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Glacier Express in the Swiss Alps en route to Zermatt

LIKE® Magazine · Luxury Guide

Luxury Trains

The world's great luxury rail journeys — Belmond, Orient Express, Rovos Rail, and more — curated for LIKE® Magazine Luxury Guide on likeleaders.com.

Photo: Tim Adams / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)

Curated for LIKE® Magazine Luxury Guide · likeleaders.com

38 listingsCompiled 2026-09-12

Source: World's Luxury Trains editorial index. 38 entries compiled 2026-09-12. Verified facts only; a blank field means the detail is not publicly documented.

TrainOperatorRouteCountriesRegionNote
Bernina ExpressRhaetian Railway (RhB)Chur / St. Moritz – TiranoSwitzerland; ItalyEuropedaytime scenic panoramic (UNESCO route)
Britannic ExplorerBelmondLondon – Cornwall / Lake District / Wales (3 nights)United KingdomEuropeovernight sleeper; launched July 2025
British PullmanBelmondLondon Victoria – southern England (roundtrip day excursions)United KingdomEuropeday excursion
Costa Verde ExpressRenfeBilbao – Santiago de Compostela (6 days)SpainEuropeovernight sleeper; Green Spain coastal route
El Transcantábrico Gran LujoRenfeSan Sebastián – Santiago de Compostela (8 days)SpainEuropeovernight sleeper; 5-star hotel on wheels
Glacier Express (Excellence Class)Glacier Express AG (Rhätische Bahn / Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn)St. Moritz – ZermattSwitzerlandEuropedaytime scenic panoramic (Excellence Class = luxury tier)
Golden Eagle Danube ExpressGolden Eagle Luxury TrainsParis – Istanbul (also Venice – Istanbul Balkan Explorer)France; Switzerland; Austria; Slovenia; Bulgaria; TurkeyEuropeovernight sleeper; private hotel on wheels
La Dolce Vita Orient ExpressOrient Express (Arsenale / Accor)Rome – Italy (8 roundtrip itineraries: Venice, Matera, Tuscany, Portofino, Sicily…)ItalyEuropeovernight sleeper; 1960s La Dolce Vita glamour
Royal ScotsmanBelmondEdinburgh – Scottish Highlands (roundtrip)United KingdomEuropeovernight sleeper; palace on wheels
Tren Al ÁndalusRenfeSeville – Andalusia (7 days; from 2026 also Madrid – Seville)SpainEuropeovernight sleeper; Belle Époque heritage carriages
Venice Simplon-Orient-ExpressBelmondParis – Venice (flagship; routes also to London, Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Berlin, Istanbul)France; Italy; United Kingdom; Czechia; Hungary; Austria; Germany; TurkeyEuropeovernight sleeper
Deccan OdysseyTourism Dept. of Maharashtra / The Royal JourneysMumbai – Mumbai (Western/Central India loop)IndiaAsiaovernight luxury sleeper; 5-star hotel on wheels
Eastern & Oriental ExpressBelmondSingapore – BangkokSingapore; Malaysia; ThailandAsialuxury rail cruise; overnight sleeper
Golden ChariotIRCTC (owned by Karnataka Tourism)Bengaluru – Bengaluru (South India loop)IndiaAsiaovernight luxury sleeper; royal-style cabins
Golden Eagle Silk Road ExpressGolden Eagle Luxury TrainsBeijing – TashkentChina; Kazakhstan; Kyrgyzstan; Tajikistan; UzbekistanAsialuxury rail cruise; overnight sleeper (launches 2026)
Golden Eagle Vietnam ExpressGolden Eagle Luxury TrainsHo Chi Minh City – HanoiVietnamAsialuxury rail cruise; overnight sleeper (launches Apr 2026)
Maharajas' ExpressIRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation)New Delhi – MumbaiIndiaAsiaroyal-style palace on wheels; overnight sleeper
Palace on WheelsRTDC / Indian RailwaysNew Delhi – New Delhi (Rajasthan loop)IndiaAsiaroyal-style palace on wheels; overnight sleeper
Seven Stars in KyushuJR Kyushu (Kyushu Railway Company)Hakata (Fukuoka) – Kyushu loopJapanAsiaovernight luxury sleeper cruise train
The Royal ExpressTokyu Corporation (Izu Kyuko)Yokohama – Izukyu-ShimodaJapanAsiadaytime luxury cruise train with fine dining
The VietageAnantara (Minor Hotels)Da Nang – Quy Nhon – Nha TrangVietnamAsiashort luxury daytime railcar experience with dining and spa
Train Suite Shiki-ShimaJR East (East Japan Railway Company)Ueno (Tokyo) – Eastern Japan loopJapanAsiaovernight luxury sleeper cruise train
Twilight Express MizukazeJR West (West Japan Railway Company)Kyoto – Shimonoseki (also Kyoto – Kyoto loops)JapanAsiaovernight luxury sleeper cruise train
Bushtracks ExpressBushtracks AfricaVictoria Falls – Victoria Falls BridgeZimbabweAfricavintage steam dinner train
Rovos Rail – Pride of AfricaRovos RailPretoria – Cape TownSouth Africa; Botswana; Zimbabwe; Zambia; TanzaniaAfricaluxury rail safari
Royal Livingstone ExpressBushtracks AfricaLivingstone – Victoria Falls BridgeZambiaAfricavintage steam dinner train
The Blue TrainTransnet Freight RailPretoria – Cape TownSouth AfricaAfricaovernight sleeper; moving five-star hotel
Dream of the DesertSaudi Arabia Railways / ArsenaleRiyadh – Al Jouf – Hail – RiyadhSaudi ArabiaMiddle Eastultra-luxury rail cruise; scheduled to launch Dec 2026
Grand Canyon RailwayGrand Canyon Railway & Hotel (Xanterra)Williams – Grand Canyon VillageUSANorth Americaday excursion; Luxury Parlor/Dome class exists
Napa Valley Wine TrainNapa Valley Railroad (NVRR)Napa – St. HelenaUSANorth Americawine-country day excursion; fine dining
Rocky MountaineerRocky MountaineerVancouver – Banff (First Passage to the West)Canada; USANorth Americadaytime scenic panoramic; hotel overnights (no sleepers)
The Canadian (Prestige class)VIA Rail CanadaToronto – VancouverCanadaNorth Americaovernight sleeper; Prestige class qualifies as luxury (regular long-distance service)
Belmond Andean ExplorerBelmond / PeruRailCusco – Arequipa (via Puno)PeruSouth Americaovernight luxury sleeper; South America's first luxury sleeper train
Belmond Hiram BinghamBelmond / PeruRailCusco (Poroy) – Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu)PeruSouth Americaluxury day train; fine dining Pullman
PeruRail Titicaca TrainPeruRailCusco – PunoPeruSouth Americaluxury day train; gourmet lunch and live entertainment
Great SouthernJourney BeyondAdelaide – BrisbaneAustraliaAustralialuxury rail cruise; overnight sleeper
Indian PacificJourney BeyondSydney – PerthAustraliaAustralialuxury rail cruise; overnight sleeper
The GhanJourney BeyondAdelaide – DarwinAustraliaAustralialuxury rail cruise; overnight sleeper