There are journeys that simply take you from one place to another. And then there are Belmond Trains — the world’s most iconic luxury rail journeys that transform the act of travel itself into the most unforgettable experience of your life.
Belmond Trains Europe and beyond represent the very pinnacle of luxury train travel — where polished wood-paneled carriages, white-glove service, Michelin-inspired cuisine, and breathtaking landscapes seen through wide panoramic windows combine to create something that no airport, no motorway, and no ordinary itinerary can ever replicate. Aboard a Belmond Train, the journey is not simply a means to reach your destination — it is the destination itself.
At Tasteful Voyages, Joan Qualls specializes in curating extraordinary Belmond Trains experiences that pair seamlessly with the world’s finest luxury cruises, luxury Bordeaux river cruises, Riverside luxury cruises, Backroads vacations tours, and South America luxury tours — creating complete, deeply immersive journeys that engage every sense from the very first moment to the very last.
Belmond Trains are a collection of the world’s most celebrated luxury train services, each one a rolling masterpiece of heritage design, extraordinary hospitality, and cinematic scenery. Owned and operated by Belmond — one of the world’s most prestigious luxury travel brands — these iconic trains have carried discerning travelers through Europe’s most magnificent landscapes for decades, becoming legends in their own right.
From the legendary Venice Simplon-Orient-Express winding through the heart of Belmond Trains Europe to the Royal Scotsman traversing the wild and breathtaking Scottish Highlands, each Belmond Train tells a unique and deeply compelling story — one that you become part of the moment you step aboard.
The most famous of all Belmond Trains Europe journeys, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is the ultimate expression of golden-age luxury train travel. Departing from London or Paris and journeying through the Alps to the breathtaking canals of Venice, this iconic Belmond Train is a moving palace of Art Deco elegance — polished brass fittings, hand-stitched marquetry panels, crisp white linen dining cars, and cabins that feel like the most intimate and beautiful hotel rooms imaginable.
Every detail aboard the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express speaks of a lost era of travel glamour — one that Belmond Trains has preserved and perfected for the modern luxury traveler. At Tasteful Voyages, Joan Qualls pairs this legendary Belmond Trains Europe journey beautifully with a luxury Bordeaux river cruise aboard Riverside Luxury Cruises or a Backroads vacations tour through Provence or Tuscany for a complete and utterly unforgettable European experience.
The Royal Scotsman is among the most breathtaking of all Belmond Trains Europe experiences — a journey through some of the most dramatically beautiful and wildly unspoiled landscapes on earth. Winding through the ancient glens, dramatic sea lochs, and heather-covered moorlands of the Scottish Highlands, this magnificent Belmond Train offers an experience of extraordinary intimacy and refined comfort that no other form of travel can match.
Guests enjoy elegantly appointed private cabins, outstanding Scottish cuisine crafted from the finest local ingredients, curated whisky tastings at legendary distilleries, and exclusive shore excursions to remote castles and ancient clan estates. The Royal Scotsman is Belmond Trains Europe at its most romantic, most wild, and most deeply memorable.
The British Pullman is the most accessible of all Belmond Trains Europe experiences — a series of meticulously curated day excursions through the beautiful English countryside aboard restored 1920s and 1930s Pullman carriages of extraordinary elegance and historic charm.
From seasonal countryside luncheons to special event journeys celebrating British heritage and culture, the British Pullman delivers the essence of Belmond Trains luxury in a wonderfully approachable and deeply enjoyable format — perfect as a standalone experience or as part of a broader luxury cruises and land journey curated by Tasteful Voyages.
Journeying along the breathtaking northern coast of Spain through Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, and the Basque Country, El Transcantábrico Gran Lujo is one of the most spectacular and least-known Belmond Trains Europe experiences available. Wide panoramic windows frame dramatic Atlantic coastlines, medieval pilgrimage towns, and verdant green landscapes that bear no resemblance to the sun-baked Spain most travelers imagine.
Onboard, guests enjoy exquisitely prepared regional Spanish cuisine, fine Rioja wines, and private suite accommodations that make this one of the most intimate and rewarding Belmond Trains Europe journeys available through Tasteful Voyages.
