The Golden Age of luxury train travel evokes old-world images of opulent carriages, mahogany-lined cars, and slow-moving scenery at your fingertips. But this is no bygone era. Train travel is celebrating a revival with record numbers of people embracing luxury train rides. The world’s 5-star train journeys are elevating the experience, with everything from personal butlers and Michelin-star fine dining to luxury suites with bathtubs and marble floors. If you love the journey as much as the destination, here are 10 of the world’s most famous luxury train rides to inspire your next adventure.

In the high-end dining scene, sustainability is now more than a buzzword: it’s a layer of design and operations built into the fabric of a new dining venue, with budding restaurateurs and top chefs alike keen to limit waste and make the most of what’s local and seasonal to them. In fact, the world’s cutting-edge hospitality moguls know that making a restaurant greener can be huge fun, finding innovative ways to channel sustainable power sources, or out-of-the-box ways to use food waste in everything from biofuel to sauces and cordials. 

Sustainable fine dining is one of the most progressive categories of all, with luxury consumers eager to spend on lavish dinners they can feel good about.

Fyn, Cape Town

Photo credit: @fynrestaurantcpt on Instagram

South African pioneer Fyn won this year’s Flor de Caña Award for sustainability in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards. With a name inspired by the country’s national fynbos flower (pronounced “Fayn”), Peter Tempelhoff’s restaurant employs hyper-local ingredients and uses Japanese techniques to make delicate creations; the team pays close attention to foraged local wonders like kelp, sea lettuce and dune spinach, as well as partnering with the country’s most ethical producers and fishermen for meat and fish. 

More than half of the menu is vegetarian or vegan-friendly, and staff are trained in foraging and careful water management to avoid waste. There’s a social enterprise element, too: they work with a Cape Town initiative to train up young chefs from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Experience South Africa in gourmet style on Luxury Gold’s 9-Day Spectacular South Africa journey

nôl, Tokyo

Photo credit: @nol.jp on Instagram

This moodily-lit, chef’s table style restaurant was awarded the Michelin Green Star this year, taking Tokyo’s Green Star restaurants to 11 ‒ the most sustainable fine dining restaurants in a single city. Chef Tatsuya Noda refers to the dining room as a “kitchen space”, creating dishes passed down through his family, such as his grandmother’s home pickles and his mother’s roasted rice, for just a small group of diners. 

Noda’s “Garbage Soup” was singled out by Michelin as an exceptional waste-preventing dish; another low-waste initiative includes creating dishes from sturgeon fish, which are usually discarded after their caviar is removed.

Immerse yourself in Japan’s time-honored traditions on Luxury Gold’s 11-Day Majestic Japan journey.

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Apricity, London

Photo credit: @apricityrestaurant on Instagram

Vegans will feel right at home at this soothing, light-filled space in London’s Mayfair, with veg-stacked dishes like butterhead lettuce with cultured miso aioli and crispy kale and celeriac orzotto with confit chestnut gracing the a la carte menu. 

Awarded a Michelin Green Star in 2023, Chantelle Nicholson and team have also won Innovator of the Year at the National Restaurant Awards and a Grosvenor Sustainability Award for its circular economy values. Pared-back, distressed walls are pepped up with hanging plants and trendily upcycled furniture and fixtures: recycled tiles and chairs made from old Coca-Cola bottles, saving them from going to landfill.

London’s calling on Luxury Gold’s 10-Day British Royale journey 

Toyo Eatery, Philippines

Winner of the Flor de Caña sustainability award 2023 in the 50 Best Restaurants in Asia, this Manila restaurant does everything it can to champion Filipino people and their produce. Shockingly for a Filipino eatery, there’s no beef on the menu ‒ owners Jordy and May Navarra deemed cattle farming methods too harmful to the environment, and, though they serve other meats, there’s an entirely vegan tasting menu option. 

Every ingredient here is local, organic and traceable ‒ think black rice, coconut, banana and taro ‒ making sure local workers benefit from the supply chain; and the team has bought forest and farmland with an aim to become zero-waste by 2025, growing their own produce using any food waste as compost. 

We also think you’ll like: Why South Africa is the ultimate setting for a gourmet road trip

Aponiente, Cadiz, Spain

Seafood lovers should sail, paddle or swim to this waterside spot in southwestern Spain, where chef Ángel León is on a mission to showcase the marine ingredients we don’t typically see on a Michelin-level plate. Abundantly available fish like mackerel and hake crop up on his menus, but also sea urchin, tuna milt, deep sea algae and sardine scales ‒ plus inventive moments like “sea bacon” made from thinly sliced sea bass. It’s an approach that’s earned him three Michelin stars and the 2022 Flor de Caña award for sustainable fine dining. Set inside an old tidal mill with a newer, wow-factor building attached, this is a real sensory experience.

