Luxury Cruise & Rail Journey

CruiseEurope
Written By Karen McMahon

Combining all the best of river cruising, land and train travel, Uniworld Cruise & Rail itineraries represent the most innovative and exciting new way to see the world. As a pre- or post- cruise addition to your time sailing in all-inclusive luxury with Uniworld, you’ll embark on the best private train experience the world has to offer.

Uniworld have partnered with Golden Eagle Luxury Trains to bring one-of-a-kind luxury itineraries with a private train experience. Golden Eagle Luxury Trains is a top-notch product, with stylish design, excellent service and daily local excursions. And of course, it’s all-inclusive.

Pair your boutique floating hotel with a luxurious gliding hotel, where your en-suite cabin is an elegant private compartment during the day and transforms into a comfortable bedroom for the evening.

Feast on delicious cuisine served with fine wines while you watch your destinations glide by. And for Uniworld guests only, your Golden Eagle train will reserve an exclusive dining car where some of Bea Tollman’s signature recipes will be served.

17 Days | 7 Countries | Venice to Istanbul

Experience a one-of-a-kind journey by cruise and train as you travel between northern Italy and the diverse nations of the Balkan Peninsula, discovering a unique blend of Eastern and Western cultures along the way.

Embark on a private train journey to Istanbul, during which you’ll sleep on the luxury Golden Eagle Danube Express with ever-changing views at your window—the perfect addition to a river cruise. Along the way, visit Alpine Lake towns, historic cities across Eastern Europe, and more.

For the cruise portion of your journey, board the S.S. La Venezia in romantic Venice and treat yourself to a private evening lighting ceremony at St. Mark’s Basilica. Depart the enchanting “City of Water” to explore the waterfront shops, colourful facades, and peaceful canals unique to Burano, Mazzorbo, and Torcello. Farther south, discover Chioggia—a charming southern port loved by fishermen, artists, and anyone looking for unique gifts or souvenirs.

Life Aboard the Golden Eagle Danube Express

Unpack just the once and settle into your well-appointed and comfortable cabin as you begin this voyage of a lifetime. Your cabin attendant will be on hand to look after all of your needs. Choose from Superior Deluxe & Deluxe Class Cabins all have ensuite bathrooms with cubical shower, air-conditioning, wardrobes, Wi-Fi and picture windows.

  • Delue Class Cabin area (inc. bathroom): 7.74m2 (83 ft2) 2 x single beds & 1 picture window

  • Superior Deluxe Class Cabin area (inc. bathroom): 8.6 m2 (93 ft2) 1 x King Bed & 2 picture window

Deluxe Class

Superior Deluxe Class

Golden Eagle Luxury Trains pride themselves in offering the very best experience on your journey, and in addition to your luxury sleeping cabins they offer a first class Bar Lounge Car and Restaurant Cars.

Meals onboard are a relaxed affair as the restaurant cars can accommodate all guests in a single sitting. Throughout the journey there is an informal dress code, so you can enjoy a culinary experience in convivial and relaxed surroundings and with an open-seating policy you can dine wherever, and with whomever, you please.

The social heart of the Golden Eagle Danube Express is the Bar Lounge Car, a great place to relax and settle into the unhurried pace of life on board.

Breakfast in bed

Restaurant Car

What’s Included

Dining

  • All meals onboard cruise and train, prepared using the finest and freshest ingredients

  • 18 breakfasts, 14 lunches, 16 dinners

  • Captain’s Welcome and Farewell Receptions

  • Welcome and Farewell Gala Dinners

  • Unlimited beverages onboard, including fine wine, beer, spirits, specialty coffee and tea, soft drinks and mineral water

Experiences

  • 7 countries: Italy, Slovenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Turkey

  • 5 UNESCO World Heritage sites

  • Services of an experienced Uniworld Cruise Manager

  • Group Transfers are included on arrival and departure days (please see terms and conditions for transfer guidelines)

  • Gratuities for onboard personnel (ship staff, crew, Cruise/Tour Manager) are included during the cruise/tour

  • Captivating onboard local entertainment

  • Cultural enrichment

Accommodation

  • 7 nights in a luxury cabin onboard the Golden Eagle Danube Express private train

  • 2 nights in Istanbul at the Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet (or similar)

  • 7-night cruise in a Riverview stateroom onboard the elegant S.S. La Venezia

  • Well-appointed en-suite sleeping cabins and suites on the train have remote-controlled air-conditioning and heating, individual bathrobes and slippers, wardrobes, large viewing windows, and day seating that converts into comfortable beds for the evening

  • Lavishly appointed Riverview staterooms and suites on the cruise have handcrafted Savoir® Beds of England, high thread count 100% Egyptian cotton sheets and European duvets, and a menu of pillow options

  • Free Wi-Fi

Excursions

  • 15 days of excursions, all fully hosted by English-speaking local experts

  • State-of-the-art Quietvox portable audio-headset system on all excursions

  • Use of bicycles and Nordic walking sticks

Cruise & Rail Itinerary Venice to Istanbul

  • Arrive at Venice Marco Polo International Airport, where you will be transferred to the ship. Unpack, relax and enjoy your first evening on the Venetian Lagoon.

