Is train travel included in the price?

Yes. Seven nights aboard the Orient Silk Road Express are included in the package price, depending on your chosen cabin category (Habibi, Ali Baba, Aladin, or Kalif).

Which trains are used?

Lernidee operates the exclusively chartered Orient Silk Road Express, which carries passengers from Tashkent to Almaty with stops in Khiva, Bukhara, Dushanbe, Samarkand, Bishkek, and Issyk-Kul.

Is this an escorted or independent tour?

This is a fully escorted tour. Lernidee provides a permanent German-speaking head guide during train travel, group guides for up to 12 or 26 passengers depending on your cabin class, local guides at each destination, and an onboard physician.

What meals are included?

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included daily according to the itinerary. Meals are served in the onboard restaurant with local specialties. Day 10 in Samarkand offers free time or optional excursion packages.

When does the tour depart?

Lernidee offers three departures: October 2026, April 2027, and September 2027. Prices start at EUR 4,890.

What is not included?

Optional excursion packages in Bukhara and Samarkand are not included. Tipping is also not included.

lernidee.de · Escorted rail journey (Sonderzug)

Sagenhafte Seidenstraße: Registan von Taschkent nach Almaty

Silk Road rail journey through Central Asia on the Orient Silk Road Express

Lernidee's 15-day Sagenhafte Seidenstraße is an escorted journey aboard the exclusively chartered Orient Silk Road Express, traveling from Tashkent in Uzbekistan to Almaty in Kazakhstan through five Central Asian countries. The train carries travelers through the deserts and mountains of the historic Silk Road, stopping in legendary cities including Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand, Dushanbe, Bishkek, and the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul. Passengers spend seven nights in four cabin tiers ranging from shared four-berth compartments to private two-berth suites with private bathrooms, and seven nights in mid-range and comfort hotels. The itinerary combines train travel with guided city tours, visits to five UNESCO World Heritage sites, meals in the onboard restaurant featuring local specialties, cultural performances, and encounters with Uzbek families. German-speaking guides accompany the journey throughout, managing groups of 12 to 26 depending on cabin class. An onboard physician is present. The pace alternates between multi-night stays in major cities and train travel days, offering both cultural immersion and the comfort of a moving luxury hotel.

What to know before you look closer

The tour includes optional excursion packages in Bukhara and Samarkand (Silk Road manufactures, the Ulug Beg observatory, and the Gur Emir mausoleum) that are not covered in the base price.
A minimum of 60 participants is required; if the group does not reach this threshold by 21 days before departure, Lernidee reserves the right to cancel.
Cabin prices vary significantly: the entry-level Habibi category (three or four berths) starts at EUR 4,890, while the Kalif category (private two-berth compartment with en-suite) begins at EUR 12,890.

Day by day

Day 1overnight: Flugzeug
Flug Frankfurt – Taschkent (Usbekistan)
Anreise per Flug von Frankfurt nach Taschkent.
Day 2overnight: Tashkent
Taschkent
Landung in Taschkent, Transfer zum Komfort-Hotel. Stadtrundfahrt mit Medresse Kukeldash sowie Navoi- und Amir-Timur-Denkmälern.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 3railovernight: Tashkent
Taschkent
Ausflug durch die Täler des Chimgan-Gebirges zum Ski-Gebiet Amirsai mit Seilbahnfahrt. Am Nachmittag Bezug des Abteils im Orient Silk Road Express in Taschkent mit Begrüßungstrunk und Vortrag.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4overnight: Orient Silk Road Express
Chiwa – Stein gewordenes Märchen aus 1001 Nacht
Besichtigung der Oase Chiwa mit Stadtmauer und Kalta-Minor-Minarett.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5overnight: Bukhara
Buchara, die Edle
Besichtigung des Kaljan-Minaretts, des Ensembles Labi-Hauz und Folklore-Show in einer Medresse. Übernachtung im Mittelklasse-Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6overnight: Orient Silk Road Express
Das Mausoleum der Samaniden
Ausflugspaket: Medresse Mire-e-Arab, Mausoleum der Samaniden und Festung Ark.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 7overnight: Orient Silk Road Express
Auf Zeitreise
Über Nacht Fahrt durchs Gebirge; künstlerische Darbietung und Fahrt nach Schahrisabs, Geburtsort Tamerlans. Abends Weiterfahrt Richtung Duschanbe.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 8overnight: Orient Silk Road Express
Duschanbe (Tadschikistan)
Rundfahrt durch die tadschikische Hauptstadt Duschanbe inkl. Rudaki-Park. Am späten Nachmittag Rückkehr zum Sonderzug Richtung Samarkand.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 9overnight: Samarkand
Samarkand (Usbekistan)
Besichtigung der Gräberstadt Schah-e-sende, der Ausgrabungsstätten von Afrosiab und des Registan-Platzes. Zwei Nächte im Mittelklasse-Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 10overnight: Samarkand
Samarkand, die Glanzvolle
Freie Zeit oder Ausflugspaket: Seidenteppich-Manufaktur, usbekische Papierherstellung, Sternwarte des Ulug Beg, Bibi-Khanum-Moschee und Mausoleum Gur Emir.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 11overnight: Orient Silk Road Express
Unterwegs auf der Seidenstraße
Fahrt in Richtung Kirgistan mit Bordvorträgen.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 12overnight: Bishkek
Bischkek (Kirgistan)
Rundfahrt durch die kirgisische Hauptstadt Bischkek, eine der grünsten Städte der Welt, inklusive Nationalpark Ala Artscha.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 13overnight: Orient Silk Road Express
Am Issykkul-See
Ankunft am Issykkul-See; Besuch des Zentrums für nomadische Kultur, Spaziergang und Bootstour auf dem See, dann Weiterfahrt Richtung Almaty.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 14overnight: Almaty
Almaty – Vater der Äpfel (Kasachstan)
Ankunft in Almaty. Stadtrundfahrt mit russisch-orthodoxer Holzkathedrale, Hochzeitspalast, Zirkus, Zentralpark und Zentralmoschee. Abschiedsabendessen im Jurten-Restaurant.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 15
Heimkehr
Flug nach Frankfurt – Ende einer sagenhaften Reise!

