Getting an Icon Back on Track

As you well may know, the Orient Express—a luxury train service that historically traveled the length of continental Europe, from Paris, France, to Istanbul, Turkey, beginning in 1883—ceased its operations in 2009. The line made famous by authors such as Bram Stoker, Agatha Christie, Graham Greene, and Ian Fleming was reportedly the victim of high-speed rail travel and budget airline flights.

But lamenting the Orient Express’ disappearance may have been rather premature. The Travel + Leisure magazine Web site carries the following happy news:

Europe is already known for its world-class rail system, but for an experience that's about more than just transportation, no train ride is more iconic than the Orient Express. After shutting down operations in 1977*, this historic, luxury rail experience is making its way back to Italy with new trains and itineraries going beyond the famed Paris-to-Istanbul route ...

In 2023, the new Orient Express La Dolce Vita will welcome passengers on six trains offering six itineraries that explore Italy from north to south, along with international routes visiting Paris, Istanbul, and Split, Croatia. Guests can spend anywhere from one to three nights aboard the new trains, with plenty of time at each stop to enjoy the destination. No matter which of the six routes guests choose, a stopover in Rome will be at the heart of every journey, allowing travelers to experience a stay at Minerva, the first Orient Express hotel, which is scheduled to open in 2024.

Who knows, it may yet be possible to realize my longtime dream of one day riding the Orient Express myself.

(Hat tip to In Reference to Murder.)

* That date is quite misleading. As Wikipedia explains, “In 1977, the Orient Express stopped serving Istanbul. Its immediate successor, a through overnight service from Paris to Bucharest, was later cut back in 1991 to Budapest, and in 2001 was again shortened to Vienna, before departing for the last time from Paris on Friday 8 June 2007. After this, the route, still called the ‘Orient Express,’ was shortened to start from Strasbourg instead, occasioned by the inauguration of the LGV Est which afforded much shorter travel times from Paris to Strasbourg.”