Ancient China by Private Train: Beijing to Urumqi

You are met on arrival and taken to the Four Seasons Hotel Beijing for two nights. In the evening fellow travellers gather for a welcome reception and dinner.

In the morning walk a beautifully restored section of the Great Wall at Badaling, with sweeping views over the hills. The afternoon is free to explore Beijing, and in the evening you dine at a celebrated Peking Duck restaurant where the duck is carved at your table.

Tour the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and the Summer Palace, or choose modern Beijing instead, with the Olympic Village, the Bird's Nest Stadium, the CCTV Tower and the National Museum. In the evening you board the Golden Eagle Silk Road Express for a welcome dinner as the train heads west.

Explore Xi'an's ancient city walls and the Great Mosque, which blends Islamic and Chinese architecture. Then visit the Terracotta Army, the life-sized soldiers, chariots and horses buried with China's first emperor. In the evening enjoy an authentic Tang Dynasty dinner with traditional music and dance.

A day of leisure as the train crosses the Chinese landscape. Watch the scenery through the Observation Car's floor-to-ceiling windows, or relax in the Bar Lounge Car with fine wines and spirits.

Explore the Mogao Caves, the 'Caves of a Thousand Buddhas', whose murals and statues have drawn pilgrims for centuries, with music from local folk artists. After lunch a camel trek leads across the dunes to Crescent Lake, an oasis that has endured millennia of desert winds.

A lecture on the history of the Silk Road is held at the Hilton Qinghai-Golmud. You can then choose between the surreal salt flats of Chaerhan Salt Lake and a guided tour of the city before rejoining the train.

After a leisurely morning on board, visit Hotan's Atlas silk and carpet workshop to watch master artisans at work. In the evening tour Yotkan Ancient City, once the heart of the Buddhist Kingdom of Khotan.

Discover Kashgar, a crossroads of cultures, starting at the Apak Khoja Tomb, the holiest Muslim site in Xinjiang. Wander the Old Town and the Gaotai folk houses, then enjoy a Uyghur lunch at a local restaurant before returning to the train.

Explore the ancient city of Gaochang, once a vital Silk Road trading hub. After lunch see the Karez irrigation system, which has watered this arid region for centuries, and the Jiaohe Ruins, a city carved from rock. In the evening a farewell dinner is served on board.

After a restful morning on board, you leave the train in Urumqi, the cosmopolitan capital of Xinjiang, for an overnight stay.

On the final morning you are transferred to Urumqi's international airport for your onward journey.