This week, the Eastern & Oriental luxury train resumed operations - here's the cost of a trip.

The Eastern & Oriental Express has resumed operation after a hiatus of nearly four years.

This week, the train, operated by Belmond, welcomed its first set of passengers since it stopped running due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Since 1993, the luxury train has been providing transportation between Singapore and Bangkok in Southeast Asia.

What’s new

The train's route has been altered, along with several other key elements.

Two new journeys have been added, both starting and ending in Singapore and exploring different aspects of Malaysia.

Belmond's senior vice president of marketing and brand, Arnaud Champenois, stated that travelers have evolved in the past four years, with a growing preference for immersive travel experiences.

We planned to concentrate on a single country and provide two distinct routes. On the West Coast, we journeyed from Singapore to Penang and then Langkawi. Meanwhile, on the other route, we explored the national park of Malaysia to immerse ourselves in the jungle and natural surroundings.

The "Essence of Malaysia" and "Wild Malaysia" routes are seasonal, with the "Essence of Malaysia" running from November to February and "Wild Malaysia" from March to October.

The train has undergone a Malay-inspired renovation, with changes made to the cabin interiors and food, as a result of the new route. The dinner and afternoon tea services were designed by Andre Chiang, a renowned Taiwanese chef who closed his two-Michelin-starred Restaurant Andre in Singapore in 2018.

The cost

The cost for a four-day, three-night trip begins at $3,410 per individual and covers meals, drinks, and planned activities.

The Belmond's Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, which has been running routes through Europe since 1982, is less expensive than other trains that use the "Orient Express" name. Prices for a one-night trip in a historic cabin start at £3,530 ($4,430) per person, according to its website.

The "Orient Express La Dolce Vita" trains, set to launch in 2024, will cost €2,500 ($2,686) per person per night for a deluxe cabin, according to a press release. Travelers can pre-register for trips that mostly take place in Italy, as stated on the website.

Since the pre-booking for Accor's La Dolce Vita trains opened in December 2022, the rates have risen, with the initial price of 2,000 euros ($2,153) per person per night.