I Spent The Night On A Luxury Train With The Emily In Paris Cast
I felt like I was in the most decadent episode of the show ever.
Back in 2020, like everyone else who couldn’t leave the house, I lived vicariously through Emily Cooper (Lily Collins) as she took over France on Netflix’s Emily in Paris, dreaming of the day where I could finally return to Europe and hit up Emily’s favorite Parisian haunts. Five years later, I traveled to Paris in a way that even Emily couldn’t dream of.
To celebrate the fifth season of Emily in Paris, which premiered on Dec. 18, I boarded the Venice Simplon Orient Express, alongside series stars Collins, Ashley Park, and Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu and creator Darren Star. Myself and some fellow journalists and select influencers were in for the most upscale and fabulous overnight journey.
The historic train trekked us from Venice, Italy, to Paris, France, for the Season 5 premiere, a very fitting journey given how (spoiler alert!) Emily and her crew take over the famous Venetian canals in the season finale. Speaking to Bustle, Collins tells me that the train journey was a bucket-list item that she was finally checking off. “Watching so many movies where there’s drama, thrillers, and romance on trains, it’s just something that’s been embedded in my head,” she says.
Given what an event it was for everyone onboard, it was my journalistic responsibility to document every moment, from the decadent desserts to the touches that elevated this experience from a run-of-the-mill trip to a true luxury voyage. Below, come abroad the Venice Simplon Orient Express with me.
All Aboard!
Simply boarding the Venice Simplon Orient Express was worthy of an Instagram-ready look, as Netflix rolled out the red carpet for its guests — literally. Like any good influencer, I spent half an hour getting photos of myself boarding the train before actually boarding. But when I finally got to my cabin (A4 for the win), where my new Emily in Paris-branded luggage was already waiting, it set in just how much of an experience this was going to be.
I traveled on one of the train’s “historic cabins,” which I learned go for around 4,000 euros for a one-night journey — so yes, the accommodations felt more luxurious than most business-class flights. The cabins featured a plush loveseat that transformed into a bed, outfitted with new Emily in Paris goodies, including luxe pajamas, a postcard box, and a mini bottle of wine.
It only took about five minutes to be offered my first glass of champagne (no, it was not even 11 a.m. yet), which set the stage for just how much luxury awaited us as the train departed Venice.
The Cutest Lunch & Drinks
After an hour of settling in, lunch was served in the train’s lush restaurant carriages, which set the mood for the opulent day to come. I opted for the veal appetizer and the chicken casserole, which was legitimately one of the best chicken dishes I’ve ever tasted. However, the true highlight of the meal was dessert, a lemon tart that was shaped and decorated like the most aesthetic lemon slice you’ve ever seen.
Seriously, I need this lemon’s skin care routine (and yes, it tasted just as good as it looks).
After lunch, I flitted between interviews with the Emily in Paris cast and the bar carriage, which felt more sophisticated and glamorous than any TikTok-viral speakeasy you may frequent. No, I was not pounding Negronis at 2 p.m., but the mocktails were arguably even more delicious.
Eat, Drink, & Be Merry
After my work was done for the day, it was finally time to play. I put on my Saturday best (sequins were involved) for dinner aboard the Venice Simplon Orient Express, which was so elegant that no photos were allowed at the table. This time, I opted for the vegetarian menu, a soothing vichyssoise soup and mushroom puff-pastry dish that was so rich in flavor, I actually felt bad for carnivores.
Of course, I took one obligatory sneaky photo of dessert, a cake that was literally molded in the shape of the train carriage, down to the wood paneling and gold crest logo. Seriously, pictures cannot do it justice.
As we freaked out over this culinary masterpiece, a barber shop quartet began serenading the restaurant carriages in Italian, which was just an opening act for the show to come. After dinner came the afterparty, which kicked off with a surprise performance from Park at the bar’s piano. Park sang the French classic “La Vie En Rose” and her Emily in Paris anthem “Mon Soleil,” as her castmates danced along, even joining in at the end for some impromptu karaoke.
What followed was an afterparty for the ages, as a DJ turned the bar into a nightclub on wheels where champagne was flowing, dancers were voguing, and Lady Gaga’s hits were bumping into the wee hours (earning us some strange looks from perplexed onlookers at our train stops, oops). Per the guidelines, no videos were taken — for some parties, you just had to be there.
I was too wired the next morning to capture any photos at brunch, but it was just as decadent and delicious as our fare the day before. (I still dream of those truffled scrambled eggs.) As the trip came to an end, Capt. Collins herself announced our arrival, because only Emily could welcome us to Paris, of course. While departing the train was a bittersweet ending to this once-in-a-lifetime experience, I couldn’t be too sad. After all, I was about to explore the City of Light.
