A reboot of the Orient Express is hitting the rails in 2025. Operated by the Orient Express brand, part of the Accor hospitality group, this new edition of the legendary luxury train has a tie-in to the past: it comprises 17 carriages from the original Nostalgie-Istanbul-Orient-Express, which were discovered in Poland in 2015.
The iconic train line has a complex history; the first Orient Express route was inaugurated in 1883, connecting Paris and Istanbul (then Constantinople) via trains and ferries. From that point forward, a number of operators have used the Orient Express name, traveling on a variety of routes that crisscross Europe. That included the Nostalgie-Istanbul-Orient-Express, which operated throughout most of the 1980s and included a long-haul trip from Paris to Tokyo.
Now the Orient Express brand is reviving the Nostalgie-Istanbul-Orient-Express, tapping French designer Maxime d’Angeac to expertly refurbish and update the original 17 cars.
The reimagined Orient Express will be making two preview stops in the form of immersive exhibitions, this week in Paris, from Oct. 17–21, and then in Miami Beach at Design Miami, from Nov. 30 to Dec. 4. And the train itself is scheduled to depart in early 2025.
