The Orient Express Is Returning to the Rails

There’s something undeniably romantic about long-distance train travel. Maybe it’s the nostalgia for a slower pace of life, or perhaps it’s the luxurious service onboard or the epic views through the window. In any case, few routes are more synonymous with long-distance rail trips than the Orient Express, the transcontinental European train service that originally ran from 1883 to 1977. Now, there’s an exciting new development on the horizon — the iconic brand is soon making a return to the rails. Here are all the details. 

History of the Orient Express

Before it became a household name thanks to Agatha Christie’s 1934 novel Murder on the Orient Express, the Orient Express — developed by the Belgian businessman Georges Nagelmackers — kicked off its inaugural service in 1883 from Paris to Vienna. A few years later, the route was extended to Istanbul (then called Constantinople) — making it Europe’s first transcontinental express train service. It connected Western and Eastern Europe over the course of 1,700 miles, with stops in major cities such as Vienna and Budapest.

At the time, the Orient Express was popular for its lavish and glamorous accommodations, with salon, dining, and sleeping cars decked out with mahogany paneling, Spanish leather, and velvet draperies. According to Britannica, the train was “unmatched in luxuriousness and comfort” in its heyday. However, after several decades of declining ridership, the original Orient Express was discontinued in 1977, though the name lived on through private ventures such as the Venice-Simplon Orient Express.

Return to the Rails

Nearly 50 years later, there’s good news for those looking to relive the golden age of long-distance train travel: Accor Hospitality Group, which has taken over the Orient Express brand, announced that 17 vintage Orient Express train cars dating back to the 1920s and 1930s will be hitting the rails in 2026. 

Arthur Metteta, a researcher and rail enthusiast, discovered the carriages — formerly operating for the Nostalgie-Istanbul-Orient-Express — in 2015, through a video on YouTube while he was conducting research for his Ph.D. on the history of the Orient Express. They were sitting abandoned at a train station on the border of Poland and Belarus. 

The cars were then acquired by the Accor group and reimagined by architect Maxime d’Angeac, with a 1920s-inspired art deco design that pays homage to the glamour of the original service. Once the service launches, guests will be treated to a stylish and intimate bar car, a stunning dining car with mirrored ceilings, and suites adorned with rich wood, leather decor, and private marble-covered bathrooms. Those looking to splurge can also book the 600-square-foot presidential suite, which comes with its own private entrance and separate sleeping and living areas.

While we have an enticing preview of what the train will look like inside, details are scant on the exact routes that will be offered and how much the trip will cost. The service was originally intended to launch in 2024, so there’s also a chance it could be pushed back again to a later date. 

In the meantime, the company has already started accepting reservations for the new La Dolce Vita Orient Express. Debuting in spring 2025, this elegant service will take up to 62 travelers on eight routes through 14 distinct regions of Italy. Guests can expect cuisine from Michelin-starred chef Heinz Beck along with luxury sleeper accommodations. 

New Luxury Hotel and Yachts

The new rail services aren’t the only exciting projects on the horizon for the Orient Express. In spring 2025, the brand will open its first luxury hotel, the Orient Express La Minerva in Rome. It occupies a historic building dating to 1620 and will feature decor inspired by the legendary train throughout its 93 rooms, along with a rooftop bar and restaurant and a Turkish hammam.

The company also announced that, in 2026, it will debut the world’s largest sailing ship, the 721-foot-long Orient Express Corinthian. Like the hotel, its design will aim to recreate the glamour of the original trains. Among other amenities, it will have a 1930s-style speakeasy and an art deco-inspired cabaret alongside its 54 guest suites.