Golden Eagle Silk Road Express: Urumqi · Beijing · Lhasa · Xi'an · Hong Kong
Golden Eagle's new train in China, with a 270-degree observation carriage
Golden Eagle Luxury Trains · Sleeper
The Golden Eagle Silk Road Express is the train to book for China on a private train: three journeys of 12 and 13 days in 2027, from Urumqi to Beijing, from Beijing to Lhasa, and from Xi'an to Hong Kong, for up to 72 guests. Golden Eagle Luxury Trains calls it a brand-new train, introduced in 2026 after a seven-year absence from China. 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 two cabin types. The Han Dynasty Suite is 22.2 m²: a 190 × 170 cm double bed, a separate living room, and a 5.2 m² bathroom with a bathtub and double sinks. The Superior Cabin is 11 m² (5.35 × 2.05 m), with twin beds of 190 × 75 cm or a 190 × 170 cm double, and a 2.5 m² en-suite shower room.
On board are two restaurant carriages, a bar carriage with a Bösendorfer piano, and an observation carriage with a 270-degree panoramic window. Laundry is included. For 2027 the train also shares The Grand Silk Road with the Golden Eagle, Golden Eagle's train for Central Asia: 22 days from Tashkent to Beijing, six nights on this train and eleven on the other, with the Gobi Desert among the China highlights.
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
Ancient China
12 days
Urumqi to Beijing, with departures at the end of March and in September.
A Voyage to the Roof of the World
13 days, 12 nights
Beijing to Lhasa, in April and again in late September.
Imperial China
12 days
Xi'an to Hong Kong, with one departure in April.
The Grand Silk Road
22 days
Tashkent to Beijing on both of Golden Eagle's Asian trains, six nights on this one and eleven on the Golden Eagle, with the Gobi Desert among the China highlights. One departure, from 30 August, priced on request.
On board: the cabins
Han Dynasty Suite
22.2 m²
The top category: a 190 × 170 cm double bed, a separate living room, and a 5.2 m² bathroom with a bathtub and double sinks. Golden Eagle quotes it on request.
Superior Cabin
11 m²
Twin beds of 190 × 75 cm or a 190 × 170 cm double, with a 2.5 m² en-suite shower room. The cabin measures 5.35 × 2.05 m.
The carriages
Two restaurant carriages
Meals on board are served across two restaurant carriages.
The bar carriage
With a Bösendorfer piano.
The observation carriage
A 270-degree panoramic window.
Laundry
Included on this train.
Booking this train
Choose by the part of China you want. Ancient China runs from Urumqi to Beijing, A Voyage to the Roof of the World from Beijing to Lhasa, and Imperial China from Xi'an to Hong Kong. All three take 12 or 13 days, and in 2027 they leave in late March and April or in September. To start in Central Asia, The Grand Silk Road brings the Golden Eagle and this train together for 22 days from Tashkent to Beijing. Golden Eagle quotes the Han Dynasty Suite on request, so ask for it early. Flights, visas and insurance are not in the fare, and Golden Eagle's booking conditions make travel insurance compulsory, so we book the flights and the nights either side around the train. 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 Silk Road Express?
Via Privata books the Golden Eagle Silk Road Express 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.
Is the Silk Road Express a new train?
Yes. Golden Eagle calls it a brand-new train, introduced in 2026 after a seven-year absence from China. It carries up to 72 guests and is separate from the Golden Eagle, the company's train for Central Asia and the Caucasus.
Which cabin should I book?
The Han Dynasty Suite, at 22.2 m², has a separate living room and a 5.2 m² bathroom with a bathtub and double sinks; Golden Eagle quotes it on request. The Superior Cabin is 11 m², with twin beds or a double and a 2.5 m² en-suite shower room.
Which journey should I take?
Pick by the region. Ancient China runs 12 days from Urumqi to Beijing, A Voyage to the Roof of the World 13 days from Beijing to Lhasa, and Imperial China 12 days from Xi'an to Hong Kong. Ancient China and the Lhasa journey each have a spring and a September departure in 2027; Imperial China runs once, in April.
Can I start in Central Asia?
Yes, on The Grand Silk Road: 22 days from Tashkent to Beijing, with eleven nights on the Golden Eagle and six on the Silk Road Express, and the Gobi Desert among the China highlights. There is one departure in 2027, from 30 August, and Golden Eagle prices it on request.
Enquire
Hold a cabin on the Golden Eagle Silk Road Express
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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