The Australian film director is renowned for turning classic stories into dazzling audio-visual extravaganzas. From Romeo + Juliet to Moulin Rouge! to The Great Gatsby to Elvis, Luhrmann's work is defined by boldness and outlandish creativity. He has stretched his imagination beyond cinema, forming collaborations in music, fashion and luxury travel. This year he collaborated with Belmond and the British Pullman, a Belmond Train, to design/reimagine one of its old carriages and give its interiors a theatrical refresh filled with glamour and nostalgia, bringing the romance of one of the world's most legendary train journeys to life through his distinctive lens.

In this edition of our Globetrotter series, he talks about his most memorable travels, including on an epic train journey with gangsters, scuba diving in the Philippines and the hotels that have his heart.

Where have you just come from?

“I went from Paris to Tokyo, and now I’m in Kyoto. Before Paris I was in New York. I’ve been on a PR tour for EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, so at one point I was doing two cities in a day. I’m never in one place for more than about six weeks.”

Mount Fuji behind the Tokyo skyline

Name a place that lived up to the hype

“I always say: ‘Dream in Paris, get lost in Tokyo, dance in Brazil, work in LA, Australia’s home, but live in New York.’ I have different places where I like to be discreet and invisible, because that’s where I do my writing and thinking. But I’ve loved Japan since the ’90s. Strictly Ballroom had nobody famous in it, so when it was being sold, I was contracted to be the selling point. Japan was one of the first places I went. I had a ­thousand people on me because the film­ makers were like, ‘Don’t go losing that ­director guy, we need him.’”

Which is your favourite city?

“It’s a bit like with movies: how can you compare? While researching a production of Alexander the Great, I visited the ancient city of Persepolis in Iran, where he burned down a palace. It was mind-blowing. It’s where the Shah of Iran threw his legendary party in 1971, spending the country’s income trying to impress everyone. What struck me was how young Iran was; I think about half of the population were under 40. They were so curious and kind.”

The dining cart on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express

Describe a memorable train journey

“I went on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express recently and it was magical. I met my wife [designer Catherine Martin] and children at the Aman in Venice. A boat picked us up and then we were on the train. I napped, and when I woke up, I looked out the window and it was snowing in the Alps. Then I put on my tuxedo and went to the dining carriage where these Italian guys played disco and Latin samba on guitars, and I ended the night having martinis in the bar car before rolling into bed and waking up in Paris. It was the perfect journey.”

Any others?

“The Trans-Siberian from Beijing to Moscow. I had my own carriage, a rattling tin box. When I asked where the shower was, a babushka gave me a rubber hose and pointed down the corridor. I managed to fix the air conditioning, and opened a bottle of red wine I’d been given in Beijing. The only thing I had on my iPod was an audiobook of The Great Gatsby. The next morning the babushka came in and gave me contraband to hide in the ceiling before the guards arrived with bayonets and guns. Later there was a giant fight with vodka bottles smashed and gangsters trying to kill each other. It was a magnificent, romantic journey. By the time we got to Moscow I was cured of my ennui and full of ideas, one of them being The Great Gatsby.”

How do you relax?

“What regenerates my spirit is connecting with myself and other people. Slow journeys do that best. Recently I went from Kagoshima, just south of Hiroshima, and took the boat to Okinawa. From Okinawa I went to Taipei, then wreck diving in the Philippines. The only recreational sport I do is scuba diving, and I have a friend who trains me. I also helped him plant a coral park in the Philippines.”

A sunset view from Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc

Which is the smartest hotel you’ve ever stayed in?

“Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, because it has its own culture and is so beautiful; I have so many amazing memories there. Also, I used to be one of the longest permanent residents at Chateau Marmont in LA. André Balazs, its owner, is a great friend. I think of him as the James Bond-slash-Cary Grant of hotels. Chiltern Firehouse in London is his greatest work – it’s as if Chateau Marmont and Claridge’s had a love child. Every time I walked in, I wanted to write. It would also be remiss of me not to mention how much joy my wife and I got out of working with Alan Faena on the Faena hotel in Miami. We created everything, from the theatre to the napkins and uniforms. It was a great thrill. That’s why we’ve designed the Celia carriage on the British Pullman train. I like to think that when you enter a world we’ve created, you’re­ stepping into one of our movies. Your spirit is revitalised by the act of escaping your life and entering another narrative.”

What makes you happy when you travel?

“Fulfilment and anonymity are what I seek when I travel on my own. If I connect with someone anonymously, I know that I’m being dealt with at face value. Engagement on a really human level – that’s what I find the most fulfilling.”

Who is the most interesting person you’ve met on your travels?

“I haven’t met anyone who’s not interesting. And quite often the person who seems the least physically interesting is the most. Sometimes I play a game, picking out who seems like the most ordinary person and imagining their story.”

Nominate your eighth wonder of the world

“The world is a wonderment – and the eighth and greatest wonderment of that world is people. Since growing up sitting in a gas station in Australia, watching all humanity come and go, I’ve never lost my fascination with people. It doesn’t matter their age, who they are or where they’re from, every single one of them is a thumbprint, a country in themselves. Travel and scenery are amazing, but it’s people and their stories that are the great value of a journey.”

The Celia carriage on the British Pullman, a Belmond Train, England, designed by Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin, launched in May 2026