travluxe A new chapter in luxury travel is approaching across Saudi Arabia’s vast interior. Dream of the Desert, the Kingdom’s first ultra-luxury overnight train, is set to launch in late 2026 and promises a rare way to slow down, look outward, and let landscapes tell the story. Updated as of December 4, 2025, the project continues to advance through final design and reservation stages, with a clear vision: turn the journey itself into the destination.
For Those Who Seek…
• A tranquil, slow-travel experience across dramatic desert terrain
• Private, suite-based comfort with refined dining and thoughtful service
• A new way to see Saudi Arabia beyond airports, resorts, and highways
Legacy
Dream of the Desert is a collaboration between Saudi Arabia Railways and Arsenale Group, an international leader in luxury rail design. The project reflects the Kingdom’s broader push to elevate cultural tourism and celebrate the landscapes that once carried merchants, poets, and travelers by caravan. Interiors are led by architect and designer Aline Asmar d’Amman, known for blending modern elegance with heritage motifs. The train will run along a northern route long associated with ancient movement, but now framed through a lens of quiet luxury.
Rooms & Suites
Dream of the Desert was designed with a sanctuary mindset — fewer cabins, more space, and thoughtful materials that invite stillness. The current configuration anticipates roughly 34 suites across 14 carriages, accommodating about 66 travelers in total. Interiors lean into desert tones and textures: soft sand, muted terracotta, warm wood, bone-colored stone, and diffused lighting that mimics shifting sunlight across the dunes. Every suite includes a private bathroom, premium bedding, climate control, and tall window panels engineered to maximize views while maintaining acoustic quiet. The overall atmosphere is one of calm immersion, where the outside world becomes part of the room itself.
Suite categories fall into three primary offerings — Classic, Signature, and Presidential — each crafted to meet a different pace of luxury while maintaining the same refined aesthetic.
Classic Suite
A calm, compact retreat with a king bed beside a full-height desert window. The bathroom includes a rainfall shower, stone vanity, and regional spa-style toiletries. Discreet storage keeps the space uncluttered. Soft, low lighting creates a sunset-like glow at night.
Signature Suite
A separate lounge area offers room to unwind, sip tea, or watch dunes drift by. Rich textiles, wood accents, and carved geometric details elevate the décor. A larger vanity and expanded bathroom increase comfort on long journeys. Lighting presets gently shift from day-bright to lantern-soft.
Presidential Suite
The most spacious accommodation, with distinct living and sleeping areas and a generous dual-shower bathroom. Tall windows turn the landscape into a moving mural. Artwork and motifs draw from desert patterns and heritage design. In-suite dining and bespoke service complete the experience.
Across every suite, design emphasizes tactile comfort, thoughtful lighting, and uninterrupted connection to the horizon — a boutique hotel sensibility carried on rails through more than a thousand kilometers of desert, heritage, and sky.
Dining & Culinary Moments
Meals aboard Dream of the Desert aim to celebrate regional ingredients and contemporary culinary craft. Expect breakfast trays with dates from Al Jouf, fresh pastries, and mint tea; leisurely lunches featuring elevated Saudi dishes; and multicourse dinners served in restaurant cars that glow with lantern-warm light. A central lounge modeled on the majlis will offer tea service, Arabic coffee, and sweets throughout the day. Dining is envisioned as unhurried and sensorial, with each table positioned to capture views beyond the glass.
Wellness & Experiences
Wellness here is defined by environment rather than excess. Plans include onboard aromatherapy using regional botanicals, turn-down rituals rooted in desert scents, and curated off-train excursions at select stops. Stargazing under vast night skies may become a signature experience, along with heritage walks and visits to historic settlements. Long silences, slow horizons, and the soft rhythm of rail travel create their own form of restoration.
Location & Access
The confirmed route runs between Riyadh and Al Qurayyat, stretching roughly 1,300 kilometers through regions such as Al Qassim, Hail, and Al Jouf. Travelers will pass through multiple environments: volcanic plateaus, long dune belts, fertile date-growing valleys, and ancient trading routes. Arrival and departure logistics are expected to include coordinated airport transfers and guided support at select stops, allowing travelers to explore without rushing or repacking.
48 Hours on Dream of the Desert
Day 1 — Sandlines & Stillness
Morning: Step aboard in Riyadh where chilled towels, date-infused welcome drinks, and a soft-spoken steward greet you by name. Your suite awaits with fresh flowers, a handwritten itinerary, and sunrise-hued upholstery that feels instantly calming. As the train glides north, breakfast arrives on a linen tray — flaky pastries still warm, spiced honey, creamy labneh, and mint tea that perfumes the air.
Afternoon: Settle into the lounge car, where panoramic windows make the landscape feel endless. Crafted tea blends and small bites appear without asking — pistachio sweets, dried apricots, and almonds from local farms. A cultural stop introduces artisans who demonstrate weaving, poetry, or traditional storytelling; return to your suite with something handmade tucked discreetly into your bag.
Evening: Dinner unfolds across multiple courses, each one plated like a desert vignette — saffron, date syrup, slow-cooked meats, fragrant rice with rose petal. Ambient lighting makes the dining car glow like a lantern. Afterward, a stargazing guide sets up on a quiet platform as the sky turns darker than ink. Back in your suite, turndown service leaves a silk eye mask and a small vial of oud to scent the night.
Day 2 — Echoes of the Ancient North
Morning: Wake to desert silence and a horizon washed in pale gold. Breakfast features seasonal fruit, fresh breads, and coffee poured tableside while the train moves past cliffs and ancient rock formations. A short off-train excursion brings you to a viewpoint where the air feels cooler and stories about tribal pathways come to life.
Afternoon: Return to your suite to find a chilled herbal towel and a printed desert map marking the day’s journey. Tea service in the lounge feels ceremonial — mint poured from high above into delicate glasses, accompanied by rosewater confections and a view that won’t let you look away.
Evening: A final dinner celebrates the journey: grilled local seafood, pomegranate accents, saffron rice, and a light dessert infused with citrus and cardamom. Nightfall brings a deep, velvety quiet. As the train nears its northern terminus, you might linger by the window, watching the last dunes drift into darkness. The experience ends with a keepsake — perhaps a small clay vessel or hand-stitched textile — a reminder of the stillness you discovered along the way.
Keepsakes
Dream of the Desert offers something rare in modern travel: time without hurry, luxury without noise, and landscapes that move slowly enough to savor. The scent of Arabic coffee, the hush of desert nights, and the light that changes hour by hour stay with you long after the journey ends. When service begins, this train is poised to become one of the most memorable ways to explore the heart of Saudi Arabia — not by crossing the land, but by dwelling in it.
