Latest news with #luxurytrain
Times
6 days ago
- Times
I've found Europe's best sleeper train — and at just £62 you'll need to be quick
What does 'dolce vita' mean to you? Maybe it's the film — Marcello Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg giving 1960s glamour in the Trevi Fountain. Maybe it's a state of mind — effortless elegance with a side of excellent food. Or maybe it's slow travel through the bel paese — April marked the launch of La Dolce Vita Orient Express, an overnight train as luxurious as it is expensive, from £3,605 for 24 hours. But I know another dolce vita train. It's significantly cheaper (from £62 for 18 hours) and a little less plush. Yet stepping on to it — my bags carried by a burgundy-jacketed carriage attendant — I still gasped with delight. As we trundled alongside Roman walls and emerged into the Lazio countryside, I found myself inexplicably emotional. Maybe it was watching eager travellers clink glasses in the scarlet-chaired restaurant as jazz tinkled in the background. Maybe it was nostalgia on this retro train, studded with vintage photos from the glory days of travel. Maybe it was listening to the multilingual announcements — Italian, French, then English — narrating our journey up the Mediterranean coastline. Or it could, I suppose, have been the prosecco. This time-travelling train, the Espresso Riviera, is a limited edition. It'll run weekly until the end of August from Rome to Marseille and back. It leaves Rome just before 8pm each Friday, proceeds up the Tyrrhenian coastline overnight and reaches Genoa at dawn. Then it continues along the Italian Riviera, before crossing the French border and sweeping along the Côte d'Azur, arriving at Marseille just before 2pm on Saturday. Turning straight around, it reaches Sanremo for sunset and is back in Rome at 6.48am on Sunday. Eighteen hours on a single train sounds like a lower circle of purgatory and — as a reluctant regular on the Rome-Palermo Intercity Notte — my general opinion of sleepers is to avoid them whenever possible. But this? This is different. It's an unabashed wallow in the golden era of train travel, so is railway heaven. The operator, FS Treni Turistici Italiani, launched in 2023 as the luxury, leisure-focused arm of FS Italiane, the Italian state railway organisation. It runs a handful of routes a year and, until now, hadn't appealed to me — a Rome-Dolomites weekend jaunt (nice for Romans); Milan-Nice (beautiful but short). But Rome to Marseille? Waking up on the Italian Riviera? Chugging along the Cote d'Azur? Count me in — especially if I could build it into a no-fly journey from Italy to the UK. At Termini, the gargantuan station in Rome, the departures board glowed with extra joie de vivre. Salerno, Venezia, Milano … Marseille! On platform 22 stood a hulking diesel locomotive — so far, so Intercity. But the carriages attached to it were more Orient Express — striped navy and jade; those burgundy-blazered attendants (one for each carriage) welcoming passengers aboard. These are 1990s Intercity carriages, rescued from retirement and refurbished, with five classes pairing 21st-century standards with mid-century style. I took these trains in my youth — they were horrid, even to a penniless student; but horrid no more. Second class alone makes a mockery of first class on UK trains — individual compartments of six plush armchairs, upholstered in royal blue (get one to yourself, raise the arms and sleep across them, as one couple did). • Discover our full guide to France The first-class compartments are great for daytime — four velvet armchairs separated by elegant tables, with magazine racks and USB points (regular first class is a velvety version of second). The couchettes are six-seaters that fold down into beds, while the private cabins (sold out at present, but keep checking) are just gorgeous — a wide, blue-velvet armchair, foldout desk, basin and bunkbeds that unfurl into yet more armchairs in the morning. At the end of each carriage is a unisex toilet with art deco-like ribbing on the ceiling (a cheerful cleaning team kept things spotless). The carriages are carpeted in scarlet. • Discover our full guide to Italy But back to the journey. From Termini we crossed Rome underground, emerging into rural Lazio to chase the sun as it set over the Ostia coast. As we turned north, flashing past golden beaches and marinas twinkling in the dusk, I hit the restaurant. How brilliantly old-school to be seated opposite a stranger and served ragu-swirled pasta, pepper-doused chicken and lashings of Ligurian red as we put the world to rights. By the time we staggered out we were rattling round the Maremma coast; in bed — a real mattress and topper, no less, though it's still a rickety, noisy sleeper — I watched on Google Maps as the train inched towards Livorno. Later I opened the curtains to find us slipping through Cinque Terre, the moon reflecting in the sea like a torch, spotlighting the sleeping villages. By 6.30am we were rumbling into Genoa. An hour later, a white-jacketed waiter was serving me a cappuccino and croissant in the restaurant as the Italian Riviera raced past — all never-ending beach and 8am swimmers. Accordion music filled the restaurant car, the onboard musician signalling that we were approaching France. Ah yes, the border. Ventimiglia stands just east