The most famous luxury train in the world is heading somewhere it has surprisingly never gone on a scheduled route: Monte Carlo. Belmond's Venice Simplon-Orient-Express will run from Paris to Monaco for the first time in May 2027, and the new itinerary is set to return annually.
The timing is a nice bit of symmetry. In 1977, entrepreneur James Sherwood bought two original 1920s carriages at an auction in Monte Carlo, then tracked down more than 20 others and relaunched the restored train in 1982. So bringing the midnight-blue carriages back to the principality is, as the train's general manager Pascal Deyrolle puts it, coming full circle.
The first departure is scheduled for 10 May 2027 from Paris Gare d'Austerlitz. It's an overnight trip: guests settle into restored 1920s and '30s carriages, choose between the two restaurant cars — Étoile du Nord and L'Oriental — for dinner, then drift to Bar Car 3674 for cocktails and live music. Breakfast arrives in your cabin as the Côte d'Azur rolls past the window.
Accommodation spans Historic Cabins up to Grand Suites, and at the top end there's L'Observatoire, a private carriage with a bedroom, en suite bathroom, living area, library and a hidden tea room. Pricing starts at $5,461 per person, based on two sharing a Historic Cabin. Every fare includes the overnight stay, round-the-clock steward service, meals paired with the sommelier's wines, unlimited soft drinks and transfers.
The route itself is half the appeal. The train runs along the coast past the red cliffs of the Massif de l'Estérel, through Saint-Raphaël, Cannes and Nice, before cutting into the mountains and pulling into Monaco-Monte-Carlo station. From there you're a short walk from the Casino de Monte-Carlo — a James Bond filming location twice over — and the Circuit de Monaco. The train will also stop at Monte Carlo on some of its existing European routes to Venice.
For travellers, this fills a real gap. Paris-to-the-Riviera by sleeper train is one of Europe's great journeys, and until now the Orient Express skipped its most glamorous stop. If a seven-figure-free version of Monaco glamour appeals, the May 2027 launch is the date to watch — though with cabin counts this small, early booking is less a suggestion than a requirement.
