Venice Simplon Orient Express . . .

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What exactly is the Venice Simplon Orient Express?

The Venice Simplon Orient Express (VSOE) is a privately-run train of historic and beautifully-restored 1920s, 30s & 50s coaches, providing a classic luxury train experience between London, Paris, Innsbruck, Verona & Venice.  It's actually two trains, a daytime Pullman train from London to Folkestone and a Continental train of 1920s sleeping-cars from Calais to Paris & Venice.  It links London, Paris & Venice roughly once a week between March & November, and occasionally trips to Rome, Krakow, Budapest and (once a year in August) Istanbul.  It is run by Venice Simplon Orient Express (VSOE) Limited, who also operate the equally luxurious Eastern & Oriental Express from Singapore to Bangkok, the Royal Scotsman cruise train and the trains to Machu Picchu in Peru.  The complete London-Venice journey takes 24 hours and costs around £1,600 per person one way, including all meals but excluding drinks.  It should not be confused with the real Orient Express, the true descendant of the original 1883 Orient Express, a regular scheduled train which was finally withdrawn on 12 December 2009, see here for an explanation!  However, if you can afford it, the Venice Simplon Orient Express is the most wonderfully romantic and luxurious way to reach Venice, and its vintage carriages are a piece of history in themselves.  The food & on-board service are truly world class.  Unlike many expensive tourist experiences, this train really does live up to its five-star and you won't be disappointed!

Orient Express schedule & prices    How to buy tickets   What's the journey like?   History of the Orient Express

Orient Express schedule & departure dates 2010...

Departure dates from London & Paris 2010:  March 25, April 11, 15, 22, 29 May 9, 13, 23, 27, 30, June 3, 10, 17, 27, July 1, 15, 22, August 12, 19, September 12, 19, 23, 26, October 3, 10, 14, 21, 28, November 4.

Departure dates from Venice, Verona & Innsbruck 2010:  March 24, April 10, 14, 21, 28, May 12, 26, 29, June 2, 9, 16, 30, July 21, August 11, 18, September 11, 22, 25, October 2, 20, 27, November 3.

Other destinations:  There are also occasional departures to Krakow, Vienna, Budapest, Rome and even (27 August 2010) Istanbul, see www.orient-expresstrains.com.

Can a 24 hour journey to Venice really be worth £1,595 per person? 

I have to say that initially I doubted it could.  But after experiencing it I changed my mind - it certainly can!  Travelling on the Venice Simplon Orient Express meets and indeed exceeds expectations, both in terms of the superbly restored historic coaches, the beautiful Alpine scenery, the remarkably good and plentiful food and the excellent but surprisingly unpretentious service from the train's staff.  Personally, I have no hesitation in saying 'yes' for another reason as well.  Nicolette and I boarded the train with nothing planned or premeditated, but it weaved its special magic and before the wagons-lits reached Verona we were engaged...  Whilst I'd be the first to say that this train is not the 'original' Orient Express, it's a beautifully-restored and historic train, beautifully run, and an utter pleasure to travel on.  So if you can afford it, this is one train you shouldn't miss.

Book online with no commission or booking fees:  www.orient-expresstrains.com

Travel agencies fall over themselves to sell you tickets for the Orient Express, but it's easiest & cheapest to book online direct with Venice Simplon Orient Express at www.orient-expresstrains.com.  This way, you pay no commission or booking fees, and can immediately see actual availability on different dates, rather than having to wait until your travel agent gets back to you.  If you feel like packing some lucky loved one off to Paris or Venice, you can buy Orient Express gift certificates.

One-way on the Venice Simplon Orient Express, return on regular trains...  If you're only taking the Orient Express one way, don't fly the other way, as flights are unnecessary.  Just take the regular overnight sleeper train from Venice to Paris, called the 'Stendhal' with 2-berth sleepers & restaurant car available, then a morning Eurostar from Paris to London.  It makes an interesting comparison!  See the London to Italy by train page for all you need to know.  Alternatively, for a scenic daytime journey, I recommend taking an afternoon train from Venice to Zurich via the amazing Gotthard Pass route through the Swiss Alps, staying overnight in Zurich, then returning to London on a morning Lyria TGV to Paris and Eurostar home, full details here.

Or book a package:  One way by Orient Express, return on scheduled trains:  www.railbookers.com

Tour company Railbookers (www.railbookers.com, 020 3327 0761) offer Orient Express 4 or 5 night packages combining the Venice Simplon Orient Express one way from London to Venice, 2 nights in a hand-picked hotel in Venice, then return from Venice to London by scheduled train, for around £1,859 per person.  Or vice versa.  They can do you the scenic route recommended in the paragraph above, from Venice to London via Zurich and the scenic Gotthard Pass route through he Alps.

