7-country trip: From Paris to Istanbul on the Great European Express

from $8,900

Today you fly to the city of love. After landing, you will be warmly welcomed by your tour guide and driven to your centrally located hotel, where you will stay tonight. At the atmospheric welcome dinner, you will get to know your fellow travelers – the anticipation is growing!

To this day, the artistic district of Montmartre exudes the bohemian flair of the Belle Époque. From the steps of the snow-white Sacré-Coeur church, the whole of Paris lies at your feet – truly a place to dream. On a city tour, you will visit famous sites such as the Eiffel Tower, the Opera, and the Place Vendôme, and stroll from the Arc de Triomphe along the Champs-Élysées. With the songs of street musicians ringing in your ears, you will travel to the Gare de L'Est train station in the afternoon, where your private special train will be waiting for you. At the reception, you will toast your upcoming train adventure with sparkling champagne. Make yourself comfortable in your stylish compartment as your train leaves the French capital behind. After a short journey, you will reach Troyes, the old capital of Champagne. On a detour to one of the world-famous wineries, green vineyards and golden sparkling nectar await you – a feast for all the senses. Return to the train in high spirits. Bonne nuit! (FMA)

Early risers take note: from the train, you can enjoy unobstructed views of the first Alpine peaks in the early morning. After breakfast, Lucerne awaits you with its covered Chapel Bridge, the city's landmark, narrow streets, and colorful medieval guild houses around the wine market. From here, the journey continues to Kriens. The ride on the cable car and 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 little luck you may even see the mighty Mont Blanc on the horizon. Afterwards, you descend again. In the afternoon, your special train sets off. A highlight in the truest sense of the word lies ahead: crossing the Alps from west to east. Sit back in the elegant saloon car and enjoy a cocktail as majestic mountain giants and colorfully painted alpine huts pass by. You will pass through the canton of St. Gallen and the tiny principality of Liechtenstein before finally reaching the Inn Valley in Tyrol. (FMA)

In the soft morning light, you travel along the tracks of the Semmering Railway, Europe's very first mountain railway. This technical marvel has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998 and takes you safely to the world capital of music. Vienna is an experience in itself, effortlessly balancing imperial flair and modernity, Art Nouveau and Hundertwasser, coffee house culture and trendy pubs. From Westbahnhof station, you can easily explore Vienna on your own by public transport, choosing between the Hofburg, St. Stephen's Cathedral, Naschmarkt, and Prater. For a sweet finale, enjoy a melange, pastries, and Viennese charm in one of the famous coffee houses. You will be back on board for lunch and slowly roll through the suburbs of the imperial city towards the east. Soon after, you will cross the Austrian-Hungarian border and enter the Hungarian lowlands. Your train will reach Budapest in the afternoon. Here you will leave your rolling home: tonight you will stay in a hotel in the old town. Hungary's capital is full of history and stories – a symphony for all the senses! (FMA)

Budapest consists of two cities separated by the Danube. What could be more natural than viewing the city's architectural gems from their most beautiful perspective, namely on a Danube cruise on an excursion boat? On one side, the Citadel, Fisherman's Bastion, and Gellert Hill; on the other, the Great 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. Then it's back to the station, where your nostalgic special train is already waiting for you. At lunchtime, you will be back on the tracks – heading southeast. What would a trip to Hungary be without a detour to the Puszta? From the train station in the charming town of Kecskemét, you will travel through the wide green plain full of draw wells to a venerable riding stable. After a traditional welcome with apricot schnapps and pretzels, you will witness a spectacular horse show. The acrobatic horsemanship of the Magyars is legendary – even the huge gray cattle are amazed! Accompanied by the wild sounds of Csárdás, you leave the estate at sunset and board your train again. (FMA)

When you wake up, you rub your eyes in amazement: you are driving through high, densely forested mountains. Welcome to 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. And then you follow the eerie trail of Count Dracula. As if Transylvania had put on a pointed crown, Bran Castle towers over dark hills. Supposedly, the most famous vampire in literary history resided here. What is myth and what is historically proven? Today you will find out. During lunch, your train will cross the wild Southern Carpathians. Dramatic mountains rise over 2,000 m here. The steep gorges are home to brown bears, wolves, and lynxes. In the late afternoon, you will reach the wide green plains of Wallachia and soon Romania's capital, Bucharest. A touch of Paris wafts over the city tour, which takes you to the Triumphal Arch and elegant Art Nouveau passages. The House of the People, now the seat of parliament, bears witness to the gigantomania of the dictator Ceausescu. At Revolution Square in front of it, you will learn how the socialist nightmare came to an end in 1989. Shortly before midnight, you will leave the city of great contrasts and head south. (FMA)

While you enjoy a delicious breakfast, you will arrive at Bulgaria's old capital, Veliko Tarnovo. Quaint stone houses pile up along the wild meanders of the Yantra River, sending you on a journey back in time to the Middle Ages. The Tsarevets castle hill towers above it all with its defiant walls and towers. Just a few kilometers away is the village of Arbanasi, a 17th-century open-air museum with its lovingly restored merchant houses and fresco-decorated Orthodox churches. In the afternoon, you will pass one of Bulgaria's highest passes, the Shipka Pass, on your scenic journey through the southern Balkan Mountains. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the warm service and nostalgic flair on board as you travel through the Balkan gorges. (FMA)

In the morning, your special train arrives in the metropolis that is the only city in the world to connect two continents. After breakfast, it's time to say goodbye to your hotel on rails and its friendly crew. But the sadness of parting doesn't last long. In no time at all, the sensual beauty of the Bosphorus, with its 1001 Nights atmosphere and hip neighborhoods, will have you wrapped around its finger. Of course, a detour to the magnificent Sirkeçi railway 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. Afterwards, you can look out from Topkapi Palace at the rocking boats in the strait between Europe and Asia. The legendary treasure chamber and the harem will transport you to the fairy-tale world of the ancient Orient. The Grand Bazaar is no less impressive, where you can haggle with friendly merchants. The Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, symbols of the ancient rivalry between Constantinople and Istanbul, are much more contemplative. For a grand finale, enjoy a boat trip across the Bosphorus, enchanted by the sparkling sea of lights of the eternal metropolis between the Orient and the Occident. In the evening, feast together at a farewell dinner and exchange photos and memories of a fantastic trip. (FMA)

Even the most beautiful journey must come to an end. Today you will travel to Istanbul Airport and begin your journey home. (B)