Venice Simplon-Orient-Express
The Orient-Express – the very name conjures up glamour, opulence and extravagance. There is nothing to beat a journey aboard this legendary train.
The first Orient-Express pulled out of Paris for Constantinople in 1883, and carried tuxedo-clad cads, be-pearled dames and movie stars across the heart of Europe until 1977. It is now on a roll again, as the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (VSOE) and remains the journey of a lifetime.
The train offers a network of routes across the continent (including a Grand Tour of Europe) but the 32-hour London to Venice trip remains a WEXAS favourite.
DAY 1 LONDON–PARIS Depart London Victoria on the British Pullman for Folkestone, enjoying lunch, champagne and fine wines on the way. Board the Eurotunnel shuttle to Calais, where the blue and gold carriages of the VSOE await. You’ll be escorted to your compartment, then either change for dinner or visit the bar car for an apertif. Pull into Paris around 10 p.m. to pick up other passengers, then overnight onboard.
DAY 2 ARRIVE IN VENICE You’ll wake in the Swiss Alps and enjoy a continental breakfast in your compartment as you pass the spectacular Austrian scenery. Lunch is served while crossing into Italy, before taking tea as you cross the Venetian lagoon. You’ll arrive in Venice around 6 p.m. Check in to the 5-star Bauer Il Palazzo hotel for two nights.
DAY 3 VENICE Enjoy Venice at leisure, where optional sightseeing tours are available.
DAY 4 DEPART VENICE Take your private transfer to Marco Polo airport for your flight home.
Prices from: £2,200–£2,900 pp incl. London–Venice VSOE (FB), 2 nights BB at the Bauer Il Palazzo, transfers & return flight to London. This trip can also be taken in reverse.
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This 11-day rail journey is truly trans- Siberian, traversing eight time zones and linking numerous tribes and cultures. Vladivostok, where you end your journey, offers an eye-opening insight to old Russia – so long a naval outpost forbidden to foreigners, it’s now open for business.
Your journey begins in Moscow, where you enjoy a free day exploring, and passes through Perm, Ekaterinburg and Omsk, before stopping at Irkutsk and Lake Baikal, where you’ll spend another day exploring the region. You then pass through Ulan Ude and Khabarovsk before arriving at Vladivostok.
Travel is undertaken in First Class carriages, with space for two, however bathroom facilities are shared with other First Class passengers and no private facility is available.
Prices from: £1,750 pp incl. 2- or 3-star BB accommodation, private transfers & First Class compartment. Optional excursions available. International flights are additional.
To book, call 0845 643 6563
To book this travel offer, call one of our tailor-made travel experts now, quoting reference WEX1043.
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