There are glass-roof trains, double-decker trains, ambitious high-speed trains and affordable sleeper trains. But there is no train more legendary than the Orient Express.
Not only the (fictional) site of Poirot’s most famous case, the Orient Express was the most stylish way to traverse Europe in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It shuttled the continent’s upper classes – think aristocrats, emerging oil barons, and twirly-moustached detectives – between Istanbul and Paris from 1883 until its final journey in 2009.
But in a twist worthy of Agatha Christie herself, the service has announced that it’s back from the dead: the Orient Express will return in two years’ time. Original carriages from the 1920s have been modernised without losing art deco charm, in what Accor, who owns the branding for the Orient Express, describes as ‘a striking dialogue between heritage and modernity’.
These carriages are seriously swanky. The clocks inside each bedroom (yes, there are full double bedrooms that you can stay in) are Cartier, and every inch of every compartment has been painstakingly crafted by ‘master artisans’.
The story behind the recreation of hundred-year-old designs is almost as impressive as the artistry itself. A team of historians tracked down 17 long-abandoned carriages on the Poland-Belarus border and then, bit by bit, restored each one to its former glory.
No prices have been announced yet, but we expect that a ticket will be at least four to five months’ rent in your average major city. Don’t worry though – you’ll be able to have a proper look at these gorgeous carriages in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, where they’ll be on display until they hit the tracks in 2027.
The exhibition, 1925–2025: A Century of Art Deco, is one of the most exciting exhibitions to see in Paris right now. It will run until April 26, 2026, and is a showcase of twentieth-century art, fashion and furniture – including an entire exhibit dedicated to the Orient Express.
Here’s a sneak peek at what the new, ultra-fancy Orient Express carriages will look like.
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