The Danube Express

Fay says, “The Danube Express combines luxury rail travel with fascinating off-train excursions in parts of Europe that are less-visited, at an affordable price.”

The Danube Express only carries 50 passengers, serving freshly prepared meals using traditional menus and served at a single sitting in the elegant Restaurant car.

The Lounge enables you to enjoy relaxing drinks, and whilst dinner is served, your cabin is transformed into a cosy sleeping area.   Your steward is on hand to bring drinks to your cabin at any time.  All cabins have air conditioning and  are ensuite, with a shower.

So once on board, guests can relax in the knowledge that everything is taken care of – from champagne receptions and delicious regional cuisine to engaging guides and sightseeing at every stop.

Special Offers

Membership is free, requiring just a subscription to our newsletter on the Club site.  Gifts secured when booking made, and sent on final payment.

-             Special Club 10% discount for members:

               The Transylvanian

               Budapest – Istanbul May 22, or Istanbul – Budapest May 26

-             Until 31 May:  Gift from Osprey,  from their range of small leather goods.

Accommodation

 Itineraries

The Transylvanian

East from Budapest to Istanbul, via Lajosmize, Kecskemet, Sighişoara, Braşov, Veliko Turnovo, Kazanlak.       

West from Istanbul to Budapest.

Take in four countries in this four day memorable land cruise travelling East from the banks of the Danube to the shores of the Bosphorus,  encountering the stunning scenery and ancient architecture of Transylvania and rural Bulgaria along the way or vice versa.

Day 1  Budapest, Lajosmizse, Kecskemét

After a  mid-morning champagne reception in the fabulous baroque multi-mirrored  Royal Waiting Room at Nyugati station (designed by Emperor Josef II for his wife, Sissy), we board the  Danube Express, settling  in to enjoy lunch en route to Lajosmizse for a ”Puszta” horse show.   As the train draws up the csikosok – Hungarian cowboys in theatrical blue robes – crack giant whips.  Guests are transported by gypsy caravan to a ranch where palinka and pogacsa (salty bread) are served,  whilst watching  a thundering horse parade and daredevil racing, as the  thrilling “Puszta” show demonstrates great horsemanship.

Later there is free time in Kecskemét, which features an art nouveau town hall in the main square, the Luther-Palace, and the Hungarian Museum of Photography.  Back on board, enjoy a drink in the Lounge car as the train crosses the Great Hungarian Plain and dine as the journey to Transylvania continues.

Day 2   Sighişoara, Braşov

On awaking one is treated to a picturesque fairy tale town.  This is Sighişoara,  rumoured to be the birthplace of Dracula.  One of the best-preserved medieval towns in Europe, burgher houses and ornate churches line its streets.

Luncheon is served whilst the train travels to Braşov,  for an afternoon tour of Bran Castle, known as Dracula’s Castle.  This castle was the  family home of Queen Marie of Romania, the granddaughter of Queen Victoria and the British-born consort of the Romanian King, from 1914-27.  Whilst dining  the train climbs over the Carpathian Mountains on the way  to Bulgaria.

Day 3  Veliko Turnovo, Kazanlak

Arrive in Veliko Turnovo, Bulgaria’s ancient capital on the steep banks of the Yantra River.   Here we visit the superbly preserved medieval Tsarevets Castle before rejoining the train to  lunch,   as we  climb over the Shipka pass to Kazanlak, where the rose oil, grown in the rose valley, is prized worldwide.  We visit the Valley of the Thracian Kings; Golyamata Kosmatka, the Tomb of the Thracian Tsar Sevt III, is perfectly intact and was discovered as recently as 2004.  We dine as the Danube Express continues through scenic landscapes towards Turkey.

Day 4  Istanbul

Awake in Istanbul Sirkeci station and disembark after breakfast, to enjoy the heady atmosphere of this magical city with its mosques, churches and bazaars.

Included

• Three nights’ accommodation in Deluxe twin compartments with lower beds and en-suite shower/WC
•  Sightseeing tours in Sighişoara, Braşov, Veliko Turnovo and Kazanlak, and the Puszta horse show at Lajosmizse
•  Three days’  full board – breakfast, lunch and dinner
•  Complimentary wine, beer and soft drinks

Dates and Prices

Eastbound

2013  -  May 22.  June 12. September 18

Westbound

2013  -  May 26.  June 16.  September 22.