Taste Spanish passion on Luxury Gold’s 13-Day Spain & Portugal in Style journey 

Locavore, Bali

Photo credit: @locavorenxt on Instagram

Simple, polished wooden tables, a charcoal-grey bar and a high, barn-like ceiling set the scene for Locavore, a champion of Indonesian produce and cooking. Set in the island’s spiritual old capital, Ubud, it was named both Asia’s Most Sustainable Restaurant and Indonesia’s best restaurant overall in 2019. It’s a showcase for all things Balinese: 95% of ingredients are sourced within the island, from coffee to beef and salt, while crockery and ceramics are all made locally by artisans. They have a vegetarian and non-vegetarian tasting menu, with quirky and intriguing dish names like “Who says lobsters don’t like chocolate?” Dishes might include prawn ceviche with plenty of garden herbs and spices, or roasted bone marrow in a pandan broth.

Saint Peter, Sydney

Photo credit: @saintpeterpaddo on Instagram

Another fish fanatic, Josh Niland, is the brains behind this Sydney destination restaurant; his brand of sustainable fine dining is using available and plentiful fish (working carefully with local fishermen) and the shelf life of each fish to serve them at the perfect time, minimizing waste.  Like Spain’s Ángel León, Niland makes use of the offal or less-loved parts of the fish, from crispy skin crackers to fish-liver pates, with bones used to make stock and “fish-eye chips” just one signature snack. The trendy, modern restaurant has exposed brick walls and a long marble counter, with plenty of exciting Australian wines on the menu.

Dine down-under on Luxury Gold’s 13-Day Inspiring Australia journey

We also think you’ll like: Acclaimed Sydney Restaurant Bennelong And its Love Affair With Australian Food

Amber, Hong Kong

Photo credit @rekkebus on Instagram

Michelin green-starred since 2022, as well coming out on top in 2022’s Food Made Good sustainability awards, Amber is a Hong Kong institution. You’ll find it in the city’s Mandarin Oriental hotel, a striking white-and-pine dining room with fluid-looking gold light fixtures and dainty ceramics. All seafood here is sourced sustainably, with fair-trade policies on tea, coffee, chocolate and vanilla; meanwhile only ethical egg and meat producers are used, and no dairy products are featured on the menu, to eliminate any carbon emitted by dairy production. There’s also a strict 35:65 ratio of animal products to plant-based products when it comes to ingredients.

Tèrra, Copenhagen

Photo credit: @_terrarestaurant_ on Instagram

Named for mother earth, this high-end Italian in Denmark’s capital was awarded a Michelin green star in 2021. A zero-waste kitchen, its menu is largely based on seasonal vegetables and fruit, topped up with seasonal and ethically-sourced meat and fish here and there. Dishes might include “Celeriac and mussels”, with the root vegetable forming an oyster-like shell, creative bite-sized snacks made from offcuts, kombucha or cookies made from coffee grounds, and foraged flavors like sea kale and violets. A pared-back dining room of stone walls and simple seating puts the focus on the dishes, served New-Nordic style, like little works of art.

Experience Danish Fine Dining on Luxury Gold’s 12-Day Timeless Scandinavia journey

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Restaurante Manu, Curitiba, Brazil

Photo credit: @manubuffara on Instagram

This exciting destination venue in the southern Brazilian state of Paraná won the most sustainable restaurant award at Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants awards earlier this year. An impressive 80% of its suppliers come from within a 300km radius, while the chefs actively connect with family farming businesses and smallholdings to support the local community. They’re obsessed with biodiversity, nurturing local species and even keeping their own beehives; curious combinations might include seared fish with bacon and caramel, or lamb with seafood and custard apple.  Even more feelgood? The team feeds the homeless, distributing 400 healthy meals per week to unhoused residents in Curitiba.

Experience Brazilian cuisine on Luxury Gold’s 12-Day Classic South America journey 

Harbor House Inn, California

Perched on the wild California coastline of Mendocino, Harbor House is a beacon of sustainable American cooking. Chef Matthew Kammerer was awarded a Michelin green star in 2020, while the restaurant holds a rarefied two stars from the foodie guide; 90% of his ingredients come from local sources, including their own cattle ranch and kitchen garden. Porcini mushrooms are foraged from nearby woodland and lichen from the clifftops, and the building itself is 100% powered by sustainable energy, including solar and geothermal. Little details make it charming: fryer oil is turned into candles for the tables, for example. Even more soul-soothing is the wild sea view from the classic wood-paneled dining room.

The only way to top an unforgettable day of exploring the world is to spend the night in an equally memorable hotel. Some of the most luxurious hotels in the world are standard inclusions on Luxury Gold journeys, offering you an opportunity to experience supreme luxury even when you’re simply resting your soles from a long day of globetrotting. You may even spot a celebrity or two while you’re there, as rumors have it these are some of the most star-studded hotels in the world. 

