond, Accor and the Alps
Japan: three trains by application
Africa and the Americas
How the twelve are scored
New trains, and what is coming
When and how to book
Questions readers ask

Europe: Belmond, Accor and the Alps

Belmond, owned by LVMH since 2019, runs four of the twelve: the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (92), the Royal Scotsman (86), the Eastern & Oriental Express in Asia (84) and the Britannic Explorer (78), Britain’s first luxury sleeper touring train, launched in July 2025. La Dolce Vita Orient Express (80), Accor’s train, has grown since its April 2025 launch into twenty-four overnight itineraries leaving Rome, Venice, Palermo and Istanbul, with dining by Heinz Beck. The Glacier Express Excellence Class (74) is the one day train on the index.

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express had eleven journeys still bookable for 2026 when this page was re-read on 14 September, and publishes thirty-five for 2027, the classic Paris–Venice night, Paris–Florence, Paris–Portofino with a stay at the Splendido, Istanbul–Paris over five nights, and Paris to the Amalfi Coast, which turns out to run in 2027 as well as its 2026 inaugural year. Belmond prices 2026 in sterling and 2027 in euros, and it is worth reading the route each price belongs to: a Historic Cabin from GBP 3,885 is the Paris–Vienna night via Budapest, GBP 4,275 is Venice–Paris, and GBP 19,900 buys five nights Istanbul–Paris. Paris–Florence is from GBP 10,625 in a Suite; the three-night Paris–Portofino and Splendido is from GBP 9,550 in a Historic Cabin. The 2027 season opens at EUR 4,510. The train carries 32 Historic Cabins, 16 Suites, 6 Grand Suites and L’Observatoire. Every route and cabin is priced on what the Orient Express costs, with the itineraries compared on Orient Express itineraries and the full guide at the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express guide. The Royal Scotsman circles the Highlands from Edinburgh Waverley with 18 sleeper cabins, two dining cars and a Dior Spa car, two to seven nights; the guide is here. The Britannic Explorer takes London to Cornwall, Wales and the Lakes over three nights and scores 78 because it has no record yet; the group has covered Belmond’s trains, hotels and boats in the Belmond dossier.

La Dolce Vita Orient Express, Accor’s train rather than Belmond’s, has outgrown the four-destination description it launched with: twenty-four overnight itineraries of one to four nights now leave Rome, Venice, Palermo and Istanbul, across 31 cabins, with a restaurant car under Heinz Beck. A four-night Rome–Istanbul route joins the programme in October 2026. It scores 80 with the same new-entrant deduction. The Glacier Express Excellence Class is the exception on the index: a day train from Zermatt to St. Moritz, 7h 45m eastbound and 8h 29m coming back. Excellence Class is not a fare but a mandatory CHF 540 seat reservation on top of a full-route first-class ticket, which at CHF 272 makes the real number about CHF 812, and buys a guaranteed window seat, a champagne aperitif, a five-course menu with wine and a concierge for the twenty seats. It scores 25 out of 25 on route and 8 out of 20 on cabins, which is the honest shape of a train you do not sleep on. The wider European circuit is on the best luxury trains in Europe.

Japan: three trains you apply for

Seven Stars in Kyushu (JR Kyushu, 93), Train Suite Shiki-shima (JR East, 91) and the Twilight Express Mizukaze (JR West, 88) are not sold; they are allocated by lottery when applications exceed the seats, and that scarcity is scored as a feature. Only one window is open on 14 September 2026: Mizukaze, for March to June 2027 departures, until 30 October. Shiki-shima’s April–June 2027 window closed today and reopens in early October; Seven Stars reopens around October 2026.

Seven Stars in Kyushu runs the Yufuin and Unzen circuits over three nights and the Waita course over one, across seven cars and ten guest rooms that are all suites, and tops the index on cabins, dining and rarity together. Train Suite Shiki-shima loops Tohoku and Hokkaido from Tokyo over two to four days in ten cars and fifteen suites. The Twilight Express Mizukaze runs San’in and Setouchi courses between Kyoto and Shimonoseki, one night one-way or two on the round tour, and its whole-car room is THE SUITE rather than the Royal Twin and Royal Single that fill the other cars. It is the one of the three this site has covered cabin by cabin: the guide, routes and itineraries, the suite cabins compared, what it costs and how to apply. Nankai’s new train to Mt Koya is covered on its own page, and the practical side of Japanese rail, from the Japan Rail Pass to data on the Shinkansen, is on the desk.

Africa and the Americas

Rovos Rail’s Pride of Africa (89) runs the longest luxury rail journeys on earth: sixteen nights between Cape Town and Dar es Salaam, fifteen on the African Trilogy to Walvis Bay, on rebuilt vintage stock from a company established in 1989. Belmond’s Andean Explorer (82) is South America’s first luxury sleeper, 35 cabins between Cusco, Puno and Arequipa via Lake Titicaca. Rocky Mountaineer (77) is daylight only, and runs four Canadian routes in 2026, one of them a limited run, its American route has moved to a separate brand.

