The Pop-Up Attraction “Once Upon A Time on The Orient Express” will be in Singapore at Gardens by the Bay – West Lawn this December 2020.

Following the 2014 exhibition in Paris that detailed the history of the Orient Express, Singapore has been chosen by the Orient Express as the first destination outside of France to kick-start a series of showcase that unveils a fairy-tale universe related to travel, culture and gastronomy. A historical and educational presentation for all ages spearheaded by the Arab World Institute (IMA), the pop-up attraction “Once Upon A Time on The Orient Express” will open in Singapore this 12 December 2020 at Gardens by the Bay, until June 2021.

“Once Upon A Time on The Orient Express” will present some of the most extraordinary objects and documents to showcase centuries old of history that retraces the legacy of the train, allowing visitors to discover events that transformed the world, and shaped the map. It is a unique opportunity for visitors to explore the tracks and landscapes that generations before had once travelled on, and witness what then, only a few explorers and diplomats had. These all bring to mind the initial voyages of this legendary train designed by Georges Nagelmackers.

“Designing and staging a display like the Orient Express in Singapore meant collecting around 300 precious items and documents, having to restore some of them and adapt many of the furniture and displays to its former glory. It involved shipping historic monuments – a locomotive built in France 158 years ago and a 1930s sleeper car, weighing close to 200 tons, it is undoubtedly one of the heaviest to be shipped across the world. All these elements needed to be housed in a custom built infrastructure with the right conditions to store, preserve and protect the artworks and displays. This is especially due to the hot and humid climate in Singapore,” said Claude Mollard, Curator of “Once Upon A Time on The Orient Express.”

For the first time ever two of the original train carriages and locomotive will leave France destined for Singapore to sit pride of place within the 2000m2 exhibition space. “Designing and staging a display like the Orient Express in Singapore meant collecting around 300 precious items and documents, having to restore some of them and adapt many of the furniture and displays to its former glory. It involved shipping historic monuments – a locomotive built in France 158 years ago and a 1930s Pullman car, 2 carriages, classified as National Treasures of France, will be the entry into the world of discovery.

Set to replicate the heyday of luxury rail travel, the trains cars ooze history and intrigue. From the trains guests will immerse themselves in a larger than life world of artifacts, interactive displays and historical facts that explain the astonishing dream and journey of the Orient Express from Europe to the Orient. See uniforms, shields, a sleeping car, affiches, Louis Vuitton original luggage used back in time, priceless porcelain, and much much more, original piece of the carriage exhibited in big blue trunks ….

This pop-up attraction retraces a highly fantastical universe from an incredible collection of pieces from a bygone era, presenting objects and documents summarizing the history of the Orient Express – posters, menus, crockery, cutlery, suitcases, stained glass windows and furniture testifying to a luxury now by gone. Allegories of travel presented through large displays of trunks address social, cultural and technical themes linked to the adventures of the Orient Express, looking back on the art of living on-board as they evoke the scenic stopovers placed on its route such as London, Paris, Venice, Istanbul, Aleppo, Damascus, Baghdad, Cairo, Luxor and Aswan. Visitors can also immerse in documentaries, newsreels and film clips that will elicit the rich literary and cinematographic heritage inspired by the Orient Express.

Important Information:

Exhibit duration: Sun, 12 Dec 2020 – Sun, 13 Jun 2021

• Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Sunday: 10.00am – 9.00pm
• Wednesday and Thursday: 10.00am – 7.00pm
• Saturday: 10.00am – 10.00pm

Operating hours are extended on selected days:

• Christmas Day: 10am – 10pm
• New Year’s Day: 10am – 10pm
• Chinese New Year: 10am – 10pm

Location: Gardens by the Bay, West Lawn (Next to Bayfront Plaza), Singapore

Fee: $25 per pax; admission is free for entrants aged 3 years and under.

Public tickets for the pop-up attraction of the “Once Upon A Time on The Orient Express” is available in SISTIC.

Average time spent within the exhibition is 45 to 60 minutes.

Text and photos by The Orient Express.