France / Turkey: Vintage Orient Express poster featuring Istanbul's Sulemaniye Mosque and two veiled women, Rafael de Ochoa y Madrazo (1858-1935), 1891

The Orient Express was the name of a long-distance passenger train service created in 1883 by Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits (CIWL).

The route and rolling stock of the Orient Express changed many times. Several routes in the past concurrently used the Orient Express name, or slight variants thereof. Although the original Orient Express was simply a normal international railway service, the name has become synonymous with intrigue and luxury travel. The two city names most prominently associated with the Orient Express are Paris and Constantinople (Istanbul), the original endpoints of the timetabled service.

The Orient Express was a showcase of luxury and comfort at a time when travelling was still rough and dangerous. CIWL soon developed a dense network of luxury trains all over Europe, whose names are still remembered today and associated with the art of luxury travel (such as the Blue Train, the Golden Arrow, North Express and many more). CIWL became the first and most important modern multinational dedicated to transport, travel agency, and hospitality with activities spreading from Europe to Asia and Africa.

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