Orient Express: Luxury Train Journeys and India’s Connection to Iconic Rail Travel

When people talk about the Orient Express, a legendary luxury train that once connected Paris to Istanbul, known for its velvet seats, polished brass, and timeless elegance. Also known as the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, it isn’t just a mode of transport—it’s a moving museum of 19th-century sophistication and a symbol of how travel used to feel. You don’t just ride it; you step into a story—Agatha Christie’s mysteries, royal passengers, and candlelit dinners rolling through the Alps and Balkans. It’s the kind of experience that turns a trip into a memory you tell your grandkids about.

India doesn’t have its own version of the Orient Express, but it has something just as special: luxury train journeys, like the Palace on Wheels and the Maharajas’ Express, which offer royal treatment across India’s most iconic cities. These trains aren’t just about comfort—they’re cultural experiences. Think marble bathrooms, live classical music, and stops at forgotten forts and tiger reserves. If the Orient Express is Europe’s dream of elegance, India’s luxury trains are its own version of that dream—wrapped in silk, spices, and sunsets over the Thar Desert.

People often assume luxury travel means flying first class or staying in five-star hotels. But the real luxury? Slowing down. Watching the world pass by from a window while sipping chai or champagne, with no rush to the next destination. That’s what the Orient Express taught the world—and what India’s rail journeys carry forward. Whether you’re dreaming of Vienna’s opera houses or Rajasthan’s golden dunes, these trains connect more than cities—they connect time, culture, and feeling.

Below, you’ll find real stories from travelers who’ve explored India’s own grand railways, dug into the history behind these iconic routes, and compared how train travel in Europe and Asia shapes the way we see the world. No fluff. Just facts, feelings, and the quiet magic of a train that moves like poetry.