There's nothing more exciting than riding the Orient Express! Almost everyone thinks of Agatha Christie's novel Murder on the Orient Express. It is said that on October 4, 1883, the world's first Express d'Orient departed from Paris, carrying a group of European high-society dignitaries to Constantinople (now Istanbul), the symbol of the Eastern world. Three days, 9 hours and 40 minutes later, with the arrival of the Orient Express across seven countries to Turkey, the first train journey across continents in human history was successfully completed. The train was spearheaded by engineer George Negelmeco, who drew inspiration from american luxury trains to introduce this "moving palace on the railroad" to Europe. Since then, what happened on the Orient Express has been intertwined with the most important history, politics, entertainment, gossip and, of course, murders of the time. For example, the ceasefire agreement in World War I was signed in the office of the former Oriental Express carriage; the big star Marlene Dietrich, the writer Hemingway and the famous spy were all regulars of the Orient Express.
However, since the 1960s, the Orient Express has gradually lost its former glory. The advent of air travel lost its luster for a time, but in 1977 American businessman James B Sherwood (founder of the Belmond Group) noticed that this more elegant way of travel was gradually regaining market potential.
Encouraged by the trend, a rail car auction in Monte Carlo sparked a great deal of media interest, and Sherwood bought two sleeper cars to recreate as luxury antique trains between London and Venice. He then went on to museums, railway warehouses and even private gardens across Europe to find more antique carriages abandoned or converted into ornate dining rooms, and redecorated them in the Art Deco style, bringing The Venus Simplon-Orient-Express back to its former glory in 1982.
The 17 antique carriages take you back in time to a hundred years ago
Belmond's legendary train, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, can satisfy almost everything you can imagine about the Orient Express— except for murders, of course.
The 17 carriages on the train are truly antique carriages from the 1920s, once laden with celebrities and dignitaries across the Continent. Carriage 3544 is said to have been converted into a place of wind and moon in Limoges, France, during World War II; another sleeper carriage, 3425, is from a train in 1940 when King Carol I of Romania eloped with his mistress. The three-car is also full of legend, the gorgeous mosaic craftsmanship is full of retro charm, and guests can experience exquisite scenic lunches and romantic candlelit dinners. There is also a bar carriage with a resident pianist playing the grand piano.
Cabin crews in white gloves and gold and blue uniforms welcome passengers aboard the luxury Orient Express and take them to retro rooms. With its smooth wooden furniture and walls, beautiful inlays, soft fabrics and antique items such as candlesticks and pocket watch hooks, it is like a gentleman and lady who traveled back 100 years.
The train offers single and double (bunk beds or a queen bed) rooms, both of which can be connected into suites. During the day, the fluffy sofas lean against the walls on one side of the room, and by the time passengers return to the room after dinner, the flight attendants have cleverly opened them into comfortable bunk beds, with clean linens and elaborate blankets. Ladders with handrails lead upwards. After breakfast, while the passengers took a leisurely stroll by the train, the attendants quickly and neatly closed the bed again and restored the guest room to a comfortable living room.
Every line is full of surprises and expectations
Every year between March and November, trains travel from London to Venice and back to London again. For many passengers, this journey is the ultimate railway journey once in a lifetime, full of anticipation and excitement. On the northbound journey, the train leaves Venice Santa Lucia Station at 11:00 AM and crosses the Venetian Lagoon before traveling at a leisurely pace to the Dolomites, Austria and Switzerland. After breakfast the next day, the train will stop in Paris, at which point passengers can get off the train for a walk and stretch out before continuing towards Calais. Here, they will leave the train and take a bus through the undersea tunnel. After arriving at Folkestone, board the Belmond British Pullman train and travel through Kent to Victoria Station, the final stop of the trip.
Also, the most classic is the Paris-Istanbul route, which is a true adventure. On the way to the European border by Vese Simplon-Orient-Express, passengers will be dropped off in Budapest and Bucharest to check into local hotels, and the rest of the night will be spent in the car. Crossing the Danube river from Romania into Bulgaria, the train arrives in Varna. The railway station in this seaside resort town is stunning in size and boasts a magnificent Art Nouveau roof. Passengers can look out over the Black Sea from the car and get off the bus while breathing in the fresh sea air while waiting for border checks.
Beijing News reporter Qu Tingyi Editor Wang Hui Proofreader Li Lijun