The new Orient Express luxury train will hit the rails in spring 2025 – and this is what it looks like

Traveling by train could be so nice: environmentally friendly, fast, comfortable. At least that's how we imagine it. Unfortunately, the reality in this country with Deutsche Bahn is different. It feels like eighty percent of all trains arrive late. In fact, it shouldn't even be forty percent. But either way:Nice train travelworks differently - for example in theLuxury variant with the Orient Express, which is set to redefine rail travel with new sleeping cars from spring 2025.

When you think of luxury trains, you immediately think of the legendary Orient Express. Many may not even know of any other luxury train. However, its fame is not only based on its luxuriousness, but also on the crime classicMord im Orient-Expressby Agatha Christie. But apart from that, luxury travel itself is more popular than it has been for a long time. An analysis by management consultancy McKinsey & Company assumes that global spending on luxury travel will increase by more than eight percent by 2028 - from 360 to 391 billion dollars. In this respect, it is a perfect time to put the Orient Express back on the rails.

In 1883 he drove the route from Paris to Constantinople (today Istanbul) for the first time, although at that time it was not yet continuous. After the Second World War, the Orient Express was abolished and the route was then only run by “normal” express trains. Although there were still some routes that were served by the Orient Express, the last one was abolished in 2009. The reason was, understandably, that the plane is a lot quicker. But since it became clear how harmful flying is for the environment and that a trip on a luxury train is of course a unique experience, the time was ripe for the return of the Orient Express.

Now, in collaboration with the Italian luxury gastronomy group Arsenale, not only are two new hotels opening in Italy, but also six brand new luxury sleeping car trains are being put on the rails, named after the well-known Italian way of life “La Dolce Vita”. The La Dolce Vita trains will travel on 16,000 kilometers of rail through a total of 14 regions in Italy - including Sicily. Up to 62 passengers can travel in the elegant deluxe and suite cabins, but the fun comes at a price: you have to shell out from 3,500 euros for one night.

But the restart of the Orient Express should only be the beginning. Not only will more luxurious sleeper trains run in other regions, including those in the Middle East, but from 2026 there will also be a first sailing superyacht that will also leave nothing to be desired. Welcome back, Orient Express!