Tehran to give the tourists a visual treat of the East. On its maiden journey, the train carrying Australians, Americans, Europeans and tourists of other nationalities, for the very first time crossed the Turkey borders to enter the land of Persia. The Golden Eagle luxury train commences its journey in Hungary, running along river Danube, swishing past the scenic countryside of Romania, crossing Bulgaria, halting at Turkey and terminating its two week long journey in Iran, primarily known as Persia. The tourists then spend five days exploring the historic cities and World Heritage sites of Iran.

The whole idea of this journey was initiated to break the ice, ease the tensions and to improve relations between many European countries and Iran. This will also boost the tourism industry in Iran, which is considered a relatively stable and safer country in comparison to other places in the Middle East. Although, on its maiden journey the train was said to have been assisted and accompanied by Iranian military marshals to ensure safety and security of the tourist aboard. Reportedly, this train is a joint venture between the Danube Express and tour operator Golden Eagle Luxury Trains, and the cruise is christened as ‘Jewels of Persia’.

Iran is a country with fascinating culture and way too many World Heritage sites in comparison to its neighbouring countries, which makes it a preferred choice for Westerners. Iranian government is trying to ease the immigration rules to augment tourism to this otherwise remote destination. The tourism industry seems to be upbeat about the initiative since, the cruise saw a very positive response on its maiden journey. A very expensive inaugural journey was completely sold out within three weeks.