of it but is a world away in rail terms. France and Italy use different voltages for their railways, which meant that our carriages would have to be detached from the Italian locomotive and hitched to a French one. This was a project of cross-border co-operation. For an hour I watched as the locomotives waltzed around each other. Off came the Intercity head, revving off towards France before it switched tracks and slid into a siding; from that siding emerged an SNCF locomotive, which shimmied over the tracks and reversed into us, hitting the second-class carriage with a satisfying clunk. And then, stress in two languages. Nobody was sure what happened. Did that clunk break a brake? Did the French have an outdated manual? Official recollections vary, but one thing was certain, we left Italy two hours late. How passengers felt about this depended on their plans. Returning French holidaymakers gleefully made for the restaurant carriage for a long lunch as the Côte d'Azur unspooled. On a five-stage journey to Devon and about to miss parts two, three and four, I appreciated the views (the red cliffs around St Raphaël were particularly ravishing) but was most struck by the nonstop tunnels that stymied my increasingly desperate calls to my travel insurance company. Here is where cross-border travel is less fun — despite its staff having caused the delay, SNCF wouldn't reroute me because this was an Italian train. The upshot: about £750 on new trains, a hotel and a 6am taxi to make my ferry. Pretty hellish, sure, yet nothing can demote this train from railway heaven: real beds, a restaurant carriage, snapshots of summer at every stop, names that shiver with glamour — Cinque Terre, Monte Carlo, Nice, Menton. I've never been on a super-lux sleeper (I'd rather pay my mortgage than ride the Orient Express), but this is as glamorous as anyone needs a train to Buckley was a guest of FS Treni Turistici Italiani, which has shared couchettes from £62 ( The Espresso Riviera runs until August 30. Fly to Rome By Siobhan Grogan Le Train Rouge clatters along 100-year-old tracks over gravity-defying suspension bridges, through tunnels and across flower-filled French Pyrenean meadows on its 35-mile journey from Rivesaltes to the small town of Axat. This journey is one of the day trips in this weeklong break to Catalonia, travelling by rail from London and staying in the Costa Brava resort of Roses. Rail fans will also revel in the day on the Nuria Rack Railway, which travels eight miles to the Nuria Valley, where mountain pastures surround a blue-green lake. Visits to Girona and Figueres, for the Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation, provide a culture Seven nights' half-board from £1,299pp, including all rail and coach travel, excursions and wine with dinner ( Reach the French Alpine resort of Chambéry before gunning through the mountains to charming Turin, where sightseeing options include the old Fiat factory, which was immortalised in The Italian Job (1969) and now hosts the largest rooftop garden in Europe. A snaking run to the Adriatic deposits travellers in historic Bari, your base for catching a sleeper ferry to Albania, a land of eagles, hidden beaches and striking socialist architecture. The trip ends with a two-night stay in buzzy Four nights' B&B and two nights' room only from £1,436pp, including all rail travel ( Journey across wintry landscapes on the night train from Stockholm to Kiruna, the northernmost Swedish city, deep inside the Arctic Circle on the banks of frozen Lake Luossajarvi. Activities include snowshoe treks through forests, dog sledding, ice fishing and riding a snowmobile across the tundra, while keeping an eye on the sky for the northern lights. You have three days for Arctic adventures after travelling by train from London via the German city of Münster and Copenhagen, plus two days in Stockholm. Summertime adventures on the same tour take in the midnight sun. Details Eight nights' B&B from £1,149pp ( Fly from Kiruna It's easy and rewarding to explore Slovenia, a tiny land of glacial lakes, ice-capped mountains, vineyards, meadows and a sliver of Adriatic coast, by rail. Your journey takes you from Lake Bled, through a landscape of vineyards and cherry orchards to Bohinjska Bistrica, near the Italian border, before heading south to Ljubljana. After two nights exploring the markets, intriguing streets and riverside cafés of the leafy capital, you're off to the improbably picturesque coastal city of Piran, with its Venetian façades, pretty squares and seafood restaurants. Details Six nights' B&B from £1,080pp, including rail and transfers ( Fly to Ljubljana The graceful baroque heart of Vienna is easy to explore by bike, foot and tram. This eight-night holiday by rail gives you three nights each in the Austrian capital and dreamy Salzburg, with stops in Frankfurt and Zurich. While in Vienna check out the Hofburg Palace and the State Opera, get your art fix at the MuseumsQuartier and gorge on coffee topped with whipped cream in 19th-century cafés. In Salzburg, two hours and 20 minutes from the capital on the speedy Railjet service, there are the legacies of Mozart and the von Trapps to Eight nights' B&B from £1,495pp, including first-class rail travel (
The Independent
22-07-2025
- The Independent
Is there a luxury train from Paris to French locations?
