See inside Italy's newest luxury train, 'La Dolce Vita,' with lavish suites costing up to $28,000 per night
©Rendering Orient Express La Dolce Vita by Dimorestudio
- Wealthy travelers are reserving spots on this luxury train before they've even finished building it.
- The Orient Express La Dolce Vita will make stops in Rome, Venice, Sicily, and Tuscany.
- See inside the train's lavish sleeper cars that cost between €6,600 and €25,000 per night.
Wealthy travelers are snapping up reservations onboard Italy's newest luxury train, "La Dolce Vita," before they've even finished building it — and it's easy to understand why.
With overnight suites for two people ranging from 6,600 euros (around $7,400) to 25,000 euros (around $28,000) per night, the luxury train is a modern reimagination of the famed Orient Express rail service that transported passengers across Europe from 1883 until 1977.
Similar to a cruise, La Dolce Vita isn't the most efficient way to get from point A to point B; it'll take days to reach your final destination. Instead, the trains will make various pit stops along their routes with time allotted for passengers to get out and explore.
©Rendering Orient Express La Dolce Vita by Dimorestudio
The service is scheduled to launch at the end of 2024 with curated two-day and three-day journeys. Passengers can choose from eight itineraries traveling to the wine vineyards of Tuscany, the coast of Sicily, and various historic and cultural sites in cities like Rome, Venice, and Palermo.
Following the cruise industry's lead, all meals, beverages, and excursions will be included in the train's ticket price, according to its website. Guests will also have access to Orient Express hotels in Rome and Venice, scheduled to open in late 2024 and 2025.
How train travel became trendy again
©Rendering Orient Express La Dolce Vita by Dimorestudio
While the six train sets remain under construction at a factory in Brindisi, Italy, enough people have already pre-registered for La Dolce Vita to fill the train's 2024 availability, Bloomberg reported in July.
Customers who put down a 500 euro deposit to reserve 2024 and 2025 departure dates during the pre-sale period are added to a priority list and called back in order, Orient Express' Senior Marketing Manager, Jessaline Fynbo, told Insider, noting that remaining availability for the train's inaugural year depends on the traveler's preferences.
The popular demand for a brand and means of transportation that's over a century old is just one example of train travel's recent revival. Pinterest searches for terms like "interrailing Europe aesthetic" and "train trip aesthetic" increased by 105% and 205% respectively between September 2020 and September 2022, landing train travel on the platform's 2023 trend forecast.
© Rendering Orient Express La Dolce Vita by Dimorestudio
Train travel's comeback is credited in part to its lower carbon footprint, as younger generations and higher-spending travelers increasingly factor environmental impact when planning their vacations. And as La Dolce Vita's lavish design suggests, comfort and aesthetic also play a large part.
"The Orient Express La Dolce Vita is an ode to Italian seduction," a brochure for the train reads. "It is the evocation of a unique art of living where a carefree attitude reigns."
In other words, trains are pretty sexy.