This Train Route Takes You From Paris to the French Alps for a Dreamy Winter Escape

"In "The White Hotel," D. M. Thomas's surreal novel in which a singer corresponds with a fictionalized Sigmund Freud, many of the fever-dream sequences take place aboard a train. Little wonder. Trains-with their ever-changing mise-en-scènes, dramatic plunges into light and shadow, and commingling of public and private life-are literally transportive settings, and have inspired countless authors, from Thomas to Agatha Christie and J. K. Rowling."

"Which is how, in December, I found myself in Paris wearing a floor-sweeping Halston gown, standing on a red carpet in the Gare de l'Est station, the sounds of a swing band swirling around me in the chilly winter night. A line of blue-and-gold-liveried stewards stood before my portal to the past: 17 midnight-blue carriages, their glowing windows offering a tantalizing, fringe-trimmed glimpse of the adventure ahead."

"The attractions for skiers are obvious, but Pascal Deyrolle, the VSOE's general manager, thinks the trip has plenty of appeal for everyone. To begin with, it's one of the few VSOE journeys on which guests can immerse themselves in snowy scenery. "The atmosphere on board is also quite special at this time of year, with our historic dining carriages and the bar car all styled for Christmas," Deyrolle said."

Trains offer ever-changing mise-en-scènes, dramatic light and shadow, and a blending of public and private life that creates a transportive setting. Belmond's Venice Simplon-Orient-Express introduced a winter route from Paris to the French Alps. A December launch featured period styling, a swing band, blue-and-gold stewards, and 17 midnight-blue carriages. The route serves Albertville, Moûtiers and Bourg-St.-Maurice, with onward access to resorts including Megève, Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, Courchevel, the Three Valleys and Tignes-Val d'Isère. Pascal Deyrolle highlighted snowy scenery and a festive on-board atmosphere. Restored 1920s–'30s dining cars and wood-paneled sleeper cabins reinforce the vintage luxury experience.

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