120hrs on Orient Express Luxury Sleeper Train | Paris - Istanbul

Today I will take the most luxurious

sleeper

train

in the world for 125 hours across an entire continent. This is the famous Orient Express. Go back in time with me on this iconic journey from Paris to Istanbul. I'll show you something never before. -We visit information as we travel through eight countries on what is also the most expensive

train

ticket in the world from the various accommodations on board. Michelin-starred dining at all three restaurants and, of course, entertainment in the bar car. With that, let's get back to our story in Paris bonjour. and welcome to Paris, we have just been picked up from our hotel and we are en route to Garda where our journey will begin.

The latter is the fifth busiest station in Paris, although it is important for us to be the historic starting point of the first orange route to Istanbul. Express journey in 1889. We were dropped off at one of the side entrances to the station and were warmly welcomed by the knowledgeable staff as our suitcases were carried in front of us to our sleeping car. Hello and welcome back to the channel we are about to reach. aboard the Orions Express. I'm really excited about this and it's something that's been a long time in the making so without saying anything else let's go and get on board, it seems surreal to be in a busy city center station and walk down a red carpet quickly checking this out in the platform and before long we were issued our tickets to Istanbul For com

paris

on, here is an original ticket for the 1898 route. with tickets in hand and anticipation Join the celebration on the platform as more passengers arrive.

Millie and I are excited to see some familiar faces from when we took this trip last year. Let's go and get on board? So we have been assigned Transport A, which like almost all The train dates back to the 1920s and really is like going back in time. Well, welcome aboard. We have arrived at our cabin and of course formally introduce the lovely Millie back to the channel. I'm back, you're back, in fact your catchphrase is back. in the building so anyway with that we're about to self-employed I think so, before we show you around, let's settle in and have a glass of champagne.

I believe that the foreign advance signals the beginning of one of the most emblematic journeys in the world. I guess this also begs the question of what our route is, given the scale of our itinerary from Paris to Istanbul over the next five days. Let's focus on the first segment. Our initial 24 hours will take us traveling southeast through France to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, passing through the Alps. and upon arriving in San Anton, Austria tomorrow morning to visually follow our route, we are presented with these beautiful itinerary cards that I will share with you at the beginning of each day of our trip, so now that we are there, let's take a look. the cabin, we are in an old LX series sleeping car that has 10 compartments.

We have been assigned room number seven. Belmont calls these compartments historic and they are authentic to what you would have traveled in the 1920s and 1930s. During the day a private lounge with a comfortable bunk sofa for two and at night these convert to an upper bed and lower. Of course, I'll show you this in detail tonight in terms of storage. Our large bags are placed at the end of The Carriage access. whenever we want, while our hand luggage can be placed in the overhead luggage racks and there is a fan, these are air conditioned and can be individually adjusted.

This train runs in the winter months and also has the original coal heating which George or the cabin attendant demonstrates to us here, although it's still summer so I think we'll give the heat a hard time for now in terms of bathroom facilities. This is where it gets interesting: a closed sink with hot and cold water in your cabin while there is a separate toilet further down the carriage, in the 1920s you would have used a urinal in your room, at least we won't use an arched one and surprise, parallel to my flight reviews, there is even a Dior amenity kit which I guess makes sense since Belmont is owned by lvmh.

As we glide through the French countryside, I make time for afternoon tea. It is served in the room and consists of light pastries and cold cuts. It's also a chance to get the obligatory dose of caffeine, as we have quite an eventful evening to prepare for. You may be wondering what the other rooms on board are like. Further down the train you will find the opulent Grand Suites, of which there are only three per car, each named after the different destinations on the train. Let's take a look. Inside Istanbul, where Millie and I traveled last year to Venice, this dining space naturally offers caviar and champagne from a dedicated 24/7 butler.

Plus there is a sofa and the most comfortable double bed with intricate wood paneling and the best tree on the market, oh when you also have a private bathroom with underfloor heating and an Italian marble shower, unfortunately for this priced trip north of 140,000, it's way beyond what I can imagine, so as we get closer and closer to Switzerland, yes, that's our next country. Let's move on, it's actually time for us to get ready for dinner, now dinner aboard the Orient Express is a very formal affair and my usual NASA hoodie attire isn't going to cut it, obviously you'd think that maybe this could but no, it's a full tuxedo, but I can prepare it, so let's change into something a little more formal that we've rarely seen on this channel, oh foreigner, there are three dining cars on board, each with a unique theme for our first dinner.

