Day 1
Arrival in Budapest for a two-night stay in this cosmopolitan city straddling the Danube. You will stay in the recently refurbished Hotel Astoria (4 star), or similar, situated in the very centre, only a few minutes walk from the Danube and with easy access to all parts of the city. Dinner will be in the hotel and you will have time for a stroll along the river to see the illuminated city.
Day 2
Your morning sightseeing tour includes the Cathedral, Heroes Square and City Park on the Pest side. On the Buda side you will visit Gellert Hill for possibly the best views of Budapest and finally Castle Hill with the St Matthias Church and Fisherman’s Bastion. In the afternoon you have the option of a visit to the Children’s Railway in the Buda Hills. In the evening you will have dinner in a restaurant close to the hotel.
Day 3
After breakfast in the hotel, coach transfer to Nyugati Station for a champagne reception in the former Royal Waiting Room. The Danube Express will be waiting in the adjoining platform. Your sleeping car attendant will show you to your accommodation. In every compartment will be details of the on-train program.
On departure from Budapest the Danube Express heads westwards. Lunch is served as the train skirts Lake Balaton, the largest lake in Central Europe. In Keszthely you have the option of visiting the baroque castle or wandering round this interesting old lake-side spa and market town. Dinner is served as the train heads south towards the Croatian border. You can enjoy a drink in the lounge car as border formalities are undertaken.
Day 4
Morning is spent at the Plitvice Lakes National Park, a natural phenomenon and a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site. Deer, bears, wolves and wild boar roam the densely forested hills that hem in an eight kilometre string of sixteen lakes, separated by a sequence of 92 waterfalls. The Veliki slap (literally ‘big waterfall’) is a high wall of water that is the park’s single most dramatic feature. A coach transfer then takes you to the Kvarner Gulf, which separates the Istrian peninsula to the north from Dalmatia to the south. A lunch cruise gives you the opportunity to relax and admire some of the very best views of the Velebit mountains which tower over the mainland coast. Your cruise ends at the town of Krk, where there will be time to explore the small partly-walled old town, criss-crossed by narrow cobbled streets. From here it is a short coach transfer to the region’s capital, Rijeka, where the train is waiting for you, with dinner served on departure.
Day 5
Morning sees the Danube Express crossing the causeway to arrive at one of the world’s most romantic cities, Venice. You have a private boat tour to introduce you to the city, its canals and the lagoon, before arriving at the island of Murano, renowned for its glass blowing. In the afternoon we take you on a walking tour to include the landmark sights such as St Mark’s Square and the Rialto bridge, but also a labyrinth of narrow passageways and delicate bridges. Check in for a two night stay at the Hotel Hungaria Palace (4 star).
Day 6
Today you have a free day to explore Venice, perhaps soaking up the atmosphere of the Grand Canal, or taking a trip on a gondola.
Day 7
Departure for onward connections home.
Please note this tour also operates in the reverse direction, starting in Venice and finishing in Budapest.
