Train travel has really changed in the last 20-30 years. Remember when train travel meant cramped seats, mysterious sandwich meat, and the constant anxiety that your phone was about to die with no outlet in sight? Well, throw all those memories out the window, preferably the panoramic, crystal-clear window of a luxury train suite where someone just delivered champagne and canapés while you weren’t looking.
The world’s most luxurious trains have taken the concept of “getting there is half the fun” and cranked it up to “getting there is so amazing you might not want to arrive.” We’re talking about trains where your bedroom is bigger than most New York apartments, where Michelin-starred chefs prepare your meals, and where the biggest decision you’ll make all day is whether to watch the scenery from your private balcony or the observation car.
These aren’t just trains, they’re five-star hotels that happen to have wheels, restaurants that happen to move through stunning landscapes, and spas that happen to be crossing international borders while you get a massage. Here are the world’s most outrageously luxurious trains that will make you question why anyone ever invented airplanes.
The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express
Route: London to Venice (with various European routes)
The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express doesn’t just offer luxury train travel, it offers time travel to an era when getting dressed for dinner wasn’t ironic and when train travel was the height of sophistication. This is the train that made the Orient Express famous, with original 1920s carriages restored to Art Deco perfection.
Your suite features hand-crafted marquetry, plush fabrics, and a level of detail that would make Downton Abbey’s set designers weep with envy. By day, you’ll sip champagne while watching the European countryside roll past your window. By night, you’ll dine on gourmet cuisine in the restaurant car that’s basically a moving five-star establishment.
The Rocky Mountaineer
Route: Western Canada (Vancouver to various destinations)
The Rocky Mountaineer proves that Canadians don’t just apologize better than everyone else, they also do luxury train travel with a politeness that borders on the supernatural. This isn’t just a train ride through the Canadian Rockies; it’s a mobile masterpiece theater where Mother Nature is the star and you have front-row seats. The natural beauty of the Canadian Rockies is what brings out most people onto this luxurious train ride.
The glass-dome coaches offer 360-degree views of snow-capped peaks, pristine lakes, and wildlife that seems to pose specifically for your Instagram stories. Meanwhile, onboard chefs prepare Pacific Northwest cuisine that’s so good you’ll forget you’re on a moving vehicle.
The Eastern & Oriental Express
Route: Singapore to Bangkok (with various Southeast Asian routes)
The Eastern & Oriental Express takes the Orient Express concept and adds palm trees, tropical luxury, and service standards that would make five-star hotels nervous. The luxury train travel that gets to go through some of the world’s most exotic landscapes, from Malaysian rainforests to Thai rice paddies. Stop by in South East Asia not only for the great eats, but the scenery too onboard this Oriental Express.
Your cabin features teakwood furnishings, silk fabrics, and a level of tropical elegance that makes you feel like a character in a Somerset Maugham novel. The observation car offers panoramic views of Southeast Asia’s stunning landscapes while you sip cocktails and wonder why you ever thought planes were a good idea.
The Blue Train
Route: Cape Town to Pretoria (South Africa)
The Blue Train doesn’t just transport you across South Africa, it transports you into a level of luxury that makes you understand why people used to dress up for travel. This is the train that carried Nelson Mandela and continues to set the standard for African luxury rail travel.
Your suite features full-size windows, marble bathrooms, and service so attentive you’ll start to feel guilty about having people cater to your every whim. The dining car serves South African cuisine with local wines, while the landscape outside shifts from coastal beauty to African savanna.
The Ghan
Route: Adelaide to Darwin (Australia)
The Ghan takes you across the entire Australian continent, from south to north, through landscapes so remote and beautiful they seem like another planet. You can even do the opposite route from North to South. This isn’t just a train ride, it’s a 2,979-kilometer journey through the heart of Australia with luxury that makes the Outback suddenly seem civilized.
