With the support of the largest international hotel operator Accor Orient Express agreed with the architect Maxime d'Angac about a new, important historical mission: to revive the legend by rethinking the Nostalgie-Istanbul-Orient-Express decor. In 2024, just in time for the Paris Olympics, the carriages, designed in collaboration with the best French craftsmen, will rediscover the delights of the Orient Express.
A modern interpretation of luxury and exceptional comfort — the main thing in the design concept of 17 original Orient Express carriages from the 1920s and 1930s, decorated with exceptional decor. This train, known in the past as the Nostalgie-Istanbul-Orient-Express, was launched in the early 1980s by the Swiss tour operator and businessman Albert Glatt and ran between Zurich and Istanbul. Called Extrême-Orient-Express, the train made the longest journey in history between Paris and Tokyo before suddenly disappearing.
In 2015, Arthur Mettetal, a researcher specializing in industrial history, conducted a worldwide inventory of the Orient Express. In the course of his research, he found that the famous carriages, including the interiors, were surprisingly well preserved. After two years of negotiations, Nostalgie-Istanbul-Orient-Express was sold to Orient Express. Composition of 17 wagons — 12 sleeping cars, 1 restaurant, 3 lounges and 1 auxiliary car — returned to France.
Architect Maxime d'Angac noted: “The revival of the Orient Express” — it is, above all, a technological challenge, despite the fact that the entire project was conceived as a work of art. From Orient Express branded nuts and bolts to innovative — careful attention to detail will allow travelers to rediscover its splendor. It will be an incomparable train journey, embodied in a modern vision of comfort and exceptional luxury.”