Registan Special Train Journey from Almaty via Dushanbe to Tashkent: The Legendary Silk Road from East to West (2027/2028)

starting at 4.240 €

(If you booked without flights, your trip begins on Day 2)

Early in the morning, you’ll land in Almaty, the city whose Kazakh name means “Father of Apples,” as the very first apple trees on Earth grew here thousands of years ago. Transfer to your comfortable hotel. After a relaxing morning, you’ll meet your tour guides and fellow travelers at noon. Your trip gets off to an impressive start with a city tour of Almaty’s many sights, during which you’ll admire, among other things, the Russian Orthodox wooden cathedral, the Wedding Palace, Central Park, and the Central Mosque, before rounding out the day with a welcome dinner. (FA)

This morning, you’ll have some free time. Alternatively, you can join an excursion to Medeo, home to the world’s highest ice rink. You’ll have lunch at a traditional yurt restaurant. In the afternoon, it’s time to board the train: your journey on the Orient Silk Road Express begins with a welcome drink and a brief presentation. (FMA)

This morning, you’ll arrive at the breathtaking Lake Issyk-Kul. A visit to the Center for Nomadic Culture will give you a deeper understanding of nomadic culture before you have time for a walk along Lake Issyk-Kul. After a boat tour on the lake, you’ll return to your train, which will set off for Bishkek. (FMA)

After breakfast on board, you’ll arrive in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. On a sightseeing tour, you’ll discover its many attractions. With about 100 square meters of green space per resident, Bishkek is one of the greenest cities in the world! And, of course, Ala-Archa National Park is also on the itinerary. Tonight you’ll stay in Bishkek at the Comfort Hotel. (FMA)

Early in the morning, your special train departs for Uzbekistan. Enjoy a relaxing day on the Orient Silk Road Express and listen to the fascinating presentations on board as your special train rolls toward Samarkand. (FMA)

Today you’ll explore the sights of this historic city, which under Tamerlane was considered the most beautiful and important city in the world: the burial city of Shah-e-Sende (a name that, paradoxically, means “the living ruler” in Persian), the archaeological sites of Afrosiab with a guided museum tour, and Registan Square—undoubtedly the most impressive architectural complex in Central Asia. The Registan is surrounded by three imposing madrasas. The massive ceremonial portals are particularly striking in terms of their ornamentation and colors. In the background, the domes of the mosques glisten like something out of an Oriental fairy tale. In 1917, at this historic site, the women of Uzbekistan burned their face veils and set out on the path to a new era. Here, in the legendary Samarkand, you’ll stay for the next two nights at a mid-range hotel. (FMA)

Today you have free time. If you have booked the excursion package, you will visit a silk carpet workshop and a family of Uzbek artisans who make paper from mulberry bark; you will also see the Ulug Beg Observatory and the ruins of the Bibi Khanum Mosque. You will tour the interior of the palace-like Gur-e Amir Mausoleum. It houses the tomb of Tamerlane, who, as a renowned builder, turned his capital into a paradise, but also went down in history and inspired many poems as a feared conqueror—the most famous of which was written by Edgar Allan Poe. (FA)

After breakfast, your train departs from Samarkand. An artistic performance will give you a glimpse into the unique traditions of this region, which seems to have been frozen in time. You will then travel to Shahrisab, the birthplace of Tamerlane. In the evening, the Orient Silk Road Express continues on toward Dushanbe. (FMA)

After arriving in Dushanbe in the morning, you’ll take a sightseeing tour to explore the many attractions of the Tajik capital. For a chance to relax in a green setting, you’ll stop at one of the city’s many parks: the idyllic Rudaki Park. In the late afternoon, you’ll return to your special train and set off for Bukhara. (FMA)

Located in the heart of the Kyzylkum Desert, Bukhara boasts around a thousand historical monuments that serve as a reminder of the heyday of the Great Silk Road. In the old town, you’ll see, among other things, the nearly 50-meter-high Kaljan Minaret and the Labi-Hauz complex by the pond. In front of the monument to Nasreddin, an Oriental version of Till Eulenspiegel, you’ll listen to some of his tall tales and legends. In the courtyard of a madrasah, you’ll enjoy a show featuring music, local dances, and a presentation of colorful national costumes. You’ll spend the night in a mid-range hotel in Bukhara. (FMA)

Today you can plan your day exactly as you wish. If you’ve booked the excursion package, you’ll explore Bukhara as part of a full-day sightseeing tour—lunch included. The city presents itself as a vast, unique, and authentic architectural museum that has preserved its ancient Oriental character. In the morning, we’ll take you to the magnificent Mire-e-Arab Madrasah and to Central Asia’s most valuable architectural monument, the Samanid Mausoleum. Afterward, you’ll take a tour of the imposing Ark Fortress, a city within a city that was once the seat of government for the rulers of Bukhara. You’ll spend the night on board tonight. (FA)

Today you’ll visit the oasis city of Khiva—a fairy tale from *One Thousand and One Nights* brought to life in stone. Standing before Khiva’s imposing city walls, with their gates and bastions made of mud bricks, you’ll feel as though you’ve been transported to another world. Around the Kalta Minor Minaret, life still pulsates today just as it did in ancient times. On a walking tour, you can take in all the sights: palaces, mosques, minarets, mausoleums, and madrasas form one of the best-preserved ensembles of medieval Oriental urban architecture. You will spend the night on board. (FMA)

Your special train arrives in Tashkent in the morning. During a city tour, you’ll discover numerous sights and historical monuments, including the Kukeldash Madrasah and the Navoi and Amir Timur monuments. At the farewell dinner, you’ll have the chance to chat once more with your fellow travelers about all the fairy tales that were at the heart of your journey. Tonight, you’ll stay at the Komfort Hotel. (FMA)

Flight to Frankfurt – The end of a fabulous trip! (If you booked without flights, your trip ends on Day 21)