Trams of Hungary, Czechia & Slovakia

ITINERARY

Day 1 – London to Frankfurt

Mid-morning departure on Eurostar from London St. Pancras to Brussels Midi, where we make an onwards connection to Frankfurt for a 1-night stay.

Day 2 – Onwards to Vienna

Travelling via Nuremburg, we arrive in Vienna early evening for a 1-night stay.

Day 3 – Vienna & Budapest Trams

A late morning departure gives us some time to explore the Lokalbahn or other attractions of Vienna and still affords us an early afternoon arrival in Budapest for a 4-night stay. A cosmopolitan capital city full of art nouveau architecture and several UNESCO World Heritage Sites, all of which can be explored using the city’s extensive tram system.

Day 4 – Hungarian Railway Museum

A morning visit to Europe’s largest open air railway museum at Vasuttorteneti Park. The roundhouse and its 34 bays provide an ideal home for the operational vintage fleet. This includes a steam engine built in 1870 and the legendary Árpád railcar, built in 1934. The gem of the vintage fleet is the elegant teak dining car built for the Orient Express in 1912. On our return to the city, continue exploring the vast tram network.

Day 5 – Cogwheel & Children’s Railways

A round-trip with journeys on both the Cogwheel Railway to Széchenyi-hegy, and then the Children’s Railway, which winds its way through the picturesque Buda Hills. Like any other railway, it has ticket offices, diesel locomotives, signals, points and a timetable. Unlike other railways though, this one is run by children.

Day 6 – Urban Transport Museum

Take the local HEV line out to Szentendre today. Here, we find an old depot dating back to 1914, housing everything from old tram cars and trolley buses, to photographs, documents, tickets and route maps, and a lot more.

Day 7 – On to Bratislava

A last chance to travel on any lines you have missed before departing on a direct train to Bratislava, arriving early afternoon. Once checked in, the afternoon is free to ride the Slovakian capital’s tram and trolly bus system. Bratislava’s Old Town is known for its many churches, riverbank promenade and cultural institutions.

Day 8 – Bratislava to Brno

There is plenty of time to ride the remaining tram lines today, before a late afternoon journey into Czechia, for a 3-night stay in Brno. There is a model railway museum a short walk from our hotel.

Days 9 & 10 – Brno Trams

Brno, officially the traditional capital of Moravia and steeped in history, has the second largest tram system in the country with 11 routes. We have two full days to explore this vibrant city using its tram system.

Day 11 – Continue to Prague

A direct morning train sees us arrive in the capital around lunchtime for a 3-night stay. Whilst we will be too early to check in, the hotel will store our luggage so that we can begin to immerse ourselves in the largest tram system in Czechia.

Days 12 & 13 – Prague Trams

The Prague tram system is almost 150km long and consists of 22 daytime lines and 9 night lines. We will cover what we can over these two days. Included is a visit to the Public Transport Museum and a city tour by a privately chartered historical tram from Vozovna Střešovice Depot through Hradčanská, Strossmayerovo nám, Náměstí Republiky, Václavské náměstí, Národní třída, Národní divadlo, Staroměstská, Malostranská, Pražský hrad (PragueCastle), Pohořelec, Myslbekova and back to the depot. Subject to construction work being completed on time, we will also have a tour of the depot.

Day 14 – Return to Frankfurt

Rail journey back to Frankfurt via Dresden, arriving early evening for a 1-night stay.

Day 15 – Homeward Bound

Direct train back to Brussels, where we join the Eurostar for travel back to London.