We have been assigned to the Oriental which dates back to 1927 and was built in Birmingham. The Oriental features Chinese-style lacquered wall panels. It's a beautiful cut and a fitting place to start our journey east on the menu. In addition, they have all been created by Michelin star chef Jean Amber. There is also a separate caviar menu which is chargeable, sadly I think we'll leave that for now in terms of drinks. Fortunately, it is all included, although I will add that it usually wasn't in previous years. I just have to try it for free. -Flowing Renault Rose Champagne, we are initially served in a moose bouche with ravioli and parmesan sauce, which is spectacular as the world zooms by outside our current location in Strasbourg, on the French-German border, about 250 miles from Switzerland, back inside, our appetizer has arrived.

Lobster in summer vinaigrette, mixed vegetables and calendula flowers. At one event TVA beef was served with foie gras herb salad and Groton's dolphin war. I find it very similar to British Beef Wellington and although it is super tasty, I would say the meat is a little tough. The waiter Peter insisted that I add the Venice simpleton's Orient Express pin next to my NASA badge. I feel it is a worthy companion on my overseas lapel, so I have returned from a lovely first night here on the Orient Express and we have returned to our lovely room. It is done. ready to sleep looks very comfortable, doesn't it?

However, we have our first problem, we do, it's bunk beds, who stays on top, who stays on the bottom, of course, being a gentleman, I have to offer Millie the opportunity to decide which bed. She wants I think I'll go with the bottom bunk please no problem that leaves me on top let's hope I don't fall instead of waiting on our beds are these beautiful kimonos that will fall into my suitcase For sure, although I'm not convinced Let it be my color, it certainly makes a comfortable changing table compared to the other shapes required by the smart dress code on board.

Now I really think the top bunk is a win here, don't tell Milly it's super comfortable and by far the best. Bed trained to sleep. I have ever experienced Nigel. Well, good morning from Austria, join our dream. We have passed through the rest of France, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. However, I'm a little confused as to why we have an extended stop here in San Antón. I guess we'll have to head to breakfast and discover that it will soon be served at La Oriental, although they have given us free rein to sit wherever we want. The menu is quite unconventional and is normally intended to be a lighter affair served in your cabin, but for the first morning they offer this in the restaurants.

Let's start with a strong shot of caffeine in the form of a cappuccino and get stuck into this avocado and grapefruit caviar and scrambled eggs with crispy bacon. It seems to me to be a rather disjointed affair but still very tasty foreigner Anton We are here in Austria Have you been to Austria before Millie? I have you. When did you go? I went skiing with school. Well, I don't think we're going skiing today, but we have an unscheduled stop here because there's been a landslide and I don't want to be dramatic and remember the original story of the Orient Express, but you probably couldn't even make this up, there literally has been a landslide further down the runway so we are stuck here for a few hours while that clears now this is where the flexibility and professionalism of the trained staff is tested to the limit 90 passengers stranded due to a landslide for five hours what exactly do you do well?

Firstly, location is certainly on our side. Look how beautiful this city is, so at 11am the staff organized a short city tour for us complete with lunch at the cutest Alpine Lodge. It's impressive to me when you think about what the phone call must have been like this morning. Hello, we need to reserve. 90 people came for lunch please, apparently the only problem the hostel had was the amount of weight of staff available, but of course our train has a full team of waiters to take care of that, we were informed that the slip of The ground has cleared, so we are full steam ahead.

Back on board and continuing our journey just in time as the weather seems to have changed. Now we are moving again. Where are we headed? We will continue east for the next 500 miles. Vienna and Hungary, arriving in Budapest tomorrow morning as we traverse the Austrian Alps, serving a light afternoon tea with well, not quite DC, but Coca-Cola Zero will do. It's good to be moving again, although quite late and just before leaving. for dinner and continue our trip to Istanbul. I recently discovered that they charge me an additional Amazon subscription every month. Well, the sponsor of today's video, Rocket Money, is here to help.

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The highlight for me is the beautiful and intricate market tree, settling into our table at the back of the carriage it's time to take a proper look at tonight's menu, naturally I must have another glass of the delicious Runar Rose while we talk about some freshly baked bread to start with carrot juice and green pea soup with chicken egg served which is really good outside our window, the world continues to slide by as we pass through Austria, just south of Salzburg, the main course both We opted for the duck confit that you may not have seen on the menu, basically, if you don't fancy something, you can choose from a variety of alternatives by asking your waiter to close with fresh strawberry and raspberry cream served with a biscuit with almonds and with dinner out of the way, we really must see the famous barcar 3674, this is the real heart of the shining train.

