Luxury Train Hopping Is Back: The Most Elegant Way to Travel in 2026
The world’s most stylish travellers are trading airports for sleeper suites and discovering that slow travel is the ultimate indulgence.
There is something about train travel that makes the modern world feel briefly irrelevant. The pacing. The romance. The fact that the journey itself becomes the experience — not a logistical inconvenience to survive.
In 2026, luxury travel is rediscovering trains in a big way. Not as nostalgia, but as sophistication: train hopping across Europe and beyond is being embraced by travellers who crave slow, beautiful movement and who understand that real luxury begins when you stop rushing.
The best part? Luxury trains today are not simply transport. They are curated spaces: fine dining, panoramic lounges, private suites with turn-down service, itineraries designed around culture and landscape. It’s the opposite of airport travel and that’s exactly the point.
Why Luxury Train Travel is Trending
It’s the antidote to air travel fatigue - Luxury travellers are tired of airport queues, flight delays, transactional travel, and even short-haul stress. Trains restore dignity to movement.
It’s scenic, comfortable, and deeply civilised - Train travel allows you to watch a country unfold. It’s immersive without exhausting you.
It feels old-world in the best way - Luxury train travel carries a natural elegance: unhurried, refined, deeply European.
Tips for Cruising the World by Train
The 2026 rule is all about do fewer stops, and stay longer. A perfect train-hopping itinerary could include:
2–3 legs maximum
one anchor city
one countryside/lake/mountain escape
one grand hotel per destination
Special Routes to Book Now
Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, A Belmond Train
This is the icon in train travel with top-tier suites that travellers adore.
We pair it with:
Paris: Le Bristol / Cheval Blanc Paris / Hôtel de Crillon
Venice: Aman Venice / Four Seasons Hotel Danieli
Portofino / Ligurian coast: Splendido (Belmond)
Belmond Royal Scotsman (Scotland)
It’s one of the most luxurious rail experiences in Europe:
We pair it with:
Edinburgh: The Balmoral / Gleneagles Townhouse
Highlands pre/post stay: Gleneagles / The Fife Arms
Amanjiwo Travel Experience
Aman offers a bespoke train journey concept in Java, with private carriage and cultural immersion definitely add to your bucket list.
Pair it with:
Amanjiwo (Borobudur / Java) — the perfect anchor stay
Amandari (Bali) as a second stop for contrast
Swiss Glamour Rail
Boarding the Glacier Express or Bernini Express is one of the most elegant way to travel in winter.
We pair it with:
Badrutt’s Palace, St Moritz
The Dolder Grand, Zurich
Carlton Hotel St Moritz
Book Now
Our Travel Advisory Team curates bespoke train experiences - ensuring the best suites, privileges, and insider access. Whether you seek a city escape or a countryside experience, we arrange the details that make discovery seamless. Contact us today.