Travel on the modern-day Venice Simplon Orient Express from Paris to Venice. Visit the company's Web site (see Resources below), which features travel packages for train as well as cruise ship journeys, to find schedules and departure times for this luxury train.
Contact the Orient Express Luxury Trains and Cruises at 800-524-2420 for more information on train times and booking.
Plan to travel on the original Orient Express, operated between France and Vienna. This route is still featured on the overnight timetable between these cities but is set to be replaced in spring 2007.
Book tickets in advance on the privately run Venice Simplon Orient Express by visiting their Web site (see Resources below) or by calling 1-800-524-2420.
Budget for an expensive train ride when you book travel on the Venice Simplon Orient Express. Tickets can cost upwards of $1,500 per person.
Prepare to be pampered. The luxury offered aboard this train exceeds the reputation established so long ago. Whether you know the Orient Express from the work of Agatha Christie or its many other popular cultural references throughout the years, the restored vintage wagon-lits or sleeping cars of the Venice Simplon Orient Express are still the height of luxury in train travel.
Brush up on your Orient Express history. The original Orient Express operated between Paris and Istanbul, beginning in 1883 as part of La Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits. The service was originally called "Express d'Orient" and required transfer over a body of water to reach its final destination.
Know which Orient Express you're referring to. Almost a decade after it began, the above route was officially renamed the Orient Express (in 1891) and operated daily between Paris and Vienna.
Compare the later routes. The Simplon Orient Express began its operation, alongside the Orient Express, in 1919. This service was similar in terms of the luxury offered to its passengers, but it did not travel a route through Germany to reach Istanbul.
Realize that the 1930s saw the height of the Orient Express route, with 3 sister trains operating to various destinations--the Simplon Orient Express, the Orient Express and the Arlberg Orient Express, which ran on days not serviced by the original Orient Express.
