New Year’s in Vienna aboard the Danube Express

Budapest is actually two cities separated by the River Danube. The old city of Buda, and the imposing Royal Palace, dominate the city with stunning views across the Danube to the commercial heart of Pest.

After breakfast, we’ll transfer to the train station for a morning drinks reception in the impressive Royal Waiting Room at Budapest Nyugati station before boarding to board the Golden Eagle Danube Express. After settling into our luxurious cabins, we’ll make our first journey through the winter landscapes of Hungary to Balaton Uplands National Park.

Emerging from the National Park, we’ll arrive in Keszthely, perched at the very western end of Lake Balaton. This picture-postcard town is filled with grand town houses and, famously, the site of Festetics Palace, a lavish baroque home fit for royalty. After a tour of the palace, we’ll continue into Austria overnight by train.

Arriving into Austria this morning, we’ll begin our exploration of the fantastic city of Graz, on the cusp of the Austrian Alps. We will transfer by coach to the city center and have a short walking tour of Graz’s range of renaissance courtyards and provincial baroque palaces. As part of our Freedom of Choice program, you’ll choose to take free time or enjoy a pumpkin seed oil tasting, complete with traditional, locally made bread and wine.

Leaving Graz late morning will be one of the real highlights of the journey. Cameras at the ready as we climb over the stunning Semmering Pass with its 16 viaducts and 15 tunnels. This UNESCO World Heritage Site provides an unrivalled panorama from the train, a spectacle that transcends ordinary views. After a gourmet lunch on board the train we’ll arrive to Vienna to begin our New Year’s Eve celebrations.

This afternoon, we will have the opportunity to join in with an atmospheric group Viennese waltz lesson. No experience necessary!

Tonight, a special New Year’s gala dinner will be served inside the beautiful City Hall, Rathaus Vienna, serenaded by the renowned Wiener Hofball Orchestra. Music and waltzing will take us through to midnight.

Happy New Year!

After brunch and a leisurely morning onboard the Danube Express. you may choose from two touring options.

The first option will be to visit the Schönbrunn Palace for a guided tour, then have time at the Schönbrunn Christmas Market.

Alternatively, choose a visit to Heiligenkreuz Abbey, situated into the Austrian countryside (approx. 45 minutes) for a guided tour of the second-oldest Cistercian monastery in the world–and the oldest continuously active and inhabited one–founded in 1133 and nestled in the Vienna woods.

Both groups then return to enjoy a beautiful horse-drawn ‘fiaker’ carriage ride along the cobbled streets of Vienna. Guests will also enjoy a special private concert featuring the Vienna Supreme Orchestra before returning to the train for dinner as we head to the Czech Republic.

This morning, we’ll begin our day in the stunning town of Cesky Krumlov, declared a UNESCO World Heritage destination. The town’s old-world charm may well be enhanced by a dusting of snow and should make for a beautiful stop on our journey. A short introduction to the town will allow you to explore the town with allocated free-time — a perfect time to grab a souvenir or two.

We’ll continue after a scenic lunch on board the train to Prague, one of the most beautifully preserved cities in Europe. Spanning the Vltava River, Prague is dominated by the 9th-century Prague Castle, a stunning sight that can be seen almost anywhere in the city.

Tonight we have dinner followed by a private classical concert.

A full day to explore the city of Prague awaits today. We’ll begin with a vintage tram to travel through the city up the hill to Prague Castle and the gothic St. Vitus Cathedral. The castle and its surrounding architectural gems occupy a hillside overlooking the city and river. Lunch will be served nestled in the architectural treasures of this ‘City of a Hundred Spires.’

The rest of the day is free for you to visit more festive markets or take in more of the iconic sites of the city, many within walking distance of the station. Before leaving Prague, we take a river cruise on Vltava River for a view of the festively illuminated town.

Dinner will be served on board the train as we continue our journey.

We start our final day of touring in one of the lesser known gems of Central Europe, Kosice. The city was voted European Capital of Culture in 2013, and its medieval-come-cosmopolitan style is slowly drawing more visitors to this former cornerstone of Communist Czechoslovakia. We’ll take a highlights tour of the city, including the vast oval-shaped central square, filled with relics from the 15th and 16th centuries.

This afternoon we’ll enjoy our final lunch on the train before arriving to Budapest, where we’ll check back into the Four Seasons Gresham Palace before a celebratory farewell dinner toasting new friends and fond memories.

Following breakfast on the final morning, we will be transferred to the airport for onward flight departures.