Dream of the Desert Train to Saudi Arabia

Dream of the Desert, a new ultra luxury train built in Italy for Saudi Arabia, has opened pre-reservations for its first journeys, giving high end travelers an early chance to secure suites ahead of a late 2026 launch. The train will link Riyadh with the northern regions over about 1,300 kilometers of track and will operate five themed itineraries that blend heritage sites, desert landscapes, and seasonal experiences in partnership with Saudi tourism agencies.

Pre-reservations are now available only through the official Dream of the Desert site, where guests can place a fully refundable or redeemable fee that converts into priority access for full bookings and an invitation to the inaugural celebration when the train begins service in the Kingdom.

Dream Of The Desert Luxury Train In Saudi Arabia

Dream of the Desert is being developed by Arsenale S.p.A., an Italian company that specializes in high end rail hospitality projects, in partnership with Saudi Arabia Railways, the Saudi Tourism Authority, and other national entities. The service is billed as the first ultra luxury train in Saudi Arabia and a new flagship for experiential tourism tied to the country's Vision 2030 strategy.

The train will be composed of 14 carriages with 31 suite cabins and 2 Royal Suites, for a maximum of 66 passengers per departure. Construction is taking place in Italy at facilities in Brindisi and Bergamo, while interiors by architect Aline Asmar d'Amman and her studio Culture in Architecture combine Italian craftsmanship with motifs inspired by Saudi heritage, desert light, and traditional gathering spaces.

Nightly rates will vary by itinerary and are marketed as all inclusive, covering meals, onboard hospitality, and curated experiences at key stops along the route. Full public pricing has not yet been released, but the positioning and very low capacity suggest fares comparable to other ultra luxury trains rather than mainstream rail tickets.

Latest Developments

Arsenale announced the pre-reservation opening at Tourise, a new international luxury travel event in Riyadh, where it signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Saudi Tourism Authority to support financing, promotion, and global distribution of the project. The agreement layers onto earlier deals between Arsenale and Saudi Arabia Railways and confirms that Saudi authorities now view Dream of the Desert as part of a broader push to add high profile, story driven rail experiences to the country's tourism mix.

On the consumer side, the key change is that guests and selected partners can now secure their place in line for the first departure season. Pre-reserving does not lock travelers into fixed dates yet, but it does provide priority access when full schedules and fares are released, along with an invitation to the inaugural celebration marking the train's formal arrival in Saudi Arabia.

Arsenale positions this as its first international project after luxury rail ventures in Uzbekistan, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as its acquisition of operator Golden Eagle, signaling that it intends to be a long term player in Middle East rail tourism rather than a single route operator.

How The Itineraries Work

Dream of the Desert will launch with five itineraries that all begin in Riyadh and fan out across northern Saudi Arabia, each emphasizing a slightly different mix of history, scenery, and timing.

The Northern Sands itinerary runs for three days from Riyadh to Al Jouf and back, with stops that highlight ancient fortresses such as Marid Castle, the rock carvings at Jubbah, and a desert night experience under the stars. A Taste of AlUla extends the journey onward to AlUla, combining visits to Al Jouf and Jubbah with camp experiences and bespoke activities created with the AlUla Destination team.

Whispers of Jubbah focuses on the prehistoric rock art near Jubbah and adds time in Diriyah, near Riyadh, which is often described as the birthplace of the Kingdom and a key symbol of Saudi cultural heritage. Ramadan Nights is built around the holy month, turning iftar and suhoor into formal onboard dining moments, then pairing them with stargazing in the desert, while respecting the religious context of the period.

Summer Mirage is a shorter two day loop from and back to Riyadh, offered in June and September, designed to let guests experience the desert in the hottest months without giving up climate controlled comfort, gourmet dining, and curated onboard events. All routes are framed less as transport and more as moving hotel stays, which means the value is in the package of rail, lodging, and experiences rather than point to point travel.

From a practical standpoint, itineraries are tightly scheduled and capacity is small, so travelers will need to coordinate domestic flights into and out of Riyadh, as well as any pre or post stays in AlUla or other destinations, around fixed departure dates once those are published.

Analysis

For Saudi Arabia, Dream of the Desert is another high visibility project meant to broaden the tourism offer beyond city hotels and resort developments, and to reinforce an image of the Kingdom as a place for controlled, high yield experiential travel. For Arsenale, it is a flagship that showcases Italian rail design in a new geography and could anchor future regional routes if demand materializes.

For travelers, the most important thing to understand is that this is closer to booking a luxury cruise or an all inclusive safari lodge than a typical train ticket. Suites, meals, excursions, and onboard activities are bundled, and the price point will reflect that. At 66 passengers per journey, the product is also intentionally scarce, which should keep demand high for peak seasons, major events, and special themed runs such as Ramadan Nights.

Background

Luxury rail has seen a slow comeback worldwide after the pandemic, with refurbished icons and new boutique trains returning in Europe, India, and parts of Africa. Saudi Arabia's entry into this space follows earlier announcements of luxury trains in the Gulf region and sits alongside mega projects like Red Sea Global's resort developments and AMAALA in positioning the country as a high end destination within a broader tourism opening.

Because the train runs on existing rail infrastructure between Riyadh and the north, the main operational risks will be timetable reliability, coordination with passenger and freight services, and the logistics of moving high paying guests between airports, city hotels, and train platforms in a consistent way. So far, there is no indication that Dream of the Desert will have dedicated stations, so transfers and ground handling will be key details for advisors to watch as launch approaches.

From a sustainability perspective, rail remains a lower emission way to cover long distances compared with domestic flights, especially when powered by increasingly efficient locomotives and supported by careful itinerary design that reduces unnecessary repositioning. However, as with any ultra luxury product, overall footprint will still depend on how guests reach Saudi Arabia and how often trains run at or near full capacity.

Traveler Takeaways

If you are a traveler or advisor interested in Saudi Arabia's emerging ultra luxury segment, the arrival of pre-reservations is your early signal to start building sample itineraries that combine Riyadh, AlUla, Diriyah, and northern heritage sites with a rail component. Because dates, full fares, and exact seasonal schedules are still to come, a cautious approach is to place a pre-reservation for clients who are very likely to travel, while keeping backup plans based on air and road links if timing shifts or launch is delayed.

Travelers should also think about the rhythm of the trip, since journeys involve long distances through desert landscapes viewed from the train, paired with concentrated experiences at specific stops. Guests who already enjoy products like the Venice Simplon Orient Express or private rail safaris are the most natural fit, while first time visitors to Saudi Arabia may want to pair the train with more conventional sightseeing or beach time to round out the experience.

Final Thoughts

Dream of the Desert will not be the way most visitors move around Saudi Arabia, but it is likely to become one of the most photographed and talked about ways that high end travelers experience the Kingdom's deserts, heritage sites, and new cultural districts from late 2026 onward. With pre-reservations now open, advisors who work in the ultra luxury space should begin gathering details, understanding the five itineraries, and lining up clients whose timelines and budgets align with this small capacity train, so they are ready when full schedules and pricing go on sale.

Sources

• Dream of the Desert, official site
• Dream of the Desert, itineraries
• Arsenale opens pre-reservations for 'Dream of the Desert,' Luxury train in Saudi Arabia
• Saudi Arabia's first ultra-luxury train 'Dream of the Desert' unveiled at FII9
• Luxury trains in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, The National