01Day 1
At the confirmed Beijing airport or station, your driver takes you straight to the hotel. We leave the first day clear after a long flight; sightseeing begins when you have slept.
15 DAYS / 14 NIGHTS · PRIVATE TOUR · NO SHOPPING
Beijing, Xi'an & the Silk Road: 15‑Day Private Tour
The old Silk Road means long westbound train and road days
Budget from USD 4,590 each for two in twin rooms on the 15-day Beijing–Xi’an–Silk Road private journey; international flights are extra. After the capitals, the route goes west to Zhangye, Jiayuguan, the Mogao Caves, Turpan and Urumqi. Several days are built around trains and desert roads.
Choose group size
Published price for selected groupUSD 3,690per person · 6 travellers · private tour package · international flights not included
Prices are shown in USD. We confirm the payment currency, exchange rate and total in your written quote before you pay.
Request a quoteOr chat on WhatsApp
Need a different group size?We confirm room needs, luggage count and a suitable vehicle before sending a written quote.Plan this journey
- Journey
- 15 days / 14 nights
- Touring
- Guide and vehicle days confirmed in writing
- Stay
- 14 nights · scope confirmed in writing
- Price
- Published for 2, 4, 6 travellers
The shape of the journey
The old Silk Road means long westbound train and road days
Fourteen hotel nights include breakfast. Local private guides and vehicles on touring days, transfers, named admissions including the Mogao Caves, four second-class train journeys and the flight back east from Urumqi are included. Mogao tickets are date limited; we tell you before payment if only the four-cave emergency ticket remains.
- 01
Zhangye Danxia's striped hills in late light
- 02
Jiayuguan, the fort at the western end of the Great Wall
- 03
The Mogao Caves and the Mingsha dunes
- 04
Turpan's oasis ruins and Heavenly Lake
Day by day
See how each day unfolds.
Arrival, core touring and departure are shown day by day. Opening hours, named-entry tickets and local conditions may change the order. If anything important needs to change, we discuss it with you.
Beijing city · Destination view - 02Day 2
The guide takes you through the Tiananmen area and into the Forbidden City with the ticket issued for your date. The museum closes on Mondays, so we set the Beijing day order after the reservation is confirmed.
Forbidden City - 03Day 3
The drive to Mutianyu takes about 90 minutes. A cable car or chairlift is included one way, leaving you to walk the restored wall at your pace. The toboggan is an extra.
See the Great Wall near Beijing, then its western end at Jiayuguan. - 04Day 4
The confirmed second-class train to Xi’an takes about 4.5–6 hours. A driver takes you to the Beijing station and another meets you in Xi’an; leave the evening free after the crossing.
Xi’an city · Destination view - 05Day 5
Do not rush the Terracotta Warriors: the guide has the morning and early afternoon there. Return to Xi’an for the City Wall when the light softens; you can walk or cycle it. The Muslim Quarter is free time in the evening.
On Day 5, the City Wall is for a late walk or ride. - 06Day 6
The second-class train west through Lanzhou to Zhangye takes about 5.5–6.5 hours. If arrival allows, drive another hour to Zhangye Danxia for the striped hills in late light. Park shuttles set the order of the viewing platforms; sleep in Zhangye.
Zhangye Danxia · Destination view - 07Day 7
West from Zhangye, Jiayuguan is about 1.5 hours by train or three by car. See Jiayuguan Fort at the Ming Great Wall’s western end and the nearby Overhanging Great Wall; stay in Jiayuguan.
Jiayuguan Fort - 08Day 8
Dunhuang is another westbound leg: about 4.5 hours by private vehicle across the Gobi, or about 2.5 hours on the afternoon train. Shazhou night market is an option only if arrival leaves time.
Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Moon Spring · Destination view - 09Day 9
Mogao Caves admission follows the official ticket and time slot issued for your date; the visit begins at the Digital Exhibition Center. Later, when the heat eases, go to Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Moon Spring. Camel rides cost extra.
Mogao Caves exterior on this route. The photograph illustrates the place; access, weather and the final day order are confirmed for your dates. - 10Day 10
First drive about two hours from Dunhuang to Liuyuan South. The booked second-class train then takes about 3–4 hours to Turpan North, where a local driver meets you and takes you to the hotel.
Jiaohe ruins, Turpan · Destination view - 11Day 11
Turpan’s summer afternoons are punishingly hot. We put outdoor time early or late and use the rest of the day for Jiaohe ruins, the karez museum and Emin Minaret, passing the Flaming Mountains on the road.
Jiaohe ruins, Turpan - 12Day 12
Turpan to Urumqi takes about an hour by the booked train. Leave the afternoon for the Xinjiang Regional Museum and the Grand Bazaar; the museum is usually closed on Mondays. Stay in Urumqi.
Urumqi from Hongshan · Destination view - 13Day 13
Tianchi, below Bogda Peak, is about two hours by road from Urumqi. After the park shuttle, walk the lakeshore. Winter access and boat services are limited, so the day follows what is operating.
Tianchi Lake, Tianshan - 14Day 14
We match the eastbound flight to your international departure: Urumqi to Beijing takes about four hours, or to Shanghai about five. Stay near that city’s departure airport.
