Express to the Orient: Paris to Istanbul

About this trip

Exactly what you do each day, where you sleep, and how it flows — written by us, from the real itinerary.

1. 1
   Day 1 · ParisParis

   

   Arrive in Paris and meet your group and trip leader at 6 pm. Before that, consider visiting the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo, or climbing the Eiffel Tower for views across the city. Grab a picnic lunch in the Tuileries, Plantes or Jardin du Luxembourg.

2. 2
   Day 2 · ParisStrasbourg

   

   Take a high-speed train from Paris to Strasbourg on the German border. Walk around the city with your leader, then try tarte flambee – a flatbread with cheese, onions and bacon. Visit Strasbourg's Cathedral of Notre Dame (finished 1439) or the three museums at Palais de Rohan in the afternoon.

3. 3
   Day 3 · StrasbourgStrasbourg / Munich

   

   Spend the morning exploring Strasbourg's 16th-century buildings in La Petite France, then take the German High-Speed rail network across the border to Munich, arriving in the afternoon. Your leader walks you through the city, with the evening free to spend as you choose.

4. 4
   Day 4 · MunichMunich

   A free day in Munich. Visit the Old Town's Altes Rathaus and the neo-Gothic Neues Rathaus with its gargoyles, timing your visit to catch the Glockenspiel clock reenacting scenes from the city's history. The Transport Museum covers everything from Roman routes to a magnetic track ride.

5. 5
   Day 5 · SalzburgSalzburg / Vienna

   

   Train early to Salzburg, walk with your leader and grab apple strudel or kaiserschmarrn for breakfast. Take the funicular up to Fortress Hohensalzburg for medieval exploration and views over the city. After lunch, local train to Vienna; the evening is yours to explore.

6. 6
   Day 6 · ViennaVienna

   Orientation walk past St Stephens Cathedral to the neo-classical Graben, finishing with coffee and cake at Vollpression. Afternoon free to explore art museums like the Albertina and Museum Quarter, or visit Schoenbrunn Palace. Your leader helps tailor the day to your interests.

7. 7
   Day 7 · ViennaBudapest

   Final morning in Vienna before taking a train east to Budapest, known as the Pearl of the Danube. After a short orientation walk, your afternoon is free. Consider a Danube cruise to see the Parliament Building, Castle District and bridges linking Buda to Pest, or explore the Jewish Quarter.

8. 8
   Day 8 · BudapestBudapest

   Visit the medieval Buda Castle and palace complex with its winding 13th-century streets. Ride the funicular up Buda Castle hill. Your free afternoon can be spent hiring a bicycle to move between sights or wandering streets while snacking on local food, with leader recommendations available.

9. 9
   Day 9 · Novi SadNovi Sad / Belgrade

   

   Private transfer to Novi Sad, Serbia's second-largest city (4 hours), stopping for included traditional Serbian lunch. Explore the Danube-side city with its mix of Serbian heritage and Austro-Hungarian architecture on an orientation walk. Local train to Belgrade (1 hour); evening is free at your accommodation.

10. 10
    Day 10 · BelgradeBelgrade

    Leader-led orientation walk through Belgrade, the White City, at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. Visit Kalemegdan Park and the fortress overlooking the Danube for centuries. Free afternoon to see the imposing Hram Svetog Save or the Nikola Tesla Museum.

11. 11
    Day 11 · NisNis

    Early morning long train ride through southern Serbia to Nis, one of Europe's oldest cities. Arrive in the afternoon for a leader-led walk around the city. The evening is free; history enthusiasts can visit Mediana, the remnants of an opulent palace once belonging to Constantine the Great.

12. 12
    Day 12 · SofiaSofia / Plovdiv

    Private transfer to Sofia, Bulgaria's cosmopolitan capital with tree-lined boulevards and parks. Orientation walk covering the metro and trams, then free time. Visit the National History Museum, National Archaeological Museum or National Art Gallery. Afternoon local train to Plovdiv on the Maritsa River; enjoy local cuisine in the evening.

