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The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express Train Is Getting Luxurious 'Grand Suites'

The world’s most famous train is getting another upgrade.
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Courtesy Belmond

We've been oohing and aahing over the Murder on the Orient Express movie trailer, set to hit theaters in early November, for the last two weeks. And now, with Belmond's real life Venice Simplon-Orient-Express getting an ultra-luxe makeover, we're finding it harder and harder not to book our own (murder-free) train ride through Europe. The luxury sleeper train and hotel connoisseurs at Belmond recently announced the addition of three new Grand Suites, designed in the train's original Art Deco style.

Themed after three iconic European cities—Paris, Venice, and Istanbul—the suites have a double or twin bedroom, a living area where you can request a private in-room breakfast, complimentary bathrobes that you don't have to steal to walk away with, and guaranteed seating in your preferred dining cart. Plus, guests have access to free transfers from the train to their arrival and departure accommodations and complimentary caviar on arrival. The ultimate luxury here: Guests in the Grand Suites get full private bathrooms, complete with shower, sink, and toilet, while the rest of the train's guests must use washrooms at the end of their train car. Oh, and if you book one of the suites, there's free champagne any time you want—honestly, that's incentive enough.

The Istanbul Grand Suite.

Courtesy Belmond

The Grand Suites won't hit the tracks until 2018, when they'll join the originally restored train cars from this 1920s icon of the Golden Age of travel on journeys of just one night (Vienna to London) to 10 nights (Paris to Istanbul to Venice). The luxury upgrade comes at a cost, of course. Regular double cabins cost $2,720 per person on a one-night London to Venice journey, while the Grand Suites are expected to cost $7,000 per person.

That's a lot of champagne to drink.