Alpine Belle: Lake Constance to Salzburg

Your five-star alpine journey begins at London St Pancras as you board the Eurostar in Plus class. Travelling to Brussels, enjoy a light meal in your seat before arriving in the Belgian capital. From here, continue by First Class rail to Cologne.

On arrival, transfer to your 4-Star hotel near the station for an overnight stay.

Meals: Eurostar Light Meal

Enjoy breakfast in your hotel this morning before your luxurious train journey begins. Travelling in 5-Star Class on the elegant Alpine Belle, you will be welcomed aboard with a glass of Champagne as you take your comfortable seat. With high-quality décor, these beautiful carriages recall the heyday of glamorous rail travel.

Leaving Cologne, the Alpine Belle heads south, stopping in the Hesse region to be joined by a historic steam locomotive. Under the nostalgic plumes of steam, the train continues through Rhineside cities and into southern Germany. As you travel, savour lunch onboard, soaking up the views enroute to your first destination, Lindau. Before you arrive, enjoy an evening meal in the Prestige Continental Express dining carriages, with half a bottle of wine per person included.

With a remarkable location on an island in Lake Constance overlooking rolling Swiss hills, the Old Town is charming and historic and has an iconic harbour entrance. Near both the station and harbour, you find your five-star hotel and check in for two nights.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Waking up on the shores of Lake Constance, enjoy breakfast at your lakefront hotel basking in beautiful views. The day is yours to spend as you wish, but there will also be optional excursions available to book. You might like to enjoy a day on the water - and you can visit two different countries by taking the boat to either Bregenz in Austria or Rorschach in Switzerland.

Staying in Lindau, wander the cobbled streets of the historic Old Town to discover frescoed buildings including the step-gabled Altes Rathaus, the former city hall dating from 1422. St Peter's Church is even older, with a history stretching back more than a thousand years and paintings attributed to Hans Holbein the Elder.

Of course, you may prefer to relax at your hotel, admiring the views from the terrace, or wandering the harbourside to the 12th-century Mangturm. This evening, you can make your own arrangements for dinner and there is a range of restaurants and cuisines to try in Lindau, from traditional German food to fine-dining.

Meals: Breakfast

After two days admiring the Alps across Lake Constance, you delve into mountainous landscapes today.

Boarding the Alpine Belle after breakfast, your elegant journey continues as you skirt the edge of the lake before crossing the Rhine into Switzerland. Hauled by a steam locomotive, you embark on a trip through the Appenzell Alps, marvelling at vivid green alpine pastures and traditional Swiss architecture. Enroute, you enjoy lunch and can unwind in the Diamant Bar, savouring the views from the immaculately restored Belle Époque carriage.

Heading into Austria behind a vintage electric train, the route carves through the Kloster Valley, lined on either side by towering peaks, before entering the Arlberg Tunnel. The longest railway tunnel in Austria when it opened in 1884, it cuts through the northeastern end of the Rhaetian Alps for six miles before emerging in the Tyrol region.

Enjoy an evening meal on the train before your arrival in Innsbruck, where a private transfer takes you to your beautifully located five-star superior hotel. Set in the secluded Seefeld plateau, the views of dense forests and the Tyrolean Alps are incredible.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

One of the most beautiful alpine regions is yours to discover today and, with optional sightseeing excursions available to book, you won't be short of options.

Explore Innsbruck, the capital of Tyrol, to view its imperial Old Town. Constructed to mark the wedding of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I in 1500, the Golden Roof glimmers with more than 2,600 fire-gilded copper tiles. Nearby, you can also find the ornate stucco façade of the Helbling House and 16th-century Hofburg, a former Habsburg palace. Other excursions may include the option to ride a 100-year-old tram through the city's streets.

East of Innsbruck, you can find the small town of Jenbach from where two steam railways depart. Ride the Achenseebahn to the north, enjoying a journey on the oldest cog railway in Europe that's still operated by steam. Your destination on this is Achensee, a mountain-backdropped turquoise lake known as the Tyrolean Sea. Alternatively, board the narrow-gauge Zillertalbahn for a scenic trip through an alpine valley to the charming town of Mayrhofen. This evening, dinner is included back at your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Travelling through the heart of the Alps after breakfast this morning, your journey is led by a German steam train. Verdant valleys and imposing peaks line the route as you delve further into alpine Austria, and you can soak up the sensational views while relaxing aboard the luxurious Alpine Belle.

