Jewels of the Silk Road by Private Train | Almaty to Baku

Golden Eagle Luxury Train: Jewels of the Silk Road (Almaty to Baku)

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Overview

Nine days, three Central Asian republics and a finish on the Caspian. This westbound Jewels of the Silk Road starts under the Tien Shan mountains in Almaty and ends in Baku, crossing the alpine lake country of Kyrgyzstan and the great desert cities of Uzbekistan aboard the private Golden Eagle.

Running the route this way round, the journey builds as it goes: the mountains and the nomadic culture of the steppe come first, then Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara in turn, and finally Khiva, the walled caravan city, before a private charter flight carries the group across the Caspian to Baku for a farewell night.

Journey highlights

Almaty's Panfilov Park and the Zenkov Cathedral, a 19th-century wooden church built without nails
A private nomadic games festival on the shore of Lake Issyk-Kul - horseback wrestling, eagle hunting and ordo
The world's oldest Koran, held in a small library in the old quarter of Tashkent
Registan Square at Samarkand by day, then again after dark for the illuminated light show
The Ark fortress and the Kalyan Mosque at Bukhara, with a platform barbecue before the train pulls out
Walled Khiva, then a private charter flight to Baku for the farewell dinner

The journey runs in both directions. This is the westbound departure, Almaty to Baku, leaving 14 October 2027. The eastbound journey, Baku to Almaty, leaves on 7 October 2027.

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Your Itinerary

Tall Almaty TV Tower rises above city, with snow-covered mountains in background under a clear blue sky.

Day 1

Almaty, Kazakhstan

You are met on arrival in Almaty and driven to your hotel in the centre of the city for one night. This evening the group gathers for a welcome dinner at the hotel - the first chance to meet your fellow travellers before the train journey begins. Kazakhstan's former capital sits right at the foot of the mountains, and the setting is at its best in the clear October light.

Golden Eagle Silk Road Express: the lounge car entrance

Day 2

Almaty - board the Golden Eagle

After breakfast a morning tour of Almaty takes in Panfilov Park at the heart of the city and, inside it, the Zenkov Cathedral - a 19th-century Russian Orthodox church that ranks among the largest wooden buildings in the world and was put together without a single nail. In the afternoon you board the Golden Eagle, settle into your cabin and roll out across the Kazakh countryside towards the Kyrgyz border. The first dinner on board, with fine wines, is served as evening falls.

Day 3

Lake Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan

A long day beside Lake Issyk-Kul, the second largest alpine lake on earth, ringed by the snow peaks of the Tien Shan. On the shore a festival is staged privately for the group, built around the games and skills of the nomadic steppe: horseback wrestling, hunting with golden eagles, archery and ordo, a game of tactics played with cow kneecaps. Music, dance, costume and craft demonstrations complete the picture. Afterwards there is the option of the open-air Museum of Petroglyphs before you return to the train.

Golden Eagle Silk Road Express: dishes served on board

Day 4

On board the Golden Eagle

A slower day, and a welcome one. The train runs west out of Kyrgyzstan and into Uzbekistan while open plains, low hills and distant ranges slide past the windows. Spend it in your cabin, in the bar lounge car with the scenery, or simply at the pace of the railway.

Day 5

Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan's capital was largely rebuilt after the earthquake of 1966, so the city reads as Soviet modernism with an older quarter threaded through it. In the Old Town, narrow streets of traditional houses and religious buildings lead to a small library holding the Uthman Koran, revered as one of the oldest surviving copies in the world. The day also takes in the Railway Museum and the Museum of Applied Arts, with its ceramics, textiles and decorative crafts.

Day 6

Samarkand, Uzbekistan

No name conjures the Silk Road quite like Samarkand. Today's touring covers its great set pieces: Registan Square, the city's architectural heart; the vast Bibi-Khanym Mosque; and the Ulugh Beg Observatory of 1428, among the earliest and most important observatories of the Islamic world. After dark you return to the Registan, lit up for a light and sound show watched from reserved seats.

