Orient Express Itineraries: How to Build a Week Around the Train

The VSOE is the centrepiece — not the entirety. The cities on either side of the journey, the Italian extension that follows, and the pace at which the whole trip unfolds determine whether the experience is a train ride or a narrative.

By Richard J. · Updated 15 September 2026

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The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express takes about twenty-five hours from Paris to Venice — Belmond's timetable has it leaving Paris at 16:00 and reaching Venezia Santa Lucia at 17:30 the following day, not the sixteen hours this page used to claim. That single correction reshapes every itinerary below, because it means you land in Venice at dinner time rather than with an afternoon to spend. The best trips built around the train take five to ten nights, and the VSOE works as the hinge of a broader European journey rather than a standalone overnight. Five complete itineraries follow, each repriced against Belmond's published 2026 fares.

Complete itineraries in this guide

5–10

Nights — range across all itineraries

£11.5k

From — total for two, classic 5-night trip

2027

When to book — 2026 Historic Cabins have gone on Paris departures

Itinerary 1: The Classic — Paris + VSOE + Venice (5 nights)

The foundation. Two nights in Paris, the overnight train, two nights in Venice. This is the structure most first-time VSOE passengers choose, and the one that gives proper weight to both cities and the journey between them.

One practical warning before you plan it. Historic Cabins on the 2026 Paris departures have sold out, so this itinerary as written — Paris to Venice, in the original compartment — is not currently bookable for 2026. Belmond's from-price on those departures is now £10,625, which is a Suite fare rather than a rise. Your options are to run it in reverse (Venice to Paris is still £4,275 in a Historic Cabin), to take a Suite, or to book 2027, where the same journey is €4,510. The costings below give all three.

Day by day — 5 nights

Day 1 — Arrive Paris Eurostar from London to Gare du Nord. Check into a Plum Guide apartment in the Marais. Evening walk along the Seine; dinner in the 3rd arrondissement.
Day 2 — Paris Musée d'Orsay or the Louvre in the morning. Lunch in Saint-Germain. Afternoon at leisure — the day to see what you came to Paris for, without rush.
Day 3 — Paris → VSOE Morning free; a final Parisian lunch, and pack for a 16:00 departure rather than an evening one. Change before you board — a formal dress code applies for dinner. Taxi to the station; board; depart. Dinner in the restaurant car crossing Burgundy. Check your ticket for the Paris station: Belmond and Seat61 give Gare de l'Est, while some operator timetables now list Gare d'Austerlitz. They are twenty minutes apart and it is not a mistake worth making.
Day 4 — A full day aboard, arrive Venice evening Breakfast in your compartment, the Alps through the morning, lunch in the restaurant car, and the Dolomites through the afternoon. Arrival at Venezia Santa Lucia is 17:30 — this is the correction that matters most for planning, because an earlier version of this page had you arriving late morning with an afternoon free. You do not. Water taxi to a canal-front apartment in San Polo, change, and go straight to dinner in Dorsoduro. Book the table before you leave home.
Day 5 — Venice Your only full Venice day, so use it. Doge's Palace and San Marco early. The Peggy Guggenheim Collection or the Accademia in the afternoon. Evening passeggiata along the Zattere; final dinner at a canal-side table.
Day 6 — Depart Venice Morning in the Rialto Market. Depart via Marco Polo Airport, or continue to the next Italian destination.

Total cost for two, including the VSOE, Eurostar, two nights Paris, two nights Venice, water taxis and incidentals. In a Historic Cabin at £4,275 per person: approximately £11,500–£13,000. In a Suite at Belmond's current £10,625 per person: approximately £24,000–£26,000. In a Grand Suite: approximately £30,000. Earlier versions of this page gave £9,000–£10,500 and £12,500–£14,000 for the first two; both were too low, the Suite figure by roughly half. Booking 2027 at €4,510 per person brings the Historic Cabin total to around £10,500–£12,000. Our full VSOE price breakdown has the line-by-line ledger.