Stylish and glamorous, it's the perfect place for an after-dinner drink or five along with live music from our fantastic resident pianist on the grand piano. If we take a look at theExtensive cocktail menu, as mentioned last night, all alcohol is included except for a few bottles of premium champagne, although with so much quality booze included I wouldn't be tempted to go any further now. I think we really should go to bed. We have a pretty busy day tomorrow. Budapest is calling, thank you. Well, good morning and welcome. to historic and majestic Budapest due to the landslide, means that we usually arrive 15 hours late, with no landslide affecting our schedules.

We would have spent the night here, enjoyed an evening river cruise and had dinner at the Museum of Fine Arts, perhaps quite selfishly. Spending a night aboard the world's most luxurious train was actually an added bonus for me, but I'm aware that many were looking forward to their stay in Budapest. Well, it's a very good day and welcome to Budapest, Hungary. We finally arrived and we have just been presented with the key to our hotel. Now we're not staying here, of course, but it's a place where we can go and freshen up, take a shower, have breakfast and relax a little before continuing on our amazing journey.

It's a short transfer from Budapest Station to the iconic Four Seasons hotel. This Art Nouveau storm hotel is a destination in itself, although it doesn't have time to sleep on one of the dreamy highlands. thread beds, there's enough time to gaze out over the Danube and take a much-needed shower in what seems like very little time. We will return aboard our coach for the short transfer to the train station we have quite the welcome committee to welcome us back to the train complete with local foreign violinists this beautiful train but also in the cool because it is quite hot outside anyway let's go back to the cabin hello Millie oh oh oh, you're ahead of yourself, you're settling in nice and cold enjoying the air conditioning yeah, it's good isn't it?

What do we have here? Although we have a gift and a gift. We have another chilled bottle of Grunard Rose, all ready for our departure. Oh, give him our ride. store for us we will head 500 miles southeast over the Romanian border and arrive in the capital, Bucharest, tomorrow afternoon with all this excitement and booze. I think it's time to go to lunch, let's walk by train to Le tualatinore and see what's there. This afternoon's deal we'll start with some freshly baked bread and a delicious frozen DC as the Hungarian countryside rolls by outside our window. I'm delighted to discover that my favorite Caprese salad is offered as a starter, a refreshing Italian staple for Maine.

We were served guinea fowl and mushroom rigatoni with parmesan sauce and for those of you who haven't tried it before, it's similar to chicken, you just came here to close out a fabulous lunch, we were treated to roasted cherries and pistachio ice cream. Wow, I could! I won't have lunch like this every day, that's for sure and, as if by clockwork, we arrived at the Romanian border. Well, I am very happy to welcome you to Romania, we have just crossed the border, there are some formalities that need to be resolved and yes. are somewhat confusing even though Hungary and Romania are in the EU, there are still passport control formalities here, this is because Romania is not part of the Schengen Zone, the first country we entered on this trip, which Fortunately it is not, this means that we Orient Express Passengers do not need to do much as our flight attendants manage our passports on our behalf.

I choose to spend the time stretching my legs along the platform in an effort to get some of this great food down and get moving again. I think it's time we check out the onboard boutique located towards the front of the train. This also means saying hello to old friend Massimo, who we met on our previous trip, a lovely and very knowledgeable man who has some incredible stories to tell from the past. 20 years he has worked on board, in fact we have some credit on board to spend thanks to booking with my friend Jarvis, so I simply had to allow us some gifts with the sun setting over the Romanian countryside.

It's time again to organize our dinner. We are returning. At La Oriental tonight we have been trying to get into the last remaining cocaine dining car of the year, but it has been incredibly popular, hopefully tomorrow, unfortunately, there has been an ongoing problem with the air conditioning this afternoon, meaning it's been quite hot, actually that's why you won't see it. Me in my tuxedo and just a shirt tonight, what should we eat tonight? So everything seems very tasty to me. We'll start with a traditional Romanian plum-based Spirit suica, which is sweet, juicy and quite strong. Then we will continue.

Continue with our dinner to start with prawn and green vegetable ravioli soup which is both delicate and delicious, the main course, veal cutlet is served with chanterelle sauce, to more rural areas, the train attracts more Attention, remember that this route is only traveled once a year so it's quite the occasion when the next one passes we will serve a palette cleanser of raspberry sorbet many opt for a cheese plate next but we have more important things on our agenda the chocolate soufflé cake with vanilla ice cream we talk about my favorite dessert spectacular dinner Out of the way, it's time to head to the bar car for cocktails and live music.

