The Essentials
- The train-hotel : La Dolce Vita Orient Express, the new Italian luxury train by Orient Express (Accor) and Arsenale Group.
- The spirit : an homage to the “dolce vita” of the 1960s, interior design entrusted to Milanese studio Dimorestudio.
- On board : 6 carriages, 31 cabins and suites (including a La Dolce Vita signature suite), a restaurant, a bar carriage, and a lounge.
- The cuisine : menus crafted by three-Michelin-starred chef Heinz Beck, reflecting the regions traversed.
- Departure : Rome, travelling to eight Italian regions and beyond, starting from summer 2026, from €2,720.
Some journeys are savoured as much as they are travelled. With La Dolce Vita Orient Express, the luxury train-hotel reconnects with its golden age: one of velvet banquettes, lingering dinners, and landscapes unfolding like a film. After years of anticipation, this newcomer to the Italian rails begins its first departures in 2026 · and it could well become the most coveted experience in European “slow luxury”. La Revue des Hôtels has stepped aboard (in thought) to reveal what lies behind this evocative name.
A Rolling Homage to 1960s Italy
The name is no accident. La Dolce Vita revives that period of glamorous and artistic fervour which, in 1960s Italy, celebrated the art of living, elegance, and carefree joy. Everything on board tells the story of this era: the curved lines, noble materials, and plays of colour and light. The result of a partnership between Orient Express (Accor group) and Italian investor Arsenale Group, the project does not merely resurrect a railway myth: it reinvents it for today’s traveller.
The interior design was entrusted to Dimorestudio, the Milanese studio of Emiliano Salci and Britt Moran, renowned for its theatrical sense of decor. The carriages draw their inspiration from masters of Italian design · Carlo Scarpa, Gio Ponti, Ignazio Gardella · and from great spatialist artists like Lucio Fontana or Agostino Bonalumi. The result: a mobile setting where every detail, from the marquetry to the lighting, creates an exceptional scenography.
Cabins, Suites, and Lounge: The Art of Living Aboard a Train-Hotel
The train-hotel unfurls its splendour across six carriages, designed to host a deliberately select clientele. There are **12 Deluxe Cabins, 18 Suites, and a La Dolce Vita signature suite**, each featuring its own private bathroom and modular furniture that transforms the day lounge into a cosy bedroom at nightfall. Privacy is paramount: here, one travels as if in a private mansion speeding through the Italian countryside.
The **Deluxe Cabins**, meanwhile, embrace clever design: convertible sofas, meticulously planned storage, and refined finishes, all in a resolutely Italian spirit. Air conditioning, a private bathroom, and noble materials are the standard, regardless of cabin level.
At the heart of the convoy, a carriage transforms into an elegant lounge area, extended by its own bar · an ideal spot for a twilight cocktail, as vineyards, coastlines, and hills drift by. The hushed ambiance, deep armchairs, and carved wood panelling immerse the traveller in the elegance of a bygone era, without sacrificing any contemporary comfort.
Heinz Beck in the Kitchen: Gastronomy in Motion
To travel through the Italy of the Dolce Vita without celebrating its cuisine would be a contradiction. On board, menus are crafted by three-Michelin-starred chef Heinz Beck, whose cooking draws inspiration from the regions traversed. Each dish becomes a stage of the journey: local produce, revisited recipes, and food-and-wine pairings that change with the landscapes · from Tuscany to Sicily, from Piedmont to Liguria.
Eleven Itineraries, from Rome to Sicily (and to Istanbul)
Primarily departing from Rome, La Dolce Vita Orient Express offers eleven itineraries that crisscross eight Italian regions, in formats ranging from one to five nights. Highlights include:
- From Venice to Rome via Florence (Veneto, Tuscany, Lazio).
- The Tuscan Vineyards (Rome · Montalcino · Rome).
- Rome, Portofino, and Venice (Lazio, Liguria, Veneto).
- From Rome to Sicily, via Naples or Taormina (to Palermo).
- The Truffle Route in Piedmont (Rome · Nizza Monferrato).
- The Grand Tour connecting Rome, Venice, Matera, Taormina, and Palermo.
- From Istanbul to Rome (Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Austria, Italy).
This international **Istanbul-Rome** itinerary is a clear nod to the legend of the Orient Express. The first departures are scheduled from summer 2026, with an increase in autumn (July, September, October, November, December 2026). Places, by nature, are rare.
How much does it cost?
Prices start from €2,720 for the shortest format (Venice-Rome, one night) and rise to approximately €16,640 for longer journeys such as the Grand Tour or Istanbul-Rome (five nights). This pricing reflects its positioning as an exceptional experience, befitting a train-hotel signed by a legendary house and a three-Michelin-starred chef.
Our View: Slow Luxury Has Found Its Train
At a time when luxury is measured less by speed and more by emotion, La Dolce Vita Orient Express arrives at just the right moment. The prestige train embodies the “slow travel” sought by a clientele tired of express journeys and saturated destinations: taking time, contemplating, savouring. By combining railway heritage, a three-Michelin-starred gastronomic signature, and authorial design, this mobile address ticks all the boxes for an exceptional experience.
The exclusivity, which will undoubtedly forge its reputation, remains: with a handful of cabins per departure, this train-hotel caters to travellers seeking a memory rather than a mere journey. An address to watch closely, which enriches our selection of the most beautiful ways to traverse Italy.
How to Go
- The train-hotel : La Dolce Vita Orient Express (Orient Express / Accor × Arsenale Group), Dimorestudio design.
- Departure : primarily Rome, to eight Italian regions; international Istanbul-Rome itinerary.
- On board : 31 cabins and suites, restaurant by chef Heinz Beck (3 stars), bar carriage, and lounge.
- When : first departures from summer 2026.
- Prices : from €2,720 (up to approximately €16,640 for the Grand Tour / Istanbul-Rome).
- Find out more : La Dolce Vita Orient Express.
