‘Slow Travel’ Gains Speed With Luxury Train Rides, 24-Hour Butler Included

“There’s a boom in high-end, luxury train travel post-pandemic,” says Gilda Perez-Alvarado, chief strategy officer and CEO of Orient Express, the legendary rail brand revived this year by hospitality giant Accor after a half century. “It’s driven by an insatiable appetite for experiences, adventures, and seeing new places.”

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A “yearning for the golden age of travel” is also fueling “a lot more appetite” for luxury train travel, says Carolyn Addison, head of product at “couture travel” company Black Tomato. “Our audience skews younger than many tour operators, and trains have jumped in popularity with them.” 

A report by research firm Future Market Insights estimated the “heritage railways trains market”―railways that recreate or share experiences similar to earlier eras of rail travel―at US$315 Billion in 2022, and predicts it will reach US$680 Billion by 2032.

As demand grows, “people are definitely willing to spend more,” says Alison Duray, a product specialist at tour operator Abercrombie & Kent. “They want the top everything, and they’re willing to pay for it.”

What’s at the top keeps getting elevated. Orient Express will debut its first journey in the fourth quarter of this year, according to a news release. Bisecting Italy from north to south, the 1960s-inspired La Dolce Vita train will boast design by hip Milan architects Dimorestudio; its top-tier suites are outfitted like spacious bedrooms, with a sofa, table, armchairs, plush carpeting, and en-suite bathroom. In dining cars, white-tablecloth service will include crystal, Italian tableware, and seasonal menus. Reports say suites will top out at about US$27,000 per night.

Belmond’s Venice-Simplon Orient Express―which has no affiliation with Accor’s Orient Express―launched one of the world’s most expensive train journeys this year, according to Black Tomato’s Addison. The famed train’s Grand Suites start at about US$77,000 per person; it includes 24-hour butler service, marble en-suite bathrooms, private dining, and “free-flowing champagne,” according to an online brochure.

Luxury conglomerate LVMH bought Belmond in 2018; since then, it’s been grafting its other brands onto rail experiences. The Royal Scotsman, a trans-Scotland voyage set to roll out revamped “Grand Suites” in May, features a Dior-branded spa onboard. Veuve Clicquot, the LVMH champagne brand, is collaborating with Belmond on three bubbly-inspired train trips themed around “Veuve Clicquot’s joie de vivre.” 

Set to debut this spring, the itineraries across Asia, Europe, and Peru promise “unique sunrises” enjoyed with the “most prestigious cuvées and paired with fine dining prepared by world-renowned chefs.”

Belmond also enlisted Oscar-winning director and train aficionado Wes Anderson to design cars on the British Pullman line, with “carefully calibrated color palettes to feast over,” according to the company.

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Design “has been a big part of the luxury upgrade overall,” says Ashley Isaacs Ganz, founder and CEO of New York-based Artisans of Leisure, a luxury travel booker. “You’re seeing major designers, big creative firms, and celebrities in common areas, specialty suites, and spas. And we’re seeing brand collaborations play out in new ways.” 

The Andean Explorer, a Belmond train that travels through Peru, has been “huge for us” this year, Ganz adds. “It gets to areas hard to visit unless you fly there,” she says. “You experience these incredible landscapes.”

Golden Eagle, a privately owned operator based in Cheshire, England, introduced private suites in 2013; this year, it unveiled the top-level Imperial Suite on its 16-day Yerevan-Almaty Caspian Odyssey trip, which combines train and private-jet travel to crisscross former Soviet republics. Cost: US$115,000 per couple.

The 120-square-foot Imperial Suite, with its king bed, en-suite bathroom, heated floors, and dressing area, “sells out pretty quickly,” says Ian Lomas, head of marketing for Golden Eagle, which specializes in longer itineraries. “Think of it as an ocean cruise, but on a train,” Lomas says. “You get to visit cities with your own guide and itinerary.” Among luxury-rail aficionados, Golden Eagle trains are also “revered” for culinary experiences, he adds. “We have our own chefs, who are a real force. Our service levels are exceptional. Our clients are paying significant sums of money, and that’s what they expect.”

Along with ever-elevated standards of pampering, a gentler carbon footprint is motivating high-net-worth travelers to rediscover rail travel, says Matt Berna, president and managing director for the Americas at Intrepid Travel, a global tour-booking company. 

“Travelers are more conscious of their footprint, and high-net-worth clients are no different,” he says. “The concept of slow travel, taking your time, and enjoying what you see out the window has had a comeback, rather than seeing eight European capitals in a week.” Intrepid, which customizes travel experiences, has also replaced air travel with first-class train trips on many itineraries.

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Berna also suggested travelers seek out luxury train experiences in less familiar destinations. 

“The Ghan luxury train travels from Darwin to Adelaide. People may not know Australia for that level of service,” he says. Its top-tier Platinum Suite costs US$5,530 per person. “Train travel in Japan is incredibly impressive,” including the Seven Stars Kyushu train, with suites—available by lottery only—starting at US$5,400 per person.

For travelers who can’t choose, train-travel specialists Railbookers is offering an 80-day “Around the World by Luxury Train” itinerary that hops on iconic luxury trains like South Africa’s Rovos Rail, India’s Maharajas’ Express, the Royal Scotsman, and the Venice-Simplon Orient-Express. Fares start at US$113,599 for the entire trip, though travelers can book segments.

“These private train operators are our fastest-growing segment,” says Gareth Jones, director of product development at Railbookers. “The more luxury trains come on the market, the more excited people get. Mention trains, and everyone smiles.”