Magnificent Stays with Luxury Gold

Don’t just dream about where the rich and famous stay — spend the night at some of the most luxurious resorts in the world on a Luxury Gold tour. 

The Rubens at the Palace | England

Photo credit: @rubenshotel on Instagram

On the Luxury Gold British Royale journey, your first two nights are spent in The Rubens at the Palace in London. This five-star hotel was once part of Buckingham Palace’s estate, so it comes as no surprise that it’s a favorite for legitimate royalty and celebrities alike. 

Meet Doorman John, who’ll be there to welcome you at The Rubens at The Palace

Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise | Canada

With so much of Canada’s scenic splendor in its backyard, Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise is a fitting site for one of the most luxurious resorts in the world. Marilyn Monroe, Alfred Hitchcock, and Christopher Reeve are among the famous faces who holidayed here. You’ll join them on our Majesty of the Rockies journey which includes at night at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, plus stays at its sibling resorts Fairmont Banff Springs and Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge.

Mena House Hotel | Egypt

Photo credit: @marriottmenahousecairo on Instagram

A most luxurious hotel in the world of five-star accommodations, the Mena House Hotel is fit for a pharaoh. Naturally, it’s an inclusion on the Luxury Gold Elegance of the Nile 11-day journey. You’ll spend two nights there as an introduction to Egypt. It may not be the most expensive hotel in the world, but settle into a pyramid view room and you’ll be rewarded with a priceless portrait of Giza’s greatest structures.    

The Leela Palace | India

Both Bollywood and Hollywood stars have checked-in to The Leela Palace’s most luxurious hotels in the world. With 13 properties under its name, big names like Tom Cruise and Akon are no strangers on the reservations list. You’ll find a stunning room at The Leela Palace Udaipur during the two final nights concluding the Imperial Rajasthan tour with Luxury Gold. This includes a celebration dinner with your group at the hotel’s restaurant, The Dining Room, where a banquet of Indian cuisine offers one last taste of this country’s vibrant culture.

Grand Hotel Oslo | Norway

Photo credit: @grandhoteloslo on Instagram

If you think you might be out of place in the most luxurious hotel in the world, we challenge you to stay at the Grand Hotel Oslo. The diverse list of celebrities and dignitaries who’ve stayed here is astoundingly eclectic: Arnold Palmer, Kid Rock, Jesse Owens, Barbara Walters, Vince Vaughn, Kenny Loggins, Mark Twain, Joe Theismann, Eartha Kit, five U.S. presidents, and Darth Vader himself, James Earl Jones. Your name is missing from the list, but joining the Timeless Scandinavia journey with Luxury Gold will change that. 

Alvear Palace Hotel | Argentina

Photo credit: @alvearpalace on Instagram

Alvear Palace Hotel doesn’t need to be the most expensive hotel in the world to draw a famous crowd: Walt Disney found it especially magical on his trip to Buenos Aires, while both Tony Curtis and Argentine poet Horacio Ferrer decided to make it their homes for a spell. We have a feeling you’ll never want to leave Alvear Palace Hotel either when you stay there on the Luxury Gold Grand South America journey. 

Fairmont Monte Carlo | Monaco

Photo credit: @fairmontmonaco on Instagram

Monaco may be a micronation but the immense wealth within its borders constitutes the need for one of the most luxurious hotels in the world for F1 drivers, movie stars, and everyday travelers alike. Whitney Houston, Robert Wagner, Stevie Wonder, and countless race car drivers have slowed down to appreciate this stunning resort set against the Mediterranean. Stay at the Fairmont Monte Carlo on Luxury Gold’s Ultimate Southern France journey. 

Five-Star Celebrity Haunts

These hotels may not be on a Luxury Gold journey, but are worth keeping on your radar if celebrity spotting is your preferred vacation past time.

Most luxurious hotel in the world | Burj Al Arab, UAE

Discerning travelers who wish to stay in the most luxurious hotel in the world should book a trip to the United Arab Emirates. Burj Al Arab has already enticed the likes of Justin Bieber, Nelson Mandela, and Roger Federer to stay at what’s officially called the world’s only 7-star hotel.

Most exclusive hotel in the world | The Brando Resort, Tahiti

Photo credit: @thebrandoresort on Instagram

A private island getaway where villas sit in seclusion, The Brando Resort in Tahiti is a luxurious eco-resort where the likes of Oprah, the Obamas, and the Kardashians escape to for uninterrupted bliss. Take one look at the hotel’s name and you’ll not be surprised that it’s one of the most luxurious resorts in the world as far as Marlon Brando is considered: he owned the entire island. 

Most famous hotel in the world | Le Negresco, France

A famous French Riviera hotel rivaling the equally luxe Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, Le Negresco’s century-plus history has an envious guest book, making it one of the most famous hotels in the world. The Fab Four, Liz Taylor, Salvador Dali, Elon John, and Queen Elizabeth II are among the once overnighters.