The train sails into the sea! Orient Express builds the world’s largest sailing yacht

Orient Express no longer travels only on rails. Born in the age of luxury trains, this travel legend is now extending its reach to the sea with the 220-meter Orient Express Corinthian. Rather than packing in thousands of passengers like a typical cruise ship, the vessel has just 54 suites for 110 guests, like a palace at sea reserved for only a select few to settle into at leisure.

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The train heads to sea, becoming the world’s largest sailing yacht

images from/Orient Express

The Orient Express Corinthian was created jointly by Orient Express and French shipbuilder Chantiers de l’Atlantique, and its naming ceremony was held in Saint-Nazaire on April 29, 2026. Flying the French flag, the 220-meter sailing yacht weighs approximately 15,000 tons, officially bringing Orient Express from trains and hotels into ocean travel.

The interiors were designed by Orient Express creative director and architect Maxime d’Angeac, drawing inspiration from the golden age of luxury trains and grand ocean liners. Nearly 2,000 artisans, artists, and studios took part in the project, using leather, precious woods, marble, and French decorative craftsmanship to reinterpret the brand’s familiar Art Deco atmosphere.

Three giant sails let the entire ship travel with the wind

images from/Orient Express

The vessel’s most distinctive feature is its three automated SolidSail rigid-sail systems. When wind and weather conditions allow, the rigid sails can provide up to 100% wind propulsion; at other times, hybrid liquefied natural gas power and energy-efficient technology supplement it.

The ship also features AI-assisted detection systems that continuously identify marine mammals and obstacles on the water’s surface, reducing the risk of collisions. Dynamic positioning technology allows the vessel to remain in place without anchoring under certain conditions, preventing the anchor from coming into contact with the seabed. Developed over about a decade, the ship is not simply about making sails bigger; it seeks to rethink how large luxury vessels travel at sea.

A 220-meter vessel with only 54 suites

images from/Orient Express

The Orient Express Corinthian accommodates only 110 guests in 54 suites spread across four decks. Ranging from approximately 45 to 230 square meters, every suite has a 3.6-meter-wide picture window and dedicated butler service, making the ocean view the room’s main decoration.

The ship has five restaurants and private dining spaces overseen by chef Yannick Alléno, who has received three Michelin stars multiple times. There are also eight bars, an Art Deco speakeasy, a 115-seat cabaret, a recording studio, and a library with 1,500 books.

A Guerlain Spa, 16.5-meter lap pool, leisure pool, and water-sports marina are also part of this hotel at sea. Its inaugural 2026 season will sail through the Mediterranean and Adriatic seas before crossing the Atlantic to the Caribbean in fall and winter. Once Orient Express leaves the rails, the journey no longer has a fixed direction, only the next expanse of sea after the sails are raised.

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