01Day 1
The departure-date booking includes one pickup from Beijing Capital or Daxing airport. Meet the guide and other guests for a short briefing at the hotel that evening.
15 DAYS / 14 NIGHTS · SMALL GROUP · NO SHOPPING
Beijing, Xi'an & the Silk Road: 15‑Day Small-Group Tour
Two 2027 departures, 8 guests to run and 12 at most
A 2027 Beijing–Xi’an–Silk Road 15-day small-group place is USD 3,390 per person in a twin room; international flights are extra. It leaves on 12 June or 11 September with 8–12 guests. The westbound trains and desert drives are long; Mogao Caves admission also depends on the date-limited ticket release.
Price per person
Published price for selected groupUSD 3,390per person · Twin share · small group · 8–12 guests, fixed dates · 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.
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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
- Per person, sharing a twin room
The shape of the journey
Two 2027 departures, 8 guests to run and 12 at most
2027 departures, each 15 days: 12–26 June and 11–25 September. A twin-share place is USD 3,390. We confirm the group at 8 guests and close it at 12. If fewer than 8 have booked 45 days before departure, we quote a private tour for your actual party size in writing. You can accept it for the same dates or take a full refund of everything paid to us.
- 01
Departs 12 June and 11 September 2027
- 02
Runs at 8 guests, never more than 12
- 03
Full refund if the group does not run
- 04
The Mogao Caves and the Turpan oasis
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.
The group spends its first three nights in Beijing. - 03Day 3
Mutianyu is about 90 minutes from Beijing by road. Take the included cable car or chairlift one way, then walk the restored wall at your own speed. Back in town, there is a short hutong walk near the Drum Tower.
Great Wall near Beijing - 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.
Xi’an marks the eastern end of the old Silk Road. - 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
After about 4 hours in the air from Urumqi, the group lands in Beijing. The last hotel is positioned for the next day's airport transfer.
Beijing city · Destination view - 15Day 15
On departure day, the group fare includes one ride to either Beijing Capital or Daxing airport. If you want more time in Beijing, we arrange the extra stay separately.
Beijing city · Destination view
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
A room to yourself has a single supplement from USD 690; the USD 3,390 per-person group fare assumes twin sharing. All 14 hotel nights include breakfast. The stays are Beijing 3; Xi'an, Dunhuang, Turpan and Urumqi 2 each; Zhangye and Jiayuguan 1 each; then 1 near Beijing Capital airport. We use the four-star standard (4 diamonds on Trip.com/Ctrip) where it is available, and the best-rated local option in Zhangye, Jiayuguan and Turpan. We put the hotel names on your booking confirmation.
Guide, transport and admissions
Four second-class train legs carry the group along Beijing–Xi'an–Zhangye, Liuyuan South–Turpan and Turpan–Urumqi; Zhangye–Jiayuguan and Jiayuguan–Dunhuang use a train or group vehicle. The Urumqi–Beijing economy flight is included. So are the named admissions, among them Mogao Caves, Jiayuguan Fort and the Heavenly Lake shuttle, plus one Beijing arrival and one Beijing departure transfer on the group dates. Touring days use English-speaking local guides and a group vehicle. In Xinjiang, carry ID for checks at hotels, stations and some sights.
Before you choose
What happens if the group does not reach 8 guests?
For Beijing, Xi'an & the Silk Road: 15-Day Small-Group Tour, we check numbers 45 days before departure. If fewer than 8 guests have booked, we quote a private tour for your actual party size in writing. You can accept it for the same dates or take a full refund of everything paid to us. The private price for two is USD 4,590 each, against USD 3,390 for a small-group place. Until the group is confirmed, book international flights you can change or refund.
Can I join on my own?
Solo travellers can join Beijing, Xi'an & the Silk Road: 15-Day Small-Group Tour. The USD 3,390 fare assumes two sharing; your own room costs a single supplement from USD 690. We do not assign strangers to share.
We are a group of 8 or more. Can we have our own departure?
Eight to twelve travelling together can book Beijing, Xi'an & the Silk Road: 15-Day Small-Group Tour on their own dates at USD 3,390 per person. For 13 or more, ask us for a separate quote. We check hotel rooms and tickets for those dates before booking.
How is this different from the private version?
Beijing, Xi'an & the Silk Road: 15-Day Small-Group Tour costs USD 3,390 per person on fixed 2027 dates for 8–12 guests; the group flies back to Beijing on Day 14. Hotels, route and inclusions match the private version. The private tour lets your party choose dates and use its own guide and vehicle, from USD 4,590 each for two or USD 3,690 for six.
Is there a tour leader for the whole trip?
Beijing, Xi'an & the Silk Road: 15-Day Small-Group Tour has no single leader travelling the whole route. English-speaking local guides handle touring days city by city, while drivers handle the station and airport handovers. There are no shopping stops.
Clear before payment
What is separate—and what your written quote will confirm.
The USD 3,390 starting price buys one place on a fixed departure, sharing a twin room. We need 8 booked guests to run and stop at 12. At 45 days out, if fewer than 8 have booked, we quote a private tour for your actual party size in writing. You can accept it for the same dates or take a full refund of everything paid to us. A party of 8–12 may choose its own date at the small-group price; ask us for a separate quote for 13 or more. Mogao Caves tickets are limited and released for set dates; if only the four-cave emergency ticket is available for the group date, we tell you before payment. The September group is in Xi'an over the Mid-Autumn Festival on 15 September 2027, when the Terracotta Warriors are busier. We confirm hotels, flights and the total in writing before payment.
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 supplement, from USD 690
- Transfers on dates other than the group's arrival and departure days
- Checked baggage above the airline's included allowance
- Camel rides, desert jeeps and other optional activities
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.
- Mogao Caves exteriorPhoto 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.