Vehicles & Machines

The Most Luxurious Train Rides Covered by Trek Trendy

All 52 trains the travel YouTuber Trek Trendy has ridden on camera since 2017, ranked by what two people pay for each train's most expensive room on the route he took. The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express's Grand Suite from Paris to Istanbul leads at about $168,000. At the other end is a first-class seat from Budapest to Arad for about $79.

Trek Trendy aboard the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express from Paris to Istanbul

Pictured: Trek Trendy's video of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express from Paris to Istanbul, #1 with a Grand Suite at about $168,000 for two.

Rank Train Top room, for two (USD) Top room (local price) His trip Region Type
1Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (Belmond)$168,025Grand Suite (£126,000)Paris–Istanbul, 5 nights (2023); also Paris–Venice 2022, Prague–London 2024EuropeLuxury sleeper
2Royal Scotsman (Belmond)$66,143Grand Suite, 4 nights (£49,600)Edinburgh–Highlands–Isle of Skye, 4 nights (2022); Grand Suite in 2025EuropeLuxury sleeper
3Britannic Explorer (Belmond)$47,740Grand Suite (£35,800)London–Lake District, 3 nights (2026)EuropeLuxury sleeper
4Silk Road Express (Train of Glamour)$40,681Grand Suite (CN¥272,000)Xining–Dunhuang, 2 nights on board (2026)AsiaLuxury sleeper
5Patrick Henry's private train~$33,000Whole 2-car charter (incl. Grand Canyon suite)San Francisco–Denver, 36 hours (2026)North AmericaLuxury sleeper
6Maharajas' Express (IRCTC)$29,200Presidential SuiteTreasures of India, 3 nights (2025)AsiaLuxury sleeper
7The Ghan (Journey Beyond)$28,379Australis Suite (A$40,780)Ghan Expedition, Darwin–Adelaide, 3 nights (2024); also Adelaide–Darwin 2022OceaniaLuxury sleeper
8La Dolce Vita Orient Express$25,387Suite (€22,560)Rome–Venice–Portofino, 2 nights (2025)EuropeLuxury sleeper
9Indian Pacific (Journey Beyond)$24,064Australis Suite (A$34,580)Sydney–Perth, 3 nights (2026); also Perth–Sydney 2022OceaniaLuxury sleeper
10Eastern & Oriental Express (Belmond)$23,700Presidential SuiteSingapore–Langkawi, 2 nights (2024)AsiaLuxury sleeper
11Seven Stars in Kyushu (JR Kyushu)$23,415DX Suite A (¥3,700,000)Kyushu loop, 3 nights (2024)AsiaLuxury sleeper
12British Pullman (Belmond)$23,337Celia, private carriage (£17,500)London day trips (2022; Celia in 2026)EuropeLuxury day train
13Twilight Express Mizukaze (JR West)$18,858The Suite (¥2,980,000)Western Japan loop, 2 nights (2025)AsiaLuxury sleeper
14Train Suite Shiki-shima (JR East)$13,289Shiki-shima Suite (¥2,100,000)Winter course from Ueno, 2 nights (2025–26)AsiaLuxury sleeper
15Rovos Rail Pride of Africa$12,657Royal Suite (R208,000)Cape Town–Pretoria, 3 nights (2022)AfricaLuxury sleeper
16Belmond Andean Explorer$9,600Suite CabinCusco–Lake Titicaca–Arequipa, 2 nights (2022)South AmericaLuxury sleeper
17The Canadian (VIA Rail)$8,530Prestige cabin (C$12,080)Toronto–Vancouver, 4 nights (2023, 2025)North AmericaScheduled sleeper
18The Blue Train$6,317Luxury Suite (R103,810)Pretoria–Cape Town, 2 nights (2023)AfricaLuxury sleeper
19Rocky Mountaineer, First Passage to the West$5,507GoldLeaf (C$7,798)Banff–Vancouver, 2 days (2022)North AmericaLuxury day train
20Canyon Spirit (ex-Rockies to the Red Rocks)$4,654PremierDenver–Moab, 2 days (2022)North AmericaLuxury day train
