The flagship's fourteen-day fare rises in two four-thousand-yuan steps across the year, and each step buys something specific. Spring to summer buys the road: the April and May departures run the operator's reverse routing, south first, with no Duku Highway and no Bayanbulak, because the high road closes outside the warm months; from June 2 the loop runs north-first and crosses the Duku's southern section. Summer to autumn buys the light: the August 30, September 13 and September 27 departures run the same road as July at RMB 4,000 more per person, because late September is when Kanas, Hemu and the northern birch forests turn, and when the southern poplars begin to colour. No other publication explains the difference this way, because most simply list the numbers.
Two further price drops sit outside the fourteen-day format. The flagship's October 15 and 25 departures run a dedicated eleven-day southern Silk Road routing, built around the poplar season, at RMB 38,999 (Imperial) and 46,999 (Supreme), a clear step below the fourteen-day loop. And the whole Platinum Gold Diamond set, the value configuration of the third generation with the same en-suite cabin standard, prices at roughly a third of the flagship: spring four-berth 26,888 / twin 37,888, summer and autumn 27,888 / 38,888.
| Season & dates | Routing | Fare anchor (per person, twin-share) | Choose this if |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring · Apr 16, May 7, May 20 | 14 days, reverse routing, no Duku, five nights aboard | Imperial 58,999 / Supreme 65,999 | You want the southern Silk Road first and the year's lowest flagship fare |
| Summer · Jun 2, 16, 30, Jul 14, 28, Aug 11 | 14 days, north-first loop with the Duku southern section | Imperial 62,999 / Supreme 68,999 | You want every landscape at its greenest and the full road, kids included |
| Autumn · Aug 30, Sep 13, Sep 27 | Same loop as summer | Imperial 66,999 / Supreme 72,999 | You are chasing the golden light in Kanas, Hemu and the birch country |
| Poplar season · Oct 15, 25 | 11 days, southern Silk Road edition | Imperial 38,999 / Supreme 46,999 | You want the south at its best, Loulan country and the 4,000-year-old poplars, in a shorter trip |
| Platinum 14-day · Apr 18 to Sep 27, ten dates | North-south loop on the second third-generation set | Four-berth 26,888 spring / 27,888 summer-autumn; twin 37,888 / 38,888 | You want the flagship experience standard at roughly a third of the fare |
| Platinum short route · Aug 20 | 10 days, northern scenery only, Duku northern section | Four-berth 21,888 / twin 27,888 | You want the shortest, most affordable way aboard |
| Platinum southern · Oct 13, 26 | 11 days, southern Silk Road edition on the Platinum set | From 21,888 four-berth | You want poplar season at the value tier's price |
The three Gold Diamond tiers are compared in full on the rooms page; for choosing a date, one line each. Supreme Gold Diamond is the true suite: roughly 12 m² with a double leisure sofa and a sitting area, three suites per carriage. Imperial Gold Diamond is the refined middle: a roughly 8 m² deluxe twin room with a sitting area, four rooms per carriage, convertible to a double bed. Platinum Gold Diamond, on the second trainset, is the value tier: roughly 8 m² four-berth compartments with upper and lower bunks, the upper berths folded away for twin use. The two trainsets comparison puts the whole trains side by side, cabins, dining, hotels, routings and fares.
Per the operator's October 2026 chart: all fourteen Purple-Gold flagship sailings remain open, every season and both routings. On the Platinum set, the April 18, June 9, June 23, August 31, September 14 and September 27 fourteen-day sailings are already sold out; still open are May 18, July 7, July 22, August 5, the August 20 short route and both October southern departures. The pattern is worth reading: the Platinum set sells from both ends of the calendar first, spring and late autumn, which argues for booking whichever end of the season you prefer early.
The Duku Highway is open to mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan travel documents. The Bayanbulak section alone is not open to holders of foreign passports; where an itinerary includes that section, foreign-passport guests travel a substitute routing arranged by the operator. In practice that touches the summer and autumn fourteen-day loop only: the spring reverse routing and the southern editions do not include the Bayanbulak section, and the Platinum short route crosses the northern section, which is open to all passports. Separately, Tashkurgan and the Pamir sit in a border-management area: the electronic border permit is arranged by the operator as part of the tour and cannot be applied for online by travellers themselves.
Formation and cabin figures are checked against the published references below. Last reviewed .
