DETAILS
Celebrate the turn of the year in Central Europe by luxury rail, traveling through imperial cities, preserved medieval towns, and winter mountain passes. This journey begins and ends in Budapest and moves through Vienna, Graz, Český Krumlov, Prague, and Košice, with curated experiences that draw out each destination’s visual language of power, faith, and identity. From a private concert in Vienna to special access at Budapest’s Royal Waiting Room and a New Year’s Gala Dinner inside Vienna’s City Hall, every moment is shaped by the beauty and history of its setting. All of it unfolds against a landscape of snowy rooftops, mountain vistas, Christmas markets, flickering lights, and grand architecture.
- Pricing from
- $17.999
- Trip Type
- Group Travel Tour, International Land & Rail Tours
- Departure Dates
-
Dec 27, 2026 - Jan 5, 2027
Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace, Budapest (or similar) This Art Nouveau masterpiece, originally built in 1906, stands proudly on the banks of the Danube River, directly facing the iconic Chain Bridge. Guests can enjoy elegantly appointed rooms and suites, many offering breathtaking views of the city or the river. The hotel boasts exceptional dining options, a serene spa with an infinity pool, and impeccable service.
TOUR MAP
ITINERARY
-
day 1
DEPARTURE
Depart on an overnight flight to Budapest.
-
day 2
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
Arrive in Budapest, a city forged in 1873 from the unification of ancient Buda, Óbuda, and commercial Pest, sparking a “Golden Age” of growth and ambition. After a transfer to your hotel, you will have time at leisure before gathering for a welcome reception.
-
day 3
BUDAPEST
Today’s exploration begins in the Buda Castle District, a UNESCO World Heritage Site on a limestone plateau that provides a physical record of Hungarian history. Here, you will visit St. Matthias Church, the coronation site for the last two Hungarian Habsburg kings, whose roof is covered in colorful Zsolnay tiles. Nearby, you will see the Fishermen’s Bastion, an architectural fantasy built for the 1896 Millennial Celebrations, whose seven turrets represent the seven Magyar chieftains who founded Hungary. A panoramic tour of Pest includes views of the Hungarian Parliament Building and St. Stephen’s Basilica, whose domes were both built to a height of exactly 315 feet to symbolize the balance between church and state. After lunch, a special guided tour takes you inside the Hungarian State Opera House. A Neo-Renaissance jewel by architect Miklós Ybl, this venue features some of Europe’s best acoustics. Dinner is at leisure.
-
day 4
BUDAPEST / BOARD GOLDEN EAGLE DANUBE EXPRESS / KESZTHELY
This morning, you are invited to a drinks reception in the Royal Waiting Room at Budapest’s Nyugati Station, a space built for the exclusive use of Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth (“Sisi”) and normally closed to the public. You will then board the Golden Eagle Danube Express. Settle into your cabin as the train travels through the winter scenery of Balaton Uplands National Park, a UNESCO Global Geopark of eroded volcanic buttes. Arriving in Keszthely, on the shore of Lake Balaton, you will tour Festetics Palace, a lavish Baroque home. Its Helikon Library is the only substantial aristocratic private library to have survived intact in Hungary, saved during World War II when the palace librarian walled off its entrance to hide it from advancing Soviet troops. This evening, enjoy dinner on the train.
-
day 5
GRAZ, AUSTRIA / VIENNA
Arrive in Graz, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, whose city center reflects its history as a Habsburg residence and a cultural crossroads with the Italian Renaissance. A walking tour takes you through its Renaissance courtyards and baroque palaces. You may also enjoy an optional tasting of Styrian pumpkin seed oil, a prized regional specialty known as “black gold.” Reboard the train for lunch and travel over the Semmering Pass, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the world’s first standard-gauge mountain railway. This monumental feat of 19th-century engineering created a new relationship between technology and nature, with 16 viaducts and 15 tunnels, making the Alps accessible for the first time. Upon arrival in Vienna, Austria’s capital, you can join a Viennese waltz lesson, an engagement with a dance that evolved from a scandalous folk custom to a symbol of
Habsburg imperial culture. This evening, you will attend a special New Year’s Eve Gala Dinner in the grand ballroom of the Vienna City Hall, with a performance by the Wiener Hofball Orchester to ring in the new year. -
day 6
VIENNA
After brunch on board, you will have a choice of excursions. Option 1: A guided tour takes you through Schönbrunn Palace, the magnificent 1,441-room Rococo summer residence of the Habsburg emperors. You will also have time to visit the Christmas Market, held in the palace’s grand forecourt. Option 2: Visit Heiligenkreuz Abbey, the world’s oldest continuously inhabited Cistercian monastery, founded in 1133 and nestled in the Vienna Woods. A guided tour of this Romanesque and Gothic structure offers the chance to hear the resident monks practice Gregorian chant, a tradition of sung prayer that has echoed within these same walls for nearly 900 years. You will come together for a horse-drawn Fiaker carriage ride through the city’s cobbled streets, an experience through the authentic soundscape of imperial Vienna. The day concludes with a special private concert featuring the Vienna Supreme Orchestra. Enjoy dinner on the train.
-
day 7
ČESKÝ KRUMLOV, CZECH REPUBLIC / PRAGUE
Your day begins in Český Krumlov, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The town’s remarkable state of preservation is a direct result of being bypassed by 19th-century industrialization, leaving its medieval street plan and architectural ensembles undisturbed. After an introductory guided walking tour, you will have time to explore on your own or join an optional visit to a local brewery for a tasting of the original Budweiser beer, a product born from a 19th-century struggle for Czech national identity against the region’s dominant German establishment. After lunch on board, you will continue to Prague, where you will enjoy dinner in the city, followed by a private classical music concert.
-
day 8
PRAGUE
Start your day with a vintage tram ride, a journey that traces the paths of Prague’s transformation into a modern metropolis at the turn of the 20th century. The ride concludes at Prague Castle, the world’s largest coherent castle complex, with a millennium of continuous use as a seat of power. Here, you will visit the Gothic St. Vitus Cathedral. Its nearly 600-year construction makes it a living document of Czech art, combining 14th-century design with 20th-century additions, such as Alfons Mucha’s magnificent Art Nouveau stained-glass window. After lunch in the city and an afternoon at leisure, you will gather for an evening cruise on the Vltava River, which offers a clear view of how Prague’s layout was dictated by the river’s course.
-
day 9
KOŠICE, SLOVAKIA / BUDAPEST, HUNGARY / DEBOARD
You will arrive in Košice, a city whose historical center is the largest in Slovakia. Unlike imperial capitals, Košice was shaped by merchants and artisans, its grandeur funded by the profits of trade. A highlights tour includes its vast, spindle-shaped central square, which is lined with 15th- and 16th-century burgher houses and dominated by St. Elisabeth’s Cathedral, a grandiose expression of Košice’s medieval wealth. After a final lunch on board, the train returns to Budapest. You will check into your hotel before gathering for a celebratory farewell dinner.
-
day 10
BUDAPEST / RETURN
After breakfast, you will transfer to the airport for your flight home.
Everything you need to know about the tour
Save this information for later by downloading the full tour brochure.
Be prepared with the National Trust Travel Plan
Since 1973, USI Affinity Travel Insurance Services has served travelers just like you, to help protect their travel plans