Daily SumUp

The original Orient Express route travels from Paris across Europe through Strasbourg, Munich, Vienna, Budapest, and Bucharest before arriving in Istanbul. The Orient Express sister train, the Simplon Orient Express (later known as the Direct Orient Express), also travelled a route from Paris to Istanbul, but headed south through Lausanne, Simplon, Milan, Venice, Belgrade and Sofia before arriving in Istanbul.

Coming into service in 1883, all original Orient Express routes finally retired in 2009 after almost 100 years of the most famous train journeys in the world.

The Orient Express travelled across Europe, most famously departing from Paris and heading to Istanbul. As the popularity of these journeys grew, two more Orient Express trains were brought into service offering more varied journeys to more destinations across Europe.