Accommodation on Blue Train is divided into two suite categories, each designed to transform effortlessly from an opulent day lounge into an inviting bedroom sanctuary with goose-down duvets and fine percale-cotton bedding. All suites are fully soundproofed and feature individually controlled air-conditioning and under-floor heating for maximum comfort, along with a marble-tiled private bathroom with gold fittings and complimentary luxury toiletries.
De Luxe Suites are slightly smaller than the Luxury Suites, with the latter also offering the additional privilege of a deep, full-size bath tub – perfect for relaxing soaks as the scenery rolls by outside your window. A writing desk next to the window, a television and complimentary Wi-Fi access are standard across both categories.
Beyond your private suite, you may wish to unwind in the elegant lounge car, where a sumptuous High Tea is served each afternoon, or in the observation car, where plush seating and panoramic windows encourage you to sit back, relax and soak up the views in total comfort.
Exquisite meals are served in the dining car, with carefully crafted menus featuring the likes of succulent Karoo lamb, Kysna oysters and ostrich fillet – accompanied, of course, by a selection of South Africa’s finest wines. After dinner, you may wish to make your way to the wood-panelled club car, a suitably atmospheric setting for a cognac or a whisky, perhaps enjoyed over a game of cards, chess or backgammon.
The total length of the Blue Train’s journey between Cape Town and Pretoria is 1,600 kilometres, which it covers over three days and two nights. The southbound route, from Pretoria to Cape Town, makes a stop in the historic diamond mining town of Kimberley, while the northbound route, from Cape Town to Pretoria, stops in the charming Victorian village of Matjiesfontein.