Q I was told that there is a luxury train going from Paris in September to different places in France. It's first class and the journey is for around six days. Susan Barr A Le Grand Tour, as the venture is known, talks a good game. The plan is for a six-day 'immersion in the French wonders'. Passengers will travel a total of 2,500 miles around France, packing in a host of sites. The experience starts at Paris Gare de l'Est, which I regard as the most elegant of the capital's stations. Day one takes in Reims for lunch (and presumably some champagne), continuing to Beaune in Burgundy, where a private tour of the ancient almshouse awaits. Day two: Avignon, with a rooftop tasting 'of the region's finest wines and produce'. On the same day, the train will reach the southwest city of Carcassonne. For the third day, the first destination is, oddly, Pau: a second-division historical city, though with a decent view of the Pyrenees. In the afternoon, the Bay of Arcachon will improve humours, with a visit to the Dubourdieu shipyards and a boat trip. Maritime appeal continues on day four, with handsome La Rochelle in the morning and a private tour of Chenonceau, the 'Château des Dames' later on. The finale appears to happen on day five. To quote the marketing: 'Le Grand Tour ends with a spectacular journey back in time at Puy du Fou.' This is a historical theme park southeast of Nantes. The sell continues: 'Over the course of a day, history blends with legend to come alive again until nightfall, when the grand spectacle of the night shimmers under the stars.' You might think this an unusual choice of location for the climax (presumably day six is a trundle back to Paris to offload one set of passengers and take on the next lot). But it makes sense when you learn that the trip is promoted by the Puy du Fou enterprise itself. The plan was set out in 2022 and little appears to have happened since. I have checked putative departures up to 2028 and can see none confirmed. So while a first-class trip around France in September sounds like a grand idea, get a first-class Interrail pass instead. Q Our flight from Venice was delayed overnight. Who is responsible for sourcing our accommodation? Ellen Saville A Under air passengers' rights rules, anyone whose flight is delayed overnight is entitled to be provided with a hotel room and meals commensurate with the length of the delay. In addition, the Package Travel Regulations specify: 'Where the organiser is unable to ensure the traveller's return as agreed in the package travel contract because of unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances, the organiser must bear the cost of necessary accommodation, if possible of equivalent category.' Both sets of rules point to the same outcome. Often when a flight in connection with a package holiday is delayed by 24 hours, your stay at the hotel will simply be extended by a night. But the airline or holiday company (which, in your case, are basically the same entity) may move you to a different property, such as an airport hotel, if necessary. I think it highly unlikely that you will be left to sort out the problem yourself; but if you are, pay for the extra stay and meals and present the receipts to the company. Q We are heading to North Macedonia and Albania this summer. My wife is worried about the driving. Is it bad? Richard V A Your wife is right to be concerned. I have consulted the Albanian traffic accident statistics for the past decade. They are tragically high. The average death toll on the roads is more than 200 per year. Adjusted for population, that is about 2.5 times the fatality rate in the UK. In terms of road miles, the accident rate is worse still, since Albania is a small country (the size of Wales) and long journeys are commensurately rare. While I haven't studied the North Macedonia statistics, my observation from travelling around is that driving and road standards are equally poor. The reasons: bad driving (fuelled by alcohol in one in 25 accidents, the statistics relate), inadequate policing and some dangerous roads. Rail travel is not a viable option in either country. In these circumstances, it is wise to rely on professional drivers. In both countries, I travel longer distances by bus or minibus, and make shorter journeys by taxi. This works out better than you might imagine. On arrival at Tirana airport, coaches are usually waiting to run into the capital – or, less frequently, to Durres on the coast. Coaches or minibuses run between larger towns and cities – many minibuses run on demand, departing when full. Crossing between North Macedonia and Albania is straightforward. For shorter journeys, you can flag down a taxi (the North Macedonian capital also has Bolt, which is similar to Uber) or take a local bus. If you plan an excursion taking in three or four locations in the day, your hotel will know some reliable drivers who will offer a fair price. I should stress that I am a non-car owner and a poor driver, and therefore always prefer it when someone else is driving. You can enjoy the many spectacular views – and meet interesting locals.
