The Orient Express is the most famous. It is not the only option. Europe has seven distinct luxury train experiences — each with a different character, a different price point, and a different kind of journey. This is the comparison that helps you choose the right one.
By Richard J. · Last reviewed April 2026
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Europe invented the luxury train — and unlike most inventions, it has continued to refine the original rather than replace it. The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express still runs the carriages it built in the 1920s. The Royal Scotsman crosses the Highlands with the same whisky-infused intimacy it has delivered for decades. But the landscape has expanded: the Swiss panoramic trains offer the most dramatic mountain scenery in rail travel, Al Andalus traverses Moorish Spain in a way no other transport can, and the Golden Eagle covers routes from the Balkans to Central Asia. This guide compares seven European luxury train experiences — what each costs, what each delivers, and which suits which kind of traveller.
| Train | Route | Duration | From (pp) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venice Simplon-Orient-Express | Paris–Venice (+ Istanbul, Amalfi, Portofino) | 1–5 nights | £3,800 | History, occasion, Art Deco |
| Belmond Royal Scotsman | Scottish Highlands circuit | 2–7 nights | £3,200 | Intimacy, whisky, wilderness |
| Glacier Express | Zermatt–St Moritz | Day trip (8 hrs) | £350 | Alpine scenery, accessibility |
| Bernina Express | Chur–Tirano (Switzerland–Italy) | Day trip (4 hrs) | £70 | UNESCO route, glaciers, value |
| Al Andalus | Seville–Granada–Córdoba circuit | 6 nights | €3,500 | Moorish Spain, culture, warmth |
| Golden Eagle | Various (Balkans, Scandinavia, Silk Road) | 7–21 days | £8,000 | Exploration, extended journeys |
| Northern Belle | Various UK day trips | Day trip | £300 | Accessible introduction, UK-based |
Seventeen restored carriages from the golden age of travel — Lalique glass panels in the Côte d'Azur restaurant car, marquetry by Louis Süe and Éric Bagge, brass fittings polished to the standard they were maintained at ninety years ago. The VSOE does not replicate a bygone era; it is the bygone era, maintained. The four-course dinner crossing Burgundy, the night passage through the Alps, the morning arrival into Venice by water taxi — this is the experience against which every other luxury train in the world is measured. For the full guide, see our VSOE complete guide and pricing breakdown.
At approximately £3,800 per person for one night in a Historic Cabin, the VSOE is not a value product by any metric. The Alpine crossing happens at night — which means the scenery is atmospheric rather than panoramic. The Historic Cabins are beautiful but compact, with shared toilet facilities. For travellers who prioritise scenery over history, or value over occasion, the Swiss panoramic trains deliver more for less.
Nine mahogany-clad carriages crossing the Scottish Highlands with a maximum of 40 passengers and a staff-to-guest ratio of 3:1. The observation car, the whisky collection, the off-train excursions to distilleries and castles — the Royal Scotsman delivers the most intimate and personally attentive train experience in Europe. The Highland landscape — lochs, glens, the Cairngorms, the west coast — provides a setting that is dramatically different from the VSOE's Continental crossing. For the full guide, see our Royal Scotsman guide.
Rain, mist, and overcast skies are realistic possibilities in every month of the Royal Scotsman's operating season (April–October). The Highlands in rain have their own particular beauty — but if guaranteed sunshine is important to the experience, this is not the right train. The on-board atmosphere — whisky by the fire, mahogany panelling, conversation with fellow passengers — is designed to be as rewarding in bad weather as good.
The Glacier Express runs from Zermatt (at the foot of the Matterhorn) to St Moritz across the heart of the Swiss Alps — eight hours of continuous mountain scenery through the Oberalp Pass, the Rhine Gorge, and the Landwasser Viaduct. Excellence Class provides a premium experience — individual seats with panoramic windows, a five-course meal, and dedicated service. This is not an overnight luxury train in the VSOE sense; it is the most spectacular day trip in European rail travel. The accessibility is its strength: no multi-night commitment, no formal dress code, no booking six months ahead.
The Glacier Express is a premium panoramic train, not a private luxury service. Excellence Class is excellent but it is a carriage within a public train — other passengers in standard class travel on the same service. There are no sleeping compartments, no bar car, and no sense of inhabiting a private world on rails. For the scenery, it is unmatched. For the occasion, the VSOE and Royal Scotsman are in a different category.
The Bernina Express runs from Chur in Switzerland to Tirano in northern Italy, crossing the Bernina Pass at 2,253 metres — the highest rail crossing in the Alps and a UNESCO World Heritage route. The journey takes approximately four hours and costs from approximately £70 in first class — making it the most accessible luxury-adjacent train experience in Europe. The Landwasser Viaduct (shared with the Glacier Express route), the Morteratsch Glacier, and the descent into the Italian Valtellina valley provide four hours of continuous dramatic scenery. For travellers building an Italian itinerary around the VSOE, the Bernina Express from Tirano to St Moritz can be added as a day trip from the Italian side — creating a train journey combination that covers both the definitive luxury train and the definitive scenic train in a single trip.
Al Andalus is the least known of the European luxury trains outside Spain and arguably the most underrated. A six-night circuit through Andalusia — Seville, Córdoba, Granada, Ronda, Jerez, Cádiz — in restored 1920s carriages with en-suite cabins, a dining car, a lounge, and the particular quality of Spanish hospitality that operates at a different register from its northern European counterparts. The off-train excursions — the Alhambra in Granada, the Mezquita in Córdoba, the sherry bodegas of Jerez — provide a cultural density that no other European luxury train matches. Pricing starts from approximately €3,500 per person for the full six-night circuit — exceptional value for the duration and the quality of both the on-board and off-train experiences.
For travellers arriving in Seville to board Al Andalus, a private charter into Seville via JetLuxe avoids the Madrid connection and puts you in the city directly. A night at a Plum Guide apartment in Seville's Santa Cruz quarter before boarding sets the Andalusian tone from the first evening.
The Golden Eagle operates extended luxury train journeys across routes that no other operator covers — the Balkans (Budapest to Istanbul via Serbia and Bulgaria), Scandinavia (Stockholm to the Arctic Circle), and the Silk Road routes through Central Asia. These are not overnight services or day trips; they are multi-week rail expeditions with hotel-standard cabins, a dedicated restaurant car, and off-train excursions at each stop. Pricing starts from approximately £8,000 per person for a seven-day Balkan itinerary and rises to £25,000+ for the longest Silk Road crossings. For travellers who have done the VSOE and the Royal Scotsman and want rail travel that covers genuinely unfamiliar territory, the Golden Eagle is the next step.
The Northern Belle is a Pullman-style day-trip service operating across the UK — typically from northern English cities to destinations like the Lake District, Edinburgh, York, and Bath. The carriages are restored with the Pullman aesthetic (polished wood, table lamps, white linen), a multi-course lunch is served en route, and the format provides a taste of luxury rail travel at approximately £300 per person for a day trip. It is not in the same category as the VSOE or Royal Scotsman — but for travellers who want to experience the format before committing to a multi-thousand-pound overnight service, the Northern Belle is the most accessible starting point in the UK.
Many of Europe's luxury train journeys begin or end in cities where a Plum Guide apartment sets the tone. Paris, Venice, Edinburgh, Seville — individually vetted properties that match the quality of the journey itself.
Browse European Apartments — Plum GuideEvery European luxury train journey begins or ends in a city worth staying in. JetLuxe handles the aviation; Plum Guide handles the accommodation.
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