Day 7

Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Bukhara keeps one of the best preserved historic centres in Central Asia. The visit takes in The Ark, the fortified palace of the Emirs of Bukhara, and Poi-Kalyan Square with the Kalyan Mosque and its landmark minaret, followed by time in the old Trading Domes and at Lyabi-Hauz, the pool square shaded by mulberry trees. Weather permitting, the evening ends with a barbecue on the station platform before the train departs.

Khiva, Uzbekistan cityscape featuring historic brick buildings, blue and green domes, and a tall striped minaret under a clear blue sky.

Day 8

Khiva, Uzbekistan - fly to Baku, Azerbaijan

The last of the Silk Road cities is the most complete. Khiva rises out of the desert inside its own mud-brick walls, a World Heritage Site where mosques, madrassas, minarets and courtyards stand so close together that the whole town works as an open-air museum. In the afternoon a private charter flight takes the group across the Caspian to Baku, Azerbaijan's capital, for a night at a five-star hotel and the farewell dinner.

Day 9

Baku, Azerbaijan

After breakfast you are transferred to Baku airport for your onward flight. Baku is well worth extra time - the walled old city and the waterfront boulevard reward a longer stay - and we are glad to arrange additional nights and touring.

Book This Tour

Golden Eagle Luxury Train: Jewels of the Silk Road (Almaty to Baku)

Choose Departure and Occupancy

✦ Prices per person

Date

Imperial Suite

Gold Class

Silver Class

2027 Departures

Thu

14Oct

2027

Imperial Suite

Per person

US$ 49,050.00

Imperial Suite

US$ 98,100.00

Imperial Suite

Gold Class

Per person

US$ 21,800.00

Gold Class

US$ 36,400.00

Gold Class

Silver Class

Per person

US$ 16,800.00

Silver Class

US$ 25,200.00

Silver Class

Terms & Conditions

Booking & Payment

Deposit: 30% of the total tour cost is due at the time of booking. The deposit is non-refundable.
Final payment: the balance is due no later than 125 days before departure.
Bookings made within 125 days of departure are payable in full at the time of booking.
Fares are per person. Your written confirmation shows the exact amounts and due dates.

Cancellation

125 days or more before departure: 30% of the total tour cost (the deposit)
Less than 125 days before departure: 100% of the total tour cost

Changes

Date change: free of charge, subject to availability, when requested 125 days or more before departure; after that, a fee of 15% of the total tour cost applies.
Cabin upgrade: only the fare difference between cabin categories applies.
Cabin downgrade or passenger name correction: free of charge up to 35 days before departure; within 35 days, EUR 500 per change.

Changes or cancellation by the train operator

If the train operator cancels or materially changes a departure, you will be offered a new date or an amended booking, a credit toward a future journey, or a refund of the amounts paid.

All cancellation, change, or update requests must be submitted in writing by email to travel@palacetours.com. A request takes effect only once we have received and processed it, and we will confirm the outcome to you in writing. Timeframes are calculated by reference to local time and business days at the destination; a request received outside business hours is treated as received on the next business day.

We strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance, including cancellation cover, from the moment you pay your deposit. For information on available plans, please visit www.palacetours.com/insurance.

Inclusions & Exclusions

Tour Inclusions

Accommodation

1 night at a centrally located hotel in Almaty
6 nights aboard the Golden Eagle in private en-suite accommodation
1 night at a five-star hotel in Baku

Dining

All meals throughout the journey, prepared on board from regional ingredients
Welcome dinner in Almaty and farewell dinner in Baku
Wines, spirits and soft drinks included with meals and from the bar lounge car

Service

Arrival and departure transfers
Cabin attendant service, including evening turndown
Luggage porterage for the whole journey
An experienced tour management team throughout
A UK-registered doctor and medical facilities on board
All gratuities, on and off the train

Touring

Guided off-train excursions in every city on the itinerary
Freedom of Choice touring options where offered
Private charter flight, Khiva to Baku
The evening light show at Registan Square, Samarkand
A privately arranged nomadic games festival at Lake Issyk-Kul

Not included

International flights to Almaty and from Baku
Visas and travel insurance
Items of a personal nature

Accommodations

The Golden Eagle is your hotel for six of the eight nights. Every cabin is en-suite, with air conditioning you control yourself, and the train carries a bar lounge car, two restaurant cars and a doctor. Three cabin grades are available.

Imperial Suite