What's a journey on the Orient Express like?

The Venice Simplon Orient Express is in fact two separate trains, a British Pullman train from London to Folkestone and a Continental sleeping-car train from Calais to Venice.  You must check in an hour before departure at the Orient Express lounge on platform 2 at Victoria Station, where your heavy bags are taken and put in the baggage van.  Make sure you retain an overnight bag with everything necessary for the journey.

The London-Folkestone Pullman train...

After checking in at the Orient Express lounge on platform 2 at Victoria station, you board the train of restored British Pullman cars dating from the late 1920s, 30s and 50s bound for Folkestone.  The Pullman cars consist of plush armchairs in open saloons, arranged as intimate 'tables for two' each side of the aisle.  Most cars also have one private 4-seat compartment at the end which can be requested if you'd prefer privacy.  It's strange how 80 years of ergonomics haven't produced anything as luxuriously comfortable as a 1920s Pullman seat!  The train leaves around 11:00 on most Thursdays and some Saturdays between March & November.  Champagne is served immediately after departure, followed by an excellent early lunch with wine served by the steward in charge of each car (lunch & drinks on the UK Pullman train included in the fare).  The train follows one of the original 'boat train' routes (there were in fact several) through the Kent countryside to Folkestone.  www.orient-expresstrains.com features a brief history of the career of each individual VSOE Pullman Car, worth checking as the history is fascinating, many of the cars having links with famous Pullman trains or even famous people.  Some cars were used on the 'Golden Arrow' boat train between London & Dover, others on the 'Brighton Belle' between London & Brighton, a couple were used on Winston Churchill's funeral train, and so on...

The Pullman train from London to Folkestone.		Inside Pullman car 'Minerva'

Crossing the Channel...

The Pullman train terminates at Folkestone West (a small station just west of Folkestone Central), where passengers transfer to a waiting fleet of executive road coaches.  Until 2007 the VSOE went down to Folkestone Harbour to meet the buses, reaching the Harbour station via a slow descent of the steep 1 in 30 gradient on the weed-strewn branch line to the seafront, a historic line once used by regular boat trains.  The coaches cross the Channel somewhat unauthentically on board a vehicle-carrying shuttle train though the Channel Tunnel.  At Calais, the coaches drive off the shuttle train at the Eurotunnel terminal and head for Calais Ville station.  Calais Maritime station, where the ferries originally arrived to connect with the trains to Paris and beyond, was closed and tarmacked over in 1994 following the start of Eurostar services via the Channel Tunnel.

The Venice Simplon Orient Express continental train...

At Calais Ville, the continental train of restored Wagons-Lits sleeping-cars is waiting to take you onwards to Paris, Innsbruck, Verona and Venice.  The sleeping-cars, almost all superb 1929-vintage 'LX' series cars, have 1- & 2-bed compartments that convert to private sitting rooms with sofa and coffee table for daytime use.  There are not one but two or three dining cars, each with individual design and decoration.  One features Lalique crystal decor, another Chinese motifs.  Different meal sittings are served in each - you can experience all of them!  There's also a bar car, complete with armchairs and a grand piano - though neither bar nor piano were historically a feature of the Orient Express..!  Meals and afternoon tea are included in the fare, but drinks are extra on the Continental train.  Reckon on over £11 for a (very good!) half bottle of wine.  www.orient-expresstrains.com features a brief history of the career of each individual sleeping-car.

Above:  The Orient Express continental train at Calais.  Each sleeper has its own sleeper attendant.		Above:  Dinner in one of the continental train's three elegant restaurant cars.

Near right:  A 2-berth compartment in one of the Orient Express's 1929-vintage LX-series sleeping-cars, in daytime mode with sofa folded out... Far right:  The same compartment in night-time mode with the two beds folded out, blind down and ladder in place.  Probably the most comfortable bed I've slept in on any train worldwide... Compare these pictures with the 'day' and 'night' pictures of the 'LX' sleepers' direct replacement, the 1964-1974 'MU' sleepers, at the top of the sleeper page.

Above:  There are two or three restaurant cars on the Orient Express continental train, each with very different decor.  Try to get a meal in each one!		Each sleeper compartment has a washstand - there are no showers on a 1920s train!		A suit is essential, but most passengers bring a dinner jacket...

The scenery you'll see on the way...

