Golden Eagle Luxury Trains · Escorted tour

The Grand Silk Road

Twenty-two-day two-train rail journey from Beijing across Central Asia

The Grand Silk Road, a rail journey with Golden Eagle Luxury Trains

Golden Eagle Luxury Trains runs this 22-day journey through China and Central Asia, starting in Beijing and travelling through five countries before finishing in the Fergana Valley and returning to Tashkent. After two nights at the Four Seasons Beijing, including a visit to the Great Wall at Badaling, the group boards the Golden Eagle Silk Road Express for six nights, stopping at Xi'an's Terracotta Warriors, the Mogao Caves at Dunhuang and a camel trek to Crescent Lake, before a private flight from Kashgar to Almaty. A second train, the Golden Eagle, carries the group for eleven more nights through Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, with stops at Lake Issyk-Kul, the walled city of Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand, where an illuminated light show is held at Registan Square. An Experienced Tour Management team and local guides accompany the whole trip. This suits travellers with the time and appetite for a long, immersive rail journey across five countries of Silk Road history, rather than a shorter single-region trip.

What to know before you look closer

  • No price is listed in the evidence for this tour, though the currency given is US dollars; confirm current pricing directly with Golden Eagle Luxury Trains.
  • Only one departure is listed in the evidence, in September 2026.
  • The JW Marriott Tashkent, used on the final night, is listed as 'or similar,' so the exact hotel may vary.
  • The route is not entirely by train: a private flight connects Kashgar to Almaty on day 9, between the two rail segments.

Day by day

  1. Day 1overnight: Four Seasons Beijing

    Beijing

    Transfer to the Four Seasons Beijing for a two-night stay. Evening welcome reception dinner.

    Meals: Dinner

  2. Day 2overnight: Four Seasons Beijing

    Beijing

    Morning visit to the Great Wall at Badaling. Evening Peking Duck dinner at a renowned local restaurant.

    Meals: Dinner

  3. Day 3railovernight: Golden Eagle Silk Road Express (on board)

    Beijing

    Full-day tour of the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and the Summer Palace, or alternatively modern Beijing's Olympic Village, CCTV Tower and National Museum. Evening board the Golden Eagle Silk Road Express with a welcome dinner.

    Meals: Dinner

  4. Day 4overnight: Golden Eagle Silk Road Express (on board)

    Xi'an

    Visit Xi'an's ancient city walls and the Great Mosque, and the Terracotta Warriors. Evening Tang Dynasty dinner with music and dance.

    Meals: Dinner

  5. Day 5railovernight: Golden Eagle Silk Road Express (on board)

    On board the Golden Eagle Silk Road Express

    A day to relax and enjoy the train's amenities, including the Observation Car and lounge.

  6. Day 6overnight: Golden Eagle Silk Road Express (on board)

    Dunhuang

    Explore the Mogao Caves (UNESCO), with a folk-art performance. Lunch, then a camel trek along the Silk Road to Crescent Lake.

    Meals: Lunch

  7. Day 7overnight: Golden Eagle Silk Road Express (on board)

    Golmud

    Silk Road history lecture at the Hilton Qinghai-Golmud with lunch. Afternoon choice of the Chaerhan Salt Lake or a guided city tour.

    Meals: Lunch

  8. Day 8overnight: Golden Eagle Silk Road Express (on board)

    Hotan

    Visit the Atlas Silk and Carpet workshop. Evening night tour of the ancient city of Yotkan. Farewell dinner on board marking the close of this leg.

    Meals: Dinner

  9. Day 9overnight: Ritz-Carlton Almaty

    Kashgar & Almaty

    Visit the Apak Khoja Tomb, the old town and the Gaotai folk houses in Kashgar. After lunch, private flight to Almaty, Kazakhstan.

    Meals: Lunch

  10. Day 10overnight: Golden Eagle (on board)

    Almaty

    City tour including Panfilov Park, the Zenkov Cathedral and Independence Square. Afternoon board the Golden Eagle with a welcome dinner.

    Meals: Dinner

  11. Day 11railovernight: Golden Eagle (on board)

    Lake Issyk-Kul

    Extended visit to Lake Issyk-Kul with a privately arranged nomadic cultural event: horseback wrestling, Golden Eagle hunting and 'ordo'. Optional Museum of the Petroglyphs before returning to the train for dinner.

    Meals: Dinner

  12. Day 12overnight: Golden Eagle (on board)

    Bishkek

    Afternoon sightseeing in Bishkek including Ala-Too Square and a city tour of local parks with Soviet-era monuments.

  13. Day 13railovernight: Golden Eagle (on board)

    Tashkent

    Tour of Tashkent's Old Town, viewing one of Islam's most sacred relics, with an optional Railway Museum and Museum of Applied Arts visit.

