La Dolce Vita Orient Express: Rome, Portofino and Venice

It is a two-day, one-night itinerary running one way from Rome to Venice. You spend the single night in your cabin on board, with the Ligurian coast and Portofino filling the time between the two great cities at either end of the route.

The train leaves Rome Ostiense and runs north through the Tuscan hills to the Ligurian coast, reaching Santa Margherita Ligure, from where you are taken across to Portofino. The journey then continues across northern Italy to Venice, where it ends at Venezia Santa Lucia.

The train stops at Santa Margherita Ligure and you are transferred from there to Portofino, including a boat ride along the Ligurian coast that brings you into the harbour by water. Arriving by sea, with the painted houses rising above the quay, is the classic way to see the village.

A local guide walks you through the harbour, the lanes behind it and the corners most visitors miss, explaining what gives the village its character. Afterwards you have free time to browse the boutiques, stop for a gelato by the water or simply sit and watch the boats before returning on board.

A private transfer collects you from your hotel in Rome or from the airport and brings you to the La Dolce Vita lounge at Rome Ostiense, the train's own waiting room. You board there, settle into your cabin, and lunch is served in the Restaurant Car once the train is under way.

Deluxe Cabin and Cabin Suite are both sold on this itinerary. The whole train has 12 Deluxe cabins, 18 suites and a single La Dolce Vita Suite, so each departure is intimate by design. The fare for each category and date appears in the departure list on this page.

Fares begin from about EUR 3,500 per person with two guests sharing a cabin, and rise with cabin category and date. The exact fare for every departure is shown on this page, which is the number to rely on rather than a single quoted figure that moves with demand.

Your cabin for the night, all meals on board with menus curated by three-Michelin-starred chef Heinz Beck, selected beverages including drinks served with meals, the guided Portofino experience and other off-train excursions set out in the itinerary, live entertainment in the Bar Car and a dedicated cabin steward.

Getting to Rome and home from Venice is not included, nor are personal expenses, gratuities, travel insurance, or anything not expressly listed in the itinerary. Optional a la carte experiences are booked separately, and we can quote hotel nights in either city with transfers.

This is one of the most frequently scheduled itineraries in the collection, with departures currently loaded from 12 October 2026 through to 13 October 2027. Every available date and its fare are listed on this page and can be booked directly with us.

Late spring and early autumn are ideal: the sea is calm enough for the boat transfer to be a pleasure, the light on the painted houses is at its best, and Portofino is busy without being overwhelmed. Midsummer is hot and crowded, and midwinter brings shorter days on the coast.

The Portofino programme involves a boat, a quayside and cobbled lanes that rise steeply behind the harbour, so a reasonable level of mobility helps. Tell us about any difficulty when you book and we will check what can be adapted for your departure before you commit.

After you return from the coast, dinner is served in the Restaurant Car, and the Bar Car then opens with a pianist and vocalist for the night run across northern Italy. Selected beverages are included, and the mood is Italian design of the 1960s brought back to life.

The train arrives at Venezia Santa Lucia, which sits right on the Grand Canal, so you step off the train and straight into the city with no road transfer to make. Most guests continue into Venice by water taxi, which we can arrange for you.

Yes, on request and with a supplement over the per-person sharing fare, because the lead price assumes two people in the cabin. With so few cabins on the train, single-use space is limited, so tell us the date early and we will confirm the current rate.

A deposit of 30 percent of the tour price confirms your cabin and is non-refundable. The balance is due 125 days before departure, and bookings made within 125 days of departure are payable in full at the time of booking. Your written confirmation shows the exact amounts and the dates they fall due.

Yes, with reduced bands for under 5 and for 5 to 12, using the child's age at the departure date. The cabins are compact and the character of the train is adult, so it suits older children rather than toddlers. Please speak to us before you book as a family.

One small case each is plenty. Bring smart-casual clothes for dinner and the Bar Car, comfortable shoes for the sloping lanes of Portofino, and a light jacket for the coast in the evening. Cabin storage is limited, so oversized luggage is best left at your hotel.

Yes, and most guests do, since the journey runs one way between two cities that deserve time of their own. Travel to and from the departure cities is not included in the fare, but we can book hotels and private transfers at both ends alongside your cabin.

Email travel@palacetours.com, call 786-408-0610, or message us on WhatsApp at https://wa.me/17864080610, and a travel specialist or our AI assistant will reply. Every departure shown on this page is bookable directly, and we can add hotels and transfers in Rome or Venice.