In spite of its name, the Venice Simplon Orient express no longer uses the Simplon Tunnel between Switzerland and Italy, but is routed overnight from Paris via Basel to Zurich, then through the Arlberg Pass to Innsbruck, through the Brenner Pass to Verona and on to Venice.  You'll probably wake up after Zurich, with Swiss lakes outside your window when you put up the blind, as fresh croissant, fruit juice and excellent coffee are delivered to your compartment.  The train cuts across a few miles of Lichtenstein before crossing into Austria via the spectacularly scenic Arlberg Pass (see the photos below).  The railway hugs the valley wall, snaking along the mountain sides.  After Innsbruck the train turns south through the equally scenic Brenner Pass from Austria into Italy to reach Verona.  Turning east again, the train reaches Venice Mestre on the mainland, then rumbles slowly over the causeway with anticipation building, finally arriving at Venice Santa Lucia terminus on the very shores of the Grand Canal in central Venice, walking distance from the Rialto Bridge and St Mark's Square...

Above:  Mountains in Switzerland seen from the train...		...as breakfast is served in your compartment.

Above and above right:  The Venice Simplon Orient Express snakes through  the Arlberg pass between Zurich and Innsbruck...

Is the Venice Simplon Orient Express the 'original' Orient Express?

No.  Not least because there was no 'original' Orient Express.  The Orient Express was a service, not a physical train of coaches, and it used different rolling stock at different times in its history, and in any case it required several sets of coaches to operate, not just one (think about it:  You can't run a daily service from Calais to Istanbul taking 3 nights with just one set of coaches!).  In addition, most of the VSOE's sleeping-cars are 1929-built 'LX' series cars which were not generally used on the Orient Express to Istanbul at all, but being the Wagons-Lits Company's premier sleeping-cars they were used on trains such as the Train Bleu from Calais/Paris to Nice & Monte Carlo, the Nord Express from Paris to Berlin, Warsaw & Riga, and the Rome Express from Calais/Paris to Rome.  However, VSOE also own a couple of 'S' class sleepers dating from 1927 which were used on the original Orient Express services to Istanbul & Athens, at least before WW2 (after WW2 they were replaced on the Orient Express routes by the more modern Z class).  The 'S' class sleepers are less glamorous than the LX's, with slightly smaller compartments than the LX cars, and they lack the intricate wood marquetry decoration that distinguishes the LX.  There is, in fact, a real Orient Express, the true descendant of the first 1883 departure, now a regular scheduled overnight train between Strasbourg and Vienna - all is revealed on the Orient Express page.

History of the Orient Express:  See the Orient Express page...

The Venice Simplon Orient Express was started in 1982 by James Sherwood of Sea Containers Inc., who acquired the first batch of 'LX' series sleeping-cars for the VSOE at auction in Monte Carlo in 1977.  For a history of the (real) Orient Express from 1883 to the present day, see the Orient Express page

UK Pullman day trips...

In addition to its London-Folkestone duties in connection with the continental train to Venice, the VSOE's British Pullman cars are also used for a programme of day-trips and excursions around the British Isles, typically £190-£350 per person.  Venice Simplon Orient Express Ltd also owns a set of more modern cars dating from the 1970s which is used on excursions in the north of England.  See www.orient-expresstrains.com.

Orient Express journeys to Rome, Krakow, Budapest, Prague, Istanbul...

As well as its regular run to Venice, the continental train also runs occasional services to Vienna, Budapest and Rome, and even (once a year in August) to Istanbul.  See www.orient-expresstrains.com.

Gifts & Souvenirs:  Venice Simplon Orient Express online shop

If you've been on the Orient Express (or even if you haven't!), the Venice Simplon Orient Express has an online gift shop, with official souvenirs, posters, travel accessories, luggage and more...

Boutique hotels in London, Paris or Venice:  www.mrandmrssmith.com...

If you need somewhere special to stay in London, Paris or Venice before or after your Orient Express journey, see www.mrandmrssmith.com.  This lists hand-picked boutique hotels in each of these cities and popular destinations worldwide.

Books about the Orient Express...

If you want to learn more about the Orient Express, you can click the pictures to buy these books online at Amazon.  The book on the left has more about the history of the Orient Express, the book on the right concentrates on the restored Venice Simplon Orient Express.

Also recommended is 'The Orient Express - The life and times of the world's most famous train' by E H Cookridge.  Although out of print, you can buy it second hand through Amazon - click here for details.

The Orient Express also features heavily in fiction...  

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (actually set on the Simplon Orient Express, as she knew full well)

Murder on the Orient Express (DVD, 1974 film)

Stamboul Train by Graham Greene (actually set on the Oostende-Vienna Orient Express, not the Orient Express)