Adventure AsiaAI-assisted
China15 days

The Silk Road: Beijing to Kashgar — 15 Days

Traverse 2,000 years of trade routes across China, from the Great Wall near Beijing through desert fortresses to Central Asia's westernmost city.

This 15-day route follows the historical Silk Road across northern China, moving west from Beijing through Xi'an, then into the Gobi and across Xinjiang to Kashgar. The journey connects major archaeological sites—the Terracotta Warriors, Mogao Caves, and ancient oasis ruins—with smaller Silk Road settlements where traders once exchanged goods and religions. You travel overland and by overnight train, crossing desert, mountain passes, and river valleys while visiting Buddhist grottoes, Islamic monuments, and markets that have operated for centuries. The route is moderately paced, with time allocated for walking within cities and exploration of ruins and heritage sites.

Highlights

  • Mutianyu Great Wall: 22 towers winding along mountain ridges in preserved northern section
  • Forbidden City and Hutong quarter, Beijing: 500 years of imperial architecture and traditional courtyard life
  • Terracotta Warriors, Xi'an: 2,000 individual clay figures in battle formation, buried for 2,000 years
  • Jiayuguan Pass: Ming Dynasty fortress and westernmost point of the Great Wall
  • Mogao Caves, Dunhuang: Buddhist grottoes with sculptural art spanning centuries
  • Camel riding in the Gobi Desert near Dunhuang
  • Ming-Sha Dunes and Crescent Lake, Dunhuang
  • Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves and Flaming Mountains, Turpan
  • Jiaohe Ruins: ancient oasis city atop a cliff, UNESCO Silk Road heritage site
  • Gaochang ruins: abandoned kingdom on the edge of the Taklamakan Desert
  • Emin Minaret, Turpan: 44-meter tower, tallest minaret in China
  • Heavenly Lake crossing through the Tian Shan Mountains
  • Kashgar Sunday Market: centuries-old bazaar for goods, livestock, and textiles
  • Id Kah Mosque, Kashgar: largest mosque in China, built 1442
  • Tomb of Abakh Khoja and Kashgar old town

