Nowhere marks the turn of the year quite like Vienna, the city of Strauss and the waltz, where New Year's Eve means white gloves, a full orchestra and dancing beneath chandeliers until the small hours. This nine-day journey by private train places that great occasion at its heart, and wraps it in a grand circuit of Central Europe's most beautiful winter cities.
Beginning and ending in Budapest, the Golden Eagle Danube Express carries you across four countries in the quiet days between Christmas and New Year: through the Hungarian countryside to the baroque splendour of Keszthely, over the Alps into Austria for Graz and Vienna, north to the fairytale towns of the Czech Republic, and back through Slovakia to the Danube. It is a journey built around a single unforgettable night, the Viennese Silvesterball, but there is a great deal more besides: a lesson in the waltz, a New Year's Day concert, a river cruise past a floodlit Prague, and the easternmost Gothic cathedral in Europe.
Everything is arranged and included, from the black-tie ball to the last glass of Sekt. Two nights in a five-star Budapest hotel and a further night on return frame five nights aboard the private train, with every excursion, meal and concert taken care of, and nothing to do but enjoy the most romantic New Year in Europe.
Budapest on the Danube, where the journey begins and ends
Journey Highlights
A Viennese Silvesterball
See in the New Year at a black-tie ball with the Wiener Hofball Orchestra, Strauss waltzes and dancing to midnight in the imperial city.
Learn to Waltz
A lesson at the Elmayer Dance School, Vienna's most celebrated dance academy, founded in 1919 and keeper of the city's ball etiquette.
New Year's Day in Vienna
A private concert by the Vienna Supreme Orchestra and a horse-drawn fiaker ride through the cobbled streets of the old imperial capital.
The Semmering Pass
Cross the world's first mountain railway, opened in 1854 and now UNESCO-listed, with its 16 viaducts and 15 tunnels through the Alps.
Prague & Český Krumlov
Two UNESCO towns: Prague Castle, the largest ancient castle complex in the world, and the storybook riverside town of Český Krumlov.
Baroque Palaces & Košice
The Festetics Palace at Keszthely and, in Slovakia, Košice's St Elisabeth Cathedral, the easternmost Gothic cathedral in Europe.
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Timings are indicative; confirmed details are supplied with your travel documents.
Arrival in Budapest
Arrive in Budapest and transfer to the five-star Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace, a restored 1906 Art Nouveau landmark on the Pest embankment, facing the Chain Bridge and the floodlit Buda Castle across the Danube. This evening, gather for a welcome reception dinner and meet your Tour Manager and fellow travellers before the journey begins.
Welcome reception dinner. Two hotel nights at the Four Seasons Gresham Palace, Budapest.
Imperial Budapest
A panoramic tour takes in the highlights of the Hungarian capital: the Castle District and Matthias Church on the Buda hills, the neo-Gothic Parliament rising from the Pest bank, sweeping Heroes' Square and grand Andrássy Avenue. A visit to the sumptuous Hungarian State Opera House, one of the finest 19th-century opera houses in Europe, rounds out a day among the grandeur of a city that was once co-capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Panoramic Budapest city tour; Hungarian State Opera House visit.
Lake Balaton and the Festetics Palace
This morning, transfer to Budapest's Nyugati station, where a drinks reception in the historic Royal Waiting Room precedes boarding the Golden Eagle Danube Express. The train travels west through the Balaton Uplands, skirting Lake Balaton, the largest lake in Central Europe, to reach Keszthely. Here you tour the Festetics Palace, one of Hungary's grandest baroque residences, begun in 1745 and home to the celebrated Helikon Library, its shelves holding tens of thousands of volumes beneath ornate carved oak. The train continues overnight towards Austria.
First night on board. Royal Waiting Room reception; Festetics Palace and Helikon Library, Keszthely.
Graz, the Semmering and the New Year's Eve Ball
The morning is spent in Graz, whose beautifully preserved old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a maze of renaissance courtyards and baroque facades beneath the Schlossberg with its landmark clock tower. There is the chance to taste the region's dark, nutty Styrian pumpkin seed oil before the train makes one of Europe's great rail crossings: the Semmering Pass, the world's first true mountain railway, opened in 1854 and carried across the Alps on 16 soaring viaducts and through 15 tunnels.
Arriving in Vienna, the afternoon brings a waltz lesson at the famous Elmayer Dance School, perfect preparation for the evening ahead. And what an evening: a black-tie New Year's Eve Silvesterball, with the Wiener Hofball Orchestra, Strauss waltzes and champagne, and dancing to welcome the New Year at the stroke of midnight in the city that invented the occasion.
Graz old town; Styrian pumpkin seed oil tasting; Semmering Pass crossing; Elmayer waltz lesson; black-tie New Year's Eve Silvesterball with the Wiener Hofball Orchestra.
Imperial Vienna, host to the New Year’s Eve ball
New Year's Day in Vienna
A leisurely brunch on board eases you into New Year's Day, followed by a Freedom of Choice excursion. You may tour the imperial Schönbrunn Palace, the Habsburgs' 1,441-room summer residence, and its Christmas market; or head into the Vienna Woods to Heiligenkreuz Abbey, a Cistercian monastery founded in 1133 and among the oldest continuously occupied in the world, its monks still singing the Gregorian chant that made them famous.
Back in the city, a horse-drawn fiaker ride carries you through the cobbled streets of the historic centre, before a private concert by the Vienna Supreme Orchestra brings the music of Mozart, Strauss and the Vienna New Year to life. Dinner is served on board as the train turns north towards the Czech Republic.