Rovos Rail scores 25 out of 25 on route and 12 on rarity: the three-night Pretoria–Cape Town runs often, the long journeys a handful of times a year. Rovos does not publish fares on its own site, but its 2026–27 rate sheet does, and the numbers are worth knowing before you enquire, three nights Cape Town–Pretoria from ZAR 54,000 per person in a Pullman suite, the sixteen-night Cape Town–Dar es Salaam from USD 18,200, the fifteen-night African Trilogy from ZAR 286,000. Suites run 7, 10 and 16 square metres. The guide is Rovos Rail, Pride of Africa. The Andean Explorer runs one and two nights at altitude with a spa car and an observation deck; the two-night Peruvian Highlands from Cusco to Arequipa is the one to take. Rocky Mountaineer is scored as what it is, the best daylight train in North America with hotel nights between its two days. Its map has changed since the last scoring: Rockies to the Red Rocks, the Denver route, now runs under Canyon Spirit, a separate brand in the same ownership, while a fourth Canadian route, Passage to the Peaks between Jasper and Lake Louise, runs in summer 2026 only; the operator has said Rainforest to Gold Rush may not run after 2026. The parent company has called itself Armstrong Collective since 2025. The routes are compared on the Rocky Mountaineer routes guide.

How the twelve trains are scored

Six criteria, weights published: route and scenery 25, cabins and sleep 20, dining 15, rarity and bookability 15, inclusions and value 15, record 10. Rarity is scored as a feature because the best trains in the world are the ones you apply for; a day train scores low on cabins by design; a train launched in 2025 loses record points until it has one.

Route and scenery: what is outside the window and for how long. Cabins and sleep: bed, bathroom, quiet; a day train scores low by design. Dining: the kitchen, not the brochure. Rarity and bookability: how hard the train is to board, which is a feature of the best of them. Inclusions and value: what the fare covers against what it costs. Record: years in service and consistency. Scores set 7 September 2026 and unchanged; every underlying figure re-read at the operators’ own pages on 14 September 2026. Re-scored quarterly.
Train	Route /25	Cabins /20	Dining /15	Rarity /15	Value /15	Record /10	Total
Seven Stars in Kyushu	23	20	14	15	12	9	93
Venice Simplon-Orient-Express	22	18	15	13	14	10	92
Train Suite Shiki-shima	22	20	14	15	12	8	91
Rovos Rail, Pride of Africa	25	17	13	12	14	8	89
Twilight Express Mizukaze	21	19	14	14	12	8	88
Royal Scotsman	22	16	14	12	14	8	86
Eastern & Oriental Express	22	17	14	11	13	7	84
Andean Explorer	24	15	12	11	13	7	82
La Dolce Vita Orient Express	21	16	15	10	12	6	80
Britannic Explorer	19	16	14	11	12	6	78
Rocky Mountaineer	25	10	11	8	14	9	77
Glacier Express, Excellence Class	25	8	12	7	13	9	74

Trains are re-scored quarterly. Nothing on this page is scored on request, the operators had no input, and the case against each train, the daylight-only format, the new-entrant record, the application lottery, is printed in the same row as the case for. A train can move: the Britannic Explorer and La Dolce Vita will gain record points as their second seasons complete.

New trains, and what is coming

No train has joined the twelve since the last scoring, but four things moved. Dream of the Desert, Arsenale’s train for Saudi Arabia Railways, is due late 2026 with 33 cabins for 66 guests. Luna Azul, JR East’s all-private-room night train from Shinagawa to Aomori, is due early in the 2027 financial year. Orient Express adds a four-night Rome to Istanbul route in October 2026. And two trains changed brand or owner: Rockies to the Red Rocks now runs as Canyon Spirit, and Arsenale took a third of Vietnam’s SJourney in September 2026.

A train joins this index once it has carried passengers. That is not caution for its own sake: a record is 10 of the 100 points and cannot be awarded in advance, which is why the Britannic Explorer and La Dolce Vita both sit lower than their hardware deserves. Canyon Spirit is the clearest case of the opposite problem, a route that already has a record, now sold under a different name, which is why Rocky Mountaineer keeps its 77 while losing a route. Arsenale, which owns La Dolce Vita and bought Golden Eagle Luxury Trains in 2025, is quietly assembling the first multi-continent luxury rail group: its September 2026 stake in SJourney adds Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City to a portfolio that already runs Italy and Saudi Arabia. Of the three genuinely new trains, Luna Azul is the one to watch for reasons of price rather than luxury, JR East has indicated a fare close to a Shinkansen Green Car, which would put a private room on an overnight Japanese train within reach of people who will never win the Seven Stars lottery.

