Paris, Istanbul & the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express Train

(13 Days - Departs Daily on a Private Basis)
Paris, Budapest, Sinaia, Bucharest, Varna, Istanbul

This luxury tour combines several days of private cultural touring and stays at luxury hotels in Paris and Istanbul with travel between the two cities on one of the world’s most glamorous trains—the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express—including stops in Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria en route.

Begin in Paris, France. With your own private guide and driver—sophisticated experts who will share the very best of Paris with you—explore Paris according to your interests. Tour the city's most interesting neighborhoods, markets, boutiques, specialty food shops, gardens, museums and other cultural attractions. A few of our favorites: Walk among centuries-old mansions on exclusive Ile Saint-Louis. See the stained-glass windows of exquisite Sainte-Chapelle, see iconic Notre Dame. Visit the backstreets of Montmartre. Climb the steps to the Sacre Coeur Basilica for panoramic views. Explore Le Marais, whose private homes once belonged to kings, noblemen and courtesans. Wander the old Jewish quarter to the Place des Vosges, one of the city’s most beautiful squares. See the art treasures of museums such as the Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, l'Orangerie, Centre Pompidou and Fondation Louis Vuitton. Or visit smaller specialty museums off the beaten track. If desired, enjoy reservations at one of the restaurants in the Eiffel Tower. Stroll the Latin Quarter and relax in the Luxembourg Gardens. Shop exclusive boutiques along Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore and Rue Royale. Take a break at Left Bank cafes made famous by poets and philosophers and stop in the church of Saint-Germain-des-Pres. Upon request, Artisans of Leisure can arrange personalized shopping (antiques, flea markets, haute couture, tea, copperware and cooking utensils, chocolate and more). Perhaps spend hours enjoying a degustation gastronomique at a leading restaurant.

One day, enjoy a private excursion to Versailles to tour the opulent Palace of Versailles, including the Hall of Mirrors, as well as the gardens and the Hameau de la Reine, the mock hamlet created for Marie-Antoinette. Alternatively, take a private excursion to Giverny to tour the house and gardens where Claude Monet lived and painted in his final years.

Next, board the luxurious Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, a Belmond Train, for the fabled rail journey between Paris and Istanbul. Enjoy the romance of restored 1920s train carriages that recall the golden age of train travel. Have a formal meal in the dining cars or perhaps relax with a drink accompanied by piano music in the bar car. Disembark the VSOE in Budapest, Hungary, for an overnight stay in a luxury hotel and train-based touring of the highlights of the city, including an evening cruise on the Danube River.

Back aboard your luxury train, travel to Sinaia, Romania, stopping to visit Peles Castle, a fairy-tale palace in the Carpathian Mountains. Continue through the Romanian countryside to Bucharest for an overnight stay in a hotel and a festive dinner with musical accompaniment.

Back on the VSOE, travel to Varna, Bulgaria, a resort town on the edge of the Black Sea, for train-based activities, including a visit to a private estate. Continue by train across the Thracian Plain and into Turkey, finally disembarking the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express train at its terminus in Istanbul, where you will be met and transferred to a luxury hotel.

In Istanbul, enjoy flexible private touring of sights such as the Aya Sofya (Hagia Sophia), the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and its Harem, the Rustem Pasha Mosque, an ancient underground cistern, and Istanbul's Spice Market. Enjoy a boat ride on the Bosphorus, the waterway separating old Istanbul from new, and Europe from Asia. Shop for carpets and kilim, jewelry, glass, textiles and antiques at the Grand Bazaar and at our favorite boutiques. Also visit Istanbul's most interesting museums, including the Istanbul Modern. There will also be time to enjoy the city's wonderful cafes and vibrant neighborhoods.

Artisans of Leisure can customize many of our private France and Turkey tours to incorporate Venice Simplon-Orient-Express train journeys.