Golden Eagle, Uniworld create ‘perfect packages’

The perfect alignment between river and rail meant it made “complete sense” for Uniworld and Golden Eagle Luxury Trains, according to the rail company’s Australian Business Development Manager Megan Bardsley.

Expanding on the recently announced tie-up, Bardsley told LATTE that the new arrangement builds on the solid partnership established by the two companies over more than five years.

“While the Cruise & Rail packages on offer are new, Uniworld has been a key partner of Golden Eagle for many years,” she said.

“After meeting in the US in 2019, they have been chartering trains for their guests and booking independent guests onto our trains.”

With the synergies between the pair quickly becoming very clear, they decided to work together to create a “perfect package” that would provide guests with seamless connection between the cruise and rail elements.

The end result is a consistently high-end experience between 14 and 16 days in duration. “Both elements provide exceptional excursions, exquisite food and wine and attentive service while travelling gently through iconic and lesser-known regions,” Bardsley added. “Both forms of transport allow simplified travel and less unpacking with a slower style of exploring beautiful regions and immersing into cultures.”

The first of the five new itineraries for 2026 is the Grand Alpine train journey which combines the Highlights of Eastern Europe river cruise aboard the S.S. Beatrice. The 17-day journey will launch in April.

“At this time, there is a European focus, mostly around central Europe with Budapest, Vienna, Istanbul, Paris and Venice, all key highlights of the various journeys on offer,” Bardsley explained. “This is a specialty region for us travelling on the much-loved Golden Eagle Danube Express while Uniworld have many ships in the region to connect with our itineraries, adding more destinations by river. It’s the ultimate European luxury adventure.”

With luxury rail experiencing a resurgence in popularity, Bardsley hinted that other “unique combinations” may be on the cards down the track. 

“Golden Eagle has always been dedicated to providing itineraries and destinations not previously available,” she said. “Owner and Founder Tim Littler will always be looking to find and deliver exclusive trips and trains, building adventures that transport guests through time and place.”

Lead image: Alice Ager, Managing Director, ANZ, Uniworld Boutique River Cruises (left) with Megan Bardsley, Australian Business Development Manager, Golden Eagle Luxury Trains.