Orient Express adds Monaco stop for first time in its history

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is heading to Monaco for the first time, giving travellers an appropriately glamorous new way to arrive in Monte Carlo.

The inaugural journey leaves Paris on 10 May 2027, travelling overnight towards the Mediterranean before following the Côte d'Azur through Saint-Raphaël, Cannes and Nice. It will then pull into Monaco-Monte-Carlo station, hidden inside the mountainside, before continuing towards Venice.

Monaco brings the train back to its roots

The new stop has an unexpected connection to the train's history. In 1977, future Belmond founder James B.

Sherwood bought two original sleeping cars at an auction in Monte Carlo. Those carriages helped begin the restoration project that eventually became today's Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, making its arrival in Monaco 50 years later something of a homecoming.

The journey itself is designed to make the travelling as important as the destination. Guests dine in restored Art Deco restaurant cars before cocktails and live piano music in Bar Car 3674, then wake to breakfast as the train follows the French Riviera.

Accommodation ranges from Historic Cabins to Suites, Grand Suites and L'Observatoire, an entire private carriage containing its own bedroom, living area, library and secret tearoom.

The Monaco journey will become an annual addition to the train's programme rather than a one-off special. Prices start from €4,870 per person, based on two people sharing a Historic Cabin. That includes the overnight journey, meals, selected wine and soft drinks, steward service and transfers.

For Monaco, a destination already synonymous with superyachts, casinos and Formula One, arriving aboard one of the world's most famous trains feels unusually appropriate.