New Year's Day brunch; choice of Schönbrunn Palace or Heiligenkreuz Abbey; fiaker ride; private Vienna Supreme Orchestra concert.
Český Krumlov and Prague
The day begins in Český Krumlov, a jewel of a town wrapped in a horseshoe bend of the Vltava and listed by UNESCO in its entirety. Above the red rooftops rises its castle, the second largest in the Czech Republic after Prague, complete with a rare surviving baroque theatre. There is the option of a tasting at the original Budweiser Budvar brewery nearby before lunch on board.
By evening the train reaches Prague, the City of a Hundred Spires, for dinner in the city and a private classical concert in one of its historic halls, a fitting welcome to one of the most beautiful capitals in Europe.
Český Krumlov guided tour; optional Budweiser Budvar tasting; lunch on board; Prague dinner and private concert.
Český Krumlov, wrapped in a bend of the Vltava
Prague Castle and the Vltava
A vintage tram carries the group up to Prague Castle, listed by Guinness as the largest ancient castle complex in the world, and to St Vitus Cathedral at its heart, the Gothic masterpiece that holds the Bohemian crown jewels and the tombs of Czech kings. After lunch in the city, the afternoon is free to wander the Old Town Square, cross the Charles Bridge or browse the winter markets.
As dusk falls, a cruise along the Vltava reveals Prague at its most magical, the castle, the bridges and the spires reflected and floodlit against the winter sky. Dinner is served on board as the train continues towards Slovakia.
Vintage tram to Prague Castle and St Vitus Cathedral; afternoon at leisure; illuminated Vltava river cruise.
Prague Castle and St Vitus above the Vltava
Košice and Return to Budapest
The train arrives in Košice, the historic capital of eastern Slovakia, whose long, spindle-shaped main square is lined with Gothic, renaissance and baroque houses. Its centrepiece is the magnificent St Elisabeth Cathedral, the largest church in Slovakia and the easternmost Gothic cathedral in Europe, begun in the late 14th century. After a final lunch on board, the train returns to Budapest, where you check in once more at the Four Seasons Gresham Palace for a celebratory farewell dinner.
Košice guided tour and St Elisabeth Cathedral; farewell dinner. One hotel night at the Four Seasons Gresham Palace, Budapest.
Onward Journey
After breakfast, a private transfer takes you to the airport for your onward journey home. Should you wish to linger in Budapest, an extended stay can be arranged, adding time to enjoy the city's thermal baths, coffee houses and riverside grandeur at the start of the new year.
Breakfast and private airport transfer. Optional extension.
What's Included
Accommodation
3 nights five-star at the Four Seasons Gresham Palace, Budapest (two before, one after) and 5 nights on board the Danube Express.
All Dining
8 breakfasts, 7 lunches and 8 dinners, freshly prepared on board and at selected venues, with inclusive alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
The New Year's Eve Ball
The black-tie Silvesterball with the Wiener Hofball Orchestra, plus a preparatory waltz lesson at the Elmayer Dance School.
Excursions & Concerts
Every guided excursion in the itinerary, the private Vienna Supreme Orchestra concert and the Prague concert, with expert local guides.
Service & Care
Cabin attendant with evening turndown, an experienced Tour Management team and a doctor and medical facilities on board.
Transfers & Gratuities
Arrival and departure transfers, luggage porterage throughout, and all gratuities on and off the train.
Fares & Departures
Prices are per person and include the full programme detailed above, the New Year's Eve ball and all concerts. A deposit of 25% of the tour cost secures your booking. Please call us on 0333 405 0192 for confirmed fares.
| Cabin Class | Twin | Single |
|---|---|---|
| Deluxe Class | £14,300 | £21,300 |
| Superior Deluxe Class | £18,200 | £30,700 |
Departure: 28 December 2027 to 5 January 2028. Please contact us for the confirmed New Year departure and current fares.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nine days and eight nights, as a round trip from Budapest through four countries: Hungary (Budapest, Keszthely), Austria (Graz, Vienna), the Czech Republic (Český Krumlov, Prague) and Slovakia (Košice). Two hotel nights in Budapest and one on return frame five nights aboard the train.
New Year's Eve is spent in Vienna at a black-tie Silvesterball, with the Wiener Hofball Orchestra, Strauss waltzes, champagne and dancing to see in the New Year at midnight. A waltz lesson at the Elmayer Dance School earlier that day helps you take to the floor with confidence.
New Year's Day begins gently with brunch on board, followed by a choice of Schönbrunn Palace and its Christmas market or Heiligenkreuz Abbey in the Vienna Woods, a horse-drawn fiaker ride through the city, and a private concert by the Vienna Supreme Orchestra.
The journey runs over the New Year period, departing in late December, typically 28 December, and returning in early January. Please contact us for the confirmed departure date and current fares.
All accommodation, 8 breakfasts, 7 lunches and 8 dinners, inclusive drinks, the New Year's Eve ball, the waltz lesson, all concerts and guided excursions, transfers, gratuities and luggage porterage, plus a tour management team and an on-board doctor. International flights are not included.
Yes. The Silvesterball is a black-tie occasion: a dinner jacket or dark suit for gentlemen and an evening gown for ladies. Warm layers and comfortable footwear are recommended for the daytime excursions, as Central Europe in early January is cold and often snowy.