Venice Orient Express: Fares and Booking
The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is not transport, it is the destination. Belmond’s restored 1920s and 1930s carriages run overnight from Venice to Paris and on to other European cities in a handful of seasonal departures a year, starting at roughly EUR3,000 per person for a shared Historic cabin, booked directly through belmond.com. This is a splurge for the experience itself, not a practical way to move between cities, and it is worth being clear about that going in.
Key facts
| Detail | Venice Simplon-Orient-Express |
|---|---|
| Price | From roughly EUR3,000 per person, Historic cabin; suites run considerably more |
| Season | Runs seasonally, spring through autumn, with a limited number of departures a year |
| Route | Overnight Venice-Paris is the classic run; longer multi-night routes vary by year |
| Booking | Direct through belmond.com, popular departure dates sell out months ahead |
What the train actually is
The carriages themselves date to the 1920s and 1930s and carry original marquetry, brass fittings, and Art Deco detailing rather than a modern reproduction. A Historic cabin converts from a daytime sofa into upper and lower berths made up by a cabin steward while you are at dinner, then vanishes again after breakfast. Three dining cars, Etoile du Nord, Cote d’Azur, and L’Oriental, run the onboard restaurant service, and dinner is a genuine dress-up occasion: evening wear is expected, not optional.
Departures leave from Venice’s Santa Lucia station, and the classic route runs overnight to Paris. Longer seasonal itineraries have run to London, Vienna, Prague, Budapest, and occasionally further east, and in 2026 and 2027 Belmond has added Italy-focused “Villeggiatura” routes that stop at its own hotels, including the Hotel Cipriani in Venice, Splendido in Portofino, Villa San Michele in Florence, and Caruso on the Amalfi Coast.
How much does the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express cost?
Fares start at roughly EUR3,000 per person for a shared Historic cabin on the classic overnight Venice-Paris run, and climb sharply for a private Suite with its own bathroom rather than a shared one down the corridor. Multi-night or multi-country itineraries cost proportionally more. Exact current fares depend on the season and route, so treat any figure here as a starting point and confirm the specific departure on belmond.com.
Is the Orient Express worth the price?
If you want the actual experience, 1920s carriages, formal dinners, a train that exists purely as an occasion, yes. If you are comparing it to a normal train fare between Venice and Paris, no, and that comparison misses the point entirely. This is closer to a short cruise than a transfer: book it as the trip itself, not as how you get from one city to the next.
Booking it
Browse current departures and routes on belmond.com , and check departure dates and boarding details once you have picked a route. Popular dates, especially the classic Venice-Paris overnight in peak season, sell out months in advance, so this is not a booking to leave until you land in the city.
If you are spending a few days in Venice before boarding, our Venice travel guide and 7-day itinerary cover everything worth doing at the departure end of the line.