This winter, travel through the historical heart of Central Europe aboard the Golden Eagle Danube Express, a privately chartered luxury train that evokes the elegance of a bygone era of travel. From the comfort of your wood-paneled cabin, you will journey across the former Habsburg Empire, exploring the layered histories of its great capitals: Budapest, Vienna, and Prague.

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 meant to be seen in winter.

Tour Highlights

• During the magical holiday season, travel aboard the Golden Eagle Danube Express, a private train whose en-suite cabins, elegant restaurant cars, and Bar Lounge Car combine the comfort of a luxury hotel with the pacing of old-world rail.


• Explore the Habsburg history and classic culture of Budapest, Vienna, Prague, and other captivating destinations through guided tours of historical sites and architectural marvels.


• Ring in the New Year with an unforgettable Gala Dinner in Vienna, featuring the world-renowned Wiener Hofball Orchestra and the opportunity to waltz into the new year.


• At Budapest’s Nyugati Station, attend a drinks reception in the Royal Waiting Room, built for Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth to stage imperial arrival and normally closed to the public.


• Enjoy special activities such as a Viennese waltz lesson, a private classical music concert in Prague, a traditional pumpkin seed oil tasting in Graz, and an optional visit to the Budweiser Brewery.


• Witness breathtaking winter landscapes as the train traverses the Balaton Uplands National Park and climbs over the UNESCO-listed Semmering Pass, offering panoramic Alpine views.


• Marvel at the Festetics Palace in Keszthely, explore the Hungarian State Opera House, visit the gothic St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague, and discover the medieval charm of Kőszeg.


• At Vienna’s Heiligenkreuz Abbey, the world’s oldest continuously inhabited Cistercian monastery, listen to the resident monks practice Gregorian chant, a tradition dating back 900 years.