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Uniworld

Cruise & Rail: Venice, Istanbul & the Balkans (2026)

Everyday Price From

£20,678

17 days

No Countries

Overview

Embark on a private train journey to Istanbul, during which you’ll sleep on the luxury Golden Eagle Danube Express with ever-changing views at your window—the perfect addition to a river cruise. Along the way, visit Alpine lake towns, historic cities across Eastern Europe, and more. For the cruise portion of your journey, board the S.S. La Venezia in romantic Venice and treat yourself to a private evening lighting ceremony at St. Mark’s Basilica. Depart the enchanting “City of Water” to explore the waterfront shops, colorful facades, and peaceful canals unique to Burano, Mazzorbo, and Torcello. Farther south, discover Chioggia—a charming southern port loved by fishermen, artists, and anyone looking for unique gifts or souvenirs.

Locations Visited

Venice, Chioggia, Ljubljana, Sarajevo, Belgrade, Podgorica, Skopje, Sofia, Istanbul

Countries Visited

Italy, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Turkey

Travel Style

Cruise, All Inclusive

Accommodations

16 nights included

Cruise & Rail: Venice, Istanbul & the Balkans (2026)

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Itinerary

COLLAPSE ALL EXPAND ALL

Day 1

Venice (Embark)

Arrive at Venice Marco Polo International Airport, where you will be transferred to the ship. Unpack, relax and enjoy your first evening on the Venetian Lagoon.

  • Meals

    Dinner

With your early morning arrival at Doge’s Palace, you’ll be able to marvel at the estate in total peace. Wander through a Venetian neighborhood and experience daily life in an authentic Venetian residential quarter. Later in the evening, cap the day off with a private once-in-a-lifetime experience at an after-hours lighting ceremony inside St. Mark’s Basilica without the crowds.

  • Meals

    Breakfast Buffet

    Lunch

    Dinner

Start your morning in one of two of the Veneto region’s UNESCO World Heritage cities, Vicenza or Padua. In the afternoon, you'll reboard the ship for scenic sailing across the lagoon as we head towards Mazzorbo and Burano. In the evening, you may wish to take your free time to stroll into town to appreciate this charming island when most of the tourists have left for the evening. Burano’s brightly painted fishermen’s cottages are an artist’s dream —hot pink, chartreuse, orange, lemon yellow, and more.

  • Meals

    Breakfast Buffet

    Lunch

    Welcome Dinner

A special Captain’s Welcome Reception and Dinner will be prepared for you this evening.

Spend the day exploring the northern lagoon of Venice and its captivating islands. Start with a visit to Torcello's famous basilica with an art historian, then stroll through the agricultural island of Mazzorbo and the rainbow-hued island of Burano during your free time after lunch. Alternatively, you can take the afternoon to see the renowned glassblowing artisans of Murano at work.

  • Meals

    Breakfast Buffet

    Lunch

    Dinner

Today, you’ll admire the greatest sites of charming and coastal Chioggia, including a stop at the local and lively market.

  • Meals

    Breakfast Buffet

    Lunch

    Dinner

IMPORTANT: We are obliged to comply with Italian Maritime Authorities who require that only crew may be on the ship during the Adriatic Sea passage. Therefore, our guests must disembark the ship and partake in the featured excursions. We thank you for your cooperation. -->

This morning, join a sailing excursion where you’ll explore the Po Delta where the Po River and the Adriatic Sea meet. Later, during lunch, we sail back to Venice.

  • Meals

    Breakfast Buffet

    Dinner

Choice of:

Po Delta Sailing

As your water taxi glides past narrow side canals and the Canal Grande, you’ll arrive in style at the Rialto Bridge. The iconic stone arch bridge sits at the narrowest point of the Canal Grande and holds numerous shops and restaurants.

  • Meals

    Breakfast Buffet

    Lunch

    Farewell Dinner

A special Captain’s Farewell Reception and Dinner will be prepared for you this evening.

Disembark the ship and join the Golden Eagle Danube Express at Venice Santa Lucia Station. As you settle into your cabins, the train will thread its way out of the station and onto the causeway across the lagoon that links Venice to the mainland. Your first stop is the ancient port of Trieste for a tour of the city.

  • Meals

    Breakfast Buffet

    Continental Breakfast

    Dinner

Our morning tour takes us to the Postojna Cave. Ride an underground train deep into the cave and tour the network of magnificent halls, a myriad of cave formations, and mysterious animals. Later, we arrive in Ljubljana, the delightful capital of Slovenia. Discover the city’s combination of ancient architecture and youthful culture on our afternoon walking tour of Ljubljana’s Old Town, which includes a visit to Preseren Square, the Three Bridges, Dragon Bridge, and Plecnik Market.

