All Aboard the...


Crimean Express T


Continuing our new section on ‘Land Cruising,’ great overland journeys by rail that are reminiscent of cruises, we head for an epic journey from the Baltic to the Black Sea. Peter Ambler reveals the full story


here is a regal journey by private train that carries you through the capitals of Russia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine. It visits gilded churches and powerful fortresses. It affords tastes of local wines and the full weight of hundreds of years of history. And it finally rolls into the sunny Crimean Peninsula, where the warm Mediterranean climate created ‘the playground of the Tsars’ on the shores of the Black Sea. Welcome to the Crimean Express! The promise of comfort, style and the sheer romance of making the journey on an exclusive rail cruise make this a wonderfully appealing tour. It is also exclusively operated by GW Travel, founded in 1991 and one of the leading operators of luxury, long-distance rail tours by private train. This 15-day tour began with two nights in the Imperial Capital of Russia, St Petersburg, staying at the luxurious and sophisticated five-star Kempin- ski Moika 22, which is gloriously situated facing Palace Square and the Winter Palace across from the charming Moika River. Founded by Peter the Great, the city flourished as one of the world’s greatest and most beautiful, distinguished by its sumptuous public buildings like the State Hermitage Museum.


82 WORLD OF CRUISING I Spring 2011


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