The original Grand Tour sent aristocratic young Europeans rumbling across the continent by horse-drawn carriage, seeking culture, refinement, and the thrill of unfamiliar landscapes. In 2025 and 2026, that ancient itch for immersive, unhurried travel has found its most extravagant expression yet: private luxury rail journeys that lace together four continents, a roll call of iconic trains, and cities that read like a greatest-hits album of the world. This modern reinvention takes the form of an exquisite 60-day global journey across four continents, nine countries, and seven opulent trains, offering unparalleled luxury and immersive cultural experiences. It is expensive, deliberate, and utterly unlike anything else in modern travel – and demand is only accelerating.
A Market Entering Its Golden Age
The global luxury train travel market reached USD 1.92 billion in 2024, reflecting the growing appeal of exclusive and immersive travel experiences, and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 7.1 percent from 2025 to 2033, driven by rising disposable incomes, increasing demand for experiential tourism, and a renewed interest in slow, scenic travel. The numbers behind the scene are equally striking. Railbookers described 2024 as “record-breaking” for sales, which were up 30 percent year over year, while luxury journeys in particular saw a 43 percent increase compared to 2023. This is not a fleeting trend. From 2019 through 2024, travelers’ cross-border spending worldwide on rail tours rose 59 percent, compared to 18 percent in total cross-border tourism spending. The appetite is real, measurable, and spreading across demographics.
The Itinerary: One Journey, Seven Legendary Trains
This once-in-a-lifetime adventure includes travel on seven of the world’s top luxury trains: Rocky Mountaineer (Canada), Belmond Royal Scotsman (Scotland), La Dolce Vita Orient Express (Italy), Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (Europe), Rovos Rail (South Africa), the Maharajas’ Express (India), and the Eastern and Oriental Express (Southeast Asia). The trip starts in Vancouver and includes stops in Edinburgh, Rome, Venice, Paris, Budapest, Istanbul, Delhi, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Singapore, and more. The 2025 edition includes a total of 21 nights on board trains and 32 nights in luxury hotels. The combination of rolling bed and five-star city hotel turns the journey itself into the destination.
North America: The Rocky Mountaineer Opens the Show
Much like with the 2024 itinerary, the journey starts in Vancouver, Canada, for a two-day scenic ride on Canada’s only luxury train: the Rocky Mountaineer. Passengers ride in the GoldLeaf class, which features a glass-domed observation deck that frames the Canadian Rockies in real time. Unparalleled views of the dramatic Fraser Canyon and Continental Divide from the elevated GoldLeaf dome seat come with five-star service at every turn. The Rocky Mountaineer has been on the Society of International Railway Travelers’ World’s Top 25 Trains list since it started, and it was awarded the right to operate routes in the Canadian Rockies in 1990 by the Canadian government. It is a fittingly spectacular overture to two months of rails.
Europe: Scotland, Italy, and the Orient Express
The next opulent train on the itinerary is the iconic Royal Scotsman, on which guests spend three nights exploring the wilds of Scotland, starting in Edinburgh and going all the way to the Highlands. From there, the European leg truly accelerates. Guests board the brand-new La Dolce Vita Orient Express for two nights from Rome to Venice and Portofino before traveling from Verona to Paris, and then from Paris to Istanbul on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express. Europe remains the largest and most established market for luxury train travel, accounting for approximately 38 percent of the global market share in 2024, and iconic journeys such as the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express and the Royal Scotsman continue to attract affluent travelers from around the world. Crossing the continent by rail, rather than by air, transforms transit into a panoramic spectacle.
India: The Maharajas’ Express and Its Royal Promise
After Istanbul, a six-hour flight connects guests to Delhi, where one of the world’s most celebrated train experiences begins. Guests experience the wonders of India on the Maharajas’ Express, including the Taj Mahal and Jaipur. The Maharajas’ Express is commonly regarded as the most expensive train in the world and one of the most luxurious, though for those who can afford it, it represents great value as a special occasion adventure. Excursions along the way include a sunrise visit to the Taj Mahal and a jeep safari in Ranthambore National Park. India’s leg blends ancient wonder with the sort of private access that money, very specifically, can buy.