Your platinum service cabin features a private bathroom, premium bedding, and panoramic windows perfect for watching the Australian landscape change from rolling hills to red desert to tropical north. The restaurant car serves Australian cuisine with local wines, while the lounge car offers the perfect spot to contemplate the vastness of the continent.
Book out way in advance because some of the best cabins are booking out close to a year in advance.
The Palace on Wheels
Route: Various routes through Rajasthan, India
The Palace on Wheels literally uses converted palace cars from former Indian maharajas, creating a train experience so opulent it makes regular luxury look modest. Each cabin is decorated in traditional Rajasthani style with silk, brocade, and craftsmanship that represents centuries of Indian artistry.
You’ll visit India’s most incredible destinations, Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, while traveling in accommodations that rival the palaces you’re visiting. The dining car serves royal Indian cuisine, while the bar car offers the perfect setting to process the sensory overload of India from the comfort of air-conditioned luxury.
The Maharajas’ Express
Route: Various routes through India
If the Palace on Wheels is luxurious, the Maharajas’ Express is what happens when luxury decides to show off. This train redefines opulence with suites that feature private bathrooms, personal attendants, and decor that makes five-star hotels look understated.
The presidential suite spans an entire car and includes a bedroom, living room, dining area, and bathroom that’s larger than most people’s entire apartments. Meanwhile, the dining cars serve cuisine prepared by chefs trained in India’s finest hotels, accompanied by wines selected to complement the royal experience.
The Trans-Siberian Express (Luxury Version)
Route: Moscow to Vladivostok (or Beijing)
The luxury version of the Trans-Siberian Railway takes the world’s longest train journey and adds a level of comfort that makes crossing eight time zones feel like a pleasure cruise with wheels. You’ll spend six days crossing Russia while enjoying amenities that most people don’t have in their homes.
Your suite features panoramic windows perfect for watching Siberian forests, mountains, and lakes stretch to infinity. The dining car serves Russian cuisine with vodka service, while the lounge car offers the perfect spot to contemplate the sheer vastness of Russia.
The Seven Stars in Kyushu
Route: Various routes through Kyushu, Japan
The Seven Stars represents Japanese luxury at its most refined, every detail perfect, every service seamless, every moment crafted for maximum guest satisfaction. This isn’t just a train; it’s a mobile work of art designed by renowned industrial designer Eiji Mitooka.
Your suite features handcrafted furnishings, traditional Japanese design elements, and panoramic windows perfect for viewing Kyushu’s stunning landscapes. The dining car serves kaiseki cuisine prepared by master chefs, while the observation car offers the perfect setting for contemplating Japanese aesthetics.
The Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express
Route: Moscow to Vladivostok (various routes available)
The Golden Eagle takes the classic Trans-Siberian route and elevates it to five-star hotel standards, proving that you can cross the largest country on Earth without sacrificing creature comforts. This is the Trans-Siberian for people who want adventure with room service.
Your suite features en-suite facilities, premium bedding, and panoramic windows perfect for watching Russia’s incredible landscapes. The restaurant car serves international cuisine with an emphasis on local specialties, while the bar car offers the perfect setting for meeting fellow travelers and sharing Trans-Siberian stories.
The Bottom Line: Luxury on Rails
These trains prove that sometimes the journey really is more important than the destination, especially when the journey includes personal butlers, Michelin-starred cuisine, and accommodations that rival the world’s finest hotels. Yes, they’re expensive. Yes, they’re completely over-the-top. And yes, they’re absolutely worth experiencing at least once in your lifetime.
The secret to luxury train travel isn’t just the fancy amenities or the gourmet food, it’s the pace. In a world obsessed with getting there faster, these trains celebrate the art of getting there beautifully. You’re forced to slow down, appreciate landscapes, and rediscover the lost art of conversation with fellow travelers.
Pack your finest clothes, bring your sense of adventure, and prepare to understand why some people never want to fly again once they’ve experienced the ridiculous luxury of the world’s finest trains. All aboard the good life—it’s leaving the station, and first-class passengers are now boarding.
