The Orient Express
The chocolate-and-cream British Pullman train departs from London Victoria and glides through Kent, the London-bound commuters waiting on station platforms looking on enviously as brunch and Bellinis are served on the way to the Channel. In France the royalblue train with brass insignia, lined by uniformed and white-gloved attendants, is waiting to take you through the most fought-over acres of France to the capital, while a four-course dinner is served. The dinner is made unforgettable by the sumptuous surroundings of the Lalique glass- and wood-paneled dining cars as well as the quality of the food, a miracle of skill conjured up in the tiny galley kitchen. follow this link to find out more The original Orient Express, inaugurated in 1883, ran between Paris and Istanbul and soon became a byword for elegance and Art Deco luxury. Today it is still possible to travel on the train as far as Istanbul and to a host of European destinations. Most itineraries include Venice, but other places to which the train journeys are Paris, Prague, Krakow, Budapest, Bucharest, Stockholm and Copenhagen. Prices for a double cabin start at £1,990 per person for a two-day journey, including all table d’hôte meals. belmond.com You can reach Italy by high-speed train in a single day from just £64, on a morning Eurostar to Paris and the afternoon TGV to Turin, booked at loco2.com. Add a touch of Orient Express glamour by lunching in Paris at the celebrated Train Bleu restaurant at the Gare de Lyon letrain-bleu.com, €58 for a three-course lunch under ceilings that rival Versailles. Leaving Paris the TGV dashes across rural France then slows right down to snake through the Alps into Italy. Stay overnight in Turin, one of Italy’s most under-rated cities. Orient Express Rocky Mountaineer, Canada Maharajas' Express, India Blue Train, South Africa
Eastern & Oriental Express, south-east Asia Trans-Siberian/Trans-Mongolian Desert Express, Namibia Kyushu Seven Stars, Japan The Hiram Bingham, Peru El Transcantรกbrico, Spain Hillol.Sarkar@ago-inc.com Fb/sarkarbranding