  • With your early morning arrival at Doge’s Palace, you’ll be able to marvel at the estate in total peace. Wander through a Venetian neighbourhood and experience daily life in an authentic Venetian residential quarter. Later in the evening, cap the day off with a private once-in-a-lifetime experience at an after-hours lighting ceremony inside St. Mark’s Basilica without the crowds.

    Featured Excursions

    • A Walk in Venice with Doge’s Palace Visit note that the amount of walking during this excursion is extensive.

    • Nights Out: Private After-Hours Visit to Saint Mark's Basilica

  • Start your morning in one of two of the Veneto region’s UNESCO World Heritage cities, Vicenza or Padua. In the afternoon, you'll reboard the ship for scenic sailing across the lagoon as we head towards Mazzorbo and Burano. In the evening, you may wish to take your free time to stroll into town to appreciate this charming island when most of the tourists have left for the evening. Burano’s brightly painted fishermen’s cottages are an artist’s dream —hot pink, chartreuse, orange, lemon yellow, and more.

    A special Captain’s Welcome Reception and Dinner will be prepared for you this evening.

    Featured Excursion

    • Evening Stroll in Burano

    Choose between

    • Padua Walking Tour

    • Vicenza with Teatro Olimpico

  • Spend the day exploring the northern lagoon of Venice and its captivating islands. Start with a visit to Torcello's famous basilica with an art historian, then stroll through the agricultural island of Mazzorbo and the rainbow-hued island of Burano during your free time after lunch. Alternatively, you can take the afternoon to see the renowned glassblowing artisans of Murano at work.

    Featured Excursions

    • Torcello: Hidden Treasure of the Lagoon

    • Murano Glass Blowing Demonstration

  • Today, you’ll admire the greatest sites of charming and coastal Chioggia, including a stop at the local and lively market.

    Choose between...

    • Bragozzo Ride with Tastings at Ca’ Zen

    • Chioggia Market Visit

    • Let's Go: Biking Chioggia

    • A Noble Country Villa and Its Wines

    • Palazzo Goldoni

  • This morning, join a sailing excursion where you’ll explore the Po Delta where the Po River and the Adriatic Sea meet. Later, during lunch, we sail back to Venice.

    Choose between...

    • Po Delta Sailing

    • Castello del Catajo Visit

  • As your water taxi glides past narrow side canals and the Canal Grande, you’ll arrive in style at the Rialto Bridge. The iconic stone arch bridge sits at the narrowest point of the Canal Grande and holds numerous shops and restaurants.

    A special Captain’s Farewell Reception and Dinner will be prepared for you this evening.

    Choose between...

    • Venice Walk with Gondola Artisans Visit

    • Do as the Locals Do: Venice Walking Tour

    • Ca' Macana Mask Atelier

    • Rowing Venice

  • Disembark the ship and join the Golden Eagle Danube Express at Venice Santa Lucia Station. As you settle into your cabins, the train will thread its way out of the station and onto the causeway across the lagoon that links Venice to the mainland. Your first stop is the ancient port of Trieste for a tour of the city.

  • Your morning tour takes you to the Postojna Cave. Ride an underground train deep into the cave and tour the network of magnificent halls, a myriad of cave formations, and mysterious animals. Later, you will arrive in Ljubljana, the delightful capital of Slovenia. Discover the city’s combination of ancient architecture and youthful culture on a afternoon walking tour of Ljubljana’s Old Town, which includes a visit to Preseren Square, the Three Bridges, Dragon Bridge, and Plecnik Market.

  • Early in the morning, you’ll arrive in the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo, which has an intriguing blend of Eastern and Western culture. It has mosques and minarets, an ancient bazaar, and an atmospheric old Turkish quarter.

    Discover the city’s poignant history through a truly absorbing tour detailing the horrors of the Balkan War. Sarajevo suffered from the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare. The scars of war are still evident in the war-torn buildings you’ll pass before making a special visit to the Tunnel Museum under Sarajevo Airport. Your guide, who lived through the 1992-1996 conflict, brings to life in a touching fashion the struggles the citizens of Sarajevo faced during the siege of the city.

