Golden Eagle Silk Road Express: Voyage to the Roof of the World

The journey lasts 13 days and 12 nights. It includes 2 nights in a five-star hotel in Beijing, 7 nights aboard the Golden Eagle Silk Road Express, 1 night in a five-star hotel in Chengdu and 3 nights in a five-star hotel in Lhasa on the Tibetan plateau.

There are two departures in 2027: 6 to 18 April, and 19 September to 1 October. The exact fare and availability for each departure are shown in the departure list on this page.

Fares start from around USD 25,900 per person sharing, with sole occupancy from around USD 43,200. The price depends on the departure and on whether you choose a Superior cabin or the Han Dynasty Suite, and the exact fare for each is shown on this page.

The journey begins in Beijing, then continues by train to Luoyang, Xi'an, Chengdu, Xining and Dunhuang. From Xining it joins the Qinghai-Xizang Railway over the Tanggula Pass to Lhasa, where the tour ends with three nights and visits to the Potala Palace, the Jokhang Temple and the Norbulingka.

The Qinghai-Xizang Railway is the highest railway in the world, and its highest point is the Tanggula Pass at 16,640 feet, with the Himalaya on the horizon. The run from Xining towards Lhasa covers about 1,900 kilometres across grassland, salt lakes and snow-capped ranges.

Yes. If the altitude concerns you, there is the option of a direct flight to Lhasa instead of the Qinghai-Xizang Railway, which gives you extra time to acclimatise. Please tell us when booking, and do discuss travel at altitude with your doctor.

There are two grades. The Superior Cabin is 11 square metres, converts between twin beds and a double, and has a 2.5 square metre en-suite with a power shower and underfloor heating. The Han Dynasty Suite is 22.2 square metres, double the size, with a double bed.

The purpose-built train is the newest in the fleet. It has two restaurant cars, one Chinese and one Western, a lounge car, and an observation car whose floor-to-ceiling windows are the largest on any train in China. A doctor and medical facilities are on board throughout.

At Luoyang you visit the Longmen Grottoes, with more than 100,000 Buddhist statues carved into limestone cliffs, and the Shaolin Temple, birthplace of Zen Buddhism and kung fu. That evening brings a Tang Dynasty banquet in Xi'an, and the next day you walk the city walls and see the Terracotta Warriors.

In Chengdu you explore Kuanzhai Alley, a preserved grid of Qing dynasty lanes, then enjoy a privately reserved Sichuan opera with bian lian face-changing. After a night in a five-star hotel, you spend the morning at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding before rejoining the train.

Kumbum Monastery near Xining, visited on day 8, is one of the most sacred sites in Tibetan Buddhism. Your guide takes you into its quieter corners as well as the main prayer halls, followed by butter tea in a courtyard, then a choice of the Qinghai Provincial Museum or the Shui Jing Xiang market.

You spend three nights in Lhasa. There is an optional tour of the Jokhang Temple and Barkhor Market on arrival, then a day at the Norbulingka summer palace, a Tibetan lunch with folk music, and the Potala Palace, which rises 300 metres above the valley. The farewell dinner is that evening.

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 arrive in Beijing and depart from Lhasa airport, so our specialists can help you plan flights that suit both ends of the trip.

The two departures run in spring (April) and early autumn (September into October). Both avoid the peak of summer, and your choice will mostly depend on your own calendar. Our specialists can share what to expect from each on the Tibetan plateau.

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. Because the journey reaches high altitude, please speak with our specialists and your doctor before booking for a child.

Yes. Sole occupancy fares start from around USD 43,200, depending on departure and cabin grade. The exact single fare is shown on this page, and our team can confirm availability.

On day 9 a guide takes you into a selection of the finest chambers of the Mogao Caves, nearly 500 decorated grottoes spanning a thousand years of Buddhist devotion, while local musicians and dancers perform. After lunch you ride a camel over the dunes to Crescent Lake, a spring-fed oasis.

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.