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MIR Corporation · Private train journey

The Grand Silk Road by Private Train - Beijing to Tashkent

22-day private train journey from Beijing to Tashkent via the Silk Road

Illustration of The Grand Silk Road by Private Train - Beijing to Tashkent

MIR Corporation runs this 22-day private train journey from Beijing to Tashkent, traveling aboard two Golden Eagle trains across China and four Central Asian countries. The tour begins with two nights in a top Beijing hotel and visits to the Great Wall at Badaling and the Forbidden City, before boarding the Golden Eagle Silk Road Express for 6 nights through Xi'an, Dunhuang, Golmud and Hotan to Kashgar. A private flight then carries travelers to Almaty, Kazakhstan, for one night at the Ritz-Carlton before boarding the Golden Eagle for 12 more nights through Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, visiting Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand and the Fergana Valley. An experienced Train Tour Manager and local guides lead sightseeing throughout, and the journey ends with a farewell dinner on board in Tashkent. This suits experienced travelers drawn to Silk Road history and long-distance rail travel in a comfortable, guided setting, rather than those seeking a short trip.

What to know before you look closer

  • The evidence pack does not list a starting price for this tour; contact MIR Corporation for current rates.
  • One leg of the journey, from Kashgar to Almaty on day 9, is a private flight rather than a train.
  • A visa application kit and instructions are provided, but visa fees themselves are not included.
  • Only one departure is currently scheduled, in September 2026.

Day by day

  1. Day 1overnight: Beijing

    Beijing (China)

    Two-night stay at a top hotel in Beijing; welcome reception with fellow travelers.

  2. Day 2overnight: Beijing

    Beijing

    Visit the Great Wall at Badaling, the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and the Summer Palace, or Beijing's modern Olympic Village and CCTV Tower.

  3. Day 3railovernight: Golden Eagle Silk Road Express

    Beijing - board the Golden Eagle Silk Road Express

    Traditional Peking Duck dinner, then board the Golden Eagle Silk Road Express for a festive welcome dinner marking the start of the rail journey.

  4. Day 4overnight: Golden Eagle Silk Road Express

    Xi'an

    Explore Xi'an's ancient city walls and the Terracotta Warriors; Tang Dynasty show pairing cuisine with music and dance.

  5. Day 5overnight: Golden Eagle Silk Road Express

    Dunhuang

    Visit the Mogao Caves with their Buddhist statues and murals, and take a camel ride at Crescent Lake.

  6. Day 6overnight: Golden Eagle Silk Road Express

    Golmud

    Choice between Chaerhan (Qarhan) Salt Lake or exploring the city.

  7. Day 7railovernight: Golden Eagle Silk Road Express

    En route to Hotan

    Continue the rail journey toward Hotan.

  8. Day 8overnight: Golden Eagle Silk Road Express

    Hotan

    Learn about traditional silk carpet manufacture and explore the ancient Yotkan city by night.

  9. Day 9overnight: Ritz-Carlton Almaty

    Kashgar, private flight to Almaty (Kazakhstan)

    Visit the Abak Khoja Tomb and Kashgar's old town with its Gaotai folk houses, then take a private flight to Almaty.

  10. Day 10overnight: Golden Eagle

    Almaty, board the Golden Eagle

    Visit Panfilov Park and Zenkov Cathedral, then board the Golden Eagle for a welcome dinner.

  11. Day 11overnight: Golden Eagle

    Lake Issyk-Kul (Kyrgyzstan)

    Examine petroglyphs and watch a demonstration of traditional Kyrgyz hunting eagles near alpine Lake Issyk-Kul.

  12. Day 12overnight: Golden Eagle

    Bishkek

    Tour Bishkek, filled with Soviet-era statues and monuments.

  13. Day 13railovernight: Golden Eagle

    Tashkent (Uzbekistan)

    Visit a small Old Town library to see the Uthman Koran, one of the world's oldest, plus the Railway Museum and Museum of Applied Arts.

  14. Day 14overnight: Golden Eagle

    Khiva

    Wander the UNESCO-listed Old Town (Ichon-Qala) and the Kunya Ark, the original residence of Khiva's khans.

