Austrian Rail & Sail

DAY 1

Journey in First Class from your home station to London for an afternoon departure on the Eurostar, travelling in Standard Premier with a light lunch included via Brussels, before travelling First Class to Cologne. Arriving at the Hilton Hotel for our overnight stay, we enjoy our first evening meal together.

DAY 2

After breakfast this morning, we will depart Cologne taking the Euro City train in First Class along the scenic Rhine Valley route to Basel. We enjoy time at leisure to explore the attractive town hall and old part of the city with a local transport pass (included) before our overnight stay in the GAIA Hotel by the station. We enjoy an authentic evening meal together in a local restaurant.

DAY 3

Today we travel to Zurich changing to the comfortable Railjet service through the Arlberg and Tirol areas of Austria before taking a local train to Steyr arriving late afternoon. Arriving at the historic Minichmayr Hotel situated on the river in the heart of this lovely town, we will enjoy our evening meal in their award-winning restaurant.

DAY 4

After breakfast today we will take the train via St. Valentin to Melk. A gentle stroll through this picturesque town, past the impressive monastery, leads us to the river for a five-hour relaxing cruise along one of the most beautiful stretches of the Danube. We will sail past scenic villages such as Spitz and Durnstein to Krems and return enjoying a two-course lunch served on board.

DAY 5

This morning we enjoy time at leisure to explore the riverside town of Steyr boasting a stunning variety of architecture before we experience a narrow-gauge steam train ride on the oldest railway in Austria having been on the tracks for over 140 years. We journey through small, romantic villages to Grünburg before returning to our hotel for our evening meal.

DAY 6

After our breakfast today we travel by rail via St. Valentin to St. Pölten for the mid-morning train over the narrow-gauge Mariazellerbahn, the longest narrow-gauge railway in Austria, climbing high into the mountains over viaducts and through tunnels to reach the pilgrimage town of Mariazell. We enjoy our lunch in a local restaurant before returning to St. Pölten connecting onwards to Steyr.

DAY 7

We depart, after breakfast, by First Class rail to Linz followed by the direct ICE to Cologne via the beautiful Rhine Valley route, arriving late afternoon. We will stay overnight at the Hilton Hotel enjoying a farewell evening meal in the old town area in an authentic bierkeller of Cologne.

DAY 8

We begin our homeward journey travelling in First Class to Brussels followed by Standard Premier on the Eurostar to London with a light lunch included and arriving in time for your onward trains to your home station.

B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner