Luxury travel and higher spending on extravagant travel are expected to continue in 2024 and beyond, and Uniworld Boutique River Cruises plans to meet demand with, among other products, new rail/cruise itineraries in Europe.
The line brings together a great expansion of its offers across Europe through a continued partnership with Railway operator in Europe Golden Eagle Danube Express. Its aim is to integrate the new destinations into the Uniworld experience.
For the past two years, Uniworld had offered two versions of two cruise and rail itineraries: Milan, Venice and the Swiss Alps for 12 or 14 days journey and a 12- or 13-day itinerary of Transylvanian Castles and the Enchanting Danube, which combined a four-night rail journey with a cruise on the Venetian Lagoon or Upper Danube, respectively.
Now, the itineraries with rail components have been expanded, focusing on other destinations throughout Europe, with some time in Istanbul, the Balkans, and also in Greece, a destination Uniworld said has been one of the most searched destinations on their site. In fact, guest feedback has also helped determine how Uniworld has set up to expand to these destinations in other parts of Europe.
In addition, the new cruise and rail itineraries are at least two weeks long, in order to give travelers longer, more luxurious and immersive experiences.
A 17-day itinerary in Venice, Istanbul and the Balkans and 19 days in Milan, Venice, Istanbul and the Balkans take travelers across Eastern Europe, visiting Macedonia, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, as well as the Greek waterfront in Thessaloniki, before heading to Venice for a weeklong river cruise (travelers on the 19-day itinerary visit Milan and Verona). If that wasn’t enough, both itineraries offer extensions to Lake Como and Lake Lugano in Switzerland.
Travelers on the 14-day Grand Alpine & Enchanting Danube from Passau to Venice begin their journeys on a seven-night cruise on the Upper Danube aboard the SS Maria Teresa before boarding their train in Vienna, where they visited Lavu Achen, Innsbruck and Voralberg in Austria and Lake Como, Milan, Trieste and Venice in Italy, as well as a short visit to Postojna in Slovenia. Travelers can also add a two-night extension to Prague.
The 15-day Grand Alpine & Jewels of the Veneto, which travels between Budapest and Venice, offers a slightly similar experience: The rail part visits the same destinations in Austria, Italy and Slovenia, but sails on the Venice Lagoon instead of the Danube .
The latest of the new itineraries is the 15-day Delightful Danube and Transylvanian Castles itinerary from Istanbul to Nuremberg, Germany. Similar to the line’s original cruise and rail offerings that focused on Eastern Europe, this itinerary will spend time in Romania and Hungary, with the addition of time spent exploring Turkiye and Bulgaria before joining the River Duchess in Budapest for a seven-night river cruise. the Upper Danube.
And for travelers who want to experience Uniworld’s cruise and rail product outside of Europe, the line is offering more departure dates for its newest addition. cruise and rail travel: the 16-day Sacred Ganges & the Maharajas’ Express, which launched this year. The route will now also be operated from Kolkata to New Delhi, as opposed to Kolkata to Mumbai.
