La Dolce Vita: Rome – Venice – Portofino – Rome
Rome → Venice → Portofino → Rome
The La Dolce Vita Orient Express Rome–Venice–Portofino–Rome itinerary is a three-day, two-night round journey that loops through two of Italy's most iconic destinations, tracing a sweep from the Eternal City north to the lagoons of Venice and then west along the Ligurian Riviera to the storied fishing village of Portofino before returning home. Designed as a love letter to Italian glamour, the train itself — a rolling homage to the design legends of the 1960s — is as much a destination as the places it visits.
Every element of the journey is curated to embody la dolce vita: Michelin-starred cuisine by three-star Chef Heinz Beck served in an elegant restaurant car, live musical entertainment in the bar car, and beautifully appointed Deluxe Cabins and Suites with private en-suite bathrooms. Guests overnight on board as the train threads through Tuscany and Liguria, waking to fresh landscapes with each new day.
This itinerary is perfectly sized for those who want a true luxury rail experience without sacrificing time — two nights of travel deliver Venice at dusk and Portofino in bloom, with Rome as both prologue and finale. Contact Palace Trains at 1-800-724-5120 or travel@palacetours.com for current availability and pricing.
- ✦Three-Michelin-starred dining by Chef Heinz Beck through Tuscany and Liguria
- ✦An evening in Venice with optional Grand Canal boat tour and private palazzo access
- ✦A free afternoon in Portofino's legendary harbourside village
- ✦Two nights in beautifully designed private cabins with en-suite bathrooms
- ✦Live musical entertainment in the Bar Car each evening
- ✦Panoramic views of Tuscany, Liguria, and the Veneto from panoramic train windows
- ✦A complete round trip from Rome — no complex logistics required
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Day 1 — Rome: Departure from the Eternal City
The journey begins at Rome Ostiense Station, where guests are welcomed into the exclusive La Dolce Vita Orient Express Lounge after private transfers from their Rome hotel or the airport. Boarding takes place mid-morning, and once settled into their cabins — Deluxe or Suite, each finished with carpeted floors, slatted wooden ceilings, mirrored walls, and a private en-suite shower — guests make their way to the Restaurant Car for an exquisite gourmet lunch crafted by three-Michelin-starred Chef Heinz Beck. His menus draw on seasonal, locally sourced Italian ingredients: expect handmade pastas, pristine seafood, and contemporary Italian preparations that feel both rooted in tradition and unmistakably refined. As the train pulls northward, the Roman campagna gives way to the rolling golden hills of Tuscany — vineyards, cypress allées, and medieval hilltop towns drifting past the panoramic windows. By late afternoon the train curves northeast, descending toward the Veneto, and arrives in Venice. Guests step off at Venezia Santa Lucia station for free time to explore at their own pace, or choose from optional curated experiences — including a limousine-boat tour of the Grand Canal, a private visit to a historic Venetian palazzo's art collection, or an evening with exclusive access to St Mark's Basilica and a palazzo dinner with live music. Late that night the train departs Venice, heading westward toward the Ligurian coast while passengers sleep.
Day 2 — Portofino: The Pearl of the Riviera
Guests awaken to an Italian breakfast served in their cabin or in the Restaurant Car — fresh-squeezed juices, Sicilian pastries, artisanal breads with local jams, Italian cheeses, cured meats, and fine coffee — as the train descends through the green valleys of Liguria. The train arrives at Santa Margherita Ligure, the elegant Riviera resort town, where a short private transfer takes guests to Portofino. The afternoon is free to explore the village's famous harbour, browse the pastel-painted waterfront palazzos, sip aperitivo at a sun-drenched terrace café, or take an optional “Love in Portofino” experience with a guided exploration of hidden lanes and a locally sourced Ligurian lunch. The tiny promontory rewards wanderers: the Castello Brown offers sweeping views over the gulf, the Church of San Giorgio perches above the harbour, and private yachts bob in the turquoise bay below. In the evening, passengers transfer back to the train at Santa Margherita Ligure, where a sophisticated dinner awaits in the Restaurant Car — seasonal Italian dishes paired with regional wines — followed by drinks and live musical entertainment from a resident trio in the Bar Car as the train begins its overnight journey back toward Rome.
Day 3 — Rome: Return to the Eternal City
The final morning unfolds in leisurely fashion: a last indulgent Italian breakfast in the cabin or Restaurant Car, a lingering coffee in the Bar Car, and the gentle pleasure of watching the Italian countryside slide past the windows one more time. The train arrives at Rome Ostiense by late morning, concluding the journey. Private transfers are available back to city hotels or the airport, carrying guests home with memories of three days spent entirely in the Italian way of life.
Destinations & Highlights
Rome — The Eternal City
Rome is the beginning and end of this journey, a city where 2,800 years of history accumulate in every piazza and cobbled lane. The Colosseum, the greatest amphitheatre ever built, and the adjacent Roman Forum — the administrative and commercial heart of the ancient Republic — anchor the city's classical quarter. Across the river, Vatican City holds St Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel, while the Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, and the Pantheon define the Baroque city that rose on top of antiquity. Rome is also a living food capital: trattorias serving cacio e pepe and supplì, world-class gelaterias, and neighbourhood espresso bars that have been pouring the perfect shot for generations. Departing from Rome Ostiense — itself a grand Fascist-era terminus — feels like leaving one magnificent stage to step onto another.
Venice — City of Lagoons
Few cities in the world match Venice for sheer improbability and beauty. Built across 118 small islands in a shallow Adriatic lagoon, connected by 400 bridges and traversed by 150 canals, the city was for centuries the most powerful maritime trading republic in Europe. Its architectural legacy is extraordinary: the golden Basilica di San Marco — encrusted with Byzantine mosaics accumulated from a thousand years of trade — faces the Doge's Palace, which governed the republic for centuries and now houses some of Italy's finest paintings by Tintoretto, Veronese, and Titian. The Grand Canal, Venice's main artery, is lined with Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque palazzos whose façades are best seen from a vaporetto or, on this journey, from a private limousine boat. Off the main tourist trail lie the neighbourhoods of Cannaregio, Castello, and Dorsoduro — quieter, more residential, offering a glimpse of the city as its residents still experience it.
Portofino — Liguria's Jewel
Portofino is a village of barely 400 residents perched on a rocky promontory jutting into the Ligurian Sea, yet it has drawn the world's most discerning travellers — from Truman Capote to Aristotle Onassis — since the early twentieth century. Its tiny natural harbour, ringed by pastel-painted houses in amber, ochre, and rose, is one of the most photographed scenes in Italy. Above the port, the medieval Castello Brown offers panoramic views over the gulf and was once used by Genoese defenders to protect the harbour from pirates. The Church of San Giorgio, dedicated to the village's patron saint, stands on a headland above the sea. The surrounding Portofino Natural Regional Park protects a stretch of dramatic coastline and Mediterranean maquis, with walking paths leading to the lighthouse at the tip of the promontory. Ligurian cuisine here is at its finest — the region is the home of pesto alla genovese, fresh focaccia, and seafood pulled from the same waters that frame every view.