Orient Express
Photo: Mark Hind
Typically, these trains provide private two-person overnight compartments, some with built-in showers, along with lavish service, onboard guides, and elaborate meals.
Many also include a variety of day tours at stops along the way. Most carry passengers in vintage cars from the 1920s to 1950s that have been refurbished to modern standards or in newer cars designed to look like the classics.
Luxury trains are extremely expensive, so if you're more interested in the scenery and stops along the way than the extravagance, you can replicate many luxury rail journeys using ordinary modern trains at a fraction of the cost. I've included tips for this as well.