The moments this trip is built around

Day 4Day 4: Visit the oasis city of Khiva with its city walls and the Kalta Minor minaret, traveling by train through the night from Tashkent.
Day 5Day 5: Tour Bukhara's Kaljan minaret and the Labi-Hauz ensemble, with a folklore performance in a madrassa; overnight in a mid-range hotel.
Day 9Day 9: Arrive in Samarkand and explore the Registan plaza, the grave city Shah-e-Sende, and archaeological sites of Afrosiab.
Day 13Day 13: Reach Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan for a visit to the center of nomadic culture, a lakeside walk, and a boat tour before continuing to Almaty.

Included

Flüge Frankfurt – Taschkent und Almaty – Frankfurt in der Economy Class (Umsteigeverbindung)
7 Übernachtungen an Bord Ihres Sonderzuges in der gebuchten Kategorie
7 Übernachtungen in Mittelklasse- und Komfort-Hotels im DZ mit Bad oder Dusche
Mahlzeiten laut Reiseverlauf (F = Frühstück, M = Mittagessen, A = Abendessen)
Ausflugs- und Besichtigungsprogramm inkl. Eintrittsgeldern laut Reiseverlauf
Sämtliche Transfers im Zielgebiet laut Reiseverlauf
Ständige deutsche Chefreiseleitung während der Zugfahrt im Zielgebiet und Deutsch sprechende Reiseleitung für je maximal 26 Gäste (in den Kategorien Sultan und Kalif: 12 Gäste)
Deutsch sprechende örtliche Reiseleiter
Arzt an Bord
Begrüßung mit traditionellen Tänzen an den Bahnhöfen Samarkand und Buchara
Besuch bei einer usbekischen Familie
Wodka- und Weinprobe

Not included

Ausflugspakete
Trinkgelder

Questions travellers ask

Is train travel included in the price?: Yes. Seven nights aboard the Orient Silk Road Express are included in the package price, depending on your chosen cabin category (Habibi, Ali Baba, Aladin, or Kalif).
Which trains are used?: Lernidee operates the exclusively chartered Orient Silk Road Express, which carries passengers from Tashkent to Almaty with stops in Khiva, Bukhara, Dushanbe, Samarkand, Bishkek, and Issyk-Kul.
Is this an escorted or independent tour?: This is a fully escorted tour. Lernidee provides a permanent German-speaking head guide during train travel, group guides for up to 12 or 26 passengers depending on your cabin class, local guides at each destination, and an onboard physician.
What meals are included?: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included daily according to the itinerary. Meals are served in the onboard restaurant with local specialties. Day 10 in Samarkand offers free time or optional excursion packages.
When does the tour depart?: Lernidee offers three departures: October 2026, April 2027, and September 2027. Prices start at EUR 4,890.
What is not included?: Optional excursion packages in Bukhara and Samarkand are not included. Tipping is also not included.