Danube Express
The Danube Express is a private train operating in central and eastern Europe. It provides a hotel-on-wheels service with sleeping cars of three comfort categories (Superior DeLuxe, DeLuxe and Heritage classes), completed by restaurant, lounge and staff cars. Its operating season is generally from April to October.
The operation of the train has begun in September 2008. Most of the journeys were organized from Budapest to Istanbul via Romania and Bulgaria, and return via Serbia, but there were also frequent tours to Austria, Slovakia, Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany.
Since 2014 the train belongs to Golden Eagle Luxury Trains, who has extended the range of tours significantly. Journeys have taken part until 2016 even to and inside Iran, and from Istanbul to Venice through the Balkan states, but since then all the tours to and via Turkey are cancelled due to safety reasons. New tours were made in the recent years through Italy - down to Sicily and via Switzerland.
Rolling stock
[edit]| Carriage's name | Carriage type | Carriage number | Year of construction | Built by | Origin | Year of refitment | Capacity / layout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bohemia | Superior DeLuxe sleeping car | WLmee 51 55 89-89 010-9 | 1985 | DWA Bautzen | DR/DB/BTE couchette car | 2017 | 4 compartments with double bed and en-suite bathroom, a steward's cabin and a common bathroom |
| Dalmatia | Superior DeLuxe sleeping car | WLmee 51 55 89-89 011-7 | 1985 | DWA Bautzen | DR/DB/BTE couchette car | 2018 | 4 compartments with double bed and en-suite bathroom, a steward's cabin and a common bathroom |
| Bavaria | Superior DeLuxe sleeping car | WLmee 51 55 89-89 012-5 | 1985 | DWA Bautzen | DR/DB/BTE couchette car | 2018 | 4 compartments with double bed and en-suite bathroom, a steward's cabin and a common bathroom |
| Saxonia | DeLuxe sleeping car | WLm 56 55 89-90 001-3 | 1990 | Ganz-Hunslet | mail van of the Hungarian Post | 2007 | 5 compartments with twin beds and en-suite bathroom and a steward's cabin |
| Cracovia | DeLuxe sleeping car | WLm 56 55 89-90 002-1 | 1990 | Ganz-Hunslet | mail van of the Hungarian Post | 2007 | 5 compartments with twin beds and en-suite bathroom and a steward's cabin |
| Vindobona | DeLuxe sleeping car | WLm 56 55 89-90 003-9 | 1990 | Ganz Hunslet | mail van of the Hungarian Post | 2007 | 5 compartments with twin beds and en-suite bathroom and a steward's cabin |
| Hungaria | DeLuxe sleeping car | WLm 56 55 89-90 004-7 | 1990 | Ganz-Hunslet | mail van of the Hungarian Post | 2007 | 5 compartments with twin beds and en-suite bathroom and a steward's cabin |
| Heritage class state car | WLS 56 55 89-69 051-2 | 1958 | MÁV Dunakeszi Workshops | used in Hungarian governmental train | 4 compartments with bunk beds and washbasin, a DeLuxe compartment with double bed and en-suite bathroom, a kitchenette, and a common bathroom | ||
| Heritage class state car | WLS 56 55 89-69 055-3 | 1952 | MÁV Dunakeszi Workshops | used in Hungarian governmental train | 4 compartments with bunk beds and washbasin, a DeLuxe compartment with double bed and en-suite bathroom, a kitchenette, and a common bathroom | ||
| Heritage class sleeping car | WL 56 55 70-29 361-5 | 1956 | MÁV Dunakeszi Workshops | used in Hungarian governmental train | 9 compartments with bunk beds and washbasin, a kitchenette, and a common bathroom | ||
| Heritage class sleeping car | WL 56 55 70-29 362-3 | 1956 | MÁV Dunakeszi Workshops | used in Hungarian governmental train | 9 compartments with bunk beds and washbasin, a kitchenette, and a common bathroom | ||
| Pannonia | Dining car | WRm 51 55 88-81 029-3 | 1981 | DWA Bautzen | used in Hungarian governmental train | 2000 | 42 seats for two and four |
| Albert Flórián | Dining car | WRm 51 55 88-81 012-4 | 1981 | DWA Bautzen | MÁV dining car | 2014 | 42 seats for two and four |
| Budapest | Lounge car | WRm 51 55 88-81 004-1 | 1981 | DWA Bautzen | MÁV dining car | 2003 | variable layout as dining, bar, or lecture car with a maximum seat capacity of 42 |
| Balaton | Bar car | WRSmee 51 55 87-71 001-0 | 1981 | DWA Bautzen | MÁV dining car | 2015 | sofas, seats at tables and at the bar, piano |
| Salon Istropolitan | Staff state car | BcR 56 55 85-40 041-1 | 1968 | DWA Görlitz | CSD/ZSSK sleeping car | 2001 | 6 three-bed sleeper compartments, a dining saloon and a kitchenette |
| Generator and staff car | WLDsm 51 55 89-71 001-8 | 1990 | Ganz-Hunslet | mail van of the Hungarian Post | 2014 | storage facilities, sleeping compartments and a room for conductors |
Some of the cars were also previously operated on its predecessor train Royal Hungarian Express.
