Status: Active
Description: The Orient Express was a long-distance passenger train service created in 1883 by Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits (CIWL). Although the original Orient Express was simply a normal international railway service, the name became synonymous with intrigue and luxury travel. The two city names most prominently associated with the Orient Express are Paris and Constantinople (Istanbul), the original endpoints of the timetabled service. The original 'Express d'Orient' ran twice a week from Paris to Giurgiu. At Giurgiu, passengers cross the Danube by ferry to Ruse in Bulgaria, where a second train would be waiting for the 7-hour journey to Varna on the Black Sea. An Austrian Lloyd steamer would then connect for the 14-hour sea voyage to Constantinople (Istanbul). On 14 December 2009, the Orient Express ceased to operate and the route disappeared from European railway timetables. The Venice-Simplon Orient Express train, a private venture by Belmond using original CIWL carriages from the 1920s and 1930s, continues to run from London to Venice and to other destinations in Europe, including the original route from Paris to Istanbul.

This route is to by flown by Boeing 737 or Airbus 318 airliners or higher. For the two routes that are less than 140 miles, regional/commuter jets may be used. Merry Christmas!