21Amtrak California Zephyr$2,532BedroomChicago–San Francisco (2022, 2024)North AmericaScheduled sleeper
21Amtrak Southwest Chief$2,532BedroomChicago–Los Angeles (2023)North AmericaScheduled sleeper
23Glacier Express$2,121Excellence Class (CHF 1,748)St Moritz–Brig (2026)EuropeLuxury day train
24Amtrak Silver Meteor$1,868BedroomFlorida–New York (2025)North AmericaScheduled sleeper
25Amtrak Coast Starlight~$1,800BedroomLos Angeles–Seattle (2022)North AmericaScheduled sleeper
26Amtrak Lake Shore Limited$1,126BedroomNew York–Chicago (2023, 2024)North AmericaScheduled sleeper
27Alaska Railroad Denali Star$1,106GoldStarAnchorage–Fairbanks (2022)North AmericaDay train
28Eurostar$867Eurostar Premier (£650)London–Paris (2017, 2022, 2024); London–Brussels (2023)EuropeDay train
29The Ocean (VIA Rail)~$795Sleeper Plus cabin for two with shower (~C$1,126)Halifax–Montreal (2022)North AmericaScheduled sleeper
30Caledonian Sleeper$700Caledonian Double en-suite (£525)Inverness–London (2022); London–Scotland (2025)EuropeScheduled sleeper
31ICE (Deutsche Bahn)~$6751st class (~€600)Brussels–Hamburg (2023)EuropeDay train
32Frecciarossa 1000 (Trenitalia)$664Executive (€590)Milan–Rome (2026)EuropeDay train
33TGV Lyria$459Première Signature (€408)Paris–Zurich (2022, 2024)EuropeDay train
34SJ EuroNight~$4541st class compartment with shower (~SEK 4,500)Hamburg–Stockholm (2023, 2024)EuropeScheduled sleeper
35ÖBB Nightjet~$450Deluxe compartment with shower (~€400)Zurich–Vienna (2022); Zurich–Hamburg (2024)EuropeScheduled sleeper
35ÖBB Nightjet, new generation~$450Comfort Plus compartment with shower (~€400)Hamburg–Innsbruck (2026)EuropeScheduled sleeper
37DSB Talgo (Copenhagen–Hamburg)$3851st class (€342)Copenhagen–Hamburg (2026)EuropeDay train
38SJ Norrland night train~$3791st class compartment with shower (~SEK 3,750)Kiruna–Stockholm (2026)EuropeScheduled sleeper
39Intercity Notte (Trenitalia)$344Whole 2-bed Relax sleeper (€305.80)Rome–Palermo, via the Messina train ferry (2026)EuropeScheduled sleeper
40Amtrak Maple Leaf~$338BusinessNew York–Toronto (2025)North AmericaDay train
41The Jacobite (West Coast Railways)$336Private table for two, return (£252)Fort William–Mallaig (2025)EuropeDay train
42Night Riviera (GWR)$310Twin sleeper cabin (£232.40)London–Penzance (2022, 2025)EuropeScheduled sleeper
43Bucharest–Istanbul through car (CFR/TCDD)$299Whole 4-berth couchette (£224)Bucharest–Istanbul (2022)EuropeScheduled sleeper
44Brightline~$298PREMIUMMiami northbound (2025)North AmericaDay train
45ÖBB Railjet$239Business (€212)Vienna–Budapest (2022)EuropeDay train
46Amtrak Cascades~$230BusinessVancouver–Seattle (2025)North AmericaDay train
47Santa Claus Express (VR)~$2252-person cabin with shower (~€200)Helsinki–Rovaniemi (2022, 2024)EuropeScheduled sleeper
48KTX (Korail)$126First class (₩167,400)Seoul–Busan (2019)AsiaDay train
49Astra Trans Carpatic~$110Lux sleeper with shower (~RON 520)Arad–Bucharest (2022)EuropeScheduled sleeper
50Vy night train (Stockholm–Narvik)~$102Private sleeper compartment (~SEK 1,010)Stockholm–Narvik (2023)EuropeScheduled sleeper
51Special Express (State Railway of Thailand)$931st class 2-berth cabin (฿3,092)Chiang Mai–Bangkok (2022)AsiaScheduled sleeper
52MÁV/CFR InterCity (Budapest–Arad)~$791st class (~€70)Budapest–Arad (2022)EuropeDay train

