Belmond British Pullman Carriages

Step on board the Belmond British Pullman, sister train to the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, and experience the excitement of luxury train travel. Discover the fascinating history of each of the characterful Pullman carriages. The Belmond British Pullman luxury train embodies everything that was fabulous about the roaring 20s and 30s. Today, each carriage has been lovingly restored and refurbished so that you too can experience the glamour of vintage rail travel.

Carriage Plan

british-pullman-CARRIAGE-LAYOUT-configuration

The Carriages

Audrey

Audery

Damaged in 1940 by air raid at Victoria Station, repaired and rejoined Brighton Belle in 1947. Carried the Queen, the Queen Mother and H.R.H. Prince Philip the Duke of Edinburgh to review the Fleet in 1953. Transported the Queen on her visit to Sussex University 1964.

Cygnus

Used in the special Festival of Britain rake in 1951. Reserved for use by Royalty and visiting Heads of State. Made last journey of Golden Arrow 1972. Featured in the film ‘Agatha’ with Vanessa Redgrave and Dustin Hoffman.

Ibis

1925 by Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Co. Sold to La Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits et des Grands Express Européens for service in Italy. History: Purchased by the Pullman Car Company Ltd. in 1928 and returned to Britain for Golden Arrow service. Entered Cunard boat train service between Victoria and Southampton 1952. Retired 1968.

Gwen

In 1948 was used, with sister car Mona, to convey H.M. Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother) to Brighton. Brighton Belle service withdrawn in 1972. Preserved as a restaurant at The Horseless Carriage, Chingford, Essex, and later at the Colne Valley Railway, Castle Hedingham, Essex.

Ione

Built in 1928 as a First Class kitchen car. Served on Ocean Liner services and Bournemouth Belle until 1939. Later ran on Queen of Scots, Golden Arrow, Yorkshire Pullman, South of Wales Pullman and the high speed Talisman route before retiring in 1968.

Lucille

Lucile

Built in 1928 as a First Class parlour car for the Queen of Scots Pullman. Transferred to Southern Region in 1963 and ran in Bournemouth Belle until 1967. Preserved by Mr E. Lewis-Evans at the South Eastern Steam Centre, Ashford until 1984.

Minerva

Built in 1927 and served many Pullman routes. Joined the Devon Belle in 1947 and the Golden Arrow in 1951, being used in the special Festival of Britain rake. Often included in special trains for state visits and royal use in the early 50s.

Perseus

Perseus

Designed in the 30s but not completed until 1951. Used in the special Festival of Britain rake as part of the Golden Arrow service. Formed part of Winston Churchill’s funeral train in 1965. Part of the last journey of the Golden Arrow in 1972.

Phoenix

Favourite carriage of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother: used by General de Gaulle and visiting Heads of State; made last journey of Golden Arrow 1972. Became stationary restaurant in Lyon, France 1973.

Vera

Always paired with Audrey as a two car unit. Directly hit in an air raid at Victoria Station in 1940. Roof extensively repaired, rejoined Brighton Belle in 1947. Used by Royalty to review the Fleet in 1953 and for Prince Charles’ and Princess Anne’s first trip on an electric train in 1954. Brighton Belle service withdrawn in 1972. Preserved as a garden house in Suffolk.

Zena

Built in 1928 as a First Class parlour car. After the war, she joined Queen of Scots and Yorkshire Pullman until 1955, and then the Golden Arrow until 1960. Retired in 1965 as part of the final run of the Tees-Tyne Pullman.

2023 DATES

2023 British Pullman Departure Dates

VIEW

BELMOND BRITISH PULLMAN

Find out about this historic train

VIEW

Essential Onboard Information

ROUTES AND TIMINGS

Your travel documentation will be sent to you within 5 days prior to departure. Please note, routes and timings are subject to the constraints of the rail network and may alter. Please arrive 20 minutes prior to departure.

WHAT TO WEAR

Avoid casual clothing, including denim, trainers, baseball caps, collarless T-shirts and shorts. While jackets and ties are not essential, smart attire and even formal dress is welcomed. You can never be overdressed aboard the Belmond British Pullman.

DINING

Your fare includes table d’hôte meals. Let us know of any special dietary requirements at time of booking. We are unable to prepare meals requiring strict religious observance in their preparation.

SMOKING

Belmond operate a strict no-smoking policy on board their trains.

MOBILE PHONES AND HANDHELD DEVICES

Please turn these off while in your carriage as a consideration to other passengers.

