The Orient Express

[miss direct]

Today was an exciting day for me. I am a bit of a train geek, so when I heard that the Orient Express was coming to Istanbul, I had to go and see it. Was very disappointed to arrive and find that the whole platform had been cordoned off and nobody apart from passengers was allowed on. We could just see the train in the distance. Got chatting to a friendly guard (think he fancied my friend), who advised us to go around the side and through the Orient Express station bar (which by the way, is a great place to have a drink anyway). We snuck through, (it was also supposed to be reserved for passengers only) and got a great seat right on the platform. Saw all the passengers board (some of them disappointingly casually dressed and not excited), an Ottoman marching band, and were given flags to wave the train off when it left.

Weren't allowed on, but could peek through the windows into the "basic" sleeper cabins.

Cheapest ticket is £15,000. One day.
Anyone ever been on it?

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

I can’t imagine much worse than being cooped up for several days with the kind of people that would be on that train.

 

[not-bono-ever]

 

[ash]

Today was an exciting day for me. I am a bit of a train geek, so when I heard that the Orient Express was coming to Istanbul, I had to go and see it. Was very disappointed to arrive and find that the whole platform had been cordoned off and nobody apart from passengers was allowed on. We could just see the train in the distance. Got chatting to a friendly guard (think he fancied my friend), who advised us to go around the side and through the Orient Express station bar (which by the way, is a great place to have a drink anyway). We snuck through, (it was also supposed to be reserved for passengers only) and got a great seat right on the platform. Saw all the passengers board (some of them disappointingly casually dressed and not excited), an Ottoman marching band, and were given flags to wave the train off when it left.

Weren't allowed on, but could peek through the windows into the "basic" sleeper cabins.

Cheapest ticket is £15,000. One day.
Anyone ever been on it?
View attachment 182627

Does that mean one day and a night or just a day trip ?!!! £15,000 is obscene.

 

[Gromit]

My mother has been on it.

I'm horrified by the cost but it's a once in a lifetime thing.

 

[miss direct]

Does that mean one day and a night or just a day trip ?!!! £15,000 is obscene.

That’s for the whole thing, Istanbul to Venice or vice versa, I believe.

 

[ash]

That’s for the whole thing, Istanbul to Venice or vice versa, I believe.

Oh I misunderstood - you said ‘one day’ I thought you meant that was the cost for one day, I get it now

 

[miss direct]

Ah I see yeah

 

[souljacker]

My in laws went on it a while back. I can't remember which bit they did (you don't need to do the whole trip) but it definitely wasn't 15k. My f-i-l is a right tight bastard. No way he would have spent that.

 

[Sue]

In 1993, I got the Orient Express from Salzburg to Munich (it was going from Budapest to Paris iirc).

Disappointingly, if you're travelling in third class or whatever, it's exactly the same as any other third class train comfort-wise. Saying that, we didn't have to get a special ticket or anything -- we just used the other half of our cheap return.

 

[tim]

I can’t imagine much worse than being cooped up for several days with the kind of people that would be on that train.

Bellringers on the Orient Express

 

[DaveCinzano]

£2,200 to £55,000, depending on what route, when, and what accommodation:

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express | Fares | Prices

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Bellringers on the Orient Express

 

[Mrs Miggins]

£2,200 to £55,000, depending on what route, when, and what accommodation:

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express | Fares | Prices

The £2,200 doesn't seem toooooo bad for a once in a lifetime experience. But then it's just overnight in a tiny cabin on a train to Berlin so yeah. Dunno. Probably a train full of insufferable cunts as well.

I can only imagine who has £55,000 (per person) to spunk on a Grand Suite. A first class flight on British Airways to New York is £10,000 but for your £55K, you do get a 5 night experience rather than a mere 8 hours of luxury on the flight.

 

[Spymaster]

£2,200 to £55,000, depending on what route, when, and what accommodation:

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express | Fares | Prices

£15k is a 5 night journey and includes 5 star hotels.

I know someone who took his mum on it for a mother's day special dinner a few years ago. It was about a grand for 2 of them and that included Eurostar tickets to and from Paris and an overnight there which seemed quite reasonable.

 

[StoneRoad]

Also being a railway geek/nerd (but not a gricer) I would really like to "do" the Orient Express.
I'm saving for the trip ...

tbh, I would also like to do one of the other long distance trips, Trans-Siberian or either of the Australian ones come to mind, as does the transafrican route, maybe, when I've retired or win the lottery !

 

[Mrs Miggins]

I did the Ghan when I was travelling. It was an experience for sure but one I wouldn't want to repeat. Australia is just vast and bloody empty. I did do it in a shitty seat rather than a cabin though which I'm sure would have been far nicer.