Search

Tailor Made Rail · Self-guided rail holiday

Fall of the Iron Curtain

Self-guided rail journey through six Eastern European capitals tracing the 1989 fall of the

Illustration of Fall of the Iron Curtain

Fall of the Iron Curtain is a 17-day self-guided rail holiday operated by Tailor Made Rail, starting in London and ending in Frankfurt. The journey connects six Eastern European capitals, Berlin, Warsaw, Prague, Bratislava, Budapest, and Bucharest, each a pivotal city in the dramatic geopolitical shifts of 1989. Tailor Made Rail supplies Standard Class rail travel with seat reservations across multiple operators, 15 nights in hand-picked hotels with breakfast, and two nights in private 2-berth sleeper compartments on overnight trains heading east and returning west. The trip suits independent explorers and history enthusiasts who want to trace the fall of the Communist regimes at their source: the Berlin Wall's collapse, the Solidarity Movement in Warsaw, Prague's Velvet Revolution, Hungary's border-fence dismantling, and Bucharest's December uprising. You receive comprehensive travel documentation and directions to each hotel but navigate cities and plan your own daily activities. The pace is relaxed, with two or three nights in each major city, broken by overnight sleeper journeys that do the traveling while you sleep.

What to know before you look closer

  • This is a self-guided tour; no group guide or tour director is included. You receive comprehensive directions and travel documentation but navigate cities and book your own meals independently.
  • The itinerary includes two nights on overnight sleeper trains; arrival times in Bucharest and Vienna are early morning, leaving partial days for exploration.
  • A single supplement is not detailed in the operator's pricing; confirm availability and cost for solo travellers before booking.

Day by day

  1. Day 1railovernight: Berlin

    London to Berlin

    Eurostar to Brussels, ICE to Cologne, then an evening ICE train into Berlin, for a 3-night stay.

  2. Day 2overnight: Berlin

    Berlin

    Explore the city divided by the Wall from 1961 to 1989, marking the events of 9 November 1989.

  3. Day 3overnight: Berlin

    Berlin

    Further time in Berlin.

  4. Day 4overnight: Warsaw

    Berlin to Warsaw

    Free morning in Berlin before crossing the Polish border to Warsaw, arriving in the evening for a 2-night stay.

  5. Day 5overnight: Warsaw

    Warsaw

    The Warsaw Uprising Museum and the reconstructed Old Town, following the Solidarity Movement's role in the fall of Communism.

  6. Day 6railovernight: Prague

    Warsaw to Prague

    Direct train to Prague, for a 2-night stay.

  7. Day 7overnight: Prague

    Prague

    The Velvet Revolution of 1989, and the Mala Strana district where East German demonstrators took refuge at the West German embassy.

  8. Day 8railovernight: Bratislava

    Prague to Bratislava

    Train linking the Czech Republic and Slovakia (formerly united as Czechoslovakia until the 1993 split), for a 2-night stay.

  9. Day 9overnight: Bratislava

    Bratislava

    The site of the March 1988 Candle demonstration, an early step toward removing the Czechoslovak communist regime.

  10. Day 10railovernight: Budapest

    Bratislava to Budapest via the Danube bend

    Train across the plains of southern Slovakia and along the Danube into Budapest's Nyugati station, for a 2-night stay.

  11. Day 11overnight: Budapest

    Budapest

    Hungary's 1989 dismantling of its border fence with Austria, one of the first visible cracks in the Iron Curtain.

  12. Day 12railovernight: Sleeper train (Ister, Budapest–Bucharest)

    Overnight to Romania

    Board the Ister Overnight Train in the evening for the journey across the plains of eastern Hungary in a private sleeper compartment.

  13. Day 13overnight: Bucharest

    Overnight to Romania

    Wake to Transylvanian scenery and arrive in Bucharest for a 2-night stay.

  14. Day 14overnight: Bucharest

    Bucharest

    The site of the December 1989 revolution against Nicolae Ceaușescu, including Revolution Square.

  15. Day 15railovernight: Sleeper train (Bucharest–Vienna)

    Bucharest overnight to Vienna & Nuremberg

    Evening return to the station for an overnight sleeper service to Vienna.

  16. Day 16railovernight: Nuremberg

    Bucharest overnight to Vienna & Nuremberg

    Arrive in Vienna and board a train to Nuremberg, arriving at lunchtime, for an overnight stay.

  17. Day 17rail

    Nuremberg to London

    German ICE train connecting through Frankfurt to the Eurostar terminal at Brussels, then on to the UK (an alternative scenic route via the Rhine Gorge is also available).

The moments this trip is built around

  • Day 2In Berlin, explore the city divided by the Wall from 1961 to 1989, marking the fall on 9 November 1989
  • Day 5Visit the Warsaw Uprising Museum and the reconstructed Old Town, following the Solidarity Movement's role in the fall of Communism
  • Day 7In Prague, learn about the Velvet Revolution of 1989 and the Mala Strana district where East German demonstrators took refuge at the West German embassy
  • Day 12Board the Ister Overnight Train in a private sleeper compartment, crossing the plains of eastern Hungary toward Transylvania and Bucharest
  • Day 14In Bucharest, visit Revolution Square and sites of the December 1989 uprising against Nicolae Ceaușescu

Included

  • Standard class rail travel with seat reservations (where required)
  • 15 nights hand-picked hotel accommodation with breakfast
  • Private 2-berth sleeper accommodation between Budapest and Bucharest
  • Private 2-berth sleeper accommodation between Bucharest and Vienna
  • Comprehensive directions to your hotels
  • Easy-to-follow travel documentation
  • Despatch of tickets by email, post or collection from our London office

Questions travellers ask

Is train travel included?
Yes. Tailor Made Rail includes Standard Class rail travel with seat reservations on all journeys: Eurostar, ICE trains across Germany and Poland, regional trains between cities, and two nights in private 2-berth sleeper compartments on the Ister Overnight Train (Budapest to Bucharest) and an overnight sleeper (Bucharest to Vienna).
Is this a guided or self-guided tour?
It is self-guided. Tailor Made Rail provides easy-to-follow travel documentation and comprehensive directions to your hotels, but there is no tour guide or group leader.
What is included in the price?
Standard Class rail with seat reservations, 15 nights in hand-picked hotels with breakfast, private 2-berth sleeper compartments on two overnight trains, comprehensive directions, travel documentation, and ticket despatch by email, post, or collection from Tailor Made Rail's London office.
Which hotels are used?
Titanic Hotel Chaussee (Berlin, 3 nights), Polonia Palace Hotel (Warsaw, 2 nights), Clementin Hotel (Prague, 2 nights), Falkensteiner Hotel Bratislava (2 nights), Hotel Rum (Budapest, 2 nights), Grand Hotel Continental (Bucharest, 2 nights), and NH Collection Nuremberg City (1 night). Hotel upgrades to the Adlon Kempinski in Berlin, Aria Hotel in Prague, or Corinthia in Budapest are available as extras.
When does the trip run and what does it cost?
Tailor Made Rail operates this trip year-round. Low season (November to March) starts from GBP 1,749 per person for two sharing a room; high season (April to October) from GBP 1,949. Prices are for Standard Class rail and twin or double room accommodation.
Can I stay longer in any city or take an alternative route?
Yes. Tailor Made Rail offers an optional extra night in Vienna to break the journey, and an alternative scenic return route via the Rhine Gorge, Loreley Rock, and hillside vineyards on the final day.

Similar journeys