INSURANCE

We recommend you purchase adequate travel insurance for your trip. We cannot be held responsible for loss of deposits and/or other costs incurred if you cancel your reservation.

DISABLED PASSENGERS

We regret that our carriages cannot be boarded in wheelchairs. However, our staff will assist any passengers to their seats and folding wheelchairs can be stored in the vestibules.

SEATING

Belmond operate between eight and 11 passenger carriages at any one time. Our four different styles of Pullman carriage seat between 20 and 26 passengers with seating combinations made up of tables for one, two, three and coupés (private compartments for four) – your table type will be confirmed upon booking. Parties of five or more will be seated at a combination of tables.

GRATUITIES

These are entirely at the discretion of the passenger and are not included in your fare. Tips are shared by all members of the on-board crew.

[contact-form-7 id=”20838″ title=”Ultimate Page Enquiry”]

2024 DATES

2024 British Pullman Departure Dates

VIEW

BELMOND BRITISH PULLMAN

Find out about this historic train

VIEW

TRAVEL TIPS

Useful information whilst you are onboard the Belmond British Pullman.

VIEW

CONTACT US

Our travel team are here to help

Mulberry Travel

4.93 Average

112 Reviews

Amanda Brooker

We unfortunately had a 9 hour delay on the Orient Express and I cannot commend enough Mulberry Travel and in particular Sasha who was in constant communication with us informing and reassuring us along the way. Excellent company.

Posted 5 days ago

Jim Scott

The service rexceived from Mulberry Travel from booking to the lead up to the trip was freindly, seamlessly and efficient taking all the worry out of the process. Many thanks.

Posted 1 month ago

Anita Jones

Booked a holiday on the Orient Express to Venicewith the lovely Sasha she sorted everything for us all we had to do was select the Hotel we wanted to stay in Venice for 3 nights . Nothing was to much trouble and answered any question we had very quickly ... would highly recommend Mulberry Travel to book holidays and so glad we came across them. Thank you all again for your help in booking us a fantastic holiday.

Posted 1 month ago

Fred Seymour

I recently travelled to Vienna and stayed in a five star hotel San Souci. After spending two days in Vienna my son and myself boarded the famous Orient Express train back to Paris and then onto London with Eurostar premium. The whole trip was organised by Mulberry Travel who arranged everything to perfection. I would recommend Mulberry travel to anyone. They took great care to ensure that we did not have any problems with our itinerary. The train ride on the Orient Express was in my opinion one of the best experiences of my life.

Posted 1 month ago

Hilary Ware

Sasha at Mulberry Travel was a delight to work with and she curated a trip of a lifetime. All the transport was seamless, the hotel was fantastic and the event was an event of a lifetime. I will definetly work with Mulberry Travel again.

Posted 4 months ago

Angela Wakefield

Wow is all I can say about the trip that Lee and his team organised for my husbands 70th birthday surprise , Andrea Bocelli in his home town Lajatico celebrating 30 years of performing. Florence was fabulous , Andrea Bocelli absolutely amazing , and Ed Sheeran “perfect”. Every bit of the trip was obviously planned and organised with great professionalism and everything went smoothly. I cannot recommend Lee his staff and Mulberry Travel enough I would have no hesitation in planning future trips with them . A BIG thank you , Angie

Posted 4 months ago

Wendy Krstenic

Fantastic service from Sasha and the team at Mulberry Travel, they sorted everything to fit our requirements to make a perfect holiday. Thank you again

Posted 4 months ago

Sue

Mulberry looked after us well. All bookings went smoothly and we were well informed with clear documentation. The team always responded to our queries promptly and were very helpful. We recommend Mulberry Travel 100%.

