golden eagle luxury trains JEWELS OF PERSIA JEWELS OF PERSIA onboard the golden eagle danube express As rail tours go, Jewels of Persia is truly amazing. Travelling from the banks of the Danube to the shores of the Bosphorus and onto the ancient land of Persia, this unique journey takes in destinations that are rarely experienced by the Western visitor which makes it all the more special. An inaugural tour for those who display true pioneering spirit; a distinctive adventure that may not always follow the itinerary step-by-step, but will delight and enthral with the potential for a surprise or two along the way. The Golden Eagle Danube Express will be the first ever European private train to be permitted to enter into Iran. Budapest UKRAINE HUNGARY KAZAKHSTAN MOLDOVA Kecskemét Sighişoara RUSSIA ROMANIA Braşov BOS. & HERZ. SERBIA Black Sea Veliko Turnovo Kazanlak Caspian BULGARIA GEORGIA MACEDONIA Istanbul Sea ALBANIA ARMENIA AZERBAIJAN TURKEY Lake TURKMENISTAN GREECE Van Cappadocia Tatvan Van Tehran Mashhad Zanjan SYRIA Mediterranean Sea LEBANON IRAN IRAQ Isfahan Jewels of Persia Yazd ISRAEL Eastbound itinerary (Budapest – Istanbul –Tehran) JORDAN Kerman EGYPT Persepolis LIBYAWestbound itinerary (Tehran – Istanbul – Budapest) Persian Shiraz SAUDI ARABIA Gulf Tour Schedule Tour Schedule October 14 – October 28, 2014 October 27 – November 10, 2014 March 31 - April 14, 2015 April 13 - 27, 2015 October 6 - 20, 2015 October 19 - November 2, 2015 Eastbound Itinerary Westbound Itinerary • Budapest • Kecskemét • Sighişoara • Braşov • Veliko Turnovo • Tehran • Mashhad • Kerman • Shiraz • Persepolis • Isfahan • Kazanlak • Istanbul • Cappadocia • Lake Van • Akdamar Island • Zanjan • Van • Lake Van • Akdamar Island • Cappadocia • Van • Zanjan • Yazd • Isfahan • Shiraz • Persepolis • Tehran • Istanbul • Kazanlak • Veliko Turnovo • Braşov • Sighişoara • Kecskemét • Budapest www.goldeneagleluxurytrains.com www.goldeneagleluxurytrains.com TOUR ITINERARY (EASTBOUND) OCTOBER 14 – OCTOBER 28, 2014 MARCH 31 - APRIL 14, 2015 | OCTOBER 6 - OCTOBER 20, 2015 DAY 1 see how old meets new; east meets west when budapest you visit Istanbul’s must-see historic sites. HUNGARY One of the most famous monuments in both the Turkish and Islamic worlds, the Sultan Ahmet Arrivals day in Budapest where you will be met Mosque (the Blue Mosque) is a superb creation and transferred to the Four Seasons Hotel in the classical Ottoman style and features six Gresham Palace. We will enjoy a welcome towering minarets and 260 windows illuminating reception dinner, whilst you meet your fellow its vast main chamber, which is decorated with travellers on this highly anticipated journey. more than 20,000 Iznik tiles. DAY 2 Now a museum, Hagia Sophia was built in the budapest & kecskemét 6th century by the Emperor Justinian, and was HUNGARY one of the largest basilicas in the Christian world. After the Ottoman conquest, it was We enjoy a morning drinks reception in the converted to a mosque and is today one of the impressive Royal Waiting Room at Budapest most magnificent museums in the world. Take Nyugati station before boarding the Golden Eagle a moment to linger here to admire the fine Danube Express and we begin our spectacular Byzantine mosaics. rail journey to Tehran. Settle in to your cabin Sighişoara and later enjoy lunch as the train heads, steam- The largest and oldest palace in the world and DAY 4 hauled for the first 100km, to Lajosmizse for a primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans from veliko turnovo & kazanlak spectacular ‘Puszta’ horse show. Afterwards 1465 to 1853, Topkapi is the crown jewel of the BULGARIA there is free time to explore Kecskemét, a Ottoman Empire. With its treasury and exotic fascinating city at the geographical centre of buildings overlooking the Golden Horn, your visit We arrive after breakfast in Veliko Turnovo, Hungary. Back onboard, enjoy a pre-dinner drink to Topkapi promises to be a truly fascinating Bulgaria’s ancient capital. Nestled in a in the Lounge Car as the train continues across experience. magnificent mountain setting, the stone houses the Great Hungarian Plain and dine as we head seem perched, one above the other, on the steep towards Transylvania. We also visit the Grand Bazaar which is one banks of the Yantra River. A tour includes the of the world’s largest covered markets, with superbly preserved medieval Tsarevets Hill and 58 streets and over 4,000 shops. In operation DAY 3 Castle and there is free time to wander through since the 14th century the bazaar is especially sighişoara & braşov the ancient city. We take lunch onboard during known for its jewellery, leather, pottery, spices ROMANIA the climb over the Shipka Pass. Kazanlak, in the and carpets. Valley of the Roses, produces rose oil prized by Today we arrive in Sighişoara for a walking tour perfumers worldwide. Here we visit the Shipka Guests stay