Who is Trek Trendy? Trek Trendy is a British travel channel on YouTube with about 1.46 million subscribers. It started in 2015 with city guides and moved on to first-class flights, luxury cruises and, from 2022, sleeper trains. Most of his train videos end with a "Cost" chapter. He says he pays for nearly all of these trips himself; Rocky Mountaineer invited him on its US route, and Railbookers sponsored his 2025 trip across Britain.[1]

Basis and caveats: every train he has ridden on camera, from his 2017 Eurostar day trip to the Britannic Explorer in September 2026, taken from his video titles, descriptions and chapter lists as of October 18, 2026. Each train counts once, and a multi-train video counts each named train. Not listed: unnamed connecting trains in his 2026 Arctic-to-Africa video (Stockholm–Copenhagen, Innsbruck–Buchs, Buchs–St Moritz, Brig–Milan), ferries, and the replica Orient Express cabin on the Orient Express Corinthian sailing yacht. Trains are ranked by the train's most expensive room today (or, on a seat-only train, its top class) on the route he rode. The price is what two people pay for the whole trip: a fare quoted per person sharing is doubled, and a seat-only train shows two seats. Where he rode a train more than once, the longest trip counts. Fares are 2026 (or 2026–27 season) prices for the season he travelled in, where that's known. Most come from the operators. Some come from their sales agents, Seat61, or, for some scheduled trains, a typical fare; a "~" marks those estimates. Prices are converted at the European Central Bank's rates for October 16, 2026.[2][14][15] The top room isn't always the one he booked. The Ghan counts at its new Australis Suite, which he didn't have on board in 2024, and the Royal Scotsman's Grand Suite at its 4-night price, though he tried the suite on a later, shorter trip. The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express's even pricier L'Observatoire suite (from £60,000 a night) isn't counted, because it isn't sold on the Paris–Istanbul run he took. Patrick Henry's private train is chartered whole at $16,500 a day, counted here as two days. The Ocean's shower cabin has no published fare, so its row shows the standard cabin for two as a floor. Some of Trek Trendy's own figures run well above these, such as "over $40,000" for the Twilight Express Mizukaze's The Suite against JR West's ¥2.98 million. These prices come from the operators' published fares, not from what he paid.[1][12]

The Top 10

#1

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express — about $168,000

Belmond runs its Paris–Istanbul journey once a year: five nights through eight countries, including hotel stops in Budapest and Bucharest. A Grand Suite costs £63,000 per person for 2026, or £126,000 for two. Trek Trendy rode it in 2023, after riding to Venice in a Grand Suite in 2022. When delays on the Istanbul trip disrupted his plans, Belmond rebooked him from Prague to London in 2024, again in a Grand Suite. The train's carriages are restored 1920s originals. In 2024 the artist JR designed a suite called L'Observatoire that fills an entire carriage. It was reported at £80,000 a night for two, the most expensive train cabin ever sold.[1][3]

#2

Royal Scotsman — about $66,100

Trek Trendy and his partner Millie spent five days on the Royal Scotsman in 2022, from Edinburgh through the Highlands to the Isle of Skye. Belmond's 2026 price for that 4-night Highlands journey in a Grand Suite is £24,800 per person. The Grand Suites, designed by Tristan Auer with a tartan made for the train, arrived in 2024. They are the first rooms on the train with a separate sitting room. He went back in 2025 to try one, as part of a four-train trip from Cornwall to the Highlands; the video above shows it.[1][4]

#3

Britannic Explorer — about $47,700

Belmond's newest train made its first journey on July 21, 2025. Belmond bills it as the first luxury sleeper train across England and Wales. Three of its 18 cabins are Grand Suites, at £17,900 per person for the 3-night Lake District journey from London in 2026. The menus are by the three-Michelin-star chef Simon Rogan. Trek Trendy stayed in Juniper, one of the three Grand Suites, in 2026, starting the trip in Celia, the new private carriage on the British Pullman.[1][5]

