The Silk Road
by Private Train
October 16-November 5, 2008
Westbound: Beijing to Moscow
(Reverse itinerary, Moscow to Beijing: April 10-30 / Oct. 13-Nov. 2)We are delighted to invite you on yet another grand journey to a fascinating part of the world, the Silk Road, on our favorite mode of transportation: the train! What better way to travel through this intriguing land than by train? It will be a grand adventure exploring the wonders of this region. The journey: a 6,250-mile trip from Beijing to Moscow aboard the Shangri-La Express and Trans-Siberian Express. We are delighted to sponsor this program in conjunction with GW Travel of England.
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:
- Beijing, The Great Wall, Forbidden City
- Xian, The Terracotta Army & city tour
- Dunhuang's Magao Thousand Buddha Cave Complex
- Heavenly Lake in Urumchi
- Almaty, fomer capital of Kazakhstan
- Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan & Ashgabat, capital of Turkmenistan
- Merv & Khiva
- Kara Kum Desert
- Volgograd
- Moscow
- Last but not least the train, a comfortable hotel-on-wheels with bar car, restaurant cars, first-class sleeping cars, a staff of around 80 (60 Russian Train)
DAILY ITINERARY (Westbound)
Day 1: Beijing
Transfer from airport to five-star hotel in Beijing for two-night stay. Welcome dinner.
Day 2: Beijing
Full day tour of Beijing, including the Temple of Heaven, Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. Lunch and dinner in the city.
Day 3: Beijing
Morning visit to Great Wall at Badaling. Lunch in the city followed by free time at the market. Dinner at specialty Peking Duck restaurant.
Day 4: Board the Shangri-La Express
Transfer to Beijing West station to board your private train, the Shangri-La Express, and begin the 7,050-mile journey to Moscow. Lunch and dinner on board.
Day 5: Luoyang
Arrive Luoyang, in the Yellow River Valley. Visit local museum with city artifacts recovered from tombs. Tour Longmen Caves. This complex of 1,350 caves contains over 100,000 statues and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Day 6: Xi’an
Morning arrival in ancient city of Xi’an. See the Great Mosque, eight-mile city walls, Drum and Bell Towers and Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Afternoon visit to the world-famous Terracotta Warriors, discovered by peasants just over 30 years ago. The thousands of terracotta figures are one of the best-loved and most significant archaeological finds of the 20th century. Dinner and Tang Dynasty show in city; evening train departure.Day 7: Lanzhou
Arrive midday in Lanzhou, a vital city on the Silk Route. Visit the Gansu Provincial Museum to see the kind of goods that moved along the Silk Route, along with the famous “galloping horse” dating from the Eastern Han period. Late afternoon departure and dinner on board.
Day 8: Dunhuang
Morning arrival in small oasis city of Dunhuang to visit the fascinating Mogao Thousand Buddha Cave Complex. It contains about 500 grottoes, carved 700 to 1,700 years ago, and is filled with an amazing collection of sculptures and murals depicting the evolution of Buddhist religious art. Afternoon trip to the Sand Dunes; optional camel ride to Crescent Moon Lake. Dinner near the dunes with a local folk show.
Day 9: Turpan/Urumchi
Arrive Turpan, where we view the Flaming Mountains, the Emin Minaret and the Karez 2,000-year-old irrigation system. Lunch on the train as we travel to Urumchi to visit the Xinjiang Provincial Museum. Depart for Kazakhstan.Day 10: Crossing to Kazakhstan
Arrive Alashankou after breakfast, where border controls are carried out, and we transfer to our waiting Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express private train for the continuation of our journey to Moscow. Lunch and dinner on the train.
Day 11: Almaty
Morning arrival in Almaty and tour the flourishing former capital of Kazakhstan, nestled in the foothills of the Tien Shan mountains. Visit the magnificent 170-foot-high wooden Zenkhov Cathedral before lunch in a Kazak yurt in the mountains.
Day 12: Tashkent
Lunch on board and arrival in Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan. Spend the afternoon in this pleasant, modern Soviet-style city, including a visit to the Museum of Fine Arts.
Day 13: Samarkand
Many phrases have been used to describe this wonderful city––“Rome of the East” and “Pearl of the Muslim World”—and it counts Alexander the Great, Marco Polo and Tamerlane among its most well-known admirers. Full day touring the many fabulous buildings including the Bibi Khanum Mosque, Ulug Beg observatory and the awe-inspiring Registan Square. After dinner enjoy an evening of traditional dancing and music at the splendidly lit Square.
Day 14: Bukhara
Awaken to the splendor of Uzbekistan’s oasis city, Bukhara, having traversed the Kyzyikum Desert during the night. UNESCO funded the renovation of this “jewel of the desert” for its 2,500-year anniversary in 1999. Tour includes The Ark, fortified residence of the Emirs of Bukhara—rulers infamous for their cruelty. Enjoy a lunch of traditional cuisine in one of the city’s many beautifully tiled Islamic schools, then travel out of the city to visit the Emir’s Palace of Moon and Stars.
Day 15: Ashgabat
We arrive in the capital of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, and tour this newly constructed “Las Vegas of the Kara Kum Desert.” The old city has been replaced with a modern, multi-fountained, gold-gilded center dedicated to “President for life” Sapamurat Turkmenbashi.
Day 16: Merv
Continue through the desert to Merv, an ancient Silk Road city left to die after the Emir of Bukhara destroyed the dam, which the population depended upon for water. Visit one of the five walled cities.
Day 17: Khiva
Cross back into Uzbekistan and tour fascinating Khiva today—one of the most important trading centers at the crossroads of the routes between Mongolia, Russia, China and Persia. Its former wealth is evident in the fabulous buildings, mosques, bazaars and minarets—many of which were restored with UNESCO’s help for its recent 2,500th anniversary. Lunch and dinner on the train as we travel north.