I'm not alone when I say this, this is the best Carriage on board, smiles and laughter all around, like clockwork, Singapore Sling and Bailey time for millions of eyes. We sat and enjoyed the entertainment of a talented foreign Romanian singer. It is at this point that the bar staff treats me to a cocktail lesson. Let's make a margarita. First let's start with Triple Sec tequila. Lime juice. Now to shake with ice and finally strain and serve. Good. Today's morning from the Romanian mountains will include two stops in both Sanaya and the capital city of Bucharest, for a quick shot of caffeine in the room as we arrive at the station in Sanaya, a mountain city and resort in the country. from Prahova and is named after the monastery. in 1695.

As I mentioned last night, the further east we go, the more attention the train gets, and we've attracted quite a crowd of locals anyway. It's time for our morning excursion. Well, very good morning after an unexpected bus trip, we are in Sanaya. Do I understand it correctly? Yes, and we'll have to go take a look at a castle. This city is famous for being the king's summer residence, a neo-Renaissance palace built in 1873. Pele Castle is actually the most relevant to our journey as first passengers. on the Orient Express Ken Carroll personally invited to visit the castle to mark its completion.

The tradition of stopping here has continued to this day. Yes, then they take us back to the station to report on the train. I love the routine on each platform where the staff is there to warmly welcome you on board. It won't be long before we leave for Bucharest. It's also time for lunch, so we'll return to our usual spot in La Oriental and settle into one of the tables. Good to start. with half-cooked red prawns, tomato, water, herbs and summer flowers, the main course was sea bass, but as explained above, you can substitute a dish with your favorite meat.

Millie opts for a fillet whilst I have to try the duck confit again, it's very tender and delicious to close we have the tanning tart which is essentially caramelised apples in batter with vanilla ice cream in what seems like an instant we are crawling towards Bucharest Garden or welcome to Bucharest we have arrived in the capital city of Romania now We are here, I think we will just spend the night, right? So we have to go find our accommodation. We will not sleep on the train tonight, which is the first time and most importantly, we will be able to take a shower, yes, and another private bathroom. bathroom anyway, let's find our guide and get our transfer to the hotel.

We will take a bus to travel the short distance through the city to our hotel. The Intercontinental Anthony Palace, right on the Plaza de la Revolución. The palace is a historical monument, inaugurated in 1914 and designed. In an art nouveau style, it is likely that many would have stayed before or after taking the Orient Express in the 1920s, so again it is very special to follow in these legendary footsteps. We will only be here for the night, which will be a big change. to sleeping in a bunk at 70 miles an hour tonight Beaumont has booked the famous Romanian restaurants Karu Kabere, from beer to traditional food, dancing and music, it's fair to say we may have gotten a little carried away with the whisk, well , Well. tomorrow and we are welcomed back to a garden or station here in Bucharest, where we are about to reboard the Orient Express and are warmly greeted on the platform by a local musician before returning aboard the carriage.

In a few minutes we will be bound for another country today, we will see ourselves heading south-east and into Bulgaria, traveling to the Black Sea coast and in turn to Varna, arriving in time for the Sundowners on the beach. First, let's go to the bar car. While it is brilliant at night, it is equally Divine during the day with its plush blue seats, intricate market tree and floral arrangements, it is the perfect setting to relax while listening to the soft pulsations of the grand piano with the countryside gliding by outside. , the most important thing in the mid-morning of course is the espresso machine, which will be put to good use right away, from the morning until the early afternoon, we are invited to lunch in Tualatinore, don't worry, the Last restaurant we have yet to try is coming later tonight, unfortunately the air conditioning.

The problem we experienced yesterday still persists throughout the train. I guess you could say we're getting a more authentic original experience. What delicacies do we have to tickle ourselves at lunchtime? So it seems to focus more on seafood and although lobster certainly appeals to me. Sebring Tatar naturally there is no alternative because well it is the beloved Orient Express, here is the vegetarian menu for reference, it is available at every meal as I was previously a vegetarian believe it or not I really value the flexibility in requirements diets when I approach the border with Bulgaria and curiously.

What constitutes the border between the two countries is the Danube River, it will be necessary to pass over the Friendship Bridge, also known as the Danube Bridge, inaugurated in 1954 and spanning more than 7,000 feet long; It was certainly an engineering achievement in the 1950s. In Bulgaria we will have lunch again with my appetizer of tomatoes and condiments. A beautiful and inventive shot, that's for sure. For Maine, we certainly don't want to miss the American-style lobster, which is cut to perfection and so on. We arrive at the Bruce border control station, where our passports will be checked again.