Day by day

1Arrival in Beijingairport · hotel in central Beijing · hotel lobby · streets surrounding your hotel · local restaurant
Your guide and driver will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel in central Beijing. Check in and look for a note in the hotel lobby or ask at reception for meeting details. Beijing, China's capital, is a direct-controlled municipality spanning 16 urban, suburban, and rural districts. The city seamlessly blends modern architecture with traditional neighborhoods and imperial palaces, reflecting its global influence in politics, economy, education, culture, and technology. In the evening, join your group for a meeting where your guide will discuss trip details and answer questions. Afterward, take an orientation walk through the streets surrounding your hotel to get your bearings. The day concludes with dinner at a local restaurant, giving you a first taste of Beijing's culinary traditions as you prepare for the journey ahead.
2Mutianyu Great WallMutianyu section of the Great Wall
Drive northeast from Beijing to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall, approximately two hours away. This section is among the best-preserved, with 22 watchtowers threading along mountain ridges in Huairou county. Spend the day walking the wall, learning its construction and military history, and viewing the valley below. Bring a picnic lunch to eat at a rest point along the wall.
3Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City & Hutong BeijingTiananmen Square · Forbidden City · Hutong · Beijing to Xi'an
After breakfast, your guide and driver meet you at the hotel to visit Beijing's well-known sights. Begin at Tiananmen Square via the public subway—one of the world's largest public squares, anchored by the Monument of the People's Heroes and the Great Hall of the People. From there, enter the Forbidden City, built between 1406 and 1420 as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government for more than 500 years. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, it contains the world's most extensive collection of preserved ancient wooden structures. The day involves considerable walking and public transit navigation. After the palace, stroll through the Hutong—traditional alleyways formed by lines of courtyard homes—to experience the everyday rhythms of Old Beijing. In the evening, board an overnight soft-sleeper train bound for Xi'an.
4Xi'an: Muslim Quarter and Ancient CrossroadsXi'an · Muslim quarter · Great Mosque of Xi'an
Arrive in Xi'an by train and transfer to your hotel in the city center. Xi'an, the eastern starting point of the Silk Road, was known as Chang'an in antiquity and served as an imperial capital for multiple dynasties. The city became a critical crossroads for peoples and faiths traveling between China, Central Asia, and the Middle East. Visit the Great Mosque of Xi'an, the most significant mosque in China, originally constructed during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) and expanded during the Qing. Walk through the lively Muslim quarter, with its markets, food vendors, and the Bell and Drum Towers.
5Terracotta Warriors and Departure to JiayuguanJiayuguan · Terracotta Warriors site outside Xi'an · village near the site
Drive to the Terracotta Warriors site outside Xi'an, an archaeological complex discovered in 1976 when farmers digging a well uncovered clay figures buried for 2,000 years. Three main pits are open to view, containing roughly 2,000 of the estimated 6,000 warriors, each individually sculpted with different costumes, heights, and facial expressions, arranged in battle formation. Visit the site at your own pace and have lunch in a village near the site. A free afternoon allows time in town before boarding an overnight train to Jiayuguan.
6Jiayuguan Pass: Ming Dynasty FortressJiayuguan Pass · Jiayuguan train station · hotel
Arrive at Jiayuguan train station around midday, where your guide and driver will meet you for transfer to the hotel. Jiayuguan carries over 630 years of history. In 1372, during the Ming Dynasty, a fortress was constructed to protect the last frontier of the Chinese empire. By 1540, the fortress was fully built and had evolved into a small trading township, catering to the military garrisons stationed there. The city became a critical passage along the famous Silk Road and marked the first pass at the western end of the Ming Dynasty's Great Wall. In the afternoon, visit Jiayuguan Pass itself. The pass represents the western starting point of this section of the Great Wall and covers an area of 33,500 square meters, lying at the base of a narrow valley. Named after one of the surrounding hills, the Jiayu, it is commonly regarded as the most exceptional example of its kind on earth and remains the best preserved of the Great Wall's ancient military fortresses. After exploration, check in at your hotel.
7Journey to Dunhuang and Ming-Sha DunesDunhuang · Ming-Sha Dunes and Crescent Lake
Travel to Dunhuang, approximately five hours west. This town was a major Silk Road stop and is best known for the Mogao Caves, also called the Thousand Buddha Grottoes. In the afternoon, visit Ming-Sha Dunes and Crescent Lake, a freshwater lagoon surrounded by sand dunes.
8Mogao Caves and Dunhuang MuseumMogao Caves · Dunhuang · Dunhuang Museum · Dunhuang to Turpan
