Vintage Railway Hotel in reconstructed Tsar's train coaches with steam engine

Tsar's Train Suite

Unique Railway Hotel in Poland with a touch of Orient-Express 

A visit by Tsar Nikolaus II. on the edge of the Bialowieza forest in 1903 was the reason for the construction of a wooden station building, which today not only houses an excellent gourmet restaurant of the Polish-Russian cuisine but also attracts attention through an unusual hotel business.

On the station's disused railway track, a steam locomotive in combination with four luxurious saloon cars awaits overnight guests, who can travel far in the east of Poland on a journey back in time to the beginning of the 20th century.

The train is reminiscent of several stays of the Russian tsars who stayed here for hunting. Each railway carriage forms an independent suite, whose furnishings are enchanted by nostalgic furniture, lamps, paintings and photographs from the turn of the last century. The ensemble resembles the style of the trains with which the tsar's family used to travel to Bialowieza.

The jungle of Bialowieza on the border to Belarus has been popular with German and Russian rulers as a hunting ground for centuries. 

Today, the extensive forest complex forms the last remaining lowland forest in Europe and is protected by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve. The National Park is home to 450 bison, one of the largest wildlife species in the protected area and one of the most impressive forest inhabitants.

The unspoilt nature is only one of many reasons to visit this remote region in the east of Poland. In this neighborhood, the overnight stay in the train hotel 'Tsar's Gold' with its four heated railway carriages is another highlight, where not only railway nostalgics get their money's worth. The comfortably equipped saloon cars form a complete train behind a Russian steam locomotive, just as the Romanovs used it for their hunting and recreational stays. 

At the end of the 19th century, Tsar Alexander III had transferred the former state forest to his private property and travelled for the first time in 1894 to Bialowieza, where he commissioned the construction of a palace with 120 rooms. It was also his last trip. His son and successor Tsar Nicholas II. spent a total of six stays in the jungle region between 1894 and 1915. In spite of the seclusion, the Tsar's family was, of course, provided with a caterer's food, which even today's overnight guests do not have to do without.

In the historical reception building of the station there is an excellent restaurant with special attention to Polish and Russian cuisine. As in the past, game dishes are on the menu. The tasteful interior design of the upscale restaurant consists, as befits itself in such a place, of original furnishings from the tsarist era and faithfully reflects the character of those years down to the last detail.

With less than 60 inhabitants per square kilometre, the wild east of Poland is the least populated region in the country. However, the multi-ethnic inhabitants have left a cultural wealth worth seeing. Belorussians, Ukrainians, Lithuanians and Tartars in particular still live as minorities in the country. With the forced affiliation to Russia after the three Polish divisions, Russian banya has also become a traditional element of eastern well-being in many households.  

This is a bathing house with a steam bath, which is very similar to the Finnish sauna, but with temperatures that can easily exceed 100°C. It is also possible to have a steam bath in the sauna. Such a Russian banya with a recreation room in a rustic style is also available exclusively to the hotel guests of the tsar wagons for a surcharge. Since the sauna house is heated by a wood-burning stove, it must be reserved at least 6 hours in advance. The Banja visit, which lasts several hours, costs around 50 euros. 

From the extensive range of leisure activities, the organized carriage and sleigh rides in the surrounding area are particularly popular, as well as the in-house bicycle rental for individual bike tours on designated trails through the national park.

The tsar apartments in the saloon cars are equipped with heating and private bathrooms with shower and hot water, so that a comfortable stay is guaranteed even in the winter months. 

The unique interior with parquet flooring and a double bed was designed from the wall design to the furnishings in true detail to the period of Anna Karenina. On 28 square metres of living space you will find everything a luxury hotel room has to offer. In addition to the desk, seating area and nostalgic accessories, the hotel carriages also have modern amenities such as a mini-bar, flat-screen TV (with cable channels), radio, hairdryer, coffee and tea accessories as well as free W-Lan. 

The unusual accommodation impresses with its romantic location in the woods, loving details of furnishings, wooden architecture, historical atmosphere and exquisite cuisine, which is one of the best in Poland. With unforgettable natural impressions, relaxation and culinary enjoyment, it is hardly possible to bring past tsarist glamour into harmony. 

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