The company behind the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is set to debut a new luxury train in Britain. The Britannic Explorer, a sleeper train with fine dining restaurant, double cabins, observation car and even spa treatments on board, will debut next July. Three-night itineraries are priced from almost €7,000 per passenger, according to its website, taking guests on journeys through Wales, Cornwall and the Lake District.
“Paying homage to the Great British tradition of touring, the Britannic Explorer celebrates the art of slow travel, preserving Britain’s pioneering railway history while ushering in a new era of culture and creativity,” Belmond says. Belmond's Britannic Explorer Read more It describes the train as “the first luxury sleeper train in England and Wales”. Journeys include accommodation, daily table d'hôte meals including breakfasts, brunches, lunches, afternoon teas and dinners, and a selection of beverages, alcoholic and otherwise.
Belmond is known for luxury trains like the Royal Scotsman, British Pullman and Venice Simplon-Orient-Express , and briefly ran a train – The Grand Hibernian - in Ireland. Its two-night, €3,160pp itineraries were derailed by the Covid-19 pandemic, however. “Belmond has decided to relocate its Grand Hibernian train operation in the near term, revitalising its portfolio of iconic rail journeys,” the company said in 2021.
A Grand Suite on the Britannic Explorer Belmond also counts Hotel Cipriani in Venice, The Cadoga.