Spend the morning at Mogao Caves, the most celebrated of China's Buddhist grottoes and one of three major sculptural sites alongside Longmen and Yungang. The complex contains centuries of Buddhist art carved into rock. In the afternoon, visit Dunhuang itself, founded by Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty in 111 BCE at the junction of two Silk Road trade routes. The name means 'to flourish and prosper.' Visit the Dunhuang Museum, a comprehensive repository of historic and cultural relics from the region. Travel by bullet train to Turpan in the evening.
9Turpan: Grape Valley, Karez Waterways & Buddhist CavesGrape Valley · Karez underground irrigation system · Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves · Flaming Mountains
Turpan lies at the meeting point of China's east and west and has been a Silk Road waypoint since ancient times. The city blends Western and Eastern religions and cultures, and the region's abundant sunshine makes it known as the 'Hometown of Grapes,' with fruit of exceptionally high sugar content. Visit Grape Valley, the Karez underground irrigation system (an engineering feat that predates modern technology), the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves, and the Flaming Mountains, an erosion-carved desert ridge.
10Ancient Cities: Jiaohe Ruins and GaochangJiaohe Ruins · Gaochang · Emin Minaret
After breakfast, your guide and driver will meet you at your hotel to begin exploring Turpan's remarkable archaeological sites. Start at Jiaohe Ruins, a natural fortress perched atop a cliff in the Yarnaz Valley. This is the largest, oldest, and best-preserved ancient capital city relics in the world, and in 2014 it became part of the UNESCO Silk Road World Heritage Sites. Next, visit the ruins of Gaochang, an ancient oasis city positioned on the northern rim of the Taklamakan Desert. Once a thriving kingdom and a crucial stopping point for merchant traders on the Silk Road, Gaochang was destroyed during wars in the 14th century. Its weathered structures remain a testament to centuries of trade and cultural exchange. In the afternoon, visit the Emin Minaret, a 44-meter tower standing beside a Uyghur mosque. It is the tallest minaret in China. Return to your hotel for check-in.
11Turpan to Urumqi and the International Grand BazaarTurpan to Urumqi · International Grand Bazaar · hotel in Urumqi
After breakfast, your guide and driver will collect you from your hotel and begin the journey to Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Once a major hub on the Silk Road during the Tang Dynasty, Urumqi remains a vital crossroads of trade and culture. Spend time exploring the International Grand Bazaar, one of the city's most recognizable landmarks, before checking in at your hotel.
12Heavenly Lake and Tian Shan Mountains CrossingHeavenly Lake · Tian Shan Mountains · Kashgar · Tarim Basin
Drive southeast toward Kashgar, beginning with a scenic passage to Heavenly Lake. The route takes you across mirages visible in the Turpan Basin, then climbs through switchbacks to a high mountain pass in the Tian Shan range. By early morning, you will descend into the Tarim Basin, skirting the northern edge of the Taklamakan Desert and passing isolated settlements surviving in harsh terrain. Board an overnight soft-sleeper train to Kashgar.
13Kashgar: Arrival and the Historic Sunday BazaarSunday Market · hotel · Kashgar train station
Your guide and driver meet you at the train station in Kashgar, a city in China's far west within the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. With a history stretching over 2,000 years, Kashgar was a vital stop on the Silk Road. Today, you'll visit the famous Sunday Market, where for centuries locals, merchants, and travelers have gathered in the bazaar's exotic and exhilarating environment. Historically, the Kashgar Sunday Bazaar served as a marketplace for goods ranging from horses and camels to silk and household items. Yet beyond commerce, people are drawn here for something deeper—the intense cultural mixing and lively energy that defines this ancient trading hub. After exploring the market, you'll check in at your hotel.
14Kashgar: Mosques, Tombs and Old Townold town · Id Kah Mosque · Tomb of Abakh Khoja
Begin with Id Kah Mosque in the central square, built in 1442 and the largest mosque in China. It houses nearly 10,000 worshipers on Fridays and can accommodate up to 20,000. The surrounding area contains a cluster of Islamic structures with strong ethnic and religious character. Visit the Tomb of Abakh Khoja, built to honor a figure whose granddaughter was presented to Emperor Qianlong as an imperial concubine. Upon her death, her remains were returned to Kashgar and interred in the tomb. Spend the remainder of the day wandering the old town, where traditional workshops produce pottery, embroidered caps, and folk handicrafts, offering direct insight into daily life and local history.
15Departure from Kashgaryour hotel · the airport
Depart at any time today. Check in to your hotel for a final morning, or head directly to the airport for your onward journey. Flights from Kashgar typically connect through Urumqi to major Chinese cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, or Hong Kong.

Where you go

Map: The Silk Road: Beijing to Kashgar — 15 Days route
Numbers follow the itinerary order. © Mapbox © OpenStreetMap
  1. 1Mutianyu Section of the Great Wall
  2. 2Tiananmen Square
  3. 3Forbidden City
  4. 4Hutong
  5. 5Xi'an
  6. 6Muslim Quarter
  7. 7Great Mosque of Xi'an
  8. 8Jiayuguan
  9. 9Jiayuguan Pass
  10. 10Dunhuang
  11. 11Ming-Sha Dunes and Crescent Lake
  12. 12Mogao Caves
  13. 13Dunhuang
  14. 14Dunhuang Museum
  15. 15Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves
  16. 16Jiaohe Ruins
  17. 17Emin Minaret
  18. 18International Grand Bazaar
  19