  14. Day 14overnight: Golden Eagle (on board)

    Khiva

    Explore the ancient walled city of Khiva (UNESCO), its mosques, madrassas, bazaars and minarets.

  15. Day 15overnight: Golden Eagle (on board)

    Nukus

    Visit the Igor Savitsky State Museum of Fine Arts, the 'Louvre in the Sands', housing a major collection of avant-garde art.

  16. Day 16overnight: Golden Eagle (on board)

    Bukhara

    Visit the Ark of Bukhara, Poi-Kalyan Square and the Kalyan Mosque, the Trading Domes, Lyabi-Hauz Square and the Emir's 'Palace of the Moon and Stars'.

  17. Day 17overnight: Golden Eagle (on board)

    Dushanbe

    Visit the Museum of National Antiquities and the Kohi Navruz Palace in Dushanbe, plus the Ismail Samani monument, Independence Square and Mekhrgon Bazaar. Evening relaxation on board with a resident pianist.

  18. Day 18overnight: Golden Eagle (on board)

    Shahrisabz

    Visit the UNESCO-honoured Ak-Saray Palace, believed birthplace of Amir Timur.

  19. Day 19overnight: Golden Eagle (on board)

    Samarkand

    Visit Registan Square, the Bibi Khanum Mosque and the Ulugbek Observatory. Evening illuminated light show at Registan Square.

  20. Day 20railovernight: Golden Eagle (on board)

    Samarkand

    Visit the Shakh I Zindah necropolis and the ancient settlement of Afrasiyab. Return to the train for lunch, continuing towards the Fergana Valley.

    Meals: Lunch

  21. Day 21overnight: JW Marriott Tashkent (or similar)

    Margilan, Rishtan & Kokand

    Visit a silk-weaving family in Margilan, a ceramics demonstration in Rishtan, and the Palace of Khudayar Khan and Jami Mosque in Kokand. Farewell Dinner on board returning to Tashkent for an overnight hotel stay.

    Meals: Dinner

  22. Day 22

    Tashkent

    Breakfast in the hotel before transfer to the airport for the onward flight.

    Meals: Breakfast

The moments this trip is built around

  • Day 2A morning visit to the Great Wall at Badaling in Beijing is followed by an evening Peking Duck dinner at a local restaurant.
  • Day 6The Mogao Caves at Dunhuang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are followed by a camel trek along the Silk Road to Crescent Lake.
  • Day 11An extended visit to Lake Issyk-Kul includes a privately arranged nomadic cultural event with horseback wrestling and Golden Eagle hunting.
  • Day 14The ancient walled city of Khiva, a UNESCO site, is explored on foot, taking in its mosques, madrassas, bazaars and minarets.
  • Day 19Samarkand's Registan Square, the Bibi Khanum Mosque and the Ulugbek Observatory are followed by an evening illuminated light show at Registan Square.

Included

  • Quality pre-tour accommodation in Beijing
  • 2 hotel nights in the Four Seasons Beijing
  • 6 nights on board the Golden Eagle Silk Road Express
  • 1 hotel night in the Ritz-Carlton Almaty
  • 11 nights on board the Golden Eagle
  • 1 hotel night in JW Marriott Tashkent (or similar)
  • Cabin attendant service including evening turndown
  • Experienced Tour Management team
  • Services of a UK-registered Doctor and medical facilities on board
  • Arrival and departure transfers
  • All gratuities – on and off the train
  • Luggage porterage throughout the journey
  • Freshly prepared meals on board, using the finest local ingredients
  • Authentic dining experiences in local restaurants
  • Inclusive alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages from Standard Bar list
  • 21 Breakfasts, 21 Lunches, 21 Dinners
  • Immersive excursions throughout the voyage
  • Insight of expert tour managers and specially selected, local tour guides

Questions travellers ask

Is train travel included?
Yes. The tour includes 17 of the 21 nights aboard two named trains: the Golden Eagle Silk Road Express from Beijing to Kashgar, and the Golden Eagle from Almaty to Tashkent.
Is it an escorted tour?
Yes, an Experienced Tour Management team and local tour guides accompany the group throughout, with a UK-registered Doctor on board.
Which trains are used?
The Golden Eagle Silk Road Express (Beijing to Kashgar) and the Golden Eagle (Almaty to Tashkent), each offered in Superior Class, Gold Class, Han Dynasty Suite or Imperial Suite.
What hotels are used?
The Four Seasons Beijing (2 nights), the Ritz-Carlton Almaty (1 night), and the JW Marriott Tashkent or similar (1 night).
Is the whole route by train?
No. A private flight connects Kashgar to Almaty on day 9, between the two train segments.
When does this tour run?
The evidence lists one departure, in September 2026.

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