The Scenic Route

The return of Belmond’s Eastern & Oriental Express four years after the pandemic ground its wheels to a halt brings with it a reinvigorated sense of magic that only truly opulent, old-world train travel can conjure. The aesthetic? Revamped vintage glamour, while unabashed joie de vivre defines your ride.

There’s no shortage of appealing places to lay your head in Singapore at the start or end of your voyage, with the iconic Marina Bay Sands being among the premier choices. However, if you feel like enveloping yourself in the elegance of a bygone era just a little longer, then Raffles Singapore has to be the place. Architectural splendour, sumptuous surroundings, and lofty prestige set this Singapore institution into its own league, bookending your spectacular Southeast Asian voyage with an unsurpassed flair.

Beginning amid Singapore’s skyscrapers, you’ll soon snake away from the metropolis and deep into the fragrant Malaysian jungle, the locomotive pulse lulling you into a state of meditative calm – a tranquillity that can be sustained or broken with a visit to the Champagne-fuelled dining car. You’ll stop in lively Penang, where arguably the world’s best street food is found, but the headline is a spell in Taman Negara: the largest protected lowland rainforest in the country and home to diverse and critically endangered wildlife. 

Operating top-end services across Southern Africa for more than 30 years, Rovos Rail captures the essence of train travel’s golden age: wood-panelled carriages, lounges filled with the scent of leather and aged scotch, formal evenings, and grand suites complete with clawfoot tubs. Enjoy white glove service as Africa’s spellbinding scenery unfurls outside the window.

As South Africa’s cultural capital, Cape Town is home to a dazzling array of accommodation options – including a horde of luxury offerings. One&Only Cape Town reflects the city’s cosmopolitanism in an enviable waterside location. On the other hand, The Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel, stands as a history-filled, pastel-hued emblem of its heritage. Opening in 1899 and winning rave reviews ever since, it exudes a playful lightheartedness, offering guests and residents a stylish spot in which to dine, dance, and stay a while.

Rovos Rail routes range from a three-night Cape Town trip to an epic 15-day 'Trail of Two Oceans’ adventure, with various off-train safari or cultural excursions included within your itinerary. The comprehensive African Collage takes you from the eclectic cultural hub of Cape Town to Pretoria, featuring game drives in Kruger National Park and Addo Elephant Park en route. Visits to Eswatini, a stop in Durban, plus tours of the Cape Winelands and the stunning Cango Caves are included as well. The route is also available in reverse for increased flexibility.

The most modern among this cohort, Rocky Mountaineer’s sleek trains criss-cross the American Southwest and Canada’s Rockies, capturing the continent’s pioneer spirit and the sense of limitless adventure which make it great. Double-height cars encased in glass provide unadulterated views over canyons, crags, and cliffs as you glide through scenery as vast as the lore infused within it.

For something chic, modern, and central, the Fairmont Pacific Rim is an enduringly popular option with heaps of amenities for all. However, if it’s a sense of occasion and an air of 1920s grandeur you’re after, Rosewood Hotel Georgia is certain to start your journey on the right track. Consistently regarded as one of Vancouver’s – if not all of Canada’s – finest hotels, you’ll find yourself ideally placed just a walk to the picturesque Stanley Park and the range of restaurants, museums, and art galleries that vie for attention along its fringes.

What sets the Rocky Mountaineer aside is that all its routes are available in varying formats and, since the train doesn’t operate overnight, passengers disembark each evening for an included stay in a luxury hotel. Each is also awash with cinematic beauty, and as the train guides you through the mountainous terrain between Vancouver and Jasper, by way of Whistler’s mountains and Quesnel’s tranquil river valleys, you can’t help but be enthralled. Head straight from point A to B, linger on along the way, or tack on another route.

The world's most mythologised train service, the Orient Express, has a fabulous new iteration. Guiding its passengers through Italy’s breathtaking landscapes aboard a train inspired by the glamour of the 1960s, La Dolce Vita embodies everything your mind's eye pictures when you think of uber-luxe rail travel, with views both in and outside the train feeling cinematic and transportive in more ways than one.

Designed by Dimorestudio, it combines Italian elegance with sumptuous private cabins, refined dining experiences with regionally inspired menus, attentive service, and exclusive regional itineraries, including trips across Tuscany’s vineyards and sojourns along Sicilian shores. This iconic journey celebrates the artistry, joy, and beauty of Italian culture; capturing the essence of la dolce vita. 

There's just something about Venice. Tracing a line along its ancient canals, you'll feel it. Staying almost anywhere in the city carries a kind of magic, but a couple of hotels really capture the Venetian art of ostentatious grandeur and opulence that just verges on over the top. The Gritti Palace is one such hotel and a perfect microcosm of Venice itself. For a slightly more modern take on classic Baroque styling, Hotel Cipriani, A Belmond Hotel, is a waterside institution favoured by celebrities since the 1950s.

Starting in Venice, this option perfectly encapsulates the romance of the Italian countryside with emblematic cities and ageless coastal allure. Glide from the grandeur of The Floating City’s canals to Portofino’s pastel cliffside villas by way of picturesque landscapes, rolling vineyards, and shimmering seas. Stops at cultural treasures and secluded locales enrich the experience, giving a glimpse into the traditional ways of life that still thrive alongside fashionable cosmopolitanism.