The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (VSOE) is the privately owned luxury rail liner that runs between London, Paris and Venice. It is famed as a descendent of the fabled Orient Express and each year it makes the long trek to Istanbul (Constantinople) following a similar path to that of its quasi parent launch in 1883. But book your tickets early because you can only ride this train from March through October. Its birth in 1982 came about as a result of a purchase of 1920’s and 30’s “Wagon- Lits” (sleep cars) by James Sherwood who reportedly spent $31M restoring the cars to their original opulence even down to the brass lamps and marquetry paneling. The sleeping cars are still part of the train carriages today

The VSOE has transported a bevy characters from hollywood’s “who is who to spies and royalty, this makes me wonder how many of the spies were royalty..humm.

Today you can tease your palate in one of the 3 on board restaurants,  L’Oriental, Etoile du Nord or  Côte d’Azur, it appears that the menus are identical , but the decor and ambiance varies.