ADVERTISEMENTImmortalised by crime writer Agatha Christie, the Orient Express is crystallised in the public imagination as a train of legendary glamour and mystery. So with a luxurious reboot on the horizon, it’s worth getting a couple of things straight.
The Orient Express has in fact appeared under many guises during its 140-year history. The original was not an individual train but a scheduled service that ran various routes starting in 1883, primarily from Paris to Istanbul.
A number of operators grew to use the name (and still do) for rides criss-crossing Europe. But if the journey has always been on your bucket list, it might be worth waiting a little while longer.
Operated by the Orient Express brand, part of the Accor Hospitality group, a stunning remake of the original trains is launching in 2026.
17 carriages dating back to the 1920s and 1930s - formerly known as the ‘Nostalgie-Istanbul-Orient-Express’ - are being redesigned by renowned French architect Maxime d’Angeac.
The latest renderings capture the first golden age of rail travel in all its splendour.
What will the new Orient Express train look like?
Whatever your berth on the Orient Express, you’ll be getting acquainted with its sleek corridors - described by the brand as “places of travel, encounters and surprises” which offer “a theatrical decor.”
D’Angeac’s interiors are full of surprises - and rich in literary influences. His personal library holds the works of Ernest Hemingway, biographies of art collector Peggy Guggenheim, the philosophy of Walter Benjamin and (crucially) a collection of Agatha Christie novels.
In other words, he’s the right man for the job. As this gorgeous bar car makes clear.
Artfully arranged, green scallop chairs and banquets provide intimate spaces to chat or sip cocktails in style. Through large windows, you can watch Europe’s landscapes pass by.
The dining car boasts just as much glamour, with a classic art deco look inspired by trains themselves. There are self-referential touches in the mirrored ceiling, crossed by a series of arches, and the glass wall behind which you can see the “kitchen brigade” at work.
A luxury sleeper train wouldn’t be complete without a luxurious place to rest your head, and the new Orient Express suites are the stuff of dreams, partitioned with precious wood and leather walls.
By day, a sofa and settee invite you to rest, relax and read. When it’s time for “the great transformation” to night, a 2 x 1.40-metre bed awaits.
The headboards are covered by wooden embroidery with mother-of-pearl and bronze beads, next to shelves adorned with travel souvenirs and reading material. Decked out in marble, private bathrooms lie behind sliding doors.
And if you can afford to take the luxury up a whole other notch, there’s the Presidential Suite: a 55 square-metre space occupying an entire train car of the former Nostalgie-Istanbul-Orient Express, with its own private entrance.
When is the new Orient Express train launching?
Originally intended to hit the tracks in 2025, the Orient Express train by Maxime d’Angeac is now anticipated to launch in late 2026.
The finer details of the journey - including where it will go exactly, and at what price - are still to be unveiled.
Meanwhile, the brand’s Orient Express La Dolce Vita is available to book online, with journeys from April 2025 taking travellers to Italy's greatest destinations.