Your First Luxury Train Trip: What to Know Before You Book

Most people who book a luxury train have never been on one. They’ve seen the photos: the varnished wood, the dining car set for dinner, the landscape sliding past a wide window. What the photos don’t tell you is how different these trains are from each other, and how many small decisions decide if the trip feels like the best thing you’ve ever done or an expensive night in a small room.

I’ve spent a lot of time around rail travel, and first-timers ask the same questions again and again. Here’s what I’d want to know before paying the deposit.

Decide how long you actually want to be on board

This is the first fork in the road, and it matters more than the route. Some luxury trains are built around a single night. The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, the one most people picture, usually runs overnight from Paris to Venice. You board, dress for dinner, sleep, and arrive the next day. It’s an occasion more than a trip.

Others are built for days. Belmond’s Royal Scotsman runs two to seven nights around the Scottish Highlands. The Ghan takes two or three nights to cross Australia from Adelaide to Darwin. Rovos Rail in southern Africa runs from two to sixteen nights, with the longest trips crossing several countries.

If you’ve never done this before, two or three nights is a good place to start. One night can feel rushed. You’ve barely unpacked before it’s over. Two weeks is a big commitment to a travel style you haven’t tried. Three nights gives you time to settle in, see a few stops, and learn if you love it.

Look at the bathroom before you look at the price

This catches more first-timers off guard than anything else. Not every cabin on a luxury train has its own bathroom.

On the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, the cheapest option is a Historic Cabin. It has a sink, but the toilet is down the corridor, one per carriage, and there’s no shower. Step up to a Suite or Grand Suite and the bathroom is yours alone. On the Ghan, check the cabin grade: a Gold Twin cabin comes with its own small ensuite, so confirm what you’re getting before you book. Most of the long-distance sleeper trains, including Rovos Rail and the Royal Scotsman, give every cabin its own bathroom.

None of this is hidden. It’s in the cabin descriptions. But people skim past it, then find themselves in a robe in a corridor at two in the morning. Decide what you’re comfortable with and filter your options from there.

Read what the fare covers, and what it doesn’t

Luxury train fares look high until you see what’s included. On most of these trains, your cabin, all your meals, and the guided excursions along the way are included. On many, drinks are too. Some trains stop for game drives, winery visits, or walks through historic towns, and those are usually included.

The exclusions are where the surprises live. Gratuities are commonly extra. So are flights to the start and home from the end, plus any hotel nights before and after. Champagne is a common exception even on trains that include everything else. Rovos Rail, for example, includes local and international wines and spirits but charges extra for French champagne.

Ask for the list of exclusions in writing before you book. It’s usually short, and it tells you what the trip will really cost.

Budget per night, not per trip

The headline fares vary so much that they’re hard to compare. A better way is to divide the fare by the number of nights.

Rovos Rail’s three-night run from Pretoria to Cape Town starts at about $3,250 per person, so roughly $1,100 a night. (Rovos prices in South African rand, so the dollar figure moves a little with the exchange rate.) The Royal Scotsman’s shortest trips start at £7,050 per person for two nights, about £3,525 a night. The Orient-Express asks £4,275 per person for its cheapest single night, in a Historic Cabin that shares a toilet down the hall.

Per night, the differences are bigger than you’d guess, and the most famous train is rarely the best value. If you want to see the numbers side by side, this comparison of eleven luxury trains lists routes, cabin types and published starting fares from each operator in one table. It’s a quick way to see which trips fit your budget before you fall in love with one.

Pack for dinner, and pack soft

Dinner is the center of the day on almost every luxury train, and most have a dress code.

On the Orient-Express, Belmond’s guidance is traditional evening dress, and black tie is common. The Royal Scotsman expects a tux, a kilt, or at least a dark suit with a tie on their formal nights. On Rovos Rail, gentlemen put on a jacket and tie each evening. Daytime is smart casual nearly everywhere.

Space is the other thing to plan around. Even good cabins are small. A Pullman suite on Rovos Rail is about 76 square feet, which is roomy for a train but tight for two big hard-sided suitcases. Soft bags that fold flat under a bed make life easier. Ask before you pack how much the cabin holds, and keep what you need for each day within reach.

Expect to be at least partly offline

Some trains have Wi-Fi, and some don’t. The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express and Belmond’s Britannic Explorer offer it, though they’re honest that it drops in and out. Rovos Rail has none at all, and no televisions or radios either. That’s deliberate.

If you need to stay in touch for work, check before you book. If you don’t, being offline is one of the best parts. You read. You talk to the people at the next table. You watch the view for an hour without reaching for your phone.

Get used to the pace

Luxury trains are slow on purpose. Rovos Rail keeps its speed to a restricted 60 km/h, about 37 mph. It’s not in a hurry to get anywhere, because the point is to see what’s outside.

The slow pace also leaves room for stops. On the Pretoria to Cape Town route, the train pauses at Kimberley so guests can see the Big Hole, one of the world’s largest hand-dug mines. Rocky Mountaineer in Canada runs only in daylight so you don’t miss any of the Rockies, and puts guests in hotels at night. If you expect a train to be a fast way from A to B, you’ll be restless. If you think of it as a moving hotel, it makes sense.

Most days settle into a loose rhythm. Breakfast is unhurried. Mornings go to an excursion, a book in the lounge car, or simply the view. Lunch is long, the afternoon drifts by, and people start to gather for a drink before dinner. You rarely have a schedule to keep beyond the stops, and that’s the adjustment for a lot of first-timers. You don’t need to fill the time. The time is the point.

It helps to bring something to do that isn’t a screen. A good book, a sketchbook, a pair of binoculars for the long stretches of open country. The people who enjoy these trips most tend to be the ones who stop checking the time by the second morning.

Book early, and for some trains, apply

These trains carry very few people. Seven Stars in Kyushu, in Japan, has just ten suites. The Royal Scotsman takes up to 36 guests. Rovos Rail carries a maximum of 72. When a departure has room for a few dozen people, the best cabins go first.

A couple of trains don’t let you simply book at all. Seven Stars takes applications during set windows and holds a lottery when a departure is oversubscribed. The Ghan sells its lowest fares as advance-purchase fares on certain months. It pays to find out how the train you want sells its seats long before you plan to go.

Questions to ask before you pay a deposit

• Does my cabin have its own toilet and shower? Get a yes or no, not a description.
• What exactly is excluded? Drinks, tips, transfers, pre- and post-hotel nights.
• What’s the dress code at dinner? Then pack for it.
• How much luggage can I keep in the cabin? And where does the rest go?
• Is there Wi-Fi, and how reliable is it? Especially if you need to work.
• What are the cancellation terms? Get them in writing when you book.

Choosing your first one

There isn’t a single best train. There’s the right train for what you want out of the trip. The Orient-Express is about a glamorous evening. The Royal Scotsman is about the Highlands and small-group travel. The Ghan is about the outback. Rovos Rail is about space, wildlife and very long journeys across Africa.

Start with how many nights you want, decide how you feel about bathrooms, set a per-night budget, and the list narrows fast. When you’re ready to compare the finalists properly, this guide to choosing a luxury train walks through each option’s route, length, and published price, so you can pick what fits and book with a clear idea of what you’re getting.

And when you do go, leave the laptop closed for at least one afternoon. Sit in the observation car, or by the widest window you can find, and watch the country go by. That’s the part people remember.