On September 20 and 21, 2025, Orient Express invites the public to step aboard a legend.
On Track 20 at Paris’s Gare d’Austerlitz, the original Pullman Orient Express train, the most luxurious of the fleet, will be on display in its full Art Deco splendor. Composed of seven cars, including four listed as French Historic Monuments, the train offers a rare opportunity to revisit a golden age of rail travel.
Built between 1925 and 1929, the midnight-blue, gold-trimmed cars represent the pinnacle of French elegance and engineering. Three restaurant cars, two lounge cars, and two bar cars, meticulously restored between 2015 and 2019 by some twenty artisans awarded France’s Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant distinction, showcase exquisite marquetries, original lighting fixtures, and lush upholstery, all contributing to an atmosphere as hushed as it is iconic.
For the first time since 2022, this exceptional train will be open to the public, both by day and even by night. During evening visits, original sconces, ceiling lights, and table lamps will once again cast their glow, recreating the beguiling mood of long-haul night travel.
Born from the vision of Georges Nagelmackers, founder of the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits, the Orient Express was more than a train, it was a revolution in travel. Inaugurated in 1883 to link Paris and Constantinople, it introduced an unprecedented level of comfort on rails: sleeper cars, fine dining, impeccable service, and above all, the art of journeying as a pleasure in itself.
The train helped shape a network across Europe : the Train Bleu, Étoile du Nord, Sud-Express, Taurus-Express, Trans-Siberian, each a chapter in a broader narrative of modern European culture. Immortalized by Agatha Christie and Sidney Lumet, the Orient Express became a symbol of refined movement, of French sophistication, and of a world that traveled beautifully.
The train on display on Track 20 stands as a witness to that golden age and the founding vision: that of an industrial project rooted in two pillars of French excellence that are fine craftsmanship and elegance. As the rebirth of Orient Express takes shape aboard the future train, the sailing yacht, and the brand’s new hotels, these historic cars remind us that when travel is imagined as an art form, it also calls upon the realm of dreams. And today, that dream is more alive than ever.
Event Information
Free admission as part of the European Heritage Days on September 20 and 21, 2025.
Reservations open to the public online starting September 2
Address: Gare de Paris-Austerlitz, Quai d’Austerlitz, 75013 Paris, Île-de-France, France.