Beijing city · Optional itinerary stop - 15Day 15
A private driver takes you to the airport for the international flight. There is no sightseeing on departure day.
Day 1 · Arrive in Beijing
Travel made seamless
Hotels, guides and transfers work together.
Your hotel level, guided days, transfers, route transport and principal admissions are planned together. We check availability for your dates before payment.
Stay
All 14 hotel nights include breakfast and use twin rooms: Beijing 3, Xi’an 2, Zhangye 1, Jiayuguan 1, Dunhuang 2, Turpan 2, Urumqi 2 and one near the departure airport. Where available, we use the four-star standard (4 diamonds on Trip.com/Ctrip). For Zhangye, Jiayuguan and Turpan, we confirm the best-rated local option before payment.
Guide, transport and admissions
A local guide and vehicle serve only your party on touring days; guide language is checked for each city. The price includes all transfers and first-entry tickets such as Mogao Caves, Jiayuguan Fort and the Heavenly Lake shuttle. Trains are second class on Beijing–Xi’an–Zhangye, Liuyuan South–Turpan and Turpan–Urumqi; Zhangye–Jiayuguan and Jiayuguan–Dunhuang use a train or private vehicle. The eastbound economy flight from Urumqi is included. Drivers meet the station and airport handovers. Carry ID for checks at Xinjiang hotels, stations and some sights.
Before you choose
How much does a Silk Road tour cost?
The 15-day Beijing–Xi’an–Silk Road private tour starts at USD 4,590 each for two sharing a twin room, or USD 9,180 for the pair. Four travellers pay USD 3,890 each and six pay USD 3,690. In the land price are 14 breakfast hotel nights, private guides and vehicles on touring days, Mogao Caves and other named tickets, four high-speed train legs, the Gobi crossings by train or private car, and the flight east from Urumqi. International flights and lunches and dinners are extra. Eight or more can take their own date at USD 3,390 each; we quote other numbers in writing.
How is this different from the small-group version?
The 15-day Beijing–Xi’an–Silk Road private tour starts at USD 4,590 each for two, with dates you choose, a guide and car for your party, and a return flight to Beijing or Shanghai that fits your international ticket. The 2027 small group is USD 3,390 each, with 8–12 guests on 12 June or 11 September; everyone flies back to Beijing on Day 14.
When is the best time for the Silk Road?
For the 15-day Beijing–Xi’an–Silk Road tour, May, June, September and early October are easier months for Dunhuang and Turpan. Those two stops are very hot in July–August. Winter is cold, and access around Heavenly Lake is limited.
Is there a lot of travel time?
The 15-day Beijing–Xi’an–Silk Road route has four legs of about 4.5–6 hours door to door, plus a flight east of about four hours. The other stops are about 1–3 hours apart. The long travel days are the main effort; most sites involve less hard walking.
Is Xinjiang open to foreign travellers?
The 15-day Silk Road route includes Turpan, Urumqi and Heavenly Lake, which accept foreign visitors. Bring your passport each day: hotels, stations and some sites in Xinjiang check it.
Clear before payment
What is separate—and what your written quote will confirm.
The starting price is per person for the stated party size, sharing a twin room. Mogao Caves releases a limited number of dated tickets; if your date has only the emergency ticket for four caves, we tell you before payment. Passport details are needed before Forbidden City and Terracotta Warriors tickets open. We also confirm the trains, flights, hotels and total in writing before you pay.
Not included
- International flights to and from China
- Lunches, dinners and drinks (breakfast is included at every hotel)
- Travel insurance, visas, tips and personal expenses
- Room upgrades and public-holiday surcharges
- Single-room supplement
- Camel rides, desert jeeps and other optional activities
- Checked baggage above the airline's included allowance
Confirmed in writing
- Your dates, arrival and departure details
- The hotel, room arrangement and vehicle for the actual group
- Bookable admissions and the final total before payment
Plan the destination
Check the route against the destination guides.
Use these city hubs and decision guides to test the route's stay base, gateways and day order before enquiring.
Destination hubs
Decision guides
Compare a related published route
Photo credits
The location-specific external photographs are credited below. Only conventional cropping, resizing and WebP conversion were applied; no generative edits were made. Adapted CC BY-SA photos are shared under the linked CC BY-SA license.
- Cave entrances at the Mogao CavesPhoto by eviltomthai · CC BY 2.0
- Colourful landforms at Zhangye DanxiaPhoto by Marcus Hsu · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Jiayuguan FortPhoto by Doron · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Moon SpringPhoto by xiquinhosilva · CC BY 2.0
- Jiaohe ruins, TurpanPhoto by Hiroooooo · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Urumqi from HongshanPhoto by Radosław Botev · CC BY 3.0 pl
- Tianchi Lake, TianshanPhoto by Babak Fakhamzadeh from São Paulo, Brazil · CC BY 2.0
- Terracotta Army, Pit 1Photo by Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China · CC0
- Great Wall near BeijingPhoto by Francesco Bini · CC BY-SA 4.0
All remaining photographs were selected from the Homeground project library and authorised by the site owner for this website. Only routine cropping, resizing and format conversion were applied.