Itinerary 2: Venice + Lake Como (7 nights)

The classic itinerary extended westward. After two nights in Venice, a transfer to Lake Como adds two of the most beautiful settings in Italy to the same trip. The move from Venice's canals to Como's lake — both defined by water — creates a journey with a natural narrative arc.

Day by day — 7 nights

Days 1–4 — as per Itinerary 1 (Paris, VSOE, evening arrival into Venice).
Day 5 — Venice The full Venice day the arrival evening does not give you. San Marco early, the Accademia or the Guggenheim after lunch. An earlier version of this itinerary promised two nights in Venice and scheduled one; this is the night it was missing.
Day 6 — Venice → Lake Como Morning in Venice. First-class train or private car to Milan (~2.5 hours), then on to Bellagio, Varenna, or Cernobbio (~1 hour). Check into a Plum Guide lakeside property. Evening on the terrace with the lake below.
Day 7 — Lake Como Morning boat to Villa del Balbianello and Tremezzina. Lunch lakeside in Varenna; afternoon at the villa or exploring Bellagio on foot.
Day 8 — Depart A slow morning on the terrace, then a transfer to Milan Malpensa (~1 hour) for the flight home, or continue onward.

Total cost for two (Historic Cabin at £4,275 per person): approximately £13,500–£15,500 including the VSOE, Paris, two Venice nights, two Lake Como nights and transfers. For the full accommodation guide, see our Lake Como luxury stays article — which covers why Bellagio is the obvious base and often the wrong one.

Itinerary 3: Venice + Amalfi Coast (9 nights)

The longest standard itinerary, and the one with the fullest Italian immersion. Venice for art and architecture; the Amalfi Coast for the sea and the cliffs. The transfer between them is the only structural challenge — Venice to Naples by high-speed train takes roughly five hours, then a car to Positano, Ravello, or Praiano.

Day by day — 9 nights

Days 1–5 — as per Itinerary 1 (Paris, VSOE, two nights Venice).
Day 6 — Venice → Amalfi Coast High-speed train Venice to Naples (~5 hours, first class). Private transfer from Naples to Ravello, Positano, or Praiano (~1 hour). Check into a Plum Guide villa on the Amalfi Coast. Evening on the terrace with the sea below.
Days 7–9 — Amalfi Coast Three full days. Ravello's gardens and concerts, Positano on foot, a boat trip to Capri, a seafood lunch in Praiano, the Path of the Gods hike. The pace changes entirely — from Venetian canals to Mediterranean cliffs.
Day 10 — Depart Transfer to Naples airport (~1 hour) for the flight home.

Total cost for two (Historic Cabin at £4,275 per person): approximately £15,000–£18,000 including the VSOE, Paris, Venice, three Amalfi Coast nights, the high-speed train and transfers. For the villa side of it, our guide to the best European villa destinations covers where the Amalfi Coast wins and where it does not.

Itinerary 4: Paris to Istanbul — The Full Journey (9–10 nights)

This is not an extension of the Paris–Venice run. It is a fundamentally different experience: a five-night journey across several countries, of which — and this page previously got it wrong — three nights are aboard the train, the other two in hotels in Budapest and Bucharest. Belmond is explicit about it, and it changes what you are buying: this is a rail journey punctuated by two guided city stops, not five consecutive nights in a compartment. It arrives into Istanbul's Sirkeci station, it is the journey that made the Orient Express famous, and it runs just twice a year — in 2026, 25 May and 25 September from Paris, with the return legs on 1 June and 2 October. It books out many months ahead.

Day by day — 9–10 nights

Day 1 — Arrive Paris Eurostar or a private charter into Paris. a Marais apartment, as per Itinerary 1. Evening in Paris.
Day 2 — Paris → VSOE departs Board for an 11:00 departure — a morning start, not the mid-afternoon one this page used to give, which matters if you were planning a leisurely Paris morning first. Lunch is served as you cross France.
Days 3–6 — The train and the two city stops Through Austria and into Hungary for a guided day and a hotel night in Budapest, with a Danube cruise; onward into Romania for a visit to Peleş Castle at Sinaia and a guided day and hotel night in Bucharest. Belmond lists those four experiences as included. The bar car at midnight and the morning light over the Balkans are the reason people book it — a traversal of a continent rather than a route between two cities.
Day 7 — Arrive Istanbul Arrival into Sirkeci station. Transfer to the old city. Check into a hotel in Sultanahmet, within walking distance of the old city. Afternoon at the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia.
Days 8–9 — Istanbul Two full days. The Grand Bazaar, the Bosphorus by boat, the Topkapı Palace, dinner in Karaköy or Beyoğlu.
Day 10 — Depart Istanbul Fly home, or continue.

