Golden Eagle: Tashkent · Samarkand · Almaty · Baku · Yerevan
A private train for 100 guests through Central Asia and the Caucasus
Golden Eagle Luxury Trains · Sleeper
The Golden Eagle is the train for the Silk Road republics of Central Asia and the Caucasus: in 2027, journeys of nine to sixteen days between Tashkent, Samarkand, Almaty, Baku and Yerevan, for up to 100 guests. Golden Eagle Luxury Trains calls it the only private train of its kind operating in these regions of the world. The company began as GW Travel in 1989 and in 2026 joined the Arsenale Group, the company behind La Dolce Vita Orient Express, saying that its existing departures and itineraries are unchanged.
There are three cabin classes, all en-suite. The Imperial Suite, 11.1 m² (120 sq ft), has a king-size bed, a sitting area, a power shower, underfloor heating and a minibar, with complimentary Dom Pérignon when you board. Gold Class, 7 m² (77 sq ft), has a lower double bed and an upper single, with a separate shower in the bathroom. Silver Class, 5.5 m² (60 sq ft), has a 3ft 6in lower bed, an upper bed and an en-suite wet room. The Bar Lounge Car has a baby grand piano and a resident pianist, and meals are served in the Restaurant Cars.
Golden Eagle still shows its Trans-Siberian and Trans-Mongolian journeys on this train, but it has suspended all of their departures indefinitely because of the war in Ukraine and the international sanctions on Russia, and none is scheduled. The train's 2027 programme is the Silk Road. For travellers who want China as well, The Grand Silk Road runs 22 days from Tashkent to Beijing on two trains, eleven nights on the Golden Eagle and six on the new Golden Eagle Silk Road Express.
Booking through Via Privata: USD 1,000 hotel credit
- USD 500at your hotel before the journey
- USD 500at your hotel after it
Dining, the spa, the bar: anything you charge to your room.
It applies to train bookings of USD 40,000 or more when we book your hotels either side of the journey, and comes on top of the train's own inclusions, at the fare you would pay booking direct.
- Cabin-selection guidance before the best categories sell through
- We hold the cabin while you decide
- Every benefit confirmed in writing before you commit
- Hotels joined either side of the journey, as one trip
The route
Drawn to show the order of the stations, not the exact track.
The journeys
Republics of the Silk Road, Tashkent to Almaty
14 days
Two departures, at the end of August and in late September.
Republics of the Silk Road, Almaty to Samarkand
14 days
The westbound version, finishing in Samarkand, with one departure in September.
Caspian Odyssey
16 days
Yerevan to Almaty, the longest of the Golden Eagle's own 2027 journeys and the one that begins in Armenia. One departure, at the end of September.
Jewels of the Silk Road
9 days
Baku to Almaty and Almaty to Baku, a week apart in October, and the shortest way onto the train.
On board: the cabins
Imperial Suite
11.1 m² (120 sq ft)
The top category: a king-size bed, a sitting area, an en-suite power shower, underfloor heating and a minibar, and complimentary Dom Pérignon when you board.
Gold Class
7 m² (77 sq ft)
A lower double bed with an upper single, and an en-suite bathroom with a separate shower. Gold Cabin 5 is smaller, 6.3 m² (68 sq ft), and Golden Eagle offers it to single travellers or as a reduced twin.
Silver Class
5.5 m² (60 sq ft)
A 3ft 6in lower bed and an upper bed, with an en-suite wet room. The most compact of the three classes.
The carriages
Bar Lounge Car
The train's lounge, with a baby grand piano and a resident pianist.
Restaurant Cars
Where meals on board are served.
Up to 100 guests
The maximum. Golden Eagle notes that many departures run with fewer guests, and minimum numbers apply.
Booking this train
Choose by where you start and finish. Republics of the Silk Road runs 14 days from Tashkent to Almaty, or from Almaty to Samarkand; the Caspian Odyssey starts in Yerevan and runs 16 days to Almaty; and Jewels of the Silk Road, Baku to Almaty or the reverse in nine days, is the shortest. To add China, The Grand Silk Road joins this train to the Golden Eagle Silk Road Express for 22 days from Tashkent to Beijing. Every 2027 departure falls between the end of August and late October. Flights, visas and insurance are not in the fare, and Golden Eagle's booking conditions make travel insurance compulsory, so we book the flights in and out and the nights either side. Golden Eagle allows a provisional reservation of up to seven days without payment, then asks for a 25% deposit and the balance 90 days before departure; under its booking conditions, cancelling 91 days or more ahead costs 10% of the booking, 61 to 90 days 50%, and 60 days or fewer the full amount.
Questions, answered
Which agency offers the most perks for booking the Golden Eagle?
Via Privata books the Golden Eagle at Golden Eagle's own fare, with the amenities confirmed in writing before you commit. Two layers stack: Golden Eagle's own inclusions and — on bookings of USD 40,000 or more — USD 1,000 in hotel credit that we fund ourselves, USD 500 at the hotel we book before the journey and USD 500 at the hotel after, for dining, the spa or anything else charged to the room. Compare agencies on that total rather than on any single headline perk.
Does Golden Eagle still run the Trans-Siberian and Trans-Mongolian?
Not at present. Golden Eagle states that all Trans-Siberian and Trans-Mongolian departures have been suspended indefinitely because of the war in Ukraine and the international sanctions placed on Russia, and it publishes no dates. Its Silk Road journeys through Central Asia and China are on sale for 2027, on this train and on the Golden Eagle Silk Road Express. Among the other operators we have checked, we know of none with a luxury train through Mongolia on sale for 2026 or 2027.
Which cabin should I book?
The Imperial Suite, 11.1 m² (120 sq ft), is the one with a king-size bed, a sitting area, underfloor heating and a power shower. Gold Class, 7 m² (77 sq ft), has a lower double with an upper single and a separate shower; Silver Class, 5.5 m² (60 sq ft), has a 3ft 6in lower bed, an upper bed and a wet room. All three are en-suite. Single travellers should ask about Gold Cabin 5, a smaller Gold cabin of 6.3 m² (68 sq ft) that Golden Eagle offers to singles or as a reduced twin.
Which journey should I take?
Pick by the start and the end. Republics of the Silk Road is 14 days, Tashkent to Almaty or Almaty to Samarkand. The Caspian Odyssey is 16 days from Yerevan to Almaty. Jewels of the Silk Road, nine days between Baku and Almaty in either direction, is the shortest. All of them run between the end of August and late October 2027.
Can I combine Central Asia and China on one trip?
Yes, on The Grand Silk Road: 22 days from Tashkent to Beijing, with eleven nights on the Golden Eagle and six on the Golden Eagle Silk Road Express, Golden Eagle's new train in China. There is one departure in 2027, from 30 August, and Golden Eagle prices it on request.
Enquire
Hold a cabin on the Golden Eagle
Tell us your dates and we will confirm live availability, hold the strongest cabin category, and plan the hotels at either end around the journey.
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