    Following lunch, you’ll travel along a very scenic line to the historic city of Mostar, the crossroads of many civilizations, cultures, and religions. Mostar was one of the most important cities of the Ottoman Empire. The town’s renowned stone arch bridge linking the Christian and Muslim areas was rebuilt in the summer of 2004. Visit the Turkish House and the mosque before walking through the narrow bazaar streets, where you can shop for traditional souvenirs and handicrafts.

  • Arrive this morning in the Serbian capital, Belgrade, the former Yugoslavian capital. Located at the strategic meeting point of the Danube and Sava Rivers, this truly cosmopolitan city has fortifications from Celtic times, medieval tombs, and Turkish baths. You will spend a full day here, and our city tour includes the ‘House of Flowers’—the mausoleum of Josip Tito, the Town Hall, Republic Square, and Knez Mihajlova Street, as well as ‘Varos’ Gate and a visit to the mighty Kalemegdan Fortress.

  • This morning, you cross the border into Montenegro, still one of Europe’s largely undiscovered locations. Blessed with glorious beaches and spectacular landscapes of rugged mountains, gentle lakes, and medieval towns, Montenegro has a combination of incredible natural beauty and captivating history that makes it a fascinating place to visit. We'll arrive in the coastal town of Bar for a sightseeing tour before getting back on the train and heading to our next destination.

    During lunch onboard, you will travel onto the capital city of Podgorica. The city has passed through the empires of the Romans, the Ottomans, and the Austro-Hungarians. Its streets are an interesting blend of Ottoman oddments, Austrian shopfronts, communist tower blocks, and modern shopping malls.

  • This afternoon, you’ll arrive in the little-visited Skopje and discover a city where the Ottoman influences are still strong. Explore the narrow streets of the Old Town with tiny shops and mosques with ceramic-tiled interiors. Meander through the Old Bazaar area, brimming with things to buy, and cross the 15th-century stone bridge that links the bazaar to the modern town.

  • After breakfast, your train arrives in Sofia, Bulgaria’s capital at the foot of Mt Vitosha. On your morning tour, you will visit sections of the Roman wall and admire the ancient church of St George, the golden-domed Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, and the Turkish Bashi Mosque.

    Enjoy lunch on the train as you travel from Sofia to Plovdiv. The second largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia, ‘The City of Seven Hills’ is one of the oldest cities in Europe with more than 200 known archaeological sites. You’ll visit the charming Old Town, including its medieval walls and Ottoman baths. Enjoy the final night’s dinner onboard this evening as you head for Turkey.

  • This morning, you will arrive in Istanbul, where you’ll stay for two nights at the stunning Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet. Today you will visit the crown jewel of the Ottoman Empire, Topkapi Palace. This stunning monument is the largest and oldest palace in the world and was the primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans from 1465 to 1853. With its treasury and exotic buildings overlooking the Golden Horn, your visit to Topkapi promises to be a truly fascinating experience.

    You will also visit the Grand Bazaar, one of the world’s largest covered markets with 58 streets and over 4,000 shops. In operation since the 14th century, the bazaar is especially known for its jewellery, leather, pottery, spices, and carpets.

  • Today see how old meets new and east meets west as you visit a selection of Istanbul’s must-see historic sites, including Hagia Sophia. Hagia Sophia was built in the 6th century by the Emperor Justinian and was one of the largest basilicas in the Christian world. After the Ottoman conquest, it was converted to a mosque and is today one of the most magnificent Grand Mosques in the world.

    One of the most famous monuments in both the Turkish and Islamic worlds, the Sultan Ahmet Mosque (the Blue Mosque) is a superb creation in the classical Ottoman style. We will have time to marvel at the exterior of the building, which features six towering minarets and 260 windows illuminating its vast main chamber.

    In the afternoon, you will embark on a cruise of the legendary Bosphorus and visit the Grand Bazaar.

    On the final evening you will enjoy a Farewell Dinner in a local restaurant.

  • This morning, you’ll check out of the hotel and be transferred to Istanbul Airport for your departure.

Depart Venice

03 May 2026 Classic Torcello Deck $44,89 | French Balcony Murano Deck $48,498 | Suite Murano Deck Limited Availability $52,698

Departures also available 23 August & 23 September 2026. Contact your travel expert for details. Prices are per person share twin in New Zealand dollars. All departures are subject to availability.

Important Note Price is correct as of 15 August 2025 however is subject to currency fluctuation without notice. Credit card fees may apply. Please contact your Travel Expert for full terms & conditions.

 

Interested in this experience? Mention this Deal Code: 1151 when speaking with your travel agent. Don't have an agent? Click here to connect with one of our experts.

Karen McMahon
Next

Paris & the Heart of Normandy