Looking to be on the move in style for New Year? Why not on a luxury train? Here are some choices of cities and trains.
Majestic Train de Luxe, Vienna:
You can almost hear Mozart and feel the swish of waltzing ball gowns. The Christmas markets welcome. In full evening dress, to the accompaniment of Strauss waltzes, the train circles Vienna as you experience an onboard Michelin experience. The Majestic surprises you at witching hour, halting on a bridge over the Danube, just before midnight falls, and the sky is lit up with flamboyant firework displays. After the traditional “Alles Walzer” and the music of the waltz ‘By the Beautiful Blue Danube’ opens up, it’s time for the New Year dance into 2014, as the train slowly returns to Franz-Josefs station.
British Pullman, London:
As the hours laze away towards midnight, it’s a moveable five-course feast, including a bottle of wine for two. A magician is at hand to pull coins out of the pocket of your formal jacket and ostrich feathers off your lady’s evening gown. Just before the clocks call midnight, the Pullman stops at a station, where you disembark into the New Year, greeted by the lilting music of a Scottish pipe. The luxury Grosvenor Hotel is where you wake up to the first day of Januay 2014, to rise for a full English breakfast the next morning. Then there is the Northern Belle, with a gourmet dinner on board, as strolling musicians and table magicians entertain you as you sip champagne or fine wines. If you reserve a table for two for an additional single payment of £125, you get a bottle of Laurent Perrier Champagne in a presentation box free.
Golden Eagle Northern Lights New Year Tour, Russia:
The Solar Maximum is a time of intense solar activity in the 11-year solar cycle of the Sun where huge solar flares often occur. The impact of the Solar storm in 1859 was so intense that the northern lights could be seen even in Rome. The next one is predicted at the end of 2013. Watch the light-work displays of the Aurora Borealis in the night sky. Listen to Tchaikosvsky on a piano as the train speeds through the Urals, endless steppes, crossing great rivers. The tours vary; through Russia, Mongolia, China, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and more sometimes even crossing eight time zones. Contact: +44 (0)1249 890205 or info@luxurytrainclub.com. Prices differ.