Posted 5 months ago

Christine Derbyshire

My husband tells me that I don't usually "gush" about much as I can be quite critical. However,I have not stopped "gushing" about the service I have received from Mulberry Travel From the initial contact with Sasha, seeking a price for a package to the Monaco Grand Prix, to the end of the holiday, the service and attention to detail has been second to none. Sasha carefully took details of my requirements, being that I wanted a complete package as a Pearl Wedding anniversary present for my husband. She quickly provided an excellent itinerary which included flights,all transfers and a 2 night, 5* hotel stay in Barcelona prior to a 5 night cruise on the Azamara Pursuit ship. In addition, tickets to the Grand Prix in Monaco (Grandstand K, facing the marina) were included. The cost of the package was very competitive and I so didn't delay in making a booking. Sasha promptly issued a full itinerary and advised that as flight times weren't available at the time of booking, she informed me that she would contact me as soon as they were available; this duly occurred, offering the opportunity to book seats with extra leg room for an extra cost. I did this and an electronic confirmation of this was quickly issued. Sasha also asked if transfers to the Grand Prix were required - they were - so she told me she would be in touch again once these were available. A few weeks passed and I was pleased when Sasha contacted me to say that the transfers were now available. I purchased them and this was again confirmed by email. Time passed until the final invoice payment was required.This was made via the Mulberry Travel secure payment process after which confirmation of receipt was issued. I was also advised that travel documents would be sent via the post when available and my address was rechecked. I was really surprised and very pleased to receive my documents altogether in a wallet. All appropriate flight tickets along with boarding passes, hotel and taxi vouchers were included in addition to the all important Grand Prix tickets. As I had NEVER received documents for a holiday from any other company in this way, I contacted Sasha, just to clarify that I had, indeed, got everything I needed for this special holiday. She assured me that everything was there and all we needed to do was turn up on the day! She also asked me to let her know how the holiday was once we returned. This,I feel, is excellent, especially for possibly older customers who are likely to feel assured they have everything to hand when going on holiday. What a superb level of customer care! The holiday was seamless from arriving at Manchester Airport, being picked up to take us to the hotel, picking us up to take us to the cruise terminal, cruise check in, and return taxi to the airport. I couldn't fault it at all! The Ohla Hotel in Barcelona is a 5* hotel, in a central location. For future Mulberry Travel guests, we found the service there exceptional, the room a little quirky and well appointed and the breakfast very good.There is a beautiful Michelin 1* restaurant and we treated ourselves to a meal there. Nothing was too much trouble. We stayed on the Azamara Pursuit ship. This was a "boutique " ship , small in size. It was an extremely comfortable, well-appointed ship with possibly the best food we have ever had on a cruise. Our inside, midship stateroom - 7066 - was conveniently located, well appointed and quiet. The service on the ship is attentive without being intrusive. The entertainment wasn't the best, but a White Night deck party was lovely. The food on that night was exceptional with lobster, t-bone lamb, succulent beef, fresh fish and salads. Dessert lovers are spoiled on the Pursuit! The Grand Prix day was excellent. The transfer to Monaco was quick, with a tour guide who gave relevant information. The walk to the race venue was quick and easy and the organisation around the event was excellent. Food and drink, unexpectedly, was not expensive given the luxurious location. When we returned from our holiday, I received a Welcome Home email to ask how the holiday went. I phoned Sasha and we chatted about it. She really seemed genuinely interested and pleased that we had had a brilliant time. I cannot praise Sasha enough for her professional, personal, attentive and exceptional service and would most definitely contact her again to arrange future holidays! Brilliant!

Posted 6 months ago

Susan Verrall

Great service, very helpful. Lee went to all the lengths to give us the Orient Express package that we wanted. Polite and knowledgeable. We will be using them again.

Posted 1 year ago

Neil Dowlman

A very efficient, helpful and professional service. Particularly from Sasha who made our 25th Wedding Anniversary holiday very special with the care and attention to arranging excellent accommodation right down to logistics and some lovely touches on making it a holiday to remember - thank you

Posted 1 year ago

William Young

It is the first time we have used a travel agent to book a package holiday which included the travel, hotel and event as one booking so quite rightly your a little apprehensive that everything goes smoothly. We were kept informed regularly before leaving and laterly presented with a very good presentation pack which included the itinerary in date order so we got off to a very good start. The seating arrangements that were pre booked were in a prime position along with the quality of our hotel which Mulberry Travel recommended and could not be faulted due to its uninterrupted views overlooking the coast. All in all this break represented very good value for money and took away a lot of the stress to organize something special whilst using the knowledge of Mulberry travel to good effect. So 5 stars for value and quality from me.

Posted 1 year ago

Lizzie

Andrea Bocelli was absolutely sensational!! Probably the best experience of my life thus far! I'll definitely go again next year & the year after. Mulberry Travel did it all so well... every aspect, the hotel in the best location right by the Ponte Vecchio, the pick up from the airport, dinner before the concert was out of a dream... an absolute perfect dream plucked out of my mind 🥰 Thanks a million Lee at Mulberry Travel.... it was all perfectly seamless 😊😊

Posted 1 year ago

Vickie

Thank you to Lee and staff for a magical Trip to see Andrea Bocelli. The casa Del Nero was an amazing experience as well. We will definitely be working with you in the future. All the best.

