A Mother-Daughter Adventure Aboard the World's Most Famous Train

When the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express pulled out of Istanbul's Bakırköy Station, heading toward Paris, cabin steward Eduardo appeared with the first of many Champagne flutes. I settled into a plush seat across from my mother and raised my glass. Just a week earlier, I'd called her with a last-minute proposition: Could she fly from Wisconsin to join me on this legendary train? We booked her ticket within minutes. As a travel writer, I've often invited companions on departing trips, but this one felt different. More than four decades after she first read Agatha Christie's "Murder on the Orient Express," my mother—a recently retired librarian—still dreamed of riding this iconic route. Now she had the keys to Sleeping Car 3309, the very carriage that inspired Christie's novel. That car, the oldest on the train, was famously stranded in a snowdrift near Istanbul in 1929 during a ten-day ordeal that claimed no lives but fueled a bestseller. Today, it houses three Grand Suites. Our five-night journey wound through Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, and Austria, with stops in Bucharest and Budapest before reaching Paris. Each carriage—from the velvet upholstery to the brass fixtures—feels like a time capsule. Our first evening began with black-tie attire, caviar, scallops, and an epic cheese plate by chef Jean Imbert, followed by negronis and live piano in the 1931 Bar Car. We slept in Grand Suite Prague, a space of garnet reds, maroons, and gold, with intricate marquetry and a marble en suite. Waking in Bulgaria, we lounged in matching bathrobes over coffee and pastries. Off-train excursions included Bucharest's historic center, a majestic bookstore, and local markets where we bought honey and pretzels. In Budapest, a guide gave us keys to the Royal Waiting Hall, built for Emperor Franz Joseph. We sampled walnut cake and sponge cake at historic cafés. But the most memorable moments happened between stops—quiet hours with books open, watching the landscape roll by. For the first time, my mother rarely read; she just stared out the window. Our final night was lively, with fellow travelers from around the world. I watched my mother, animated and glowing, chatting with new friends. What a privilege to travel—and even more so, to share it with her. The five-night Istanbul-Paris route runs twice in 2026, starting at $53,310 per passenger.