Belmond Trains represent something genuinely unique in the world of luxury travel — an experience that combines the intimacy of a private club, the elegance of a five-star hotel, the cuisine of a world-class restaurant, and the unrivaled spectacle of Europe’s most magnificent landscapes, all moving gracefully past your window at the perfect pace for genuine discovery and reflection.
Unlike any airport lounge, ocean cruise terminal, or hotel lobby, stepping aboard a Belmond Train is a transformative moment — one that immediately transports you into a world of refined elegance, unhurried pleasure, and the deeply romantic spirit of golden-age travel at its most glorious.
What makes Belmond Trains Europe journeys so extraordinary:
At Tasteful Voyages, we believe the world’s greatest journeys combine the finest experiences on land and water in perfect harmony. Belmond Trains Europe journeys pair magnificently with:
Luxury Bordeaux River Cruises — Begin or conclude your Venice Simplon-Orient-Express journey in Paris and connect seamlessly with the best Bordeaux river cruise aboard Riverside Luxury Cruises through France’s most celebrated wine country. The combination of Belmond Trains elegance and luxury Bordeaux river cruise intimacy creates one of the most complete and deeply immersive French experiences imaginable.
Riverside Luxury Cruises — Riverside travel through the Rhine, Danube, or Garonne pairs beautifully with a Belmond Trains Europe rail journey, creating a seamless, deeply personal European adventure that moves effortlessly between land and water throughout.
Backroads Vacations Tours — Backroads vacations tours through Provence, Tuscany, the Loire Valley, or the Basque Country complement Belmond Trains Europe journeys perfectly — adding cycling, walking, and active cultural exploration to the golden-age elegance of Belmond Train travel.
South America Luxury Tours — For the most adventurous travelers, Belmond Trains extend beyond Europe to include the legendary Hiram Bingham — a magnificent Belmond Train journey through the Sacred Valley of Peru to Machu Picchu — one of the most extraordinary experiences of all South America luxury tours available anywhere in the world.
Luxury Cruises — Whether connecting a Belmond Trains Europe journey with a Riverside luxury cruise through Bordeaux, a luxury river cruise along the Danube, or the world’s finest ocean luxury cruises from Venice or Barcelona, Tasteful Voyages creates seamlessly integrated itineraries that combine every element into one extraordinary, unforgettable whole.
Beyond the magnificent Belmond Trains Europe collection, Belmond operates one of the world’s most legendary rail journeys outside the continent entirely — the Hiram Bingham, connecting Cusco to the ancient Incan citadel of Machu Picchu through the breathtaking Sacred Valley of Peru.
Named after the explorer who brought Machu Picchu to the world’s attention, the Hiram Bingham is the most elegant and atmospheric way to approach one of the world’s most extraordinary archaeological wonders — and an essential element of any South America luxury tour curated by Tasteful Voyages. A champagne brunch is served on the journey up, and a cocktail and dinner service on the return — making the entire experience as memorable as the destination itself.
As a Virtuoso luxury travel advisor, Joan Qualls at Tasteful Voyages brings unmatched expertise, personal knowledge, and exclusive access to every Belmond Trains journey she curates. Joan’s deep relationships with Belmond Trains Europe and her extensive network of luxury travel partners ensure that every client receives the finest cabins, the most coveted departure dates, and seamlessly connected itineraries that combine Belmond Trains with the world’s finest luxury cruises, Riverside luxury cruises, luxury Bordeaux river cruises, Backroads vacations tours, and South America luxury tours.
When you book your Belmond Trains Europe journey through Tasteful Voyages, you receive:
A Belmond Trains Europe journey is not simply a train ride. It is one of the world’s most extraordinary travel experiences — a moving celebration of craftsmanship, cuisine, landscape, and the timeless romance of rail travel at its most glorious and unforgettable.
Whether you dream of the legendary Venice Simplon-Orient-Express gliding through the Swiss Alps toward Venice, the Royal Scotsman winding through the wild Scottish Highlands, or the Hiram Bingham ascending through Peru’s Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu — Joan Qualls at Tasteful Voyages will design every detail of your Belmond Trains experience to perfection.