''Real'' Orient Express to stop running in December

[Carolinian Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Carolinian]

The December European rail timetables eliminate the venerable Orient Express, which has been around in some form since the 1880s. Originally, it ran from Paris to Istanbul. There is still a restaurant in business in the main station in Istanbul that was started to serve Orient Express travellers. In recent years, the line has been systematically truncated, first to Paris to Bucharest, then Paris to Budapest, then Paris to Vienna, and finally Strassbourg to Vienna. Now it's famous name will be gone forever on any part of its original route. Of course, a luxury train service that uses the name Orient Express that has been around a while will undoubtedly continue using the name on routes that have nothing to do with the original, authentic Orient Express, which will now be history.

I had serveral times considered taking the Orient Express between Budapest and Bucharest, but other trains had better timings. After it dropped the Bucharest leg, I had a Vienna to Stuttgart rail trip that happened to be perfectly timed for an overnight ride on the original Orient Express. So that was my one and only time to take this famous train.

[x3skier Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close x3skier]

I have taken a couple of day trips out of London on the "New" Orient Express and found it a marvelous Experience. We were going to do the London to Venice run last year for a joint anniversary trip with my wife's sister and her husband but the schedule did not match our plans.

Cheers

[pranas Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close pranas]

This is sad news, This was a trip that we were planning on taking some time in the future. Looks like we waited to long.