How much does it cost?

From £5,145 per person, the operator's advertised from-price, read on its own page on 12 Sept 2026. About $6,950 at ECB reference rates. Departures, room types and dates can price differently; the operator's page is the final word.

Is this tour guided or independent?

It is independent. You arrive with a private transfer to your hotel in Rome, then have free time in Rome (two nights), Venice (one night after the high-speed train), and the remainder of the journey. Optional excursions in Rome and Venice are available for an additional charge.

What are the accommodation options?

In Rome, you can choose from the Marcella Royal (4-star), Rose Garden Palace (4-star), or Inn at the Spanish Steps (5-star), each with two nights on bed and breakfast basis. In Venice, options are the Hotel American Dinesen (4-star), Monaco & Grand Canal (4-star), or Hotel Baglioni Luna (5-star), also two nights bed and breakfast.

What meals are included?

Continental breakfast is included daily at your hotels. On the Venice Simplon Orient Express (Day 5), a three-course dinner and breakfast in your cabin are included. A four-course dinner with wine pairing is also provided aboard the train.

What is not included?

Travel and cancellation insurance, optional excursions, and personal expenses are not included. The outbound journey offers a two-day train alternative to the included flight, but that route would incur additional cost.

Great Rail Journeys · Luxury rail tour

Venice Simplon Orient Express, Rome and Venice

Rome, Venice, and the Orient Express across Italy and France

Great Rail Journeys offers a six-day independent journey combining two of Italy's most storied cities with one of the world's most celebrated trains. You depart London by flight to Rome, where you have two full days to explore the city's ancient streets, the Vatican, the Colosseum, and Trevi Fountain at your own pace. On Day 3, you board a high-speed train from Rome to Venice, a four-hour journey that passes through Tuscany and delivers you to the water city for a day of wandering canals, bridges, and narrow backstreets. The centerpiece arrives on Day 5: overnight aboard the Venice Simplon Orient Express, the legendary luxury train that carried diplomats and celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s. You travel in a Historic Cabin, dine on a three-course meal in an ornate restaurant car, enjoy live piano music, and wake to breakfast served in your compartment before arriving in Paris. From Paris, Eurostar returns you to London. Hotels in Rome and Venice are 4-star or 5-star boutique properties with breakfast included. This itinerary suits repeat rail travellers, luxury seekers, and independent explorers who want both unguided city time and a singular night aboard an icon.

Price history

Across 5 checks, this price has risen £250 since 4 Jul, to £5,145.

Each point is a day we checked this operator's own page, not a weekly average, and the line holds flat between checks rather than guessing at movement we did not see. 3 of 5 points are a live read of the operator's page. Hollow points are values shown when the trip was first listed here and never confirmed with the operator.

What to know before you look closer

The outbound flight from London to Rome is included, but a two-day alternative train route via Paris and Lyon is available as an option; confirm which routing you prefer when booking.
Four hotels are listed as options in Rome and Venice, with choices ranging from 4-star to 5-star; your final hotel depends on the tier and city you select.
The tour is independent; Days 1, 2, and 4 offer no guided activities, though optional excursions are available at additional cost.

Day by day

Day 1overnight: Rome
Rome
Flight from the UK to Rome (regional flights available), with a private transfer to your chosen hotel.
Day 2overnight: Rome
Rome
A free day to explore Rome at your own pace, with pasta or pizza at a local restaurant or a coffee at a pavement café, or book an optional excursion at a supplement.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 3railovernight: Venice
Rome to Venice
High-speed train from Rome to Venice, just under four hours, travelling up the spine of Italy through Tuscany. Walk or take a private transfer to your chosen hotel on arrival.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 4overnight: Venice
Venice
A free day in Venice to shop for souvenirs, wander the bridges and narrow streets, or visit a museum, or book an optional excursion at a supplement.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 5railovernight: Aboard the Venice Simplon Orient Express
Venice Simplon Orient Express
Board the Venice Simplon Orient Express in Venice. Enjoy a three-course lunch in one of the 1920s restaurant cars, then later a sumptuous four-course dinner paired with fine wines by your sommelier, followed by a live performance from the onboard pianist in the bar car.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6rail
Venice Simplon Orient Express & Home
Breakfast in your cabin, or smoked salmon and caviar in a restaurant car, before arriving in Paris and boarding the Eurostar back to London St Pancras.
Meals: Breakfast

The moments this trip is built around

Day 3High-speed train from Rome to Venice in under four hours, passing through Tuscany with views of cypress trees.
Day 5Boarding the Venice Simplon Orient Express for a three-course dinner in a 1920s restaurant car and overnight in a Historic Cabin.
Day 6Breakfast in your cabin aboard the Orient Express, then departure from Paris on Eurostar back to London St Pancras.

Included

4 nights hotel accommodation (Bed and Breakfast) in 4-Star hotels
1 night on the Venice Simplon Orient Express in Historic Cabins
First Class Rail in Italy
Eurostar Plus Class between Paris and London
Flight from London to Rome

Not included

Cancellation & Travel Insurance

Also sold by

The same itinerary is listed on more than one site. Prices and inclusions can differ; compare before booking.

Vacations By Railfrom $7,495

Questions travellers ask

How much does it cost?: From £5,145 per person, the operator's advertised from-price, read on its own page on 12 Sept 2026. About $6,950 at ECB reference rates. Departures, room types and dates can price differently; the operator's page is the final word.
Is this tour guided or independent?: It is independent. You arrive with a private transfer to your hotel in Rome, then have free time in Rome (two nights), Venice (one night after the high-speed train), and the remainder of the journey. Optional excursions in Rome and Venice are available for an additional charge.
What are the accommodation options?: In Rome, you can choose from the Marcella Royal (4-star), Rose Garden Palace (4-star), or Inn at the Spanish Steps (5-star), each with two nights on bed and breakfast basis. In Venice, options are the Hotel American Dinesen (4-star), Monaco & Grand Canal (4-star), or Hotel Baglioni Luna (5-star), also two nights bed and breakfast.
What meals are included?: Continental breakfast is included daily at your hotels. On the Venice Simplon Orient Express (Day 5), a three-course dinner and breakfast in your cabin are included. A four-course dinner with wine pairing is also provided aboard the train.
What is not included?: Travel and cancellation insurance, optional excursions, and personal expenses are not included. The outbound journey offers a two-day train alternative to the included flight, but that route would incur additional cost.