Which luxury tour operators are best for luxury rail journeys?

For a rail journey sold inside a wider trip, the operators with luxury train itineraries priced on their own sites are Audley Travel, Great Rail Journeys, Railbookers, The Luxury Holiday Company and On The Go Tours; for the train alone, the owner sells it direct. The scores above show where that applies: Belmond (Venice Simplon-Orient-Express 92, Royal Scotsman 86), Rovos Rail (89) and Orient Express (La Dolce Vita 80) run their own trains, and the three Japanese trains (93, 91, 88) are allocated by lottery. A tour operator adds the hotels, flights and guides around the train. The three sections below give one journey and one fare per operator, each read on the operator’s own site on 16 October 2026 and liable to change; the wider field is ranked in the luxury tour operator power rankings.

Which luxury tour operators are best for luxury rail journeys in Italy?

Italy has two luxury trains, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (92) and La Dolce Vita Orient Express (80), and The Luxury Holiday Company and Railtour both sell La Dolce Vita as a trip. Orient Express’s own site takes bookings for departures from October 2026 to March 2029 and names journeys including Taste of Italy, Sicily Unveiled and Soul of Tuscany. The Luxury Holiday Company lists “Rome & Tuscany” at 4 days from GBP 3,590 per person and “Rome to Istanbul” at 9 days from GBP 20,915 per person, flights excluded; Railtour sells “Le Grand Tour” at 4 nights from CHF 15,400 per person. The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express reaches Italy on its Paris to Venice and Paris to Amalfi Coast journeys, priced on Orient Express itineraries, and the wider circuit is on the best luxury trains in Europe.

Which luxury tour operators are best for luxury rail journeys in India?

India runs four luxury trains, the Maharajas’ Express, Palace on Wheels, Deccan Odyssey and The Golden Chariot, none of them among the twelve scored here, and Great Rail Journeys, Audley Travel and Railbookers sell them inside longer trips. Palace on Wheels runs a seven-night loop from New Delhi every Wednesday between September and April. Deccan Odyssey runs seven-night journeys from September to May, with a Deluxe cabin in double occupancy at USD 13,300 for 2026 to 2027. The Golden Chariot lists Glimpses of Karnataka, three nights, from USD 3,400 per person.

Great Rail Journeys sells the Maharajas’ Express Indian Panorama at 11 days from GBP 9,150 per person and Deccan Odyssey from Mumbai to Rajasthan at 13 days from GBP 6,530. Audley Travel lists a 10-day Maharajas’ Express and western Rajasthan tour from USD 11,500 per person, and Railbookers lists The Indian Splendour, 11 days, from USD 10,669, marked as a flash sale.

Which luxury tour operators are best for luxury rail journeys in Peru?

Peru has one luxury sleeper, Belmond’s Andean Explorer (82), and Audley Travel and On The Go Tours both sell it inside a longer trip. Belmond lists the two-night Peruvian Highlands from Cusco to Arequipa via Lake Titicaca and publishes no fares; its Hiram Bingham is a separate train to Aguas Calientes for Machu Picchu and is not scored here. Audley’s Luxury Peru tour by rail runs 11 days from USD 13,800 per person and uses both trains; On The Go Tours’ Luxury Peru & Andean Explorer is 12 days from GBP 9,070 per person for 2026 departures, with two nights on board. Cox & Kings lists a Belmond Andean Explorer rail journey with no published price.

When and how to book

Nine to twelve months ahead for the popular routes, and the day the window opens for the Japanese trains. Three dates to hold: Mizukaze takes applications for March–June 2027 until 30 October 2026; Shiki-shima reopens in early October; Seven Stars reopens around October for its spring and summer 2027 journeys. Belmond already publishes thirty-five 2027 journeys in euros; the Orient Express grand suites go first, then Istanbul and Portofino. Rovos Rail’s long journeys and the Royal Scotsman’s summer weeks fill earliest.

Two rules beat brand knowledge. First, buy the route, not the train: the same Belmond carriages feel different on a one-night Paris–Venice and a five-night Istanbul, and the Rocky Mountaineer is a different product on Rainforest to Gold Rush than on First Passage to the West. Second, price the whole trip: the nights before and after, the transfers and the excursions can double a two-night fare, and the complete guide to luxury train journeys walks through the arithmetic. Belmond’s hotels at either end of its trains, the Cipriani in Venice, the Splendido in Portofino, the Monasterio in Cusco, are in the Belmond dossier; the wider expeditions desk is at expeditions.

Straight answers to the questions readers ask

What is the best luxury train in the world in 2026?

