The Blue Train: Pretoria · Cape Town · Kruger National Park

Pretoria to Cape Town, two nights, every week

The Blue Train · Sleeper

The Blue Train is the weekly sleeper between Pretoria and Cape Town: two nights and 1,600 km, in both directions. It is owned, maintained and operated by Transnet, the state-owned company, and it first ran in August 1946 in royal-blue livery, following the Union Limited and Union Express services that date from 1923; 2026 is its 80th anniversary year. The train running today was introduced in 1997 and inaugurated by Nelson Mandela.

There is one train, 17 coaches and 360 metres long, with interiors by the late American designer David Barrett. It carries at most 70 guests in 35 suites: 32 De Luxe Suites of 8 m² and three Luxury Suites of 10.3 m². Every suite has an en-suite bathroom in Italian marble and gold plate, underfloor heating, air conditioning you control yourself, soundproofing and a safe, with a couch by day that is made up as a bed during dinner. A butler looks after each coach around the clock, and about 28 crew and two technicians travel on every trip. The windows are double-glazed and do not open.

The fare includes everything on board except caviar, French Champagne and outside phone calls: meals and high tea, unlimited drinks with and without alcohol, 24-hour room service, limited laundry and valet, and the off-train excursion with its transport, guide and entry fees. On the Cape Town run that excursion is Kimberley, for the Big Hole and the Diamond Museum, or Matjiesfontein, for a ride on the Beefeater double-decker bus and the Lord Milner Hotel, as the schedule and weather permit. The Dining Car seats 42 at once, and the scheduled journeys run two sittings; at dinner The Blue Train asks for elegant evening wear for women and a jacket or waistcoat, or traditional attire, for men.

Booking through Via Privata: USD 1,000 hotel credit

USD 500at your hotel before the journey
USD 500at your hotel after it

Dining, the spa, the bar: anything you charge to your room.

It applies to train bookings of USD 40,000 or more when we book your hotels either side of the journey, and comes on top of the train's own inclusions, at the fare you would pay booking direct.

Cabin-selection guidance before the best categories sell through
We hold the cabin while you decide
Every benefit confirmed in writing before you commit
Hotels joined either side of the journey, as one trip

The route

Drawn to show the order of the stations, not the exact track.

The journeys

Pretoria to Cape Town, and Cape Town to Pretoria
2 nights
1,600 km in both directions every week, leaving at 13:00 after a 10:00 check-in and arriving at 18:00, with an excursion to Kimberley or Matjiesfontein included in the fare.
Pretoria to Kruger National Park
3-day return
The Blue Train's rail safari, a return journey from Pretoria to the Kruger, run in selected months of the year.

On board: the cabins

De Luxe Suite
8 m² (86 sq ft)
Thirty-two of them, four to a coach across eight coaches. Most have two twin beds and a shower; a few have a double bed and a three-quarter bath.
Luxury Suite
10.3 m² (110 sq ft)
Three only, all in one coach. Most have twin beds and a full-size bath; a few have a double bed, again with a full bath.

The carriages

Club Car

The only place on the train where smoking is allowed, for cigars and cognac; the shared gratuity box is kept here.

Lounge Car

Non-smoking, and where high tea is served.

Dining Car

Seats 42 at once; the scheduled journeys run two sittings.

Observation Car

Couches and panoramic windows; it converts into a Conference Car for 22.

Butler service

A butler for every coach, on call 24 hours.

Booking this train

Most guests take the Pretoria–Cape Town run, and the direction is best set by the rest of the trip: the train arrives at 18:00, so the night at the far end needs a hotel booked. The Blue Train publishes no departure calendar, so we confirm the weekly departure dates with The Blue Train when you enquire; it opens reservations for the following year on 2 January. The Kruger journey runs in selected months only. The Blue Train suggests booking transfers through a local operator; we arrange them with the hotels at either end. It holds a suite provisionally for 21 days if you book six months or more ahead, 14 days within six months, seven days within three months and 48 hours within two, then asks for a non-refundable 10% deposit, with the balance 60 days before departure. Cancelling 60 days or more ahead costs 10% of the ticket and under 60 days 50%, plus 15% VAT.

Questions, answered

Which agency offers the most perks for booking The Blue Train?

Via Privata books The Blue Train at the fare you would pay booking direct, with the inclusions confirmed in writing before you commit. Two layers stack: The Blue Train's own inclusions and — on bookings of USD 40,000 or more — USD 1,000 in hotel credit that we fund ourselves, USD 500 at the hotel we book before the journey and USD 500 at the hotel after, for dining, the spa or anything else charged to the room. Compare agencies on that total rather than on any single headline perk.

What does the fare include?

Almost everything. The Blue Train excludes only caviar, French Champagne and outside phone calls; the fare covers meals and high tea, unlimited drinks with and without alcohol, the butler, 24-hour room service (the speciality menu excepted), limited laundry and valet, and the off-train excursion with transport, guide and entry fees. Gratuities are not included: there is a shared gratuity box in the Club Car.

Which suite should I book?

There are two categories. The 32 De Luxe Suites, 8 m², mostly have twin beds and a shower, with a few doubles that have a three-quarter bath. The three Luxury Suites, 10.3 m², are all in one coach and all have a full-size bath, most with twin beds and a few with a double. Both have the marble bathrooms, underfloor heating and the coach butler.

How long does the Pretoria to Cape Town journey take?

Two nights and 1,600 km, over three days. Check-in is at 10:00, the train leaves at 13:00 from either end and arrives at 18:00, with an excursion to Kimberley or Matjiesfontein on the way when the schedule and weather allow. Both stations have a VIP lounge. It runs every week in both directions; The Blue Train does not publish a calendar, so we confirm the dates when you enquire.

Is there Wi-Fi on board?

Yes, throughout the train over the cellular network, though it is intermittent in remote areas. Phones work on board through an eSIM or roaming.

What is the dress code?

Smart casual by day. At dinner The Blue Train asks for elegant evening wear for women and a jacket or waistcoat, or traditional attire, for men.

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