Total cost for two (Historic Cabin): approximately £42,000–£46,000. The VSOE Paris–Istanbul is £19,900 per person in a Historic Cabin — Belmond's own published 2026 figure, and an earlier version of this page had it at £18,050, which was wrong. Add Paris accommodation, three Istanbul nights, the Eurostar and transfers. On Suites and Grand Suites: Belmond prices them but the multiples that hold on one-night routes do not hold on multi-night packages, so rather than repeat the £64,500-per-person figure this page previously carried, which we cannot source, ask Belmond directly. This is the apex of luxury train travel and it is priced accordingly. An Airalo eSIM with a European regional plan plus a Turkey plan covers connectivity across the route, and SafetyWing travel insurance is worth carrying for a multi-country journey of this complexity.

Itinerary 5: VSOE + Tuscany Villa (8 nights)

The VSOE as the opening act of a Tuscan villa holiday. Venice for two nights, then a drive south to a villa in Chianti or the Val d'Orcia. The train delivers the sense of occasion; the villa delivers the immersion.

Day by day — 8 nights

Days 1–5 — as per Itinerary 1 (Paris, VSOE, evening arrival, and a full Venice day). The intro promises two Venice nights and this is where they are; an earlier version of this itinerary scheduled one.
Day 6 — Venice → Tuscany Morning in Venice. Hire car from Piazzale Roma or a private transfer south. The drive through Emilia-Romagna into Tuscany takes roughly three hours — past Bologna, descending into the Chianti hills. Arrive at a Plum Guide Tuscan villa in time for a late lunch on the terrace.
Days 7–8 — Tuscany Two full villa days. Wine tasting in Chianti, the Val d'Orcia by car, Siena or San Gimignano on foot, a cooking class, the Saturnia hot springs. The pace changes entirely — from the formality of the VSOE to the barefoot informality of a villa pool terrace.
Day 9 — Depart Drive to Florence (~45 minutes from Chianti) or Pisa airport. Fly home.

Total cost for two (Historic Cabin at £4,275 per person): approximately £14,000–£17,000 including the VSOE, Paris, two Venice nights, three Tuscany villa nights, car hire and incidentals. On the villa itself, our guides to winery villa stays and how to book a luxury villa cover what separates a good Chianti estate from an expensive one.

Which Itinerary to Choose

Match the trip to the time available

5 nights — Paris + VSOE + Venice The foundation. Tight but complete. Best for first-time VSOE passengers who want the train as the centrepiece.
7 nights — Add Lake Como The most elegant extension. Two water-defined cities plus an Italian lake, with the full Venice day the five-night version cannot give you. The natural pairing.
8 nights — Add a Tuscany villa The immersion extension. Best for food and wine lovers, families, and groups who want the countryside after the cities.
9 nights — Add the Amalfi Coast The sea extension. Best for guests who want beach and cliff alongside the architecture and the train.
9–10 nights — Paris to Istanbul A different category entirely, and only twice a year. Three nights aboard plus guided stops in Budapest and Bucharest. Not a holiday component — the trip of a lifetime.

Every itinerary in this guide uses Plum Guide apartments and villas for the stays — individually vetted properties in Paris, Venice, Lake Como, Tuscany, and beyond that match the quality of the VSOE journey itself.

Browse VSOE Trip Accommodation — Plum Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you do the Orient Express and Italy in one week?

