La Dolce Vita Orient Express: Rome & Venice

Upon arrival in Rome, you’ll be met for a private transfer to your elegant hotel, moments from the city’s storied sights. Set within a 17th-century palazzo on Piazza della Minerva, this luxurious Orient Express retreat sits in a neighbourhood rich in art and culture, with the Pantheon just steps away and visible from many of the rooms and suites.

Spend the rest of the day exploring at your own pace, perhaps wandering over to Piazza Navona or pausing the admire the Baroque beauty of the Trevi Fountain. Alternatively, ease into la dolce vita with a little post-journey pampering in the hotel spa. 

A free day to explore Italy’s capital at your own pace. With millennia of history, culture and archaeology layered across the city, Rome feels like an open-air museum. Set off to discover its highlights, including the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Spanish Steps, and St Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City.

Call in at world-renowned museums such as the Borghese Gallery or Capitoline Museums to admire their outstanding art and sculpture collections. Browse high-end fashion, artisan workshops and vintage boutiques, and savour Rome’s cuisine from Michelin-starred dining to neighbourhood trattorias serving authentic pizza and pasta.

Speak to our experts if you’d like us to arrange a private guide to help you make the most of your time in Rome. 

Start the day with breakfast and Italian coffee at your hotel before a private transfer to the La Dolce Vita Orient Express lounge at Rome Ostiense Station, where you can relax before departure. As the train pulls out at 11.30 am, settle into your glamorous cabin or suite and watch the scenery unfold on the way to Tuscany. Linger over a gourmet lunch of seasonal Italian flavours by three-Michelin-starred chef Heinz Beck as the rolling hills drift by your window.

By early afternoon, you arrive close to Siena, with time to wander its medieval piazzas and cobbled streets or join a curated à la carte experience focused on art, history or gastronomy. Rejoining the train at sunset, you’ll enjoy a multi-course dinner in the elegant dining car, before a nightcap and live music in the bar car as you glide towards Venice. 

Awake to the gentle rhythm of the train as dawn breaks over northern Italy. Ease into the day with breakfast served in your cabin or the refined restaurant car, as you enjoy this serene final stretch into Venice. Soon, the first shimmer of water gives way to wide lagoon views as the train rolls across the causeway for a 10.30am arrival at Venezia Santa Lucia Station.

Upon arrival in Venice, you’ll be whisked by water taxi to your hotel, a 15th-century Venetian palace in Cannaregio, where restored architecture meets modern details inspired by the legendary Orient Express. Settle into your room then wander out to absorb the city’s timeless charm, strolling along the waterways and pausing for a coffee, gelato or glass of wine in a piazza. 

Today is yours to experience La Serenissima at your own pace. Take in the icons of St Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace in Piazza San Marco, admire the historic Rialto Bridge, and slip into a gondola to follow the city’s famous waterways, including the Grand Canal lined with Renaissance and Gothic palaces.

Later, you might board a vaporetto or private boat for Murano and Burano, discovering age-old glass-blowing traditions and brightly painted fishermen’s houses. Or cross sleepy back canals to find neighbourhood churches hung with Old Masters, and pause for refreshments in atmospheric back streets.

Speak to our experts if you’d like us to arrange a private guide to help you make the most of your time in Venice. 

Your holiday comes to an end today. After breakfast at your hotel, we’ll arrange for a final water taxi transfer to the airport or train station to begin your onward journey.