FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Journeys on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express train can last from one to several days. The traditional and most popular route between London and Venice takes two days, with one night on board. Browse through our journeys for details of our other departures.

Wi-Fi is available throughout the train in all guest cabins. The service is however provided by a mobile device so signal can be intermittent in rural areas. To maintain the ambiance of the train for fellow passengers the use of mobile phones and electronic devices should be restricted to the cabin.

Types of Luggage:

1. Hand luggage (Ex: Purse, Passports, Tickets, Cameras, Medication, Jewellery).
These items must be kept by the passenger at all times and not checked in. Passengers traveling to or from London must carry their hand luggage on and off the cross-Channel transport as porters are not available at the Channel ports.

2. Cabin luggage
We suggest that items required during the journey are packed separately in an overnight bag or suit carrier. This will also be taken from the passenger at check-in and delivered to their cabin on the continental train by our staff.

3. Through luggage
We suggest items not required for the journey should be packed separately in sturdy baggage. At check-in this luggage will be labelled appropriately by our staff, stored in the baggage van and will not be accessible until the passengers reach their destination.

Skis/Golf Clubs/Bikes: These should be packed in their appropriate cover and checked in with through luggage. These must be advised in advance and are subject to approval. Only foldable bikes in a protective case can be stored on board.

Prices are quoted in Euros and it is recommended that passengers have a small number of Euros for onboard purchases. However, most major currencies are accepted, as well as major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Diners Club and JCB). The exchange rate on board is displayed in the Bar Car.

We would recommend the following for all travel requiring passports:

1. You should ensure you have at least 6 months’ validity left on your passport from your date of arrival. This applies to both adult and child passports.

2. If you renewed a passport before it expired, extra months may have been added to your new passport’s expiry date. Any extra months on your passport over 10 years may not count towards the 6 months that should be remaining for travel to most countries in Europe.

While the law is only likely to change for UK and EU passport holders, we recommend that all passport holders check with your national government agency for up-to-date information.

We would also note that security and immigration checks are likely to be increased, adding time to your journey at entry and exit points within Europe and the UK, so we would recommend you allow extra time at these points.

Any gratuities you wish to give are entirely at your discretion.

At Belmond, we are committed to curating incomparable travel experiences for our guests and we will do everything we can to assist you according to your individual needs.

If you or your companion(s) have reduced mobility, or require special assistance, please contact reservations.vso@belmond.com. We will talk you through the different journeys to see how we can help.

We look forward to hearing from you and hope to have the opportunity to welcome you on board.

You can never be overdressed on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express train! For dinner, we ask for formal evening attire and many guests like to don black tie and wear their most glamorous finery for the occasion. Smart daywear is appropriate during the day. At lunch, for example, a jacket/tie or equivalent is suitable. Jeans are not acceptable at any time.

Despite having luggage racks in our cabins, space constraints require that luggage is limited, per passenger, to: one suitable piece of hand luggage, one suit carrier or overnight bag (to be placed in your cabin), and one suitcase to be stored in the baggage car, where it will not be accessible until you reach your destination.

No. To comply with Italian and other European regulations, Venice Simplon-Orient-Express train operates a no smoking policy on board both the British Pullman and the continental train. This also includes electronic cigarettes/vaping.

Children are welcome to join us on board, and infants under the age of two at the time of departure travel free. Parents must provide their own food and a bassinet for sleeping. Given the space constraints of a Twin Cabin, we highly recommend booking an interconnecting cabin (which should be reserved for no more than two adults) or a Grand Suite to ensure the comfort of our guests when traveling with a baby. Please let us know at the time of booking that you will be traveling with a baby so we can offer you the best advice and assistance. The ambiance aboard the train is geared towards our adult passengers. For this reason, it is at the Train Manager’s discretion that children may accompany their parents in the bar and restaurant cars.

Regrettably, our trains are not suited to host pets. Due to limited space within the carriages and infrequent stops, this does not allow ample opportunity for pets to exercise and attend to other needs. As such, for their comfort, they are not permitted.

In order to comfortably accommodate all passengers, meals have multiple seating times. Preferences for seating times can be noted in advance, however reservations will be confirmed once on board.

As with all holidays and trips abroad, we strongly recommend that you have travel insurance. Please contact a third party provider for this.

We will do our best to cater for special dietary requirements, such as vegetarian, vegan etc, provided a detailed request has been made at the time of booking. If a special request has not been made, the chefs will endeavour to prepare a dish with the ingredients available on board. We do, however, regret that we are unable to provide meals requiring strict religious observance in the preparation.

There is a centrally controlled cooling system on board, however individual cabins are not temperature controlled separately with cooling. Guests can control the flow and volume of cooled air into their cabins by opening or closing a vent.

There is no laundry service and no irons are available on board. Guests are encouraged to use hanging garment bags for their cabin luggage.

A group is considered 14 or more passengers.

French, English and Italian are spoken by most stewards on board the continental train.

In regards to Covid requirements, it is difficult to determine requirements for travel individuals as they are ever-changing. While we are closely monitoring the situation to best support our clients, detailed public health guidance is beyond our scope given the evolving nature of travel restrictions and in light of guests' varying personal circumstances. With this in mind, throughout this period, we have directed our guests to the CDC, US State department, and respective embassy websites as a trusted and current resource.