I am very happy to welcome you to Bulgaria and now we have to sort out the various passport procedures, it will not be like what we have in Turkey. tomorrow and more on that, when we cross that border, we will be cleared to leave, so we are heading to the Black Sea. I notice you haven't really seen the toilet facilities, which may be of interest as it's not exactly conventional for a

sleeper

train. In keeping with 1920s authenticity, you simply wouldn't have had one, so they are located at the back of each carriage. Unfortunately, our air conditioning problem worsens to the point where the Bulgarian locomotive has to be replaced, which means that it awaits us.

Personally, it's all part of the adventure for me, but I know many on board were quite upset as this It also significantly reduces the time in Varna. Fortunately, a new locomotive was finally deployed and we are back. On our way to the Black Sea, sadly our dreams of a beach sunset are out of the question as the sun begins to sink below the horizon. Honestly, we did not expect such a welcoming committee, although it has not been reported that our arrival has even made national news. What a lovely reception. Good evening and welcome to Varna, Bulgaria.

Finally we reached the Black Sea. We're getting a quick transfer so we can apparently dip our toes in the Black Sea, but as you can see around me. We have a big welcome party here at Varna station. Foreign ER is quite out of the way as a more direct route would have been south to the Turkish border. This is because originally the Orient Express would travel only to Varna and the remaining section to the then Constantinople would have been done by steam, taking another 14 hours, although this changed in 1889 when the railway to Istanbul was completed. Don't worry, there are no steamers for us today and we will be back on board after diving.

Toes in the Black Sea, back at Varna train station, it's time to embark on our final and perhaps most important sector over the next 18 hoursapproximately. We will make the last push towards Istanbul now due to previous delays where we are currently heading. to dinner at 11 p.m. m., but we're excited because it's finally time to try the most popular coke-blue restaurants located near the front of the train. It's not hard to see why this is so popular. It is absolutely stunning because of the intricate details of the royal blue fabrics. and Renee Lily glass we give up a table for two by the window the first order of business is of course a glass of Lauren Perrier Rose champagne let's take a look at tonight's menu and then it seems to be focused on seafood again but Now we know what.

To start, I delight in caviar as an appetizer. I mean, it's not the 600 euro variety, but it's a decent test. Can you see from the movement that the train is actually going at a fair pace? I guess there's a rush now to the Bulgaria-Turkey border for Daybreak, so for Maine we've opted for a stake instead of turbot cooked medium-rare for me and rare for Millie. Around half past midnight we served our dessert, Grand Marnier frozen soufflé. It is at this point that our fabulous entertainment begins. They gave you a really special night, but I give you my word that I'm ready to go to bed now at 2 in the morning.

We woke up just as we crossed the Turkish-Bulgarian border in my semi-sleep state. It really feels like a dream that we finally arrived in Türkiye. We are a long way from Paris now, well I am very happy to officially welcome you to Turkey and just wait for our lovely Steward George to come and escort us to a possible checkpoint, so all that while enjoying the local entertainment officially removed from our last country it's time to restart the train our larger suitcases will be sent by road to our hotels in Istanbul so it's time for a final meal service at the LA Oriental restaurant, naturally this afternoon there is a Turkish theme and even the Staff is dressed in traditional clothing. foreign dress, the menu is extensive and I was told that the days before our trip the head chef traveled to Istanbul to organize delivery of fresh ingredients that we just collected at the border, we will start with the Mesa assortment, which includes stuffed grape leaves , stewed eggplant and spiced tomato Ottoman style for Maine.

We are going to eat the apple stuffed with minced lamb, raisins, walnuts and rice, very good. Finally and I'm sure you'll guess this baklava served with fresh watermelon juice and with lunch ready, we have one last important task to do, let's head to the bar car after some important photos with the amazing foreign bar staff. It's time to write some postcards. I bet you didn't know that Venice on the Orient Express has its own postal service. I hope my grandmother likes her little souvenir from our trip. Millie will now post them in the train letterbox, which she should return to the UK in the coming weeks.

We mentioned it before, but we have to talk about the most important cost. This is the most expensive trip of my life, although there is a plot twist. A few months ago I was stumped. £42,000 for the train's last historic compartment. Remember, as always, this is self-funded, but it's easily the most I've ever invested in a video, so I just received a letter from Belmont a week after returning apologizing profusely for the internal delays. tours and air conditioning issues, they have offered a full cash refund or increased future credit to use on hotels and Belmont trains now, that really is a big deal and certainly goes the extra mile for us to slowly get to Istanbul and in fact, to the version of our epic adventure hello, we have arrived in Istanbul after a magical trip, it has been absolutely incredible and to think that we have come from Paris again, it is going to take a long time to process it, but without a doubt it is one of the most incredible trips of our entire lives, so with that, thank you so much for watching and we'll see you all again next time, bye.