The carriages are based in Budapest, Hungary, and operated by MÁV Nosztalgia Ltd..
Train composition may vary upon demand between 7 and 13 carriages. There are no specific engines for the haulage, but in Hungary - at least at the departures and arrivals from/to Budapest - it's done particularly by heritage (even steam) locomotives.
Tours
[edit]| Tour's name | Route | Duration (on train only) | Years, when provided |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vienna, Lakes and Mountains | Budapest - Keszthely - Vienna - Graz - Budapest | 3 days | 2008 |
| Central Europe By Luxury Train | Budapest - Kosice - Cracow - Prague - Berlin | 4 days | 2008 |
| The Polish Explorer | Budapest - Kosice - Auschwitz - Cracow - Malbork - Gdansk - Warsaw | 4 days | 2008, 2011-2012 |
| Berlin - Gdansk - Malbork - Cracow - Zakopane - Kosice - Budapest | 4 days | 2009 | |
| Transsylvania And The Bosphorus | Budapest - Sighisoara - Brasov - Veliko Turnovo - Istanbul | 4 days | 2008 |
| The Bosphorus Voyager | Budapest - Novi Sad - Sofia - Istanbul | 3 days | 2009 |
| The Transylvanian | Budapest - Sighisoara - Brasov - Veliko Turnovo - Kazanlak - Istanbul* | 4 days | 2009-2016 |
| The Central European | Budapest - Kosice - Prague - Carlsbad - Dresden - Berlin | 3 days | 2009 |
| The Bohemian | Budapest - Vienna - Prague - Carlsbad - Brussels* | 3 days | 2009 |
| Frankfurt - Karlstejn - Prague - Budapest | 3 days | 2010 | |
| The Habsburg | Budapest - Vienna - Salzburg - Berchtesgaden - Frankfurt | 3 days | 2010 |
| The Istanbul Loop | Budapest - Sighisoara - Brasov - Veliko Turnovo - Kazanlak - Istanbul - Sofia - Novi Sad - Budapest | 9 days | 2011-2012 |
| Central European Classics | Budapest - Keszthely - Vienna - Bratislava - Cracow - Prague* | 4 days | 2015-2016 |
| The Balkan Explorer | Istanbul - Plovdiv - Sofia - Thessaloniki - Skopje - Belgrade - Mostar - Sarajevo - Ljubljana - Trieste - Venice* | 8 days | 2015-2016, 2019 |
| Balkan Odyssey | Budapest - Sighisoara - Brasov - Veliko Tarnovo - Plovdiv - Belgrade - Mostar - Sarajevo - Ljubljana - Trieste - Venice* | 7 days | 2017-, 2019 |
| Hellenic Treasures | Budapest - Keszthely - Ljubljana - Sarajevo - Mostar - Belgrade - Sofia - Plovdiv - Thessaloniki - Athens | 2017 | |
| Treasures oOf Eastern Europe | Prague - Zittau - Berlin - Gdansk - Malbork - Zakopane - CKcakow -Bratislava - VVienna - Keszthely - Budapest | 8 days | 2015-20161 |
| Venice - Prague - Zittau - Berlin - Gdansk - Malbork - Zakopane - Krakow - Vienna - Keszthely - Budapest | 2017 | ||
| Sicilian Odyssey (southbound) | Venice - Cremona - Verona - Bologna - Bari - Pompeii - Villa San Giovanni - Palermo - Agrigento - Ragusa - Syracuse - Caltagirone - Catania - Taormina | 2017-2018 | |
| Budapest - Venice - San Marino - Bari - Naples - Pompeii - Palermo - Agrigento - Ragusa - Syracuse - Catania - Taormina | 8 days | 2019 | |
| Sicilian Odyssey (northbound) | Taormina - Catania - Caltagirone - Syracuse - Raguse - Agrigenti - Palermo - Salerno - Amalfi Coast - Rome - San Gimignano - Florence - Venice | 2017-2018 | |
| New Year in Vienna | Budapest - Keszthely - Graz - Vienna - Cesky Krumlov - Prague - Kosice - Budapest | 6 days | 2017- |
| Grand Alpine Expressipi | Budapest - Vienna - Semmering - Achensee - Innsbruck - Zurich - Lake Como - Milano - Verona - Trieste - Ljubljana - Venice | 7 days | 2018- |
| A Taste of Italy | Taormina - Bari - San Marino - Ljubljana - Budapest | 3 days | 2019 |
| Castles of Transylvania | Istanbul - Veliko Turnovo - Sinaia - Brasov - Sighisoara - Sibiu - Budapest | 5 days | 2019 |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]External links
[edit]- Danube Express, Official website
- mavnosztalgia Archived 2020-09-18 at the Wayback Machine.