Istanbul to
Paris

Arrival in Istanbul

Arrive in Istanbul and be met by your tour management team for a transfer to a five-star hotel for a luxurious one-night stay. Those who arrive early enough will find Istanbul willing to absorb any number of extra hours, including the Grand Bazaar, the waterfront at Eminonu and the views from the Galata Tower are all within reach on foot. The evening begins with a welcome reception dinner alongside your fellow guests.

If you would like to extend your stay in Istanbul and explore the city more thoroughly before the journey begins, we can arrange additional hotel nights and a tailored programme of sightseeing. Please contact us to discuss options.

Welcome reception dinner included. Hotel accommodation at a five-star hotel.

Istanbul to Bulgaria

In the morning, guests are chauffeured to the Station, where the journey begins with a drinks reception on the platform before boarding the Golden Eagle Danube Express. The train departs through the European part of Turkey, crossing the border into Bulgaria as the day progresses. The Bulgarian countryside unfolds through the afternoon and evening as the train heads towards Sofia.

As evening falls, the journey takes on a new sense of occasion as you gather for a sumptuous Welcome Dinner in the train's elegant restaurant cars. Savour a beautifully crafted menu, perfectly paired with fine wines, while the ever-changing scenery glides past your window. It is a memorable introduction to the exceptional service, refined cuisine and timeless elegance that define this remarkable rail journey.

Breakfast at hotel. Welcome dinner on board included. Overnight on the Golden Eagle Danube Express.

Sofia

Sofia sits at the foot of Mount Vitosha in western Bulgaria, one of Europe's oldest cities with a continuous history stretching back to the Thracian tribe of Serdica some seven thousand years ago. The layers of its history are unusually visible in the streets of the city centre: Roman ruins coexist with Ottoman mosques, Soviet-era government buildings and Bulgarian Orthodox churches of considerable beauty.

The excursion begins at the ruins of the Roman city of Serdica, where well-preserved mosaics and columns survive beneath the modern city. The City Garden is home to the National Theatre Ivan Vazov, and the Presidential Palace and its surrounding landmarks give a sense of Sofia's civic character.

The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is the centrepiece of the afternoon, one of the largest Orthodox cathedrals in the world, its neo-Byzantine architecture and gold-plated domes define Sofia's skyline and its richly decorated interior is among the finest in the Balkans. The day ends with a private concert at the National Gallery, an exclusive performance in an atmospheric historic venue offering an introduction to Bulgaria's artistic and cultural life.

Breakfast and lunch on board. Guided Sofia excursion and private National Gallery concert included. Dinner on board. Overnight on the Golden Eagle Danube Express.

Belgrade

Belgrade greets the train at the confluence of the Danube and the Sava, a city that carries its complicated history lightly and has emerged as one of the most vital and energetic capitals in the region. Its layered past is visible everywhere: ancient Celtic fortifications, medieval walls, the traces of Ottoman occupation and the scars and subsequent recovery of the late twentieth century. Walking Belgrade's streets is to walk through several centuries in an afternoon.

The day immerses the group in two things that define Belgrade's character: its food and its attitude to hospitality. A traditional Serbian feast introduces the bold flavours of a cuisine that draws on Central European, Balkan and Ottoman traditions in roughly equal measure. The Rakija tasting that follows is a guided exploration of Serbia's beloved fruit brandy, sampled in the company of stories about the city's history and spirit. There is time after lunch to wander the streets independently before returning to the train.

Breakfast on board. Traditional Serbian feast and Rakija tasting included. Dinner and overnight on board the Golden Eagle Danube Express.

Postojna Caves and Vienna

The morning brings the train to Postojna in Slovenia, where the day's first excursion takes place underground. The Postojna Caves are among the most extensive cave systems in the world, with over 24 kilometres of passages, galleries and chambers carved through the limestone karst over millions of years. The tour begins aboard a small underground train that runs through the main gallery, accompanied by a live saxophonist whose playing fills the vaulted spaces with something that matches their scale. On foot, the tour continues through the largest chambers, past extraordinary stalactite and stalagmite formations and the pools where the olm, a blind cave salamander, spends its remarkable century-long life.

In the afternoon the train climbs the Semmering Pass, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the great feats of nineteenth-century railway engineering. Built between 1848 and 1854 through the mountains of Lower Austria, the Semmering Railway was the first mountain railway in the world to be built with a standard gauge track and remains a working line today. The section crossed here includes 16 viaducts and 15 tunnels, with views over the Alpine valleys that few other railway journeys can match.

The train arrives in Vienna as the evening begins. Dinner is followed by a private concert by the Vienna Supreme Orchestra, one of the regular highlights of this journey and a fitting event in the city that gave the world Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms and Mahler.

Breakfast and lunch on board. Postojna Caves excursion included. Dinner on board and Vienna Supreme Orchestra concert included. Overnight on the Golden Eagle Danube Express.

Vienna and the Alpine Crossing

A second morning in Vienna gives time to explore the city independently. Vienna is one of those rare cities that works equally well with a plan or without one: the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Belvedere for those who want art; the Naschmarkt and the coffee houses of the first district for those who want to absorb the city at a slower pace. The Ring Road, the State Opera, the Hofburg and the Prater are all within easy reach, and the city's excellent underground system connects everything in minutes.

In the afternoon the train departs Vienna and heads west, crossing Austria and into Switzerland as the day progresses. Whether you choose to settle into your cabin with the Alpine scenery for company, or spend the afternoon in the Bar Lounge Car with the resident pianist and a well-made cocktail, the views outside are exceptional throughout. The Swiss lakes and mountains, the Austrian valleys, the gradual change in the light as evening comes on. Dinner is served in the dining car as the train moves through Switzerland towards France.

Breakfast and lunch on board. Vienna morning at leisure. Dinner on board. Overnight on the Golden Eagle Danube Express.

Champagne and Arrival in Paris

The train crosses into France during the night and arrives in the Champagne region in the morning. The rolling chalk hills east of Paris produce the most celebrated sparkling wine in the world, and the landscape at this point in the journey has a particular beauty: the vineyards arranged in orderly rows across the hillsides, the grand Champagne houses of Epernay and Reims visible from the train, the cathedral towers of Reims rising above the plain. The region's wine is only part of the story; its Gothic cathedrals and the medieval grandeur of its towns make it worth stopping for in its own right. The tour here reveals the flavours, history and elegance of a region that has been producing something extraordinary from its chalky soil for centuries.

As the afternoon progresses, the train reboads and continues across the French countryside towards Paris. The city arrives with the setting sun. A farewell dinner marks the end of the journey, a celebration of the landscapes and experiences of the past week, as Paris provides the most appropriate possible backdrop through the windows.

Breakfast on board. Champagne excursion included. Farewell dinner included. Hotel accommodation in Paris.

Farewell to Paris

A final breakfast at the hotel before transfer to the airport for onward travel. Those with time in Paris before their flight will find the city requires no programme; simply walking from the hotel in any direction is sufficient. If you would like to extend your stay and have recommendations for hotels, restaurants or sightseeing in Paris, we are happy to assist. Please contact us before travel to discuss options.

Breakfast included. Transfer to Paris airport included.