The Silk Road Express (operated by Star Express, Fosun Group) releases routes seasonally, sometimes combining dedicated train travel with premium hotels and private excursions. The sights below follow the operator's published 2027 departures and archived 2026 portfolio.
The 2027 Silk Road core
Golden Autumn 7 days · Xining to Kashgar
A week timed around the desert poplar season, running the southern Xinjiang landscapes from Qinghai across to Kashgar, or in reverse. The autumn poplars turning gold is one of China's great seasonal spectacles.
Splendour 5 days · Xining to Dunhuang
The operator's published Qinghai-Gansu highlights: Chaka Salt Lake's mirror flats, the singing dunes of Mingsha Mountain, and the Mogao Caves. A compact journey that pairs well with a longer Silk Road extension.
The sight ledger, by stop
Xi'an
The ancient capital where the Silk Road begins, the western terminus of the archived Classic route.
Qinghai Lake & Golmud
China's largest lake on the plateau's edge, and the railhead for the high plateau crossing on the Classic routing.
Dunhuang · Mogao Caves, Mingsha Mountain
The caravan oasis of the Hexi Corridor. The operator's dedicated Dunhuang programme runs the Mogao Caves with a near-50-strong accompanying service team of butlers, vacation ambassadors and photographers, and extends the cave city experience beyond the standard ticket.
Kashgar & the southern leg
The western destination on the 17-day north-south Xinjiang arc and the Golden Autumn routing: the old city, the livestock-and-craft bazaar culture, and the road heads toward the Pamirs.
The 2026/27 Winter Carnival collection
When the northern routes close for winter, the fleet moves south: a published winter collection across Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi, with departures presented for Yunnan, Xishuangbanna, Hekou, Dali, Guizhou and Guangxi directions. Rainforest, the heritage metre-gauge railway and the Yunnan-Vietnam border corridor are the themes; these are operator-published seasonal products rather than year-round departures.
Before you book
- · Routes rotate: treat the current product page as the only bookable truth; archived itineraries (the 17-day Xinjiang arc, East China Heritage) may return seasonally.
- · Direct bookable: through Star Express's website, mini-program or hotline 400-115-5831, unlike the railway-group fleets.
- · Cabins: 38 rooms from 11 m² to the 22 m² two-room Jiumu Imperial Suite, the largest in Chinese luxury rail.
Based on the Star Express official product pages and published 2027 departures, plus the archived 2026 portfolio. Routes release by season; sequences and inclusions are confirmed per departure in writing.