  15. Day 15overnight: Golden Eagle

    Nukus

    Discover Nukus, surrounded by three deserts, and explore the remote Savitsky Art Museum.

  16. Day 16overnight: Golden Eagle

    Bukhara

    Explore Bukhara's UNESCO-listed Old Town, Labi-Hauz Plaza and the Ark Citadel.

  17. Day 17overnight: Golden Eagle

    Dushanbe (Tajikistan)

    Tour the opulent Navruz Palace and stroll the Mekhrgon Bazaar.

  18. Day 18overnight: Golden Eagle

    Shahrisabz (Uzbekistan)

    Visit the UNESCO-listed Ak Saray ruins, Tamerlane's birthplace monument.

  19. Day 19overnight: Golden Eagle

    Samarkand

    Visit Bibi Khanum Mosque, the Ulug Bek Observatory, Registan Square and Shah-i-Zinda.

  20. Day 20overnight: Golden Eagle

    Fergana Valley

    Visit the Yodgorlik silk factory in Margilan and a family-run ceramics studio in Rishtan.

  21. Day 21overnight: Golden Eagle

    Kokand

    Visit Khudayar Khan's grand 113-room palace.

  22. Day 22

    Tashkent - farewell

    Journey concludes in Tashkent with a farewell dinner on board.

The moments this trip is built around

  • Day 2The Great Wall at Badaling, the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and the Summer Palace in Beijing.
  • Day 5A camel ride at Crescent Lake near Dunhuang after visiting the Mogao Caves.
  • Day 9A private flight from Kashgar to Almaty after visiting the Abak Khoja Tomb and Kashgar's old town.
  • Day 13Viewing the Uthman Koran, one of the world's oldest, in Tashkent's Old Town library.
  • Day 22A farewell dinner on board the train in Tashkent as the journey concludes.

Included

  • Accommodation aboard the Golden Eagle Silk Road Express private train
  • Accommodation aboard the Golden Eagle private train
  • Hotel accommodation per the itinerary (2 nights Beijing, 1 night Almaty)
  • All meals starting with dinner on Day 1 until breakfast on the final day, including a generous allowance of wine or local beer, soft drinks and water with lunches and dinners
  • Arrival/departure transfers on tour start/end dates and cities
  • All guided off-train tours per itinerary
  • The services of an experienced Train Tour Manager, with local guides for scheduled off-train touring
  • Complimentary tea, coffee and mineral water round the clock from your car attendant on board
  • All gratuities
  • Baggage handling
  • Pre-departure electronic document with packing suggestions, reading list, country information, maps and tips
  • Customized visa application and instruction kit (visa fees not included)
  • Electronic final update bulletin
  • Assistance booking custom flight arrangements, on request

Not included

  • International airfare or surface transport to the point of joining/leaving the tour
  • Meals and drinks not specified as included in the itinerary
  • Single supplement (difference between double rate and single occupancy rate) if requested or required
  • Optional pre- or post-tour extensions
  • Expenses from delay, modification or extension of a tour due to causes beyond MIR's control
  • Visa fees, excess baggage charges, airport departure taxes, vaccination and medical costs
  • Travel insurance including cancellation, medical and evacuation insurance
  • Items of a purely personal nature (laundry, telephone, bar account, museum photography, etc.)

Questions travellers ask

Is train travel included?
Yes. The tour spends 6 nights aboard the Golden Eagle Silk Road Express from Beijing to Kashgar, and 12 nights aboard the Golden Eagle from Almaty to Tashkent. One leg, Kashgar to Almaty, is by private flight rather than train.
Is this trip escorted?
Yes, an experienced Train Tour Manager accompanies the group throughout, with local guides for off-train touring.
What hotels are included?
Two nights in a top hotel in Beijing and one night at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty; the remaining 18 nights are spent aboard the two private trains.
When does it depart?
One departure is currently scheduled, in September 2026.
What is not included?
International airfare to Beijing or from Tashkent, visa fees, single supplement, and travel insurance are not included.

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