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

Arrive at Venice Marco Polo International Airport. If you have arranged a Uniworld arrival transfer, you will be greeted by a Uniworld representative and transferred to the ship. Unpack, relax and enjoy your first evening on the Venetian Lagoon.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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. If you have arranged a Uniworld departure transfer, you will be transferred to Istanbul Airport for your departure.