Posted 1 year ago

Paul Lavelle

Mulberry Travel delivered an incredible bespoke travel experience, making all the arrangements for our trip to Florence combined with attending the Andrea Bocelli concert held in his home village in Tuscany. All the travel arrangements were perfect, transfers etc were all on time and so professional. The hotel in Florence was fantastic, no complaints at all. The concert was fantastic and the location for the pre-concert dinner was stunning. An experience my wife and I will never forget! A big thanks to Sasha for making all the arrangements, first class customer service throughout.

Posted 1 year ago

Jim

We paid for five, star, we expected 5 star, and that's what we got! Superbly arranged by Mulberry travel, and I have no hesitation in recommending their services.

Posted 1 year ago

Eryl Drew

Really grateful to Sasha at Mulberry Travel for arranging our trip to Tuscany to see Andrea Boccelli. Sasha arranged everything on my behalf and was an amazing experience. We arrived at Pisa Airport where we we were collected by our own driver and taken to our hotel in Florence, a beautiful hotel that was ideally located. The day of the concert we were driven through the Tuscan countryside for an alfresco 5 course meal......was something of a film set, afterwards we we were dropped off at the entrance to the venue. Thanks to Mulberry Travel and Sasha for arranging everything on my behalf for an amazing experience. We'll definitely be booking this trip again......thank you.

Posted 1 year ago

Angela Gledhill

Extremely well organised from start to finish. Had a wonderful trip!

Posted 1 year ago

Dave Box

A fantastic experience on the Belmond Pullman from London Victoria to Liverpool taking in the Grand National. The food on board the train was sublime, I can say no more. Service from Tim, Andrew and Nigel was perfect within carriage Perseus. The train was lovely and each carriage different. Overall my party of four have applied for next year, hopefully we will be successful.

Posted 1 year ago

Glyn Farrar

As I had hoped it was a fabulous and unique experience from stepping out from the Clermont onto the concourse of Victoria Station and almost straight away being approached by Belmond staff to escort us to check in. The ratio of staff to guest on the whole journey was so high to ensure attentive service. I know the British Pullman is denoted as the hors d’oeuvre with the VSOE the main positive course! For us however the Pullman was the ultimate experience. We feel it is our country Britain at its very best! Everything about it is so British with real quality and indulgence. I’m so so sorry and disappointed to hear that the British Pullman service is no longer going to be a feature of Orient Express journeys! I even took photos of the toilets with the mosaic tiles! On the actual Orient Exoress, even though I had done all the research I thought I needed, we weren’t clear that certain wines and champagnes were complimentary Ian’s eyes popped out at the prices of some of the bottles! We enjoyed all our meals though the drinks for breakfast were served in cups and therefore were not hot The transfer to the Ca Sagredo was really well organised and efficient. Though they didn’t say at reception as we checked in, it was clear on entering the room that it was not the Grand Canal Double and that we had been upgraded! We were shown to the Library Suite with balcony onto Grand Canal. Maybe it was through the membership of that hotel group that I have The break in Florence was also lovely with attentive service and friendliness from staff at The Lungarno. That hotel has the best location in terms of proximity to Ponte Vecchio Sasha we were also pleased with the efficiency of the agents you use for the transfers. The timings were so accurate and agsin service very attentive The only slight snag we had was as we got off the water taxi at Venice Santa Lucia. We know now it was separate from that service. A porter was waiting with a barrow and started to load our luggage! It was a short distance to the station concourse yet we were charged 20 Euros as an official transaction with a machine issuing a receipt Apart from that we enjoyed a truely memorable holiday which I can recommend as a unique treat for a special celebration.

Posted 1 year ago

Jeremy Willson

Our trip on the Orient Express can only be described as amazing. From meeting the Pullman at Victoria and travelling through the English countryside the level of Service was impeccable. Meeting the Orient Express in Calais was one of those Wow moments. We were met by the VSOE staff and escorted on to the train the champagne was opened and the Golden age of travel was revived. Lakes and mountains as you travel through the countryside are simply breathtaking. The cuisine on the train was amazing as was our steward that looked after us through out our trip. Arriving in Venice the boat transfers were seamless, and another great experience arriving at our hotel. We stayed at the Liassidi palace hotel, perfectly situated in the city. Venice is just amazing. Wonderful, faultless, brilliantly organised holiday.

Posted 2 years ago