The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express will leave Paris for Monte Carlo for the first time on 10 May 2027. Belmond announced the route on 5 October, and it heads a 2027 programme that already fills the train’s booking pages: 36 journeys with 2027 departures, from one night between Paris and Venice to five nights between Paris and Istanbul. Four of them are fixed-date journeys to Italy, each ending with two nights at a Belmond hotel, in Ravello, Portofino, Venice and Fiesole. Here are the dates Belmond has published, the routes, and what the train offers on board.
Paris to Monte Carlo along the Côte d’Azur, from 10 May
The first departure leaves Paris on 10 May 2027 and comes down the coastal railway of the Côte d’Azur, according to Belmond’s announcement. The route follows the red cliffs of the Massif de l’Estérel, then runs through Saint-Raphaël towards Cannes and Nice, before the train arrives at Monaco-Monte-Carlo station, which the release describes as “concealed deep beneath the rock”. It is meant to last. Belmond calls it “an annual addition to the schedule”. Monte Carlo also becomes a stop on the way to Venice, on a one-night Paris to Venice itinerary via Cannes and Monaco, and Belmond lists a one-night Paris to Cannes for 2027 as well. The choice has a history, as Pascal Deyrolle, Belmond’s area managing director for trains in continental Europe, tells it.
“In 1977, two original carriages were acquired here at auction, setting in motion the journey that would become the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express we know today.” Pascal Deyrolle, Belmond
Four Italian journeys with two nights at a Belmond hotel
The Villeggiatura by Train series returns for its second year with four dates in 2027, published on Belmond’s site. Each trip is one night on board from Paris, then two nights at a Belmond hotel in Italy.
| Journey | 2027 dates | Hotel |
|---|---|---|
| Paris to the Amalfi Coast | 22-25 April | Caruso, A Belmond Hotel, Amalfi Coast, in Ravello |
| Paris to Portofino | 24-27 May | Splendido, A Belmond Hotel, Portofino |
| Paris to Venice | 20-23 June | Hotel Cipriani, A Belmond Hotel, Venice, on the Giudecca |
| Paris to Florence | 4-7 September | Villa San Michele, A Belmond Hotel, Florence, in Fiesole |
Each programme is built around its hotel. The train to the Amalfi Coast arrives at Pompeii, with a choice between a privately guided tour of the archaeological areas and a cooking class, then a boat trip along the coast or painting lessons, and a gala dinner with local producers at Caruso. For Portofino, the train stops at Santa Margherita Ligure; the stay includes a gala dinner at La Terrazza and experiences that range from a tennis clinic to a guided hike to the Portofino lighthouse. In Venice, dinner is a tasting menu by head chef Vania Ghedini at ORO, which Belmond describes as a one-MICHELIN-star restaurant, with a visit to a glass furnace or a Bellini class at Bar Gabbiano. In Fiesole, the newly renovated Villa San Michele serves an aperitivo in its Italian gardens and dinner at Ristorante San Michele, looking over Florence.
Five nights from Paris to Istanbul in October
The longest journeys of the year run to and from Istanbul. Paris to Istanbul leaves in October 2027: five nights in all, three of them on board, through Budapest and Bucharest. Belmond calls it “this classic journey”. Guests stay in Budapest at The St. Regis or the Matild Palace, depending on the cabin, and in Bucharest at the InterContinental Athénée Palace, with city tours in both capitals, a cruise on the Danube and a visit to Peleș Castle in Romania. The return, Istanbul to Paris, is also listed for 2027, with five nights and the same overnight stops. Belmond has not yet published the day of either departure. A shorter option is the four-night Paris to Budapest round trip, with two nights on board and two in the Hungarian capital.
Inside the train: 1920s carriages and L’Observatoire
On board, Belmond lists 32 Historic Cabins, 16 Suites and six Grand Suites, named after Paris, Venice, Istanbul, Vienna, Budapest and Prague, all in restored 1920s carriages. Then there is L’Observatoire, a whole carriage conceived with the artist JR, which Belmond calls “the world’s most luxurious train suite”. Dinner is served in the restaurant cars, among them Étoile du Nord and L’Oriental, and the evening moves to Bar Car 3674 and its grand piano. Formal evening attire is requested at dinner. The one-night routes reach more than 15 European cities, from Amsterdam and Brussels to Vienna, Prague, Florence and Verona, and their 2027 days are still to be published. One point of clarity: La Dolce Vita Orient Express, which runs in Italy under Accor’s Orient Express brand, is a different train.
The Luxury.it perspective
The 2027 programme offers two ways to take the train. The one-night routes are the classic, and the new one is Monte Carlo: a fixed date, 10 May, and an arrival in a station inside the rock. The Villeggiatura journeys are the better choice for a first time, because the night on board ends in a hotel that carries the mood for two more days, and their dates are already set, from Ravello in April to Fiesole in September. Book those first, since each runs on a single date. Istanbul is for the traveller with a week to give and no hurry. We will add the dates of the one-night journeys as Belmond publishes them.
Related guides
Luxury train journeys in Italy · The Bernina Express in Pullman Class · Venice in winter: La Fenice and Carnival · The Amalfi Coast in October