Early in the morning, you’ll arrive in the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo, which has an intriguing blend of Eastern and Western culture. It has mosques and minarets, an ancient bazaar, and an atmospheric old Turkish quarter. Discover the city’s poignant history through a truly absorbing tour detailing the horrors of the Balkan War. Sarajevo suffered from the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare. The scars of war are still evident in the war-torn buildings you’ll pass before making a special visit to the Tunnel Museum under Sarajevo Airport. Your guide, who lived through the 1992-1996 conflict, brings to life in a touching fashion the struggles the citizens of Sarajevo faced during the siege of the city. Following lunch, you’ll travel along a very scenic line to the historic city of Mostar, the crossroads of many civilizations, cultures, and religions. Mostar was one of the most important cities of the Ottoman Empire. The town’s renowned stone arch bridge linking the Christian and Muslim areas was rebuilt in the summer of 2004. Visit the Turkish House and the mosque before walking through the narrow bazaar streets, where you can shop for traditional souvenirs and handicrafts.

Arrive this morning in the Serbian capital, Belgrade, the former Yugoslavian capital. Located at the strategic meeting point of the Danube and Sava Rivers, this truly cosmopolitan city has fortifications from Celtic times, medieval tombs, and Turkish baths. We spend a full day here, and our city tour includes the ‘House of Flowers’—the mausoleum of Josip Tito, the Town Hall, Republic Square, and Knez Mihajlova Street, as well as ‘Varos’ Gate and a visit to the mighty Kalemegdan Fortress.

This morning, we cross the border into Montenegro, still one of Europe’s largely undiscovered locations. Blessed with glorious beaches and spectacular landscapes of rugged mountains, gentle lakes, and medieval towns, Montenegro has a combination of incredible natural beauty and captivating history that makes it a fascinating place to visit. We'll arrive in the coastal town of Bar for a sightseeing tour before getting back on the train and heading to our next destination. During lunch onboard, we travel onto the capital city of Podgorica. The city has passed through the empires of the Romans, the Ottomans, and the Austro-Hungarians. Its streets are an interesting blend of Ottoman oddments, Austrian shopfronts, communist tower blocks, and modern shopping malls.

This afternoon, you’ll arrive in the little-visited Skopje and discover a city where the Ottoman influences are still strong. Explore the narrow streets of the Old Town with tiny shops and mosques with ceramic-tiled interiors. Meander through the Old Bazaar area, brimming with things to buy, and cross the 15th-century stone bridge that links the bazaar to the modern town.

After breakfast, your train arrives in Sofia, Bulgaria’s capital at the foot of Mt Vitosha. On your morning tour, you will visit sections of the Roman wall and admire the ancient church of St George, the golden-domed Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, and the Turkish Bashi Mosque. Enjoy lunch on the train as you travel from Sofia to Plovdiv. The second largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia, ‘The City of Seven Hills’ is one of the oldest cities in Europe with more than 200 known archaeological sites. You’ll visit the charming Old Town, including its medieval walls and Ottoman baths. Enjoy the final night’s dinner onboard this evening as you head for Turkey.

This morning we arrive in Istanbul, where we stay for two nights at the stunning Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet. Today we visit the crown jewel of the Ottoman Empire, Topkapi Palace. This stunning monument is the largest and oldest palace in the world and was the primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans from 1465 to 1853. With its treasury and exotic buildings overlooking the Golden Horn, your visit to Topkapi promises to be a truly fascinating experience. We also visit the Grand Bazaar, one of the world’s largest covered markets with 58 streets and over 4,000 shops. In operation since the 14th century, the bazaar is especially known for its jewelry, leather, pottery, spices, and carpets.

Today see how old meets new and east meets west as we visit a selection of Istanbul’s must-see historic sites, including Hagia Sophia. Hagia Sophia was built in the 6th century by the Emperor Justinian and was one of the largest basilicas in the Christian world. After the Ottoman conquest, it was converted to a mosque and is today one of the most magnificent Grand Mosques in the world. One of the most famous monuments in both the Turkish and Islamic worlds, the Sultan Ahmet Mosque (the Blue Mosque) is a superb creation in the classical Ottoman style. We will have time to marvel at the exterior of the building, which features six towering minarets and 260 windows illuminating its vast main chamber. In the afternoon, we'll embark on a cruise of the legendary Bosphorus and visit the Grand Bazaar. On the final evening, we enjoy a Farewell Dinner in a local restaurant.

This morning, you’ll check out of the hotel and be transferred to Istanbul Airport for your departure.

