Jump to content

Danube Express

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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]
[edit]