13. 13
    Day 13 · PlovdivPlovdiv / Overnight Train

    

    Leader-led orientation walk of Plovdiv's highlights, including the 2nd-century Roman theatre (6,000 seats), discovered after a 1970s landslide. Climb to Nebet Tepe hilltop fortress for city views. Free afternoon to explore the charming city and gather snacks and wine before your overnight train departs this evening.

14. 14
    Day 14 · IstanbulIstanbul

    Arrive Istanbul around 7 am, drop luggage at hotel and grab optional breakfast. Explore the Old City with your leader, visiting the Blue Mosque, the ancient Hippodrome and the Million – a stone road marker from the fourth century. Free afternoon to continue exploring.

15. 15
    Day 15 · IstanbulIstanbul

What's included

• Guide: All Intrepid group trips in Europe are accompanied by one of our local European group leaders. ’Local’ in this context means a leader who is European or lives in Europe. The aim of the group leader is to take the hassle out of your travels and to help you have the best trip possible. Intrepid endeavours to provide the services of an experienced leader however, due to the seasonality of travel, rare situations may arise where your leader is new to a particular region or training other group leaders. Your leader takes care of logistics, will provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for things to do and see, recommend great local eating venues and introduce you to our local friends. While not being guides in the traditional sense you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the places visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious and social aspects. At Intrepid we also aim to support local guides in the individual cities or locations we travel to. If you are interested in delving deeper into the local culture at a specific site or location then your leader can recommend an optional local guide service in most of the main destinations of your trip.
• Meals: 13 breakfasts, 1 lunch
• Activities: Strasbourg - Tarte Flambee Salzburg - Hohensalzburg Fortress Visit & Funicular Vienna - Kaffee und Kuchen Experience Budapest - Castle Visit & Funicular Ride Novi Sad - Traditional Serbian Lunch at a Salas Property Belgrade - Fortress Visit
• Transport: TRAIN TRAVEL: The primary form of transportation on this trip are scheduled local and intercity trains that travel on the railway tracks that were once used by the historical Orient Express in the late 19th Century. We use standard, economy and/or 2nd class local carriages, depending on availability. Cabins on the Overnight Train from Plovdiv to Istanbul are quad-share bunk-style. Please see the daily itinerary for more details. Please also note that minor delays of trains can be common. Train, Overnight train, Private transport
• Accommodation: The style of accommodation indicated in the day-to-day itinerary is a guideline only and may change. On some occasions, alternative arrangements may need to be made due to the lack of availability of rooms in our preferred accommodation. In these cases, we will use a similar standard of accommodation. Throughout the trip, we request that our properties prepare rooms in time for our arrival, especially if we're arriving prior to normal check-in time. However, this isn't always possible which means we won't be able to check-in immediately on arrival at some hotels. Instead, we can store our luggage and explore our new destination or on some trips, have use of shared day rooms until all rooms are available., OCCASIONAL ALTERNATIVE ACCOMMODATION: The style of accommodation indicated in the day-to-day itinerary is a guideline. On rare occasions, alternative arrangements may need to be made due to the lack of availability of rooms in our usual accommodation. A similar standard of accommodation will be used in these instances. CHECK-IN TIME: Throughout the trip we request that our hotels prepare rooms in time for our arrival, especially if we're arriving prior to normal check-in time. However this isn't always possible which means we won't be able to check-in immediately on arrival at some hotels. Instead, we can store our luggage and explore our new destination. PRE/POST TRIP ACCOMMODATION: If you've purchased pre-trip or post-trip accommodation (if available), you may be required to change rooms from your trip accommodation for these extra nights. FACILITIES: Your accommodation may not always have private en suite facilities or air-conditioning. European hotels generally don't provide kettles or fridges. Hotel (13 nights), Overnight train (1 night)

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