After lunch on the train, you stop at Zell am See, a pretty town on the shores of emerald Lake Zell. While here, you enjoy a journey on a narrow-gauge railway through the scenic Pinzgau Mountains to view quintessential Austrian landscapes. Later, your steam-hauled journey on the Alpine Belle continues along the Salzach River. Passing the village of Werfen, gaze out at scenery made famous in The Sound of Music, and dine on the train before you arrive in Salzburg.

There is a choice of five-star hotels here, both close to Mozart's former home on Marktplatz and the elegant Mirabell Gardens, which also featured in The Sound of Music.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Packed with culture, history and beautiful sights, Salzburg is yours to explore on the first of two days in this elegant Austrian city. If you would like to experience Salzburg's cultural icons with experts, our optional excursions will include Mozart and The Sound of Music tours.

If you wish to discover Salzburg independently, you can visit the former residence of the Mozart family at Getreidegasse 9. It is where Wolfgang was born in 1756 and now houses a museum detailing his young life. His old Makartplatz home, near your hotel, is also a museum displaying artefacts from the composer's life.

There are numerous locations that fans of The Sound of Music will recognise, from the pretty Mirabell Gardens to You could also take a walk through the pretty Mirabell Gardens to the Summer Riding School, where the von Trapps performed before fleeing.

This evening, you can make your own plans for dinner and Salzburg offers many great options, from traditional schnitzels to candlelit banquets accompanied by classical music performances.

Meals: Breakfast

With a sea of noble white buildings huddled on either side of the Salzach River, this alpine city boasts many beautiful Baroque buildings in the charming Old Town huddled below the imposing Hohensalzburg Fortress, perched high on a hill. If you wish to wander Salzburg on your own today, listen out for the Salzburg bells that ring out every day at 6pm.

As well as guided Mozart and The Sound of Music tours, other optional excursions may include an enjoyable journey on a vintage train to the Ampflwang Railway Museum. Travelling in traditional carriages with open balconies, the steam-hauled mainline trip draws passengers back to an evocative past and allows you to absorb breathtaking scenery enroute. Other excursions may include a journey up the steepest cog railway in Austria to the summit of Schafberg Mountain or a trip over the border to Germany to visit the Eagle's Nest. 

This evening is free for you to stroll through Salzburg and pick a restaurant of your choosing. You might like to search out the local speciality of Nockerl, a three-tiered sweet soufflé.

Meals: Breakfast

Guided by the steam locomotive from Day 2, you leave Salzburg bound for Germany. Your final day on the Alpine Belle is a time to celebrate a wonderful journey.

Reflect on the fantastic experiences you have enjoyed while unwinding in the Diamant Bar, accompanied by live piano music, and savour lunch in the Prestige Continental Express dining carriages, modelled on the salon cars of the legendary Orient Express. Dinner is served aboard the train this evening, with half a bottle of wine per person included.

Your destination is Frankfurt, a city that blends culture and historic charm with its reputation as a global financial centre. On arrival, you will be transferred to your five-star hotel next to the Old Opera House that was opened in 1880 with guests including Kaiser Wilhelm I. It was here in 1937 that Carl Orff's famed Carmina Burana has its world premiere.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

From the lakeside beauty of Lindau to cultural Salzburg, your journey on the opulent Alpine Belle has revealed the spectacular scenery of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. On this luxury train, travel has been part of the experience, with elegant carriages and exquisite cuisine enjoyed in exclusive 5-Star class.

After a leisurely breakfast at your Frankfurt hotel, you are transferred to the station to begin your journey home. In Brussels, you switch to Plus class on Eurostar, enjoying a light meal at your seat before arriving back in London St Pancras, where your unforgettable holiday draws to a close.

Meals: Breakfast, Eurostar Light Meal