The Best Luxury Sleeper Car Train Trips in the World in 2024
Indulge yourself in the world of sleeper train travel
There’s something uniquely enchanting about train travel. Overnight train rides with sleeper cars provide an authentic air of romance above and beyond other forms of transport. Sleeper car train vacations are as much about the journey as the destination. Many travellers choose a train with sleeper cars as the highlight of their holiday. They’ll reach their final destination, turn around, and return home. Today, enthusiasts of train vacations with sleeper cars are spoilt for choice.
Venice Simplon-Orient-Express: Luxury Sleeper Cars on a Train Journey from London to Venice
Almost everyone has heard of the Orient Express in some form, and the Belmond-owned Venice Simplon-Orient Express represent the company’s most famous and luxurious route. As luxury sleeper car train trips go, this is a special one. Many of its luxury train sleeping cars date back to the late 1920s, and passengers fortunate enough to experience this high-end rail journey are treated with extraordinary grandeur. From lavish interior soft furnishings and natural dark wood walls, each luxury train car is fit for royalty and a reminder of a sumptuous golden era of rail travel. After a day of sipping champagne, off-train excursions, and marvelling at breathtaking landscapes, retiring for a peaceful night’s rest in the finest train sleeper cars isn’t the worst way to end your day.
Belmond Andean Explorer: Embark on a Train with Sleeper Car Adventures from Cusco to Arequipa
The Belmond Andean Explorer is world-famous for having perhaps the best sleeper cars of any South American rail journey, and moving through Peru on a trip from Cusco to Arequipa gives those onboard an experience to remember. The interior of this sleeping car train is light, bright and airy and leans heavily on radiant colours, thanks to traditional Peruvian textiles. Being a Belmond-owned service, guests onboard this train with sleeper cars are spoilt with a wonderful selection of dining experiences designed with locally sourced ingredients, as well as the opportunity to take some time out at the bar before retiring at the end of the day to their cabin in one of the luxury train sleeping cars.
Maharajas’ Express: Experience a Train Sleeper Car Odyssey from Delhi to Mumbai
The Maharajas’ Express boasts train vacations with sleeper cars that are praised by many fortunate enough to spend time onboard as the most luxurious train with sleeper car cabins available. The Delhi to Mumbai route is world-renowned as being the most expensive rail journey, but with spectacular levels of onboard luxury, including a presidential two-bedroom suite, impeccable service, world-class fine dining, and stops along the way that help create a lifetime of magical memories, this truly represents the best of high-end train trips with sleeper cars and should be experienced by all rail lovers at least once.
The Blue Train: Sleeper Car Train Trips Redefined from Pretoria to Cape Town
South Africa’s famous Blue Train is renowned as among the continent’s best-in-class overnight train rides with sleeper cars. Operating since 1946, passengers get a revealing glimpse into South Africa’s spectacular landscape on this 36-hour mini vacation. The train offers the best sleeper cars for guests to relax when not enjoying a meal in the dining car or making the most of the observation deck. Sleeper cars on trains provide a luxury oasis for passengers, and with a short journey from Pretoria to Cape Town, it’s priceless to have a quiet space to withdraw to. The Blue Train can also be chartered to experience Kruger National Park and the country’s “Big Five”.
Belmond Royal Scotsman: The Epitome of Luxury Train Travel with Sleeping Cars from Edinburgh to the Scottish Highlands
For those looking to pamper themselves on one of the world’s most famous trains, the Belmond Royal Scotsman ticks all the boxes when searching for the train with the best sleeper cars. Passengers fortunate enough to spend four nights onboard this stunning sleeping car train are treated to quite an experience. From a 24-hour steward, optimising local ingredients for exceptional fine dining, access to superb wines and whiskeys, and off-train excursions at each stop before returning to your train sleeping car to retire for the evening and have a peaceful night’s sleep.
Danube Express: Transylvania’s Sleeper Train Car Experience Awaits
Transylvania is synonymous with Count Dracula, and on a week-long rail vacation through the region, the famed Bran Castle is one of the destinations passengers experience during this luxury train travel. With sleeping cars that feature superbly comfortable king-size beds and all the other luxury amenities you would expect, The Golden Eagle Danube Express delivers on and off-train entertainment that’s hard to beat. Passengers can enjoy walking tours and other sightseeing excursions before climbing back on board their luxurious sleeping railroad car for a well-earned rest and prepare for what the stunning itinerary holds for them the next day.
The Canadian: A Train Sleeping Car Adventure Spanning from Toronto to Vancouver
Few countries can boast a more spectacular landscape than Canada, and an adventure onboard The Canadian never fails to deliver. Passengers can climb onboard and relax in the sleeping train car for the journey from Toronto to Vancouver on the four-day and four-night route. Making stops along the way in Sudbury, Sioux Lookout, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Jasper, and Kamloops, guests in these train sleeper cars are treated to fabulous destinations along with the incredible scenery that changes from dense forests and winding rivers to snow-covered mountain peaks and cityscapes.
The Ghan: A Sleeper Train Car Expedition Through the Australian Outback from Adelaide to Darwin
Nothing says adventure more than cross-continental sleeper car train vacations. As trains with sleeper cars go, Australia’s Ghan provides a spectacular glimpse into the interior of this magical country. Each luxury train car offers unmatched levels of comfort as you set off from Adelaide on your way to Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory. During the 1800-mile trip, guests can enjoy a fabulous regionally inspired menu and a great selection of wines as the train meanders through the isolated landscape. Each sleeping railroad car allows for total luxury and comfort between off-train excursions, including visits to Coober Pedy and Alice Springs.
Eastern & Oriental Express: The Ultimate Sleeper Car Train Vacation from Singapore to Bangkok
The Orient Express is a name that even non-lovers of train travel will have heard of. The Eastern & Oriental Express is a stunning sleeper car train that operates a route between Singapore and Bangkok. With a breathtaking interior design that utilises actual wood panelling and plush soft furnishings, passengers can while away the hours by sipping champagne in the bar or the observation car. The suites within your sleeping train car will be transformed during the day into private lounges that allow you to kick back and relax in your complimentary slippers as the train winds its way toward Thailand’s capital city and your final destination.
