One is emblematic of 1900s luxury, but have technological advances made modern luxury train travel better than the Orient Express?
The preferred mode of continental transport for Europe’s wealthiest people in the 1900s, the Orient Express is an iconic train. But how does its luxury compare to modern train travel.
We ask and answer the question: Orient Express vs. modern luxury train travel – what’s changed?
The Orient Express vs. modern luxury train travel – background info
The Orient Express was devised and built by the Belgian company Compagnie Internationale des Wagon-Lits in 1883. Though its heyday was undoubtedly in the early 20th century, this transcontinental service actually ran on its regular route as recently as 2009.
It is etched in Western culture thanks to Agatha Christie’s 1934 detective novel Murder on the Orient Express and its subsequent film and television adaptations, but back in the 1900s, the train was one of the most popular modes of transport for Europe’s elite.
Its original route connected the French capital of Paris and the Turkish city of Istanbul – the bridge between Europe and Asia. Along the way it passed through Strasbourg, Munich, Vienna, Budapest, and, occasionally, Varna.
Alterations to its route across its storied history took the train to London via Calais, as well as Lausanne, Simplon, Milan, Venice Belgrade and Sofia, or Zurich, Innsbruck, and Athens, depending on the era and service.
However, the City of Light and the City of the World’s Desire were always its focal points.
The Orient Express was one of a kind back in the 1900s, but somewhere along the way, train travel lost its appeal somewhat. The relative ease, cheapness, and speed of air travel would gradually take its place.
However, there still exist a few romantics for whom the train remains the superior form of travel.
Nowadays, luxury train travellers can pick from a wealth of options, with the Belmond Royal Scotsman, the Eastern & Oriental Express, Rovos Rail, the Rocky Mountaineer, and the Deccan Odyssey among the most popular.
For the purposes of this article, however, we will highlight a descendant train of the famous Orient Express – the Venice-Simplon Orient Express.
The Venice-Simplon Orient Express – not just an imitation
With the original Orient Express’s popularity waning, Compagnie Internationale des Wagon-Lits sold two of the train’s carriages to American businessman James Sherwood in 1982. He wasted no time adding to his fleet and established the Venice-Simplon Orient Express that same year.
Today, the Venice-Simplon Orient Express serves many of the same cities served by the original, with the occasional addition of the likes of Cologne, Berlin, and Dresden in Germany, and Warsaw, Malbork, and Krakow in Poland, among other cities.
Prices for the Venice-Simplon Orient Express start at £2,920 per person for a twin cabin and £8,400 per person for a grand suite. These prices reflect the train’s status as a luxury leisure event rather than a simple means of transport.
Sleeping quarters – comparing cabins
Predating today’s superfast trains by quite some time, the original Orient Express took anywhere from 80 hours to seven days, depending on the year of service and the technology available at the time. But the experience was the journey more than the destination.
The Venice-Simplon Orient Express carries that same ethos into the modern day. Similarly, passengers can spend anywhere from one to several days on board this luxury train.
With the price of a ticket on these trains and the time spent on them, passengers obviously expect to be comfortable, and neither the Orient Express nor its modern equivalent let(s) them down.
The Orient Express consisted of seven cars. Two stored luggage, a third housed the train’s restaurant, and the remaining four were designated sleeping coaches of between 13 and 16 beds.
Each private cabin within the sleeping coaches offered passengers comfortable beds, ensuite bathrooms, and even bespoke furnishings.
The Venice-Simplon Orient Express’s 12 sleeping cars, on the other hand, accommodate many more passengers. In addition to these sleeping cars, the service also boasts three dining cars and a bar car for its guests to enjoy food and drinks.
Passengers on board the Venice-Simplon Orient Express can avail of double- or twin-bed layouts and, for a little extra, a drawing saloon with a sofa.
Sleeping on a moving train is never going to be the best night’s sleep of your life, but you could do a lot worse.
Food – which had the better menu?
The Orient Express’s first menu offered its passengers dishes like oysters, turbot, chaud-froid of game, chicken à la chasseur, pasta soup, chicken à la chasseur, and a wide range of desserts. As the service grew in popularity, so did the variety of its menu.
Today, the Venice-Simplon Orient Express offers seasonal menus. Diners can expect to find such decadent delicacies as lobster, turbot in champagne sauce, sauteed veal chop, caviar, and a selection of fine cheeses.
While both services offered incredible food, there is little doubt that those on board the Venice-Simplon Orient Express enjoy their meals in more comfort. Since 2017, the dining car – and indeed, the sleeping cars – have been equipped with modern air conditioners.
Battle of the trains – Orient Express vs. modern luxury train travel
Both the Orient Express and the Venice-Simplon Orient Express (and furthermore, other trains like it) can rightly claim to have offered the best in contemporary luxury train travel.
However, given the conveniences the Venice-Simplon Orient Express and other modern trains boast today, it’s hard to imagine the Orient Express – as incredible as it may have been for its time – comparing in terms of comfort.
So, for that reason alone, we think that modern luxury train travel just about pips the travel experience of the Orient Express.
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