Rail holidays to central and eastern Europe

Rail holidays to central and eastern Europe: tailor-made itineraries and luxury, touring holidays by train for individuals to the countries of central and eastern Europe

Rail holidays to central and eastern Europe

Rail travel to central and eastern Europe starts with Eurostar from London to Brussels and then an onward journey into Germany via Cologne, or from London to Paris and then an onward journey via Switzerland. You can then tour from city to city, country to country. Our suggested touring holidays offer a range of tours for individuals throughout central and eastern Europe.

Rail touring holidays within central and eastern Europe

If you don’t want to travel by train all the way there and back, the best option is to fly one or both ways. All our suggested touring holidays by train of central and eastern Europe can be done by flying to the first main point and back at the end.

Our hotels in central and eastern Europe

Expressions Holidays has put together a personal selection of hotels in all the destinations in Eastern Europe we are offering you. Our hotels are selected to provide exceptionally high standards of character, comfort and service. Many of our hotels are among the most highly acclaimed in each country we feature. Others are full of charm and character or provide rest and relaxation amid an atmosphere of luxury and style. Star ratings are an important indicator of facilities and price, but, just as important as a star rating is character and ambience. We believe that whatever the official star rating of our hotels, each hotel has unique qualities and a sincere individuality of its own.

Train travel to Eastern Europe

A rail holiday to Eastern Europe starts with the Eurostar from London St. Pancras, Ebbsfleet or Ashford stations probably to Brussels if you are heading for Germany or Paris if you are taking a route through Switzerland. Eurostar offers almost hourly departures every day, allowing you to travel, non-stop, from the centre of London to the centre of Brussels in just over 2 hours and Paris in just over 2 hours. Some trains stop at the Ebbsfleet and Ashford stations in Kent, and parking is plentiful at both stations. You may wish to stay for a night or two in Brussels – we can arrange overnight accommodation for you in characterful, high-quality, central hotels on request. Nightjet trains are owned by the OBB Austrian Railways and operate overnight sleeper services from various European cities to Austria and on to Budapest. There is a choice of single, double and triple compartments, offering a standard (small wash basin) and a deluxe (with own shower and WC, wash basin, shower gel and towels). The compartment can be locked by the passenger, and an intercom system allows direct contact with the train team. There is a food service on board that provides hot and cold food and beverages. The Nightjet runs to Vienna (and on to Budapest) from Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg, Munich, Venice, Rome, Florence, Verona, Milan and Zurich. Railjet trains are owned and operated by the OBB Austrian Railways and connect numerous European cities with all of Austria, with a top speed of 230 kms per hour. Two Railjets run between Vienna and Salzburg every hour. Every two hours there is a Railjet from Prague to Graz via Vienna. Twice a day Railjet travels from Vienna to Venice. Railjet also offers a service from Zurich via Innsbruck, Salzburg and Linz to Vienna in about 8 hours. From December 2018 Bratislava is also included in the network. These trains are modern, efficient, comfortable, with first and second class, and have an excellent restaurant on board. ICE are German high-speed trains covering long distance journeys, for example from Berlin to Munich (a journey time of just under 4 hours). ICE offers comfortable seating with good legroom, free wifi, quiet zones, socket at your seat and on-board catering with meals, drinks and snacks. Other long-distance trains might be the IC (Intercity) and the EC (EuroCity) connecting German cities to ones in neighbouring countries. The EuroCity might be operated by more than one nationality of the route, so a journey from Berlin to Prague might be operated by a Czech EuroCity although a service continuing to Budapest might be operated by the Hungarian EuroCity.

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express to central and eastern Europe

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express travels into central and eastern Europe as follows: Paris to Prague 7 July 2024 Paris to Budapest 2 October 2024 Budapest to Paris 5 October 2024 Contact us for prices combined with additional travel and hotel requirements.

Our rail holidays to central and eastern Europe include

● Travel arrangements with trains as required
● Sample touring itineraries to book as they are or adapt
● Flexible durations and multi-centre stays
● Accommodation in personally-selected 4-or 5-star hotels
● Additional travel arrangements such as flights, transfers, car-hire to combine with rail travel

Included in all our holidays

● Concierge service
● Handcrafted helpful hints and local information provided with all our holidays
● Personal service by your sales consultant who looks after all aspects of your holiday
● Full financial protection with our ATOL (3076) for all holidays including a flight and our ABTOT for all non-air holidays

Call us on 01392 441245