The Silk Route by Private Train: Westbound

Itinerary

• Days 1-3: Beijing (China)

  Arriving in Beijing, transfer to a premier hotel for a three-night stay. Explore the city’s most iconic sights including the Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, and the Forbidden City where 14 Ming and 10 Qing emperors ruled. Alternately, make a tour of Beijing’s modern architectural wonders, visiting the Olympic Village (with its Bird’s Nest stadium), the National Center for the Performing Arts (known as the Egg), and the CCTV Tower (a geometrical marvel). On Day 3, make a trip outside the city to see the Great Wall. That afternoon, board the high-speed Bullet Train and head to Xi’an. Check in to a five-star hotel upon arrival.

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • Visits to some of China’s most awe-inspiring landmarks, including the UNESCO-listed Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, and Great Wall
  • The comfortable, exhilaratingly fast Bullet Train trip from Beijing to Xi’an, covering more than 700 miles in about five hours
• Days 4-5: Xi’an

  Begin the day by visiting Xi’an’s 14th century walls, the most complete city walls remaining in China. Then stroll, shop, and sample delicious street food in the Muslim quarter that surrounds the Great Mosque. Outside of town, there’s the opportunity to visit the Museum of the Terra Cotta Army, which displays one of the world’s great archaeological discoveries – the life-size statues found at the tomb of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang. Alternatively, remain in the city and tour the collection of the Han Yangling Museum, including chariots, weapons, and figurines exhumed from the nearby tombs. Attend a Tang Dynasty dinner and cultural performance on the first night, and on the second begin the private train journey aboard the Shangri-La West Express.

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • Xi’an’s Great Mosque, which combines elements of Islamic and Chinese architecture
  • The strikingly lifelike, 2,000-year-old Terra Cotta Warriors – UNESCO-listed treasures, some 8,000 of which stand guard at the tomb of Qin Shi Huang
  • Second century BC tombs of Emperor Liu Qi and Empress Wang at the Han Yangling Museum
• Days 6-8: Dunhuang, Turpan

  Check into a hotel for the night in the small oasis city of Dunhuang, which was once an important Chinese garrison on the Silk Road. Amid the neighboring dunes, explore the UNESCO-listed Mogao Thousand Buddha Cave Complex, containing almost 500 frescoed grottoes carved between 700 and 1,700 years ago. Then head to Turpan, another Silk Road oasis, and tour the ruins of Jiaohe, an island city built in the 2nd century and decimated by the Mongols in the 13th.

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • The frescoes of the Mogao Thousand Buddha Caves, representing a thousand years of Buddhist art in China
  • The 2,000-year-old irrigation system used to cultivate wine grapes in Turpan
• Days 9-10: Kazakhstan border, Almaty (Kazakhstan)

  Cross into Kazakhstan and transfer to the luxury Golden Eagle private train. Make a stop in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city and a thriving business center situated amid the majestic Tien Shan mountain range. Lunch here in a traditional Kazakh yurt.

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • Vibrant, modern Almaty’s beautiful setting in the green foothills of the Tien Shan Mountains
  • Getting a taste of Kazakh culture with lunch in a traditional yurt
• Days 11-13: Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Samarkand, Bukhara

  Cross the Uzbekistan border and make a stop in Tashkent, the capital and largest city, touring some of its noteworthy sights including Amir Timur Square and Kukeldash Madrassah. Continue to the blue-tiled Silk Road oasis of Samarkand, Tamerlane’s legendary capital, hailed by UNESCO as “the crossroad of cultures.” Take in massive Bibi Khanum Mosque, Ulug Bek’s incredible observatory, and gracefully proportioned Registan Square. Next, spend a day in beautiful Bukhara, Central Asia’s most ancient living city. Its UNESCO-listed Old Town encompasses more than 140 protected monuments, including the Lyabi-Hauz Plaza at the heart of the city and the Ark Citadel, Bukhara’s original fortress.

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • The classic glazed tile façade of Tashkent’s Kukeldash Madrassah, one of the largest 16th century madrassahs remaining in Central Asia
  • UNESCO-listed Samarkand’s Registan Square, bordered by three beautiful madrassahs
  • The 14th century conqueror Tamerlane’s architectural legacy in Samarkand, including Bibi Khanum Mosque, the largest mosque of its day
  • Ulug Bek Observatory, where Tamerlane’s grandson made historic advances in astronomy
  • Bukhara’s evocative Old Town, with its ageless domed bazaars
  • Central Lyabi-Hauz Plaza, adorned with a reflecting pool
  • Ark Citadel, Bukhara’s giant ancient fortress
• Days 14-15: Merv (Turkmenistan), Ashgabat, Darvaza Gas Crater

  Cross into Turkmenistan and head to the UNESCO-listed ruins of Merv, a city of Bronze Age origin. It was such an important Silk Road stop that it grew into one of the world’s largest cities, only to be brutally sacked by the Mongols in the 13th century. In the modern capital of Ashgabat, explore the flamboyant gilded architecture that has sprung from the rubble of a massive 1948 earthquake, and gain insight into the country’s history and culture at the beautifully situated National Museum. As the train heads back toward the Uzbek border, disembark for a nighttime excursion to the flaming Darvaza Gas Crater, one of Turkmenistan’s most unusual sights, nicknamed “the Door to Hell.”

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • The vast archaeological site of Merv, one of the world’s great lost cities
  • The opulent modern architecture of Ashgabat, which holds a Guinness record for the highest density of white marble buildings in the world
  • Learning the story of Turkmenistan at the National Museum, where the collection includes Stone Age tools, drinking horns used in Zoroastrian rituals, and beautifully crafted amulets
  • The brilliant glow of Darvaza Gas Crater at night
• 16-17: Khiva (Uzbekistan), Kyzyl Kum Desert

  Reentering Uzbekistan, visit the city of Khiva, the last great oasis on the northern caravan route. Wander through the winding alleys of the UNESCO-listed Old Town filled with minarets, cobbled alleys, mosques, and the beautifully preserved Kunya Ark, the original residence of the ruling khans. Then travel across the vast Kyzyl Kum (Red Sand) Desert, where caravans and conquerors have journeyed for thousands of years. From on board the Golden Eagle you may spot a camel or two.

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • Khiva’s Old Town (Ichon-Qala in Uzbek), a UNESCO World Heritage Site
  • Tash-Hauli Palace, built in the 19th century for the khan and his four wives
  • Dzhuma Mosque, famous for its carved wooden pillars
  • Kunya Ark, the original residence of Khiva’s khans
• Days 18-21: Volgograd (Russia), Moscow

  Arriving in Russia, visit Volgograd (Stalingrad during Soviet times), where a war memorial and a museum commemorate a crucial WWII battle that took place here. After a final night aboard the Golden Eagle, arrive in Moscow and check into a five-star hotel for two nights. Spend the last full day of the trip seeing the city’s classic sights including Red Square, home to iconic St. Basil’s Cathedral and the massive Kremlin.

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • Volgograd’s Mamaev Kurgan war memorial and Panorama Museum, both of which commemorate the first WWII battle in which Hitler was defeated
  • Red Square, the heart of Moscow and a UNESCO World Heritage Site