Great European Express

Individual journey to Istanbul.
Upon landing, you will be welcomed heartily by your tour guide and transferred to your centrally located hotel, where you will spend the night. As a magnificent introduction, you will enjoy a welcome dinner in the evening, enchanted by the sparkling sea of lights from this eternal metropolis between Orient and Occident.

Between 1001 Nights and hip, trendy districts, the sensual beauty of the Bosphorus will easily wrap you around its finger. From the Topkapi Palace you can look out over the rocking boats in the strait between Europe and Asia. The fabulous treasury and the harem will whisk you away to the fairytale world of the ancient Orient. The large bazaar is in no way inferior to this, allowing you to haggle with friendly traders. Of course, a detour to the magnificent Sirkeçi train station, once the terminus of the legendary Orient Express and the starting point of Hercule Poirot's journey in Agatha Christie's famous novel, is a must. The Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque are much more contemplative. After a boat trip on the Bosphorus, you will travel to the train station, where your private charter train will be waiting for you. At the reception, toast your upcoming train adventure with sparkling champagne. Make yourself comfortable in your classy compartment as your train departs from the Turkish metropolis. 

As you get up, rub your eyes in amazement as you pass the southern Balkan Mountains and one of the highest passes in Bulgaria, the Shipka Pass, on your way to a delicious breakfast. Sit back, relax and enjoy the warm service and nostalgic flair on board. In the afternoon, you will reach Bulgaria's old capital Veliko Tarnovo. Along the wild meanders of the Yantra River, rustic stone houses pile up on top of each other and send you on a journey back in time to the Middle Ages. The Zarewez castle hill with its defiant walls and towers rises above everything. Just a few kilometers away is the village of Arbanassi, which you will visit. At sunset, you cross the Danube, the border river between Romania and Bulgaria, at the town of Ruse. 

In the early morning, you reach the vast green plains of Wallachia and soon Romania's capital Bucharest. A hint of Paris breezes over the city tour, which takes you to the Arc de Triomphe and elegant Art Nouveau arcades. The House of the People, now the seat of parliament, bears witness to the gigantomania of the dictator Ceausescu. On the Revolution Square in front of it, you will learn how the socialist spook came to an end in 1989. While you have lunch in the on-board restaurant, you leave the city of great contrasts and travel northwards. In the afternoon, your train crosses the wild Southern Carpathians and the region of Transylvania, which has been in the hands of Saxon settlers since the 12th century. An architectural gem awaits you here: Kronstadt with its magnificent town hall square, colorful baroque facades, quaint cafés, Europe's narrowest alley and the Black Church. Follow the eerie trail of Count Dracula. 
By dinner, you will be back on the rails - heading northwest.

The green hills of the Hungarian lowlands stretch as far as the eye can see. What would a trip to Hungary be without a detour to the Puszta? From the train station in the charming little town of Kecskemét, you travel through the wide plain full of draw wells to a traditional horse farm. After a customary welcome with apricot brandy and salty cookies, you will witness a spectacular horse show. The acrobatic horsemanship of the Magyars is legendary. Accompanied by the sounds of Csárdás, you leave the country estate and board your train again. Your train arrives in Budapest in the early afternoon. Here you leave your home on wheels: tonight you stay in a hotel in the old town. Budapest consists of two cities separated by the Danube. What could be more natural than to see the architectural gems of the city from their most beautiful perspective, namely on a Danube boat trip? On one side you will see the Citadel, Fisherman's Bastion and Gellert Hill, on the other the Market Hall, the Old Town Palace and the largest parliament building in the world. Of course you will also pass the famous Chain Bridge and Margaret Island, Budapest's green lung in the middle of the Danube. 

After breakfast, return to the train station, where your train is already waiting for you. You soon leave Budapest behind you and travel through the Hungarian lowlands to the Austro-Hungarian border. In the afternoon you are greeted by the world capital of music. Vienna is an experience and easily manages the balancing act between flair and modernity, Art Nouveau and Hundertwasser, between coffee house culture and trendy pubs. From Westbahnhof station, you can explore Vienna on your own by public transport and choose between the Hofburg, St. Stephen's Cathedral, Naschmarkt and Prater. For a sweet finale, enjoy melange, pastries and Viennese charm in one of the famous coffee houses. In the soft evening light, you are back on board and soon rolling westwards on the tracks of the Semmering Railway, Europe's very first mountain railroad. This engineering marvel has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998.

Early risers beware, because ahead of you lies a highlight in the truest sense of the word: crossing the Alps from east to west. From the train you have a clear view of the Alpine peaks. Lean back in the elegant saloon carriage and let majestic mountain giants and colorfully painted alpine huts pass you by. You follow the Inn Valley through Tyrol, cross the tiny Principality of Liechtenstein and reach the Swiss canton of St. Gallen. In the morning, Lucerne awaits you with its covered Chapel Bridge, the city's landmark, narrow alleyways and colorful medieval guild houses around the wine market. From here you travel to Kriens. The ride on the aerial cableway and the panoramic gondola lift through bizarre rock faces up to Lucerne's local mountain, Pilatus, is breathtaking. 72 Alpine peaks lie before you, and with a bit of luck you might even catch a glimpse of the mighty Mont Blanc on the horizon. Afterwards, you will travel back down again. Your chartered train sets off in the afternoon. After a short journey, you reach France and stop in Colmar, the most beautiful old town in Alsace. A detour to one of the world-famous vineyards awaits you with green vineyards and golden bubbling nectar - a feast for all the senses. You return to the train exhilarated.

In the morning, your train arrives at the Gare de L'Est in Paris. After breakfast, it's time to say goodbye to your hotel on rails and its friendly crew. On a city tour, you will stop at such famous places as the Eiffel Tower, the Opera, Place Vendôme and stroll along the Champs-Élysées from the Arc de Triomphe. With the chansons of the street musicians still ringing in your ears, you will head to the atmospheric farewell dinner, where you and your fellow travelers will review the experiences of a unique journey across Europe. On this last night, you will stay in a centrally located hotel in the French capital.

After breakfast, you will start your journey home to Switzerland. 

This trip can also be booked in reverse order.