Deluxe Twin Compartment   £2790 per person

Sole Occupancy  £3990

The Central European Tour 2013

Budapest, Keszthely, Vienna, Bratislava, Cracow, Prague

Four days’  travelling 1000 miles  from Hungary, into Austria, Slovakia, Poland and finishing in the Czech Republic.  The romance of the scenery and the historical  buildings and venues  cannot fail to absorb you into this tour.

Itinerary

Day 1
After a welcome reception in  the beautiful Royal Lounge at Budapest Nyugati Station, your attendant will show you to your cabin on the train.  Enjoy luncheon  as the train skirts Lake Balaton, the largest lake in Central Europe. Arriving  in Keszthely there is a tour of the baroque Festetics Palace, a beautiful building that resembles a French Chateau, sitting amongst pretty parterres.  Once back on board dinner is served as the train travels overnight to Austria.

Day 2
During breakfast the train travels through wonderful scenery as it arrives in Vienna.  There is a morning tour that  includes  beautiful buildings such as –  St Stephens Cathedral with its white stone and marvellous roof ornately patterned with 230,000 richly coloured glazed tiles;  the Opera (where if one is lucky one may overhear some singing practice) and  the Schönbrunn Palace, a magnificent Rocco building set in beautiful grounds, all of which illustrate the tastes, interests, and aspirations of successive  Habsburg  monarchs.   Rejoin the train for lunch before arrival in Bratislava,  the only national capital that borders two independent countries (Austria and Hungary).   A sightseeing tour includes the Old Town and Bratislava Castle, rebuilt mostly in its former Theresian style in the 1950′s,  after a fire in 1881 destroyed it.    Dine on board as the train travels overnight to Poland.

Day 3
Cracow.  This is a  beautiful city, with its Old District that is home to about six thousand historic sites and more than two million works of art,  and a rich variety of  Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architectural buildings.  Following breakfast, there is a tour to the Wawel Castle, an architectural complex  erected over many centuries atop a limestone outcrop on the left bank of the Vistula River,  and the magnificent Renaissance Cloth Hall.   Lunch in a local restaurant is followed by an afternoon visit to the Wieliczka Salt Mines – a World Heritage Site.  Dine on board as the train travels overnight to the Czech Republic.

Day 4
After breakfast, disembark in Prague, a city of Romanesque and Art Nouveau buildings, where almost every street one enters, there are little gems.

Included

• Three nights accommodation on the train in Deluxe twin compartments with lower beds and en suite shower/WC.
• Two lunches, three dinners and three breakfasts on the Danube Express.
• Complimentary wine, beer and soft drinks.
• Excursions as outlined above with English-speaking local guides including lunch in Cracow.

Dates and Prices

2013 – May 11.   June 1, 22.   September 28

Deluxe  Twin Compartment   £2790 per person

Sole Occupancy    £3990

The Istanbul Tour

Istanbul to Prague, via Bulgaria, Transylvania, Hungary, Austria, Slovakia and Poland,  with three hotel nights in Budapest.

Imagine an iconic 10 day journey that takes one through Turkey to the Czech Republic, via six countries, across stunning landscapes, visiting fabulous historic cities.  This tour includes everything that a romantic could wish for, and will leave one with a lasting impression of the  history of these countries.

Itinerary      

Day 1   Istanbul

Assemble at  Istanbul Sirkeci station for a late afternoon departure.  The Danube Express follows the Bosphorus as you settle in to your compartment.  Later on enjoy a drink in the Lounge prior to  dinner whilst the train travels to the Bulgarian border.

Day 2   Kazanlak & Veliko Turnovo

Breakfast is served as the train travels through the Bulgarian countryside, arriving at  Kazanlak, where a tour includes the Shipka Memorial Church and a 4th Century BC Thracian tomb, that of Golyamata Kosmatka, the Tomb of the Thracian Tsar Sevt III, which is perfectly intact and was discovered as recently as 2004.   During lunch, the train climbs the scenic Shipka pass.  In Veliko Turnovo, Bulgaria’s ancient capital, houses perch above the Yantra River.  Stroll the narrow streets and visit the  medieval strongholdof Tsarevets Castle.  Dine as the train heads for Romania.

Day 3  Brasov & Sighişoara

Wake amidst the dramatic Carpathian Mountains and breakfast as we arrive in Braşov and visit Bran Castle, known as Dracular’s Castle.  In its stunning mountain setting this castle was the  family home of Queen Marie of Romania, the granddaughter of Queen Victoria and the British-born consort of the Romanian King, from 1914-27.  Luncheon is served back on the train whilst passing through spectacular scenery  on the way to medieval Sighişoara, rumoured birthplace of Dracula.  As one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Europe, a walking tour meandering through  the cobbled streets passing well-preserved buildings is a delight.  Enjoy dinner en route to the Hungarian border.