Seven Stars in Kyushu, at 93 out of 100 on route, cabins, dining, rarity, value and record: JR Kyushu’s cruise train is allocated by application, carries a handful of suites and sets the standard the others are measured against. The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express scores 92 and Train Suite Shiki-shima 91; Rovos Rail’s Pride of Africa 89, the Twilight Express Mizukaze 88 and the Royal Scotsman 86 complete the top six. The best for you depends on the map: the Orient Express for Europe, Rovos for Africa, the three Japanese trains for Japan.

How much does the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express cost?

From GBP 3,885 per person for a Historic Cabin, and it is worth knowing which journey that buys: the Paris to Vienna night via Budapest, not Venice. Venice to Paris is from GBP 4,275 in a Historic Cabin, Paris to Florence from GBP 10,625 in a Suite, the three-night Paris to Portofino and Splendido from GBP 9,550, and the five-night Istanbul to Paris from GBP 19,900. Belmond prices 2026 in sterling and 2027 in euros, where the season opens at EUR 4,510. Cabin by cabin and route by route, the full matrix is on the Orient Express cost page.

Which luxury trains are the hardest to book?

Japan’s three: Seven Stars in Kyushu, Train Suite Shiki-shima and the Twilight Express Mizukaze are allocated by lottery rather than sold first come first served, and on 14 September 2026 only one window is open, Mizukaze, for departures between March and June 2027, until 30 October. Shiki-shima’s April to June 2027 window closed on 14 September and JR East reopens in early October; Seven Stars reopens around October for its spring and summer 2027 journeys. Rovos Rail’s sixteen-night Cape Town to Dar es Salaam and fifteen-night African Trilogy run a handful of times a year and sell out earliest. For the Orient Express, the grand suites go first.

When should I book a luxury train journey?

Nine to twelve months ahead for the best cabins on the popular routes, and the day the application window opens for the Japanese trains. Belmond already publishes thirty-five Venice Simplon-Orient-Express journeys for 2027, priced in euros from EUR 4,510; Rovos Rail and the Royal Scotsman fill their summer departures first. A day train such as the Glacier Express Excellence Class can be booked weeks out, but there are only twenty Excellence seats per departure and they sell out in high season.

What is included in a luxury train ticket?

Most luxury sleepers are all-inclusive: the cabin, all meals, house wines and spirits with meals and in the bar car, the off-train excursions at the stops and the onboard programme. Champagne, premium spirits and wines, gratuities, spa treatments and the hotel nights before and after the train are usually extras. The Glacier Express Excellence Class is the odd one out: the five-course menu with wine, the champagne aperitif and the concierge come with a mandatory CHF 540 seat reservation, which sits on top of a full-route first-class ticket rather than replacing it, so the real cost is about CHF 812. Rocky Mountaineer includes meals and drinks on board but the hotel nights between the two days are booked as part of a package.

Is Rocky Mountaineer a sleeper train?

No. Rocky Mountaineer runs by daylight only, with hotel nights between the two days on board. Its map changed in 2026: it runs four Canadian routes this year, First Passage to the West, Journey Through the Clouds, Rainforest to Gold Rush and, for summer 2026 only, Passage to the Peaks between Jasper and Lake Louise, while Rockies to the Red Rocks, the Denver route, moved to the separate Canyon Spirit brand in the same ownership, Armstrong Collective. The operator has said Rainforest to Gold Rush may not run after 2026. That is why it scores 10 out of 20 on cabins and sleep and 25 out of 25 on route: the glass-domed GoldLeaf car is the best seat in North America, but you do not sleep in it.

Which is better, the Orient Express or the Royal Scotsman?

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express for the cabin, the dining and the sense of occasion, at 92; the Royal Scotsman for intimacy and scenery per hour, at 86. The Orient Express is a night or a week across Europe in restored 1920s carriages; the Royal Scotsman is 18 cabins and a Dior Spa car circling the Highlands from Edinburgh for two to seven nights. Both are Belmond and both are all-inclusive; the Scotsman is the one to choose for a group that wants the whole train to itself.

Which new luxury trains are coming in 2027?

Three worth watching, none of them scored here until they have carried passengers. Dream of the Desert, built by Arsenale for Saudi Arabia Railways, is due late 2026 with 33 cabins for 66 guests. Luna Azul, JR East’s all-private-room night train between Shinagawa and Aomori, is due early in the 2027 financial year and is priced far below Japan’s three cruise trains. Orient Express adds a four-night Rome to Istanbul route from October 2026. Two changes of ownership matter as well: Rockies to the Red Rocks now runs as Canyon Spirit, and Arsenale took a third of Vietnam’s SJourney in September 2026, to run as SJourney by Golden Eagle.

Can a train operator pay to be ranked on this page?

No. The twelve trains are scored on the same six published criteria, none is added on request, and the case against each is printed in the same row as the case for. A partner buys a labelled position beside the ranking and a programme of pages around it, never a score. No partner placement is live as of September 2026.

Companies are added at each update.

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