Yes — and this is the most popular structure. Two nights in Paris, the overnight VSOE to Venice, two or three nights in Venice, then onward to Lake Como, the Amalfi Coast, or Tuscany for the remainder of the week. A seven-night trip provides enough time for both the train journey and a meaningful Italian stay without either feeling rushed. The key is to book the onward Italian accommodation before the VSOE departure — the best properties in Venice, Como, and the Amalfi Coast book months ahead for peak season.

What is the best itinerary around the Orient Express?

The classic is two nights in Paris, the overnight VSOE Paris to Venice, then two nights in Venice — a five-night trip that gives proper weight to both cities and the train journey between them. For travellers with more time, extending from Venice to Lake Como (two nights) or the Amalfi Coast (three nights) creates a seven to ten-night Italian journey that uses the VSOE as the centrepiece rather than the entirety. The Paris to Istanbul journey is a different category — five nights, three of them aboard the train and two in hotels in Budapest and Bucharest, and it runs only twice a year. It is the trip of a lifetime rather than a holiday component.

How many days do you need for a complete VSOE trip?

A minimum of five nights for the classic Paris-Venice experience: one or two nights in Paris before boarding, the overnight train, and two nights in Venice after arrival. Seven nights allows an Italian extension — Lake Como, the Amalfi Coast, or Tuscany. Ten nights accommodates a more relaxed pace with three nights in Venice and a longer onward stay. The Paris to Istanbul journey requires a minimum of seven nights — it is a five-night journey, of which three are aboard the train and two are hotel nights in Budapest and Bucharest, plus a night each side — and is best with nine to ten.

Can you combine the Orient Express with Lake Como?

This is one of the strongest combinations in European luxury travel. The VSOE arrives into Venice at 17:30, so the arrival day is a dinner and a hotel bed rather than sightseeing — plan two nights in Venice on that basis, then move on. Lake Como is roughly three hours north-west by car or first-class train. The standard structure is two Venice nights after the VSOE, then a transfer to Como for two or three nights at Bellagio, Varenna, or Cernobbio. The transition from Venice's canals to Como's lake — both architecturally extraordinary, both defined by water — creates a journey with a natural narrative arc.

What time does the Orient Express arrive in Venice?

Belmond's timetable has the Paris departure at 16:00 and arrival at Venezia Santa Lucia at 17:30 the following day, making the journey about twenty-five hours rather than the sixteen often quoted. Seat61 publishes a later departure and an 18:25 arrival; either way the arrival is early evening, not morning. This matters more than it sounds for planning: the day you arrive in Venice is a hotel check-in, a change of clothes and dinner, not an afternoon of sightseeing. Budget two Venice nights if you want a full day in the city, and book the arrival-night restaurant before you leave home.

Is the Orient Express sold out for 2026?

Partly, and in a way that changes what you can book. As of September 2026, Historic Cabins have sold out on every Paris departure, so Paris to Venice, Paris to Verona and Paris to Florence now show a from-price of £10,625 — a Suite fare rather than a price rise. Journeys running into Paris are still available in a Historic Cabin at £4,275, and Paris to Vienna at £3,885. If the original 1920s compartment is what you want and Paris is where you want to start, the answer is to book 2027, where one-night fares run €4,510 to €5,120.

What does a complete Orient Express trip cost?

A complete Paris-Venice trip for two — the VSOE in a Historic Cabin at £4,275 per person, two nights in Paris, two nights in Venice, the Eurostar and water taxis — comes to approximately £11,500 to £13,000. In a Suite, at Belmond's current £10,625 per person, approximately £24,000 to £26,000. In a Grand Suite, approximately £30,000. Earlier versions of this page quoted £9,000 to £10,500 and £12,500 to £14,000 for the first two, and both were too low. Note also that Historic Cabins have sold out on the 2026 Paris departures, so a Historic Cabin trip means travelling Venice to Paris instead, or booking 2027 at €4,510 per person. An Italian extension adds roughly £2,000 to £5,000 depending on where and how long.

Every total on this page is a planning estimate built from Belmond's published fares. The line-by-line version — what the train includes, what it does not, and what the trip actually costs once the hotels and transfers are in — is on the cost page.

See the full cost breakdown