“What do I want to take home from my summer vacation? Time. The wonderful luxury of being at rest.” – Ellen Goodman

Relish the lifestyles of the kings of yore on board the luxury trains that have been enticing millions over the decade into enjoying a memorable vacation. These luxury train tours take you across diverse landscape and regions as you feel the natural grandeur and beauty.

Georges Nagelmackers, the son of a Belgian financier, was sent to America in 1868 where he experienced the comforts of travelling in the legendary Pullman coaches. With the help of the Belgian King Leopold II and other business investment, Nagelmackers established an empire of 30 luxury trains, under the name, Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits et des Grands Express European. These trains traveled across Europe, from Vladivostok to Lisbon, from St. Petersburg to Luxor and so on. Thus, a new gracious era of rail travel was created to match the grand city hotels as the aristocracy, upper classes and wealthy travellers went on their grand tours of Europe.

One of the most famous trains born of the period is the Orient Express which embarked on her maiden voyage in 1883 from Paris Gare de L`Est to Budapest and Istanbul. One hundred years later the Venice-Simplon Orient Express began romantic journeys from London via Paris to Venice.

Discerning travellers today welcome the renaissance of deluxe rail journeys with many companies world wide, including Rovos Rail in Southern Africa, the Al Andalus Expreso in Spain, the Blue Train of South Africa, the Eastern & Oriental Express, the Hiran Bingham train in Peru, the Palace on Wheels in India and the American Orient Express. A traveller is offered a wide choice of journeys into a timeless world of beauty, romance, and peace, where some of the world's most dramatic landscapes or sceneries can be enjoyed in luxurious comfort.

These luxury trains are also adorned with the finest bed linen, marble tiles and gold fittings in the bathrooms and sheer opulence to ensure that guests will never forget the time they spend in them. In this era, a luxury train tour may be time consuming; however, the time spent would be priceless, a bagful of beautiful moments to cherish forever.