The Orient Express Goes Off the Rails With Luxury Sea Cruises

Almost 140 years after its debut as the most luxurious train of its time, the Orient Express is about to set sail with its own luxury cruise ship: the Orient Express Silensea.

Recently unveiled by French hospitality group Accor (which took control of the Orient Express brand in 2018), the Orient Express Silensea pays homage to a time when creatives, literaries, stars, and royalty traipsed through the French Riviera, from Monte-Carlo to the golden Saint-Tropez beaches, Cap d’Antibes, and Cannes. If there’s one thing you’re assured of experiencing on the Orient Express, it’s an inimitable joie de vivre.

The Orient Express Silensea is a mammoth 220-metre vessel, with room for up to 120 passengers, boasting 54 chic suites, including a 1,415 square metre Presidential Suite, as well as two swimming pools, two fine dining restaurants, a theatre-cabaret, a recording studio, and a speakeasy bar. Upon sailing in the spring of 2026, the cruise will take the title of the world’s largest sailing ship.