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et's face it—some of us are just train people. We love the rhythm of steel on steel. We thrive on the anachronism of Pullman cars, of dressing up for dinner in a lavish dining car. We can't resist the pull of a conversation in a bar car as we glide through incredible scenery.

All of it appeals to our sense of Edwardian-style grand adventure.

Have we got a train for you.

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express has been whizzing through the Continent for 123 years now, and its stellar reputation remains unmatched.

See for yourself.

Begin in London's Victoria Station, where you board the Orient-Express Company's British Pullman, warm-up train for the VSOE, which meets you just beyond the Chunnel in France. Even the British Pullman is nothing to sneeze at. Personal strewards seat you, serve you a three-course lunch (with champagne, of course), and see to your every wish for the short trip to the water's edge.

Just the other side of the Chunnel, board the VSOE herself, a thing of beauty, a train with more history (and intrigue) than you can imagine. Spies exchanging whispers. Heads of state exchanging ideas. Hollywood's heavy hitters and journalists sidling up to the bar and in and out of compartments day and night.

Marvelous. And here you are, making a little history yourself.

During the day, as you travel through the French countryside (and through Switzerland and a bit of Austria) toward Venice, your private compartment is your salon, your very own lounge, your observation deck for scenery outside the window. As evening approaches, don your finest and head for the bar car for an aperitif and tunes by a resident pianist before sitting down to a full-course dinner served on crisp linen and fine china. While you dine in one of three restaurant cars, your personal steward transforms your compartment from livingroom to cozy boudoir.

Awake the next morning to breakfast served in your compartment and the Swiss Alps showing off outside your window. Visit the on-board boutique or relax with other passengers as we wend our way through the Italian Dolomites. Linger over a three-course lunch in one of the restaurant cars, then traverse the historic Brenner Pass around the time afternoon tea appears.

Sadly, time to disembark. But don't take it too hard, for you've ended up in another dream—Venice.

More? Consider this VSOE journey as a pre-tour to R. Crusoe's Investigating Italy. You have options: Venice, Florence, Rome, or the ravishing Italian lakes. Call your R. Crusoe & Son tour specialist for details.

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express: Historic, But by No Means Murderous. 2 Days.