Operated by Belmond, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express takes guests on a cinematic five-night voyage from Istanbul to Paris, with stops at Bucharest, Sinaia and Budapest
“I am never sure of time or place upon a Railroad. I can’t read, I can’t think, I can’t sleep – I can only dream,” wrote Charles Dickens in his journal during the 1850s. “Rattling along in this railway carriage in a state of luxurious confusion, I take it for granted I am coming from somewhere, and going somewhere else … I know nothing about myself – for anything I know, I may be coming from the Moon.”
Nearly two centuries later, one feels the same sense of dreamlike disorientation while travelling aboard the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express. Operated by Belmond, this luxurious five-night voyage from Istanbul to Paris, with stops at Bucharest, Sinaia and Budapest, is a surreal journey into the past. Now meticulously restored, each train carriage has a history dating back to the early 20th century: King Carol stayed in Sleeping Car 3425 after escaping Romania with his mistress aboard the train in 1940, while Sleeping Car 3544 was used as a wartime brothel.
Arriving at Istanbul’s historic Sirkeci Station after a stroll through the city’s vibrant centre, boxes of baklava in tow, guests are greeted with a welcome fit for a king. The entire train platform has been transformed into a makeshift open-air Turkish tea house, with steaming hot çay (a potent, dark amber Turkish tea) being served in areas decked out with intricate carpets, upholstered footstools, brass and copper trays. Legions of crimson Turkish flags ripple in the wind up and down the platform as guests are invited to watch a live band play traditional Turkish music, or have their portrait taken by a wet plate photographer, before being ushered on board.
Our steward Eduardo shows us to our cabin, one of six grand suites named after European cities the train passes through: Budapest, Vienna, Paris, Venice, and two for Prague. Cabins on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express start from £18,050 per person (for a historic cabin), but in the grand suite, where we are staying, the journey is priced at £63,000 per person (the middle price point comes in at £39,150 for the suites). We are staying in Vienna, a dazzling room that takes its design cues from the Austrian capital, with intricate Art Nouveau-inspired wood panelling, deep green velvet upholstery and mirrors that amplify the panoramic views of the scenery outside. At around 115 sq ft, this room packs in a double bed, a living area with a table for private dining, a sofa, an en suite marble and mosaic bathroom with a shower, toilet and a green hand-blown Italian glass washbasin (luggage can be stowed underneath the bed, the sofa, or in a separate room).
Champagne, pastries, fresh fruit, and blinis with caviar and sour cream are served in our room upon arrival (champagne and caviar will turn out to be a constant staple of the trip). After we are settled in, we get a tour of the L’Observatoire, an insanely extravagant private carriage designed by French photographer and street artist JR. Kitted out with skylights, a vinyl player, stained-glass windows, a freestanding bath, a private dining area and a library, the L’Observatoire is priced at a whopping £80,000 per night.
The dress code on board is smart – according to Belmond, you can “never be overdressed”. Jeans are forbidden, with guests encouraged to wear black tie for dinner. In our finest evening attire, we head to one of the dining cars for the first of many opulent, seasonal three-course dinners envisioned by Michelin-starred French chef Jean Imbert. After dinner, guests pile into the bar cart and get to know one another over snacks, cocktails, and music played from a baby grand piano. As we enter Bulgaria before midnight, we disembark from the train to get our passports stamped at border control. In the dead of night, this deserted train platform is an eerie cinematic vision, with floodlights illuminating the ethereal mist.
After a breakfast of scrambled eggs, caviar, French toast and fresh fruit in our room the next morning, we pull into Bucharest – the capital of Romania – in the early afternoon. The city is hot and humid, and we get a brief tour of the imposing communist buildings on the way to our hotel for the night, InterContinental Athénée Palace Bucharest. Dinner tonight is at Caru’ cu bere, a historic restaurant in Bucharest’s old town serving house beer and traditional Romanian dishes like slow-roasted pork knuckle with braised sour cabbage, polenta and horseradish, smoky aubergine Zacusca dip, and dry-cured, spicy Pleșcoi sausages. After eating, guests indulge in some folk dancing in the restaurant’s vast, palatial space. Then it’s back to the hotel for a restful, uninterrupted night of sleep.
After boarding the train the morning after, we make a stop at Sinaia, a mountainous resort town in Romania of breathtakingly beautiful proportions. We are here to visit Peleș Castle, a 19th-century Neo-Renaissance palace with abundant gardens and sweeping views of the surrounding valley (in June, with everything in full bloom, it looks like a Disney movie). The castle has its own weapon hall with over 4,000 items, chandeliers made out of Murano glass, ornate stained glass windows, and reproductions of paintings by Rubens, Michelangelo and Rembrandt. Legend has it that, in 1883, a queen who once lived at the castle invited guests passing through Sinaia on the inaugural Orient Express into her home for an epic banquet.
Back on the train, with the mountainous scenery rushing by, I write a few postcards – provided and sent free of charge by Belmond – to family and friends. Afternoons on the train are best spent leisurely in one’s room, gazing out of the window as the train rocks gently, reading or writing. After another late night spent eating and drinking – the train feels most old-world romantic when stumbling back to one’s room in the small hours, slightly tipsy – we pull into Budapest the following morning for the most memorable leg of the trip.
The Hungarian capital is famously split by the Danube River into two parts: the hilly Buda, and the flat Pest. We start off the day with a private tour of Castle Hill, a historic, UNESCO-listed hilltop area with stunning, panoramic views of the city, home to Buda Castle and the Hungarian National Gallery and History Museum.
After sampling some strudel – a traditional Hungarian flaky pastry stuffed with cottage cheese – we enjoy a buffet-style lunch while cruising down the Danube River on a private boat. Following a quick tour of the Hungarian Parliament building, we check into our next hotel, the Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace. Overlooking the Danube, this hotel is an architectural marvel, an Art Nouveau masterpiece commissioned in 1902 by Her Imperial and Royal Highness Maria Klotild. Our high-ceilinged hotel room overlooks the river, and after a swim in the top-floor pool and a visit to the sauna and steam room, we are whisked off to a private tour of the Hungarian State Opera, a magnificent 19th-century Neo-Renaissance palace with plush red velvet seating and ornate gold plasterwork.
Dinner is served a stone’s throw from the hotel, in a grand private room at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. In between courses of smoked trout, duck breast, asparagus and Esterházy cake – a nutty, creamy Hungarian delicacy – the soprano of the Hungarian State Opera puts on a moving solo performance, moving many to tears.
After dinner, with free time on our hands, we decide to explore the Buda part of the city by night. Crossing over the cast iron Széchenyi Chain Bridge, golden light dances on the pitch-black surface of the River Danube. Walking uphill on winding paths and roads bursting with foliage, we find ourselves back at Castle Hill, except here, at midnight, there is not a tourist in sight – it is just us. Surveying the glittering cityscape at midnight in total peace, Budapest could easily take the prize for the most beautiful city in Europe, with its sweeping views, rolling hills and fairytale architecture.
The next morning, we board the train for the final 24-hour leg of the trip. As we hurtle towards Paris – our final destination – guests gather in the bar cart after dinner for an epic sendoff. The morning after, on the platform at Gare de l’Est, guests and staff exchange emotional goodbyes. Having spent the past five days on board together, living luxuriously, it is time to step back into reality.
Tickets for Belmond’s Venice Simplon-Orient-Express train can be booked here.