Day 18: Kara Kum Desert
Day spent on board while traveling through Kazakhstan’s Kara Kum Desert. Stop briefly at remote villages along the way, with breakfast, lunch and dinner on the train. Cross into Russia this evening.
Day 19: Volgograd
Probably the most important battle of WWII occurred on the banks of the River Volga in Stanlingrad, as it was known then. The Russians finally turned back the Nazi advance to the Caucasian oil fields in Baku in the famous battle that took more than two million lives on both sides, the bloodiest battle in human history. Up to this defeat, Hitler had lost no major battles; after Stalingrad he won none. Stalingrad paid an enormous price for the victory—it was virtually destroyed. Visit the sobering Mamayev Kurgan war memorial, excellent diorama and interesting museum. Return to the train for our final dinner on board.
Day 20: Moscow
Lunchtime arrival in Moscow where our tour concludes with a night in a five-star hotel. Afternoon visit to Red Square and the Kremlin. Farewell dinner held in the city.
Day 21: Moscow
Airport transfers provided to connect with flights.
Westbound: October 16-November 5, 2008
Eastbound: April 10-30, 2008 / October 13-November 2
FARES (See below or click here for description of cabin classes):
Accommodations: Price: Silver Class twin: $15,995 per person Silver Class single: $21,995 Gold Class twin: $19,995 per person Gold Class single: $27,995
The Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express
The all-first-class Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express burst onto the international rail-travel scene last April in Moscow, accompanied by all the pomp and circumstance its British operator could muster. That included the participation of His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent, a member of the Royal Family and a distant relative of the last Tsar.
The Golden Eagle is used for The Silk Road running in Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.
Most trips include one or two dining cars, comfy lounge with bar/piano (and pianist), laundry facilities (and laundress), English train doctor, translator, train/tour manager, day and night staff (who are friendly but speak just a few words of English). Everything is included except bar liquor. In all, 64 staff members cater to the needs of up to 132 passengers. The compartments in the Golden Eagle’s six Gold Class and six Silver Class cars have private en-suite facilities—shower, sink and toilet.Gold Class
Gold Class compartments, at 77 square feet, have five compartments per car and are the most luxurious and spacious on the train. Gold Class compartments feature underfloor heating, DVD/CD player, audio system, individual air conditioning, recessed lighting and wardrobe space. Showers in Gold Class bathrooms have curved, sliding glass door. The lower bed is double-bed width; the upper bed is a twin. Both are among the most comfortable beds we have enjoyed on a train. We loved our wake-up coffee, flowers and gift of vodka in our room.Silver Class
Silver Class cars have six compartments each. Features include DVD/CD player, audio system, individual air conditioning, recessed lighting and wardrobe. The Silver Class shower occupies the same space as the sink and toilet; to take a shower, the passenger draws a curtain around him- or herself. Each compartment is 60 square feet.New Diners & Lounge
The two new, 64-seat restaurant cars are sumptuously appointed. The “Gold” diner is decorated with a surfeit of brass, elaborate indirect lighting, gleaming wood and glowing overhead lights. The “White” diner is arrayed in shades of white and cream. Highlighted with gold medallions, mirrors and intricate carvings, it’s like a rococo wedding cake on wheels. The ornate bar car piano is the train’s social center. It has no official closing hours.
If the train seems unusually spacious, it is: it’s amazing what an extra three-and-a-half inches of track gauge can do to enlarge a passenger compartment. (Russian railways operate on a five-foot gauge, unlike the U.S. and most other countries’ four-foot, 8 1/2-inch gauge).
The Shangri-La Express (China)
The Shangri-La Express is modern and air-conditioned. It is not a luxury train; however, for the time being, it is the finest rail option available in China. Its first-class sleeping compartments have two bunk-style beds. A small washroom with sink is located between compartments, and toilets are located at each end of the sleeping car. Showers are in a purpose-built car. (Note: Shower car cannot be guaranteed. If not available, stops will be made daily at hotels for showering.) Each car has its own attendant who cleans the cabins, provides bed turndown service and is on call to serve tea and coffee 24 hours a day.
A professional tour manager and doctor accompany each tour.
A Western-style breakfast is served in the dining car, while the Chinese chefs offer a wide variety of local specialties at lunch and dinner. International wines are included with lunch and dinner, along with beer, soft drinks, tea and coffee. Some nights a pianist plays in the bar car, which serves an array of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. (Alcohol not included outside meals.)
Tip for couples: get two single rooms so both can have a lower bed, more room and share a private washroom.
GENERAL INFORMATION
A full passport with at least six months validity from the start of the tour is required.
Visas-Chinese, Uzbek, Kazak, Turkmen and Russian Visas-will be required. We will provide instructions for arrangement of all visas. This cost is not included.THE TOUR PRICE INCLUDES
- All meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner daily)
- Wine, beer and soft drinks provided with lunch and dinner.
- The services of English-speaking tour leaders and local guides
- English-speaking interpreters
- Comprehensive off-train sightseeing program as detailed in the itinerary.
- A doctor who will travel with the train throughout the tour.
- Complimentary tea, coffee and mineral water throughout the tour from your car attendantTHE TOUR PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE
- International air
- Insurance (it is a booking condition that passengers have adequate insurance).
- Charges of a personal nature on the train or at the hotels (laundry, telephone, bar account etc.).
- Visa or Excess Baggage Charges, Airport Departure Taxes, Vaccination or Medical Costs.
Book now! Click here to download a tour booking form.
Please click here for complete tour terms and conditions.
Please e-mail or call us with questions, bookings:
800-478-4881 or 502-454-0277