Africa: Rovos Rail and the Pride of the Continent
Parts of South Africa and the Hwange National Park and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe are seen from a Rovos Rail train. Rovos Rail, affectionately known as “The Pride of Africa,” operates on its own terms. Since its establishment in 1989, Rovos Rail has earned an international reputation for truly world-class travel experiences – step aboard the classic wood-panelled coaches and sit back as some of the most varied scenery imaginable unfolds, with discreet service, excellent cuisine, and a selection of South Africa’s finest wines. Rovos Rail offers a remarkable series of train journeys ranging from 48 hours to 15 nights, connecting some of Africa’s most iconic destinations, and the beautifully refurbished trains accommodate a maximum of 72 passengers across 36 exquisitely appointed suites. Africa is no afterthought on this itinerary – it is one of its most emotionally resonant chapters.
Southeast Asia: The Eastern and Oriental Express Finale
The journey concludes in the lush tropics of Southeast Asia. The Eastern and Oriental Express, a Belmond train that relaunched in 2024 after a four-year pause, whisks travelers away on grand journeys through the heart of Southeast Asia, specifically Malaysia and Singapore. There are currently five itineraries available, with focuses ranging from cuisine and wellness to festive season celebrations, and the trips begin and end in Singapore, making stops in Malaysian destinations such as capital city Kuala Lumpur, Taman Negara National Park, and the island of Penang. Each departure includes three nights aboard a Pullman, State, or Presidential sleeper car, all brimming with lacquered-wood-paneled finishes and colorful silk furnishings. After 60 days of rail splendor, the jungle greenery sliding past the window feels like a fitting, quiet close.
What It Actually Costs – and What It Doesn’t Include
The price of this kind of travel is not incidental – it defines who takes the trip. Prices for the train-centric trip start at $125,557 per person and don’t include the several international flights needed for the journey, though the price does include stays in high-end hotels, excursions, cabins onboard, and private tours of locations like the Colosseum and the Taj Mahal. The 2025 Around the World by Luxury Train trip is more than $10,000 more expensive than the 2024 version, and before the 2025 itinerary even went on sale, there were more than 500 people on the waitlist. That waitlist is itself a data point worth sitting with. The growing demand for luxury rail speaks to a larger shift happening in the upper reaches of the travel market.
The Slow Travel Philosophy Driving the Renaissance
Behind the price tags and platinum itineraries lies a deeper philosophy that resonates widely. This mode of travel seems to be meeting the moment, as preferences for “slow travel” persist – ever since Covid, there has been a boom in the desire to slow down and do something a bit different and in a different way. Rather than high-speed rail, which prioritizes efficiently connecting destinations, this new wave of excursion trains travels at around 80 kilometers an hour – roughly 50 miles per hour. Aggregated traveler data from more than 40 countries indicates that, above and beyond the initial cost of the rail tour, train travelers spent an average of 72 percent more than non-train travelers. The rail traveler, it turns out, doesn’t just spend more on the train – they invest more fully in every destination they touch.
New Trains, New Routes, and What Comes Next in 2026
The luxury rail world is not standing still. The new Britannic Explorer, a Belmond train, launched in summer 2025 as the first luxury sleeper train to serve England and Wales, kicking off half a dozen three- and six-night itineraries visiting the Lake District, Cornwall, and Wales. Three-Michelin star chef Heinz Beck leads the culinary program on La Dolce Vita Orient Express, showcasing Italian gastronomy and its culinary heritage. Looking further ahead, Railbookers is expanding its collection of extended journeys with four new itineraries debuting in 2026, designed for travelers seeking a month-long immersive adventure without committing to two full months away, spanning 29 to 48 days across continents. The Grand Tour, it turns out, is still being written – one magnificent rail route at a time.