Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Imperial Express

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Imperial Express

Good morning Has anyone any ideas about the "Imperial Express" train - I know that it runs between Prague and Budapest, and it's a luxury train. Any other information, contacts etc would be appreciated. Many thanks db Derrick Bloch Toronto

Dear Mr Bloch, It's hard to get news of his train, as the owners, MAV Nostalgia, hire it out to various operators, and MAV Nostalgia seem to me a bit weak at communication with individual passengers. For example, it gets no mention in the March issue of the Thomas Cook European Timetable that details luxury trains. Anyway, they are MAV Nostalgia Kft, 1056 Budapest V, Belkgrad nkp 26, phone and fax 117 1665. Fax is the better approach, but when you dial the number you have to tell a Hungarian clerk, slowly and clearly, that you want to send a fax, and then to dial again. You might get further by starting with amateurs, using a query on the newsgroup soc.culture.hungarian or soc.culture.magyar. I saw the train at Suceava. It is the former train for Communist Party chiefs, so is very comfortable, but is not ornamented as the other luxury trains are. The London firm that ran a few trips each year has now gone bankrupt, but when it was running the train this summer it charged about half what Venice Simplon Orient Express do. Please write if I can help further. And could you very kindly tell me if you find detail of any trips in 2000, with operator and price ? Ben Haines, London

Ben, thanks for the info. If I find anything I'll let you know. rgds db

Hello everybody! Just a few words from a local guide. Well, some people might consider this a spam, but the only thing I could recommend them is: "If you don't like it, feel free to skip this". So, about the "Royal Hungaria Express". If there is a group of 30 people, the MAV Nosztalgia Ltd. runs it for you any time, otherwise this luxurious train that has a very specific schedule. For the year 2000 it looks like that: 1. June 21-23, Budapest-Bratislava(capital of Slovakia)-Prague(capital of the Czech Republic)-Vienna(capital of Austria)-Budapest. Full board, guiding and sightseeing inclusive in the price of DM 1,500/person ($US ± 810.00) 2. April 21-23, Budapest-Keszthely(lake Balaton, beautiful castle)-Badacsony(lake Balaton, famous wine-growing region)-Esztergom(biggest Basilica in Hungary)-Lajosmizse(typical Hungarian countryside)-Eger(town famous for its architecture and local wine cellars)-Budapest. Price DM 900.00 ($US ± 485.00) 3. September 8-10, Budapest-Keszthely-Pecs(southern Hungarian town with the biggest Turkish mosque in Hungary and Zsolnay porcelain factory)-Villany(famous wine growing region)-Opusztaszer(the National Historical Memorial Park with many interesting sites)-Lajosmizse-Aggtelek National park(15 miles of stalactite and stalagmite caves)-Budapest. Price DM 900.00 ($US ± 485.00) All cabins are with washbasin/shower. Frankly speaking I am doing only very personalized programs without that mass tourism flavor, but if you have sufficient founds and very limited in time, well, this is the quick way to see Hungary in general. During your trip you can sample local food, local wine, visit the must sees, have a glimpse of local folklore etc. If you need any additional info you have to dial the following phones: (361) 302-35-80 or 302-00-69 and absolutely don't have to pass through a Hungarian clerk to send your fax. All info available by phone. I got it within 3 (three) minutes. They do speak English as well. I know there are some very well-informed people on this forum but maybe you will forgive me for suggesting that sometimes it helps a lot just to ask the locals. You can find many useful information, like that there are no more phone numbers in Budapest starting with 1-…. They all have changed to numbers starting with 3-… or 4-…and of course much more. Best regards to all of you, Bela Lukacs [email protected]

Friends of mine took this train on their honeymoon (OK, so some people have a wierd idea of romance!) last year, and had a wonderful time. Very good VFM, given Eastern bloc exchange rates. they have a superb set of photographs of the goods yards of Czechoslovakia and Hungary. Just don't ask me why

I have put this note onto Fodors Forum for Europe:- I am very grateful to Mr Lukacs for nearly all the detail I want -- I still seek the figure for the single traveller supplement. I do indeed think that it's best to ask a national: that's why I suggested a soc.culture newsgroup for Hungary. But we were luckier: we had a fine reply from Mr Lukacs. He has more luck with the phone in Budapest than I do. 302-35-80 is both a fax and a phone number. Two days ago I phoned it, asked the clerk (in English) for a fax connection, got it, and sent a fax: to ask for detail by fax or -mail. I've had no reply yet. This morning I rang the number again, and asked "Please, do you speak English -- Bitte, sprechen Sie Deutsch ?". The clerk replied, in Hungarian, that she spoke Magyar. So I closed the call. Happily, I have an old friend in Pecs, so I've e-mailed him to ask him to phone and get the single traveller cost and a brochure. He'll have it sent to him, then send it on: that way he can follow up on phone calls. But I have to say that this is not the speed of response by fax nor the level of use of a foreign language that is typical of tourist offices in modern Hungary. In every city Tourinform, for example, are excellent. Ben Haines

I am very grateful to Mr Lukacs for nearly all the detail I want -- I still seek the figure for the single traveller supplement. I do indeed think that it's best to ask a national: that's why I suggested a soc.culture newsgroup for Hungary. But we were luckier: we had a fine reply from Mr Lukacs. He has more luck with the phone in Budapest than I do. 302-35-80 is both a fax and a phone number. Two days ago I phoned it, asked the clerk (in English) for a fax connection, got it, and sent a fax: to ask for detail by fax or -mail. I've had no reply yet. This morning I rang the number again, and asked "Please, do you speak English -- Bitte, sprechen Sie Deutsch ?". The clerk replied, in Hungarian, that she spoke Magyar. So I closed the call. Happily, I have an old friend in Pecs, so I've e-mailed him to ask him to phone and get the single traveller cost and a brochure. He'll have it sent to him, then send it on: that way he can follow up on phone calls. But I have to say that this is not the speed of response by fax nor the level of use of a foreign language that is typical of tourist offices in modern Hungary. In every city Tourinform, for example, are excellent. Ben Haines

Thanks a lot for all the input. I called the Hungarian Toursit Board in New York (no office here in Toronto) and they sent me some leaflets about the train, giving an e-mail address and a website. I did e-mail them, and then the next day went into hospital to have my appendix removed, so wheteher they have replied to me or not I don't know yet as I e-mailed them from my office address. Hopefull by next week I'll be able to update you. rgds db