Telegraph
21-07-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Britain's most luxurious new train has been cancelled (again)
For the second time in a month, the luxury train operator Belmond has pulled the plug on the inaugural run of the newest addition to its fleet, the Britannic Explorer. The new train – which costs from £11,000 per double cabin for a three-day trip – had been due to journey to Wales via the west of England and the Cotswolds, departing from London Victoria at 3.45pm today. But late last night passengers were informed that 'with a heavy heart' the company had decided to cancel the journey. Train cancellations and severe delays? In Britain? Well, yes, even for this most well-heeled operator – running a trip which, ironically, was designed to 'showcase the very best' of modern England and Wales. No immediate reasons were given for the latest setback, but the scrapping of the trip to Wales follows a similar decision to cancel what had originally been planned as the launch of the train: a three-day journey to Cornwall scheduled to depart on July 4. At that time, it was said that the train needed further maintenance checks before being cleared for departure, with the date of the inaugural journey put back to July 21 and the route changed to the Welsh itinerary. Of the original delay, a company spokesman said: 'The adjustment to the schedule was due to final refinements being made to ensure the train operates at the highest possible standard.' The company had hoped that the maintenance issues with the train would have been smoothed out in time for the Wales departure but in the end pulled the plug on it with just hours to go. 'This decision was not taken lightly,' the email to passengers late Sunday night stated. 'We deeply regret any inconvenience caused.' At the time of the first cancelled trip, Belmond said passengers were offered a full refund 'including associated travel costs'. With passengers expected to be drawn from, in addition to Britain, a range of countries in Europe, Asia and North America, the cancellation costs could be high. Over the past 40 years, Belmond has acquired a well-earned reputation for providing train journeys at the most luxurious end of the spectrum, particularly with its flagship Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (VSOE). This reputation was cemented in the 2025 Telegraph Travel Awards when the company – which is owned by the French luxury goods giant LVMH – was named best rail holiday company. In addition to the VSOE, Belmond operates the Eastern & Oriental Express in Malaysia, the Hiram Bingham and Andean Explorer in Peru and the Royal Scotsman in Scotland. What the Britannic Explorer will offer (when it finally leaves the station) Feeding on the growth in demand for slower, more mindful but also extremely luxurious train travel, the company decided to branch out this year with a new train – the Britannic Explorer – which for the first time would offer this kind of top-end experience on routes in England and Wales. Three routes were devised aimed at celebrating some of the countries' most scenic regions: Pembrokeshire and Snowdonia National Park (Eryri) in Wales; the Cornish Riviera; and the Lake District (including the glorious stretch of track between Settle and Carlisle). The train itself represents a brand new departure, a totally revamped version of the Grand Hibernian train operated by Belmond in Ireland between 2016 and 2021. Rather than recreating the classic look and feel of the Hercule Poirot-style VSOE, the new train, largely a creation of the London-based Albion Nord designers, combines a modern feel with vintage elements drawing on the natural world and the creative forces (and materials) of the areas it travels through. The aim has been to create a feeling of 'contemporary nostalgia' in expansive suites and grand suites (all with private bathroom) and dining spaces inspired by the herbs and flowers used in British cooking. The meals themselves have been masterminded by Michelin-accoladed British chef Simon Rogan drawing heavily on his farm-to-fork culinary ethos and reflecting local specialities and artisan suppliers en route. The social hub of the train is the Observation Car, an expansive, stylish space which comes complete with armchairs, banquettes and a bar backlit with amber glass discs inspired by the 'timeless charm of Victorian apothecaries'. Off-train, the trips have been designed to incorporate visits to galleries, rugged hikes and wild swims, yoga sessions by the sea and a range of gastronomic experiences coupled with the opportunity to learn how to pull a pint in a Cotswolds pub. 'We're offering some unique experiences, things people can't do themselves just driving up to these places,' said Gary Franklin, Belmond's senior vice-president, trains & cruises. 'We are showcasing a modern England with incredible artisans, artists and produce.' A modern England with severe train delays too...