Day 4  Kecskemté & Budapest

Continuing across the Northern Plain, arrive in Kecskemét with free time to explore an art nouveau town hall in the main square, the Luther-Palace, and the Hungarian Museum of Photography.  Later, as the train draws up at Lajosmizse, the csikosok – Hungarian cowboys in theatrical blue robes – crack giant whips.  Guests are transported by gypsy caravan to a ranch where palinka and pogacsa (salty bread) are

served, whilst watching  a thundering horse parade and daredevil racing as the  thrilling “Puszta” show demonstrates great horsemanship.  Lunch on the way to Budapest, arriving at Nyugati station mid- afternoon.  Transfer for three nights at the centrally situated Hotel Astoria (4-star).

Day 5 and 6  Budapest

This is a wonderful opportunity  to explore Budapest.  Absorb the Gothic, Art Nouveau and Bauhaus buildings in Pest. Visit Heroes’  Square, the Cathedral or the Parliament building or cross the Danube to Buda for St Matthias Church and breathtaking views from Gellert Hill and Fisherman’s Bastion.

Day 7   Budapest to Vienna

Return to  Budapest Nyugati station for a reception in the fabulous baroque multi-mirrored  Royal Waiting Room (designed by Emperor Josef II for his wife, Sissy).  We board the Danube Express for lunch as the train heads south west towards Lake Balaton,  the largest lake in Central Europe.  Arriving  in Keszthely there is a tour of the baroque Festetics Palace, a beautiful building that resembles a French Chateau, sitting amongst pretty parterres.  Back on board dinner is served  as the train heads for Austria.

Day 8  Vienna and Bratislava

Breakfasting as one travels through the  spectacular scenery of  Austria, one  arrives in Vienna for a tour of this dazzling city including Schönbruun Palace, a magnificent Rocco building set in beautiful grounds, all of which illustrate the tastes, interests, and aspirations of successive  Habsburg  monarchs.   Rejoin the train for lunch as it travels through Slovakia, arriving  in Bratislava,  the only national capital that borders two independent countries (Austria and Hungary).   A sightseeing tour includes the Old Town and  the stunning Bratislava Castle that overlooks the Danube.  Dinner is served back on the train as it travels through pretty mountain scenery towards the Polish border.

Day 9  Cracow and Wieliczka

As one takes breakfast the train arrives in Cracow, a  beautiful city, with its Old District that is home to about six thousand historic sites and more than two million works of art,  and a rich variety of  Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architectural buildings.  There is a tour to the Wawel Castle, an architectural complex  erected over many centuries atop a limestone outcrop on the left bank of the Vistula River,  and the magnificent Renaissance Cloth Hall.   Lunch in a local restaurant is followed by an afternoon visit to the Wieliczka Salt Mines – a World Heritage Site where artworks are sculptured in salt.  During dinner the train travels towards the  Czech Republic.

Day 10  Prague

After breakfast, disembark in Prague, a city of Romanesque and Art Nouveau buildings, where almost every street one enters, there are little gems.

Included

• 6 nights on the Danube Express in Deluxe twin compartments with lower beds and en suite shower/WC All meals whilst on board – breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Complimentary wine, beer and soft drinks.
• 3 nights with breakfast in Hotel Astoria (4-star), Budapest.  (Hotel upgrade available)
• Excursions as outlined above with English-speaking local guides.

Dates and Prices

2013  -  May 26.   June 16.   September 22

Deluxe  Twin Compartment   £4990 per person

Sole Occupancy    £7490

Booking & Reservations

All prices are at publicly-quoted rates.

We will be happy to answer any questions and make the booking for you  -  contact us in the UK : +44 (0)1249 890205 or info@luxurytrainclub.com      Please sign up to our newsletter to be kept informed of interesting trains and special offers.

Calendar

• 22/05/2013HUNGARY / TURKEY Danube Express: Budapest - Istanbul
• 26/05/2013CENTRAL EUROPE Danube Express: Istanbul Tour
• 26/05/2013TURKEY / HUNGARY Danube Express: Istanbul - Budapest
• 01/06/2013CENTRAL EUROPE: Danube Express: Central European Tour