Featured Excursions do not require booking. Excursions that are listed as "Choose between..." must be booked onboard however there is no additional cost. Please refer to the excursion details below to view purchasing options for our Masterpiece Collection excursions where applicable. Note: The itineraries presented are subject to modification due to water levels, closures because of public holidays or other uncontrollable factors. Every effort will be made to operate programs as planned, but changes may still be necessary throughout the cruise. This day-to-day schedule is subject to change. Your final day-to-day schedule will be provided onboard on the first day of your cruise.

What's Included

  • What's Included image

  • Dining

    • All meals onboard cruise and train, prepared using the finest and freshest ingredients
    • 18 breakfasts, 14 lunches, 16 dinners
    • Captain’s Welcome and Farewell Receptions
    • Welcome and Farewell Gala Dinners
    • Unlimited beverages onboard, including fine wine, beer, spirits, specialty coffee and tea, soft drinks and mineral water
  • What's Included image

  • Excursions

    • 15 days of excursions, all fully hosted by English-speaking local experts
    • State-of-the-art Quietvox portable audio-headset system on all excursions
    • Use of bicycles and Nordic walking sticks
  • What's Included image

  • Accommodations

    • 7 nights in a luxury cabin onboard the Golden Eagle Danube Express private train
    • 2 nights in Istanbul at the Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet (or similar)
    • 7-night cruise in a riverview stateroom onboard the elegant S.S. La Venezia
    • Well-appointed en-suite sleeping cabins and suites on the train have remote-controlled air-conditioning and heating, individual bathrobes and slippers, wardrobes, large viewing windows, and day seating that converts into comfortable beds for the evening
    • Lavishly appointed riverview staterooms and suites on the cruise have handcrafted Savoir® Beds of England, high thread count 100% Egyptian cotton sheets and European duvets, and a menu of pillow options
    • Free Wi-Fi
  • What's Included image

  • Experiences

    • 7 countries: Italy, Slovenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Turkey
    • 5 UNESCO World Heritage sites
    • Services of an experienced Uniworld Cruise Manager
    • Gratuities for onboard personnel (ship staff, crew, Cruise/Tour Manager) are included during the cruise/tour
    • Captivating onboard local entertainment
    • Cultural enrichment

Ship Details

Grand Suite
  • Lavishly appointed riverview grand suite (302 sq ft - 28 sq m) with a French balcony and a spacious living room
  • Handcrafted Savoir® Beds of England, closet, hair dryer, safe, individual thermostat, and flat-screen TV with infotainment center
  • Marble bathroom with Asprey bath and body products, plush towels, towel warmers, comfortable bathrobes and slippers, separate bathtub, heated mirror, and backlit magnifying mirror
  • Additional amenities and service include: in-suite butler service; packing and unpacking assistance; in-room breakfast; daily fruit and cookie plate, and an elegant evening snack; Nespresso coffee machine and fine teas; fully stocked mini bar; bottle of wine upon arrival; shoe shine and free laundry service
S.S. La Venezia

Dates & Prices

Results: 3 / 3
Start Date  /  End Date
03 May, 2026 20 May, 2026
 
Flights Included
Current Deals:
2026 Early Booking Savings
Flights Included
2026 River Heritage Club Savings
Click to see more
Grand Suite empty £26,878
Suite empty £24,378
French Balcony empty £22,478
Deluxe empty £21,478
Classic empty £20,878
Cruise Itinerary:
Venice to Istanbul
Ship(s):
S.S. La Venezia
Start Date  /  End Date
23 Aug, 2026 09 Sep, 2026
 
Flights Included
Current Deals:
2026 Early Booking Savings
Flights Included
2026 River Heritage Club Savings
Click to see more
Grand Suite empty £26,578
Suite empty £24,078
French Balcony empty £22,278
Deluxe empty £21,178
Classic empty £20,678
Cruise Itinerary:
Venice to Istanbul
Ship(s):
S.S. La Venezia
Start Date  /  End Date
27 Sep, 2026 14 Oct, 2026
 
Flights Included
Current Deals:
2026 Early Booking Savings
Flights Included
2026 River Heritage Club Savings
Click to see more
Grand Suite empty £26,878
Suite empty £24,378
French Balcony empty £22,478
Deluxe empty £21,478
Classic empty £20,878
Cruise Itinerary:
Venice to Istanbul
Ship(s):
S.S. La Venezia

Terms & Conditions

*Price shown is per person based on double occupancy, is valid for select stateroom categories only.

Click on Terms and Conditions for details.

†The exact amount of the Costco Member Benefit will be calculated during the booking process.