A lazy morning beckons, with no immediate sightseeing stops scheduled. I’m still stretched across the double bed, coffee by my side, shower waiting. I continue gazing at the countryside of northern India moving past my window. Fields stretching into the distance, with countless women planting seedlings along straight rows. Every woman is wearing a sari of a different colour, making for a mesmerising spectacle.
How they get to their place of work, I could not hazard a guess, as we seem to be miles from the nearest community or even road. One of the many advantages of taking a luxury train is that you can reach places cars cannot, and have a much better view than any airplane window seat could ever offer.
How it once was
When the world’s first luxury train, the Orient Express, was launched in 1883, it was a sensation. And it still is.
Travel in the late 1800s and especially early 1900s was much more luxurious than your average journey today, and very much the domain of the privileged.
Travelling by train, with overnight stops in fashionable hotels, was popular, and everybody who was anybody jumped aboard.
Yet, after the World Wars, and with the onset of cheaper and faster connections through flights, the world fell out of love with slow and expensive travel. Luxury and overnight trains reduced or stopped their routes around the world. For a few decades people took to zipping around the globe on economy flights, ticking off countries.
In more recent times, travellers seem to have decided that not only is slow travel better for the mind, allowing us to savour each place and experience, but it is also better for our ailing planet. One by one, train journeys have started to return, with travel specialists Explore Worldwide reporting a 41% year-on-year increase in rail journey bookings in 2025.
And just as over nighttrains have made a firm return to Europe, allowing people to avoid flights, more and more luxurious trains are popping up worldwide.
For example, you can now ride rather than walk along the Camino de Santiago de la Compostella, cross the Andes by train and, just this year, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express train added a new route between Paris and the Amalfi Coast.
The renaissance of luxury train travel
Why the change? Gary Franklin, SVP Trains and Cruises, Belmond says: “The difference is that rail is no longer judged as just a beautiful way to get somewhere, rather, it’s judged as a destination in its own right.”
He adds: “For a long time, luxury was measured by what you owned; today it’s measured by what you do, and how you choose to spend your time. Luxury rail sits at the heart of that change. At Belmond our vision is reflected in our ‘Slow Luxury’ ethos, which is all about giving our guests time to enjoy unrivalled travel experiences.”
Dan Reising, Product Marketing and Communications Manager at Railbookers, adds: “Luxury rail continues to grow year-over-year in demand. We have seen nearly 44 per cent growth in luxury bookings since 2025, and it makes up an ever-expanding percentage of our total bookings. We continue to see guests celebrating special occasions like honeymoons, anniversaries, birthdays and retirements, or just taking the chance to cross something off their bucket list.”
When faced with clients who are new to luxury train travel, he offers the following advice: ”for agents, clients may have the exact train journey in mind based on seeing it online or from other sources, but may need help completing the entire holiday. While a luxury rail journey is often the showpiece of a holiday, it’s important to consider the other aspects of the entire trip, such as adding on additional destinations, finding the perfect hotel to match clients’ desires, and additional touches like sightseeing and transfers to round out the complete itinerary.”
Upselling the journey
There is often good commission to be made by upselling to customers. Hayley Morris, Head of Trade Sales and Partnerships at Newmarket Holidays offers her tips: “Sell the experience, not just the transport. Lead with the glass-dome views, onboard dining and the romance of the route.
“Position the upgrade early. Clients booking a wish-list luxury trip are usually receptive to premium classes if it’s raised up front.”
Clients looking for an upgraded experience may enjoy Alaska Railroad’s high-end GoldStar Service that features luxury amenities and F&B, glass-domed ceilings and private outdoor viewing platforms as the carriages whizz through the wild Alaskan landscapes.
Closer to home, the Britannic Explorer invites travellers to discover Britain through a plethora of three-night journeys through Cornwall, Wales, or the Lake District, staying in luxury suites, with an onboard spa thrown into the mix.
Or pitch the Venice-Simplon Orient Express which offers a three-night trip travelling in luxury between Paris and Portofino.
To really up the trip’s credentials, Morris adds: “Pair rail with a cruise or touring add-on. It lifts overall value. Target the right client – these trips are ideal for milestone celebrations and travellers who value comfort and once-in-a-lifetime moments.”
What’s new?
One of luxury rail’s newest additions is a spectacular one: travelling along the ancient Silk Road by train on the Golden Eagle. On a route previously only accessible to camel caravans or intrepid travellers stringing together Central Asian countries, you can now sit back and travel between Tashkent, Uzbekistan and Beijing, with Silk Road stops such as Samarkand, Bukhara, Kashgar, and Xi’an along the way.
The train itself is modern but with old-world glamour, sumptuous suites, a well-stocked bar car and observation lounges allowing views of mountains and deserts.
Another new train with breathtaking views is the Dream of the Desert, which launches this autumn, travelling round-trip from Riyadh to AlUla over three days and two nights, available to book between October and May.
Meanwhile the new Al Andalus train, complete with historic and luxurious carriages once used by the British Royal Family, meanders for seven days from Madris through southern Spain to Seville, sampling sherry in Jerez and visiting UNESCO World Heritage Sites along the way.
And this September, Railbookers launched a 60-day round-the-world rail journey joining up some of the world’s most luxurious and scenic trains, from the Indian Maharaja’s Express to the Belmond Royal Scotsman and Canada’s Rocky Mountaineer, covering four continents. Once dates open up for 2027, travellers can expect experiences such as private tours of Rome’s Colosseum and safari in Ranthambore National Park.
Book it
Alaska Railroad’s Coastal Classic route runs from May to September, from Anchorage to Seward. The one-way trip with GoldStar Service is priced from $491pp.
Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey
Ulrike takes numerous rail trips every year. Whether travelling in luxury or using a local railcard, she believes that trains are preferable to planes.
