Golden Eagle Silk Road Express: Ancient China by Private Train

The journey lasts 12 days and 11 nights. It includes 1 night in a five-star hotel in Urumqi, 8 nights aboard the Golden Eagle Silk Road Express and 2 nights in a five-star hotel in Beijing, crossing the whole width of China.

There are two departures in 2027, starting on 29 March and 11 September. The exact fare and availability for each departure and cabin grade are shown in the departure list on this page.

Fares start from around USD 25,000 per person sharing, with sole occupancy from around USD 41,800. The price depends on the departure and cabin grade, and the exact fare for each is shown on this page.

The route follows the northern Silk Road in reverse: Urumqi, Turpan, Kashgar, Hotan, Golmud on the edge of the Tibetan plateau, Dunhuang, Xi'an and finally Beijing. It links the oasis towns of the Taklamakan desert with the imperial capitals of the east.

Kashgar and Hotan are rarely included on any rail itinerary. In Kashgar you visit the Apak Khoja Tomb, the holiest Muslim site in Xinjiang, the Old Town and the Gaotai folk houses, with a Uyghur lunch. In Hotan you tour the ancient city of Yotkan and an atlas silk and carpet workshop.

Turpan sits in a depression more than 150 metres below sea level. You visit Gaochang, an old Silk Road trading city, the Karez underground irrigation network that still carries meltwater across the desert, and Jiaohe, a city carved directly out of a rock plateau.

On day 7 you visit the Mogao Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Cave of a Thousand Buddhas, with local musicians playing as you move through. After lunch a camel trek takes you over the dunes to Crescent Lake, a spring-fed oasis in the desert.

Golmud sits on the edge of the Tibetan plateau. The day opens with a lecture on the history of the Silk Road, then you choose between the Chaerhan Salt Lake, a vast expanse of salt flats and mineral deposits, or a guided walk through the city.

In Xi'an there is a Tang Dynasty banquet, a walk on the city walls, the Great Mosque and the Terracotta Army. In Beijing you choose the classic or modern city tour, then spend two nights in a five-star hotel with a morning at the Great Wall at Badaling and a Peking duck dinner.

There are two grades. The Superior Cabin is 11 square metres and converts between twin beds and a double, with an en-suite featuring a power shower and underfloor heating. The Han Dynasty Suite is 22.2 square metres, double the size, with a double bed.

The train is purpose-built and the newest in the Golden Eagle fleet. It has a Chinese and a Western restaurant car, a lounge car and an observation car with the largest windows of any train in China. A doctor and medical facilities are on board.

The fare covers all accommodation, all meals, beverages with meals and from the lounge car, arrival and departure transfers, cabin attendant service with turndown, luggage porterage, guided excursions at every stop with entrance fees, a tour management team, an onboard doctor and all gratuities on and off the train.

International flights are not included, and neither are the Chinese visa, travel insurance or items of a personal nature. You fly into Urumqi and home from Beijing, and our specialists can help you arrange those flights.

Eight of the eleven nights are spent aboard the Golden Eagle Silk Road Express, from boarding at Urumqi on day 2 until arrival in Beijing on day 10. Day 8 is a relaxed day on board before arriving in Xi'an in the evening.

The March departure runs in early spring and the September departure in early autumn. Both avoid the height of summer in the desert regions, so the choice usually comes down to your own plans. Our specialists can share what to expect on each date.

A deposit of 30 percent of the tour price confirms your cabin and is non-refundable. The balance is due 125 days before departure, and bookings made within 125 days of departure are payable in full at the time of booking. Your written confirmation shows the exact amounts and the dates they fall due.

Children can be booked, with child rates in two bands based on age at departure: under 5, and 5 to 11. Please contact us so we can confirm cabin arrangements and the applicable fare.

Yes. Sole occupancy fares start from around USD 41,800, depending on departure and cabin grade. The exact single fare is shown on this page and our team can confirm availability.

Yes. If you would like to stay longer in Beijing, or add Shanghai or Hong Kong, we are glad to arrange it. We can also add time in Urumqi before the journey starts.

Email travel@palacetours.com, call 786-408-0610, or message us on WhatsApp at https://wa.me/17864080610, where a travel specialist or our AI assistant will reply. The departure list on this page is bookable directly, with the current fare and availability for each cabin grade.