Ultrawealthy train travelers are paying over $30,000 for one night in a Venice Simplon-Orient-Express grand suite

3 weeks ago 20

Inside a wood-walled train suite with white and maroon furnishings, including a seat on the left, a couch on the right, and a bed in the back center.

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is among the most famous luxury overnight trains in Europe.
The train's six grand suites start at about $30,800 and are often the first to be booked.
The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express grand suites have private bathrooms and extravagant decor.

Forget yachting in the French Riviera and skiing in Switzerland — the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express grand suites sit atop the wealthy traveler's bucket list.

The luxury travel company Belmond operates six trains. Perhaps its most famous is the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, comprised of revamped 100-year-old carriages.

It's also among the most luxurious trains in Europe. The 108-guest moving hotel operates 44 routes in 17 cities, mostly in Europe. Prices start at about $8,850 for a cabin on its one-night journey from Venice, Italy, to Paris.

If you want to travel in the train's top-tier accommodation, you'll have to pay more than three times that price. A journey in a grand suite costs around £25,000, or about $30,800, Gary Franklin, Belmond's senior vice president of trains and cruises, told Business Insider.

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express grand suites are the epitome of European luxury train travel.

A navy blue train with gold trimmings stopped at a platform with mountains in the background

Red carpets welcome all guests on their overnight journeys, complete with lavishly decorated vintage carriages, fine-dining restaurants, and jaw-dropping views of passing scenery.

However, only the grand suites offer guests luxurious amenities such as private showers and around-the-clock butler services.

It's worth it to many — the accommodations are "definitely a rich and famous-type bucket list item," Julie Durso, a Scott Dunn Private travel manager, told Business Insider in November.

Inside a wood-walled train suite with white and brown furnishings, including a seat on the right, a couch on the left, and a bed in the back center.

Over the past few years, Belmond has seen a spike in demand for its trains. Franklin told BI that the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express has become especially popular, with bookings growing 10% from 2023 to 2024.

The train's flashy grand suites have concurrently piqued the interest of wealthy travelers — according to Franklin, they're often the first accommodations to be booked. And for good reason.

The train has 54 cabins, six of which are in the highest-end grand suites category.

Inside a wood-walled train suite with white and navy blue furnishings, including a seat on the left, a couch on the right, and a bed in the back center.

The accommodations, first introduced in 2018, each have a unique design inspired by a city on the train's routes.

For example, the Venice, Italy-themed suite fuses Italian Baroque and Renaissance designs. Venetian furniture, vintage glass light fixtures, and a marriage of silk and woven fabrics fill the room with a historic Italian ambiance. The headboard combines arches and sharp edges, a nod to the country's Renaissance castles.

Similarly, the Budapest suite features Gothic and Ottoman architectural styles, with ornate marquetry and embroidered silk-patterned furniture. The tall, curved headboard recalls the cathedrals and mosques of the Ottoman Empire.

No matter the decor, all suites include a couch, closet, double bed, dining area, and en-suite bathroom.

A silver shower head behind a glass door in a bathroom with marble walls

Most of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express accommodations have shared restrooms without access to a shower.

But there's no need to share in the grand suites — the private bathrooms all have a rainfall showerhead, a glass-blown sink, and heated marble flooring.