overnight at a five star hotel while of the town’s main highlights. A World Heritage Memorial Church and a Thracian tomb with the train re-positions to Derince for the next site rumoured to be the birthplace of Dracula, it vaulted brickwork dating back to the 4th century stage of the journey. Late afternoon on Day 6 is one of the best-preserved fortified medieval BC. Relax in the Lounge Car before dinner is after the conclusion of our city tour, we leave towns in Europe. Burgher houses and ornate served as our train continues through the scenic Istanbul and travel by bus to Derince to re-board churches line its cobbled streets. We return landscape, reaching the Turkish border late in the Golden Eagle Danube Express and continue onboard for lunch as we continue onto Braşov the evening. our journey through Asian Turkey. for a tour of Bran Castle. Popularly known as Dracula’s Castle, this beautiful 14th century DAYS 5 & 6 Engineering work in connection with the building is situated amongst stunning mountain istanbul Bosphorus Tunnel project (on both sides of scenery. Back onboard later this evening, the TURKEY the Bosphorus) will involve the train stopping train twists and turns as it climbs over the outside Istanbul with the onward journeys by Carpathian Mountains and threads its way This morning we arrive into Istanbul. This fabled coach when leaving and re-joining the train. through the dramatic landscape with crystal city that spans Asia and Europe deserves an clear mountain streams. Dinner is served as our extended stay so over the next two days we will train continues onto Bulgaria. www.goldeneagleluxurytrains.com DAY 11 DAY 13 yazd shiraz & persepolis IRAN IRAN Yazd is thought to be one of the oldest cities in Shiraz has many strings to its bow: poetry, the world and the tour takes in the Zoroastrian literature, wine, flowers and amazing gardens Fire Temple, Amir Chakhmagh Square and the and fruit trees. A visit to the Qoran Gate, Hafez 14th century Friday Mosque, home to one of Tomb and the Vakil Citadel are the highlights of Persia’s finest mosaics. our morning tour. We re-board the train for lunch and continue Following lunch onboard we continue onto to Isfahan where we enjoy a short tour of the Marvdast, for the home of Persepolis, another famous bridges of Sioseh Pol and Khadjou. A local World Heritage Site. Perhaps Iran’s most restaurant is the setting for our evening meal. important archeological site, this ceremonial capital of the Persian Empire dates back to the DAYS 7 & 8 6th century. Even now, the ruins are extremely cappadocia DAY 12 impressive. We also view the Necropolis TURKEY isfahan (Naghshe Rustam) and the Naghshe Rajab. IRAN Cappadocia is an area of Central Anatolia guest speaker best known for its rocky landscape and is This enchanting city, which served as Persia’s announcement honeycombed with networks of ancient capital from 1598 to 1722, is 2,500 years old Farokh Engineer underground settlements and outstanding and one of the oldest in Iran. As a crossroad of (Eastbound tour) examples of Byzantine art. Erosion shaped international trade and diplomacy, Isfahan has the incredible landscape of the Göreme Valley, a rich mix of languages, religions and customs but thousands of years ago humans took their Farokh Engineer is a raconteur and a cue from Mother Nature and began carving an The city is famous for its silver filigree and metal former cricketer who played 46 Tests incredible chamber and tunnel complex into work, array of great historical monuments, and for India between 1961 and 1975 and the soft rock. Beginning in the 4th century, an its Life-Giving River, the Zayandeh-Rood, which played first-class cricket for Lancashire in England. Significantly for this tour, urbanised underground cultural landscape has given the city its beauty. Isfahan is packed Farokh is a Parsee (Persian members of was created here. We continue our tour of with some of Iran’s best sights and today we Zoroastrian communities in India) and Cappadocia the following morning before spend a whole day in the city, visiting the Chehel although his ethnic roots are in Yazd, this returning to the train for an afternoon onboard Sotoon Palace and the Vank Church in the will be his first visit to Persia. as we head to our next destination. Armenian Quarter. Following a traditional Iranian lunch we move on to Naghshe Jahan Square, a DAY 9 World Heritage Site and the second largest man- made square in the world, where the Ali Qapou van, lake van DAY 14 Palace and Shah and Sheikh Lutfullah Mosques & akdamar island tehran can be found. Here, the time is yours to enjoy TURKEY IRAN the huge square and pick up a bargain at the handicraft Bazaar of Qaisarieh. Today a six-hour crossing by train ferry takes After breakfast we reach our final destination and us from Tatvan to Van, where we briefly stop on disembark the Golden Eagle Danube Express.