The Independent
08-07-2025
- The Independent
Launch of Britain's new luxury sleeper train set back
The Britannic Explorer, a new luxury sleeper train for England and Wales, has had its maiden passenger journey postponed from Friday to 21 July. The delay was attributed to the need for final operational fixes, with a report in The Telegraph indicating the train was diverted for repairs near Southampton. Belmond, the hospitality operator, confirmed the schedule adjustment was made to ensure high operational standards and an extraordinary experience for guests. Passengers booked on the initial journey received full refunds, reimbursement for associated travel costs, and assistance with rebooking. The luxury train offers fine dining, 18 sleeper cabin suites, spa treatments, and off-train excursions, with a three-night trip starting from £11,000.
Daily Mail
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE To passengers for the maiden voyage of a new luxury sleeper train, we're sorry to announce this service has been cancelled! Rail fans who paid up to £55,000 for three-day trip to Cornwall have journey canned
With a three-day rail trip to Cornwall costing more than a holiday to Venice on the Orient Express, you might expect Britain's newest luxury sleeper train to run on time. But to the dismay of its well-heeled passengers – who had forked out a minimum of £22,400 for a 'curated' luxury weekend tour of the West Country – the maiden voyage of the refurbished Britannic Explorer has hit the buffers. Guests had celebrated the launch of the rebranded 1970s train with a glitzy three-hour champagne-fuelled launch party headed by actress Keira Knightley at London Euston station last Thursday, with the inaugural trip originally scheduled for departure the following day. Instead, the ten-coach train, rebranded with bespoke fitted carpets, plush furnishings and commissioned artworks, was returned to a depot near Southampton for 'final refinements'. Some passengers are understood to have paid upwards of £50,000 for a three-night stay in one of the train's three 'grand suites'. Train operator Belmond, which also runs the Orient Express, says it offered passengers a full refund 'including associated travel costs', but refused to say why the Britannic Explorer's maiden journey from London's Victoria station to Penzance had been derailed. One enthusiast who spotted the train, which has a top speed of 75mph, at the Euston station launch party said: 'By anyone's standards this is a really expensive train trip in the UK. 'There's obviously been some complications. But I tell you what, if I'd paid 55 grand – which is what the most expensive cabin was for the trip – and then been told it was cancelled, I'd probably be a bit cheesed off. Guests celebrated the launch of the rebranded 1970s train with a glitzy three-hour champagne-fuelled launch party headed by actress Keira Knightley (above) at London Euston station last Thursday Some passengers are understood to have paid upwards of £50,000 for a three-night stay in one of the train's three 'grand suites' 'There was this big, noisy launch party on platform 16, screened off so regular travellers couldn't see in. By Friday morning the train had gone from Euston back to the Eastleigh works near Southampton.' Train enthusiasts spotted Britannic Explorer when it was brought up to Victoria station for a test run on June 13 and noticed there was a problem with its retro-fitted automatic doors. Belmond, which is owned by French luxury goods giant LVMH, says on its website that the Britannic Explorer will now be 'introduced' on July 21 with a journey from London to mid-Wales. A company spokeswoman said: 'The adjustment to the schedule was due to final refinements being made to ensure the train operates at the highest possible standard.
