La Dolce Vita Orient Express Is Coming To Italy In 2025

We’d love to stop banging on about ‘the great rail renaissance’, but frankly, we can’t. Travel has shifted completely over the last few years from ‘get there, now’ to ‘get there, well’. The journey is becoming as important as the destination, which means that spending less time on an airport coach and taking our shoes off at security, and more time staring out a train window at rolling hills and jagged cliffs while sipping from a glass of something cold and crisp is increasingly appealing. The latest rail journey to pique our interest? The upcoming 2025 launch of La Dolce Vita Orient Express, Italy‘s first ultra-luxurious train. 

Reservations are now open for the inaugural season, set to begin in Spring 2025, offering eight one-and-two-night itineraries traversing the Italian peninsula. The new voyages promise to revive the glamour of the 1960s and 70s La Dolce Vita era through immersive journeys celebrating Italian culture, cuisine, wine, and design, so dust off that copy of Murder On The Orient Express, slip into your most fabulous cocktail attire and book yourself a ticket. 

‘La Dolce Vita Orient Express is set to offer an inimitable take on luxury rail travel, reigniting a bygone era through a contemporary lens, Italian style,’ says General Manager Samy Ghachem.

La Dolce Vita Orient Express Suite

Vintage Italian Design, Modern Italian Cuisine 

The train’s interior was designed by Dimorestudio and pays homage to iconic Italian designers like Carlo Scarpa and Gio Ponti, marrying vintage aesthetics with modern comfort. Passengers will be able to choose one of 12 deluxe cabins and 18 suites for their voyage.

Guests will also have access to the new La Dolce Vita Orient Express Executive Lounge in Rome before boarding and once on board, will be able to indulge in the cuisine of three-Michelin-starred chef Heinz Beck, who will curate regionally-inspired menus celebrating Italy’s culinary heritage. A partnership with Vinitaly will showcase wines from across Italy’s wine regions on each journey.

Immersive Train Journeys Across Italy

The planned routes will span 14 regions and 131 cities, from the Alps to Sicily. Highlights include the mediaeval village of Palena, the ancient city of Matera, and a rail ferry experience to Sicily.

‘The itineraries offer access to once difficult to reach destinations and an immersion into the heart of cities that are international hubs of art and culture,’ says Ghachem.

HOW?

Journeys promise to be an intimate luxury experience with 62 passengers per 12-carriage train. Pricing starts at €3,500 per person for a one-night deluxe cabin journey. orient-express.com