#4

Silk Road Express — about $40,700

China's Silk Road Express, run by Fosun's Train of Glamour brand, first ran in July 2024. Its new 2026 Xining–Dunhuang trip climbs past 9,000 feet before crossing the Gobi Desert to the Mogao Grottoes. The 22 m² Grand Suite is priced from CN¥272,000 for the room. The package is five days, two nights on the train and two in hotels. The train carries at most 80 guests in 38 cabins. Trek Trendy booked the Grand Suite in 2026, which he describes as having a freestanding bath.[1][6]

#5

Patrick Henry's private train — about $33,000

For 36 hours from San Francisco to Denver in 2026, Trek Trendy had a train to himself. The train is two restored Union Pacific cars from the 1950s, hauled behind Amtrak's California Zephyr: the dome car Warren R. Henry and the sleeper Evelyn Henry, whose master suite is called Grand Canyon. Houston promoter Patrick Henry named the cars after his parents. He charters them with a chef and crew for $16,500 a day. Trek Trendy paid full price but says he got a repositioning leg at a reduced rate.[1][7]

#6

Maharajas' Express — $29,200

India's state railway caterer, IRCTC, runs the Maharajas' Express. Its single Presidential Suite fills a whole carriage, with two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a dining room. The 3-night Treasures of India trip from Delhi to Agra, Ranthambore and Jaipur costs $14,600 per person in the 2026–27 season, plus 5% GST. The train launched in 2010 with 43 cabins for up to 84 guests. Trek Trendy booked the Presidential Suite in 2025, with dinner in a palace and a sunrise at a fort.[1][8]

#7

The Ghan — about $28,400

The Ghan runs about 3,000 km between Darwin and Adelaide. Trek Trendy rode it twice in Platinum, the top cabin until 2026: north from Adelaide in 2022, and south from Darwin on the 3-night Ghan Expedition in 2024, with a flight over Uluru and a stop at the underground opal town of Coober Pedy. Journey Beyond now sells its Australis Suites on The Ghan too. On the 2026 Expedition one costs A$20,390 per person from May to August, the season he travelled in.[1][9]

#8

La Dolce Vita Orient Express — about $25,400

Arsenale and Accor launched Italy's 1960s-themed sleeper train from Rome in April 2025. Dimorestudio designed the interiors and Heinz Beck, who holds three Michelin stars, wrote the menus. The 11 m² Suites cost up to €11,280 per person on the 2-night Venice and Portofino trip, the one Trek Trendy took in a Suite in 2025 for "over $20,000". Its one-off La Dolce Vita Suite is priced only on request.[1][10]

#9

Indian Pacific — about $24,100

Journey Beyond's Australis Suites, designed by Woods Bagot with a butler and in-suite dining, first ran on April 4, 2026, on the Indian Pacific leaving Perth. Trek Trendy rode one from Sydney to Perth that month, 3 nights and about 4,350 km across the Nullarbor. It costs A$17,290 per person in his season. He had first crossed Australia on the same train in 2022 in Gold class, passing Cook, a town with four residents.[1][9]

#10

Eastern & Oriental Express — $23,700

The train was built in Japan in 1972 and ran as New Zealand's Silver Star. Belmond relaunched it on February 12, 2024, on loops from Singapore through Malaysia with an open-air observation car. A Presidential Suite costs $11,850 per person on the 3-night Essence of Malaysia trip in 2026. Trek Trendy and his dad rode an en-suite cabin from Singapore to Langkawi in 2024. He says the trip cost far less than usual because of compensation for his delayed Orient Express journey.[1][11]

Just outside the Top 10: the Seven Stars in Kyushu's DX Suite A (about $23,400 for two over 3 nights) and Celia, the private carriage on the British Pullman (about $23,300 for up to 12 guests). Japan's other two cruise trains, the Twilight Express Mizukaze and Train Suite Shiki-shima, follow at #13 and #14. For what it costs just to board these trains, see The Most Expensive Luxury Train Rides in the World, ranked by each train's cheapest cabin.[12][13]

Trains Luxury Travel YouTube Trek Trendy

Sources

  1. Trek Trendy, YouTube channel: video titles, descriptions and chapter lists, 2017–2026 — youtube.com/@TrekTrendy
  2. European Central Bank reference rates, October 16, 2026, via Frankfurter — frankfurter.dev
  3. Luxury Trains (Belmond's UK sales agent), Venice Simplon-Orient-Express fares — luxury-trains.co.uk; Belmond, L'Observatoire suite by JR — belmond.com; Globetrender, "Introducing the world's most expensive train suite" (Oct 2024) — globetrender.com
  4. IRT Society, Scotland's Classic Splendours (Royal Scotsman, 2026 fares) — irtsociety.com; Afar, "A first look at the Royal Scotsman train's new Grand Suites" — afar.com
  5. IRT Society, England's Lake District by luxury train — irtsociety.com; Luxury Trains, Britannic Explorer Lake District — luxury-trains.co.uk; LVMH, "Belmond unveils the Britannic Explorer" — lvmh.com
  6. Silk Road Luxury Trains (Train of Glamour), 2026 Bustling Beginning booking page and itinerary — silkroadluxurytrains.com, itinerary
  7. Patrick Henry Creative Promotions, private rail car charters — patrickhenrytrain.com
  8. The Maharajas' Express, Treasures of India fares — the-maharajas.com; Orient Rail Journeys, 2026–27 tariff — orientrailjourneys.com
  9. Journey Beyond Rail, The Ghan Expedition 2026 — journeybeyondrail.com.au; Sydney to Perth 2026 — journeybeyondrail.com.au; InDaily, "SA company's luxury train suites come with a price tag" (Apr 9, 2026) — indailysa.com.au
  10. IRT Society, Venice and Portofino (La Dolce Vita Orient Express) — irtsociety.com; La Revue des Hôtels, La Dolce Vita Orient Express 2027 season — larevuedeshotels.com
  11. IRT Society, Essence of Malaysia (Eastern & Oriental Express) — irtsociety.com; Wikipedia, Eastern and Oriental Express — wikipedia.org
  12. JR Kyushu, Seven Stars in Kyushu brochure, period 29 (Sep 2026–Feb 2027) — cruisetrain-sevenstars.jp; JR West, Twilight Express Mizukaze fares for Oct–Nov 2026 (press release, Mar 26, 2026) — westjr.co.jp; Train Suite Shiki-shima fare table — kumarisu-cruise.com, excite.co.jp
  13. The National, "Belmond Celia review" (Aug 10, 2026) — thenationalnews.com; Belmond, Celia — belmond.com
  14. Rovos Rail rates via SA Rail — sa-rail.co.za; The Blue Train 2026 rate sheet — springnest.com; Peru Luxury Train, Andean Explorer 2025 prices — peruluxurytrain.com; VIA Rail, The Canadian fares by class — viarail.ca; Canadian Train Vacations, The Ocean — canadiantrainvacations.com; Rocky Mountain Holidays, First Passage to the West and Rockies to the Red Rocks — rockymountainholidays.com, rockymountainholidays.com; Glacier Express prices — glacierexpress.ch; Alaska Railroad fares — alaskarailroad.com
  15. Seat61: US sleeper fares — seat61.com; Caledonian Sleeper — seat61.com; Night Riviera — seat61.com; Eurostar — seat61.com; Nightjet — seat61.com; Hamburg–Copenhagen — seat61.com; Sweden — seat61.com; Turkey — seat61.com; Thailand — seat61.com. TravelUpdate, Amtrak Coast Starlight review — travelupdate.com; The Points Guy, Amtrak Maple Leaf — thepointsguy.com; Vancouver Planner, Cascades — vancouverplanner.com; GoPegasus, Brightline fares — gopegasus.com; West Coast Railways, Jacobite fares — westcoastrailways.co.uk; TGV Lyria, Première Signature — tgv-lyria.com; EveryRail, Vienna to Budapest — everyrail.com; Astra Trans Carpatic fares — astratranscarpatic.ro; Trenitalia (Frecciarossa Executive and Intercity Notte fares quoted for November 2026) — lefrecce.it; VR night trains — vr.fi, Lapland Trip Planner — laplandtripplanner.com; Trvlogue, Seoul to Busan KTX guide — trvlogue.com; Interrail Community forum (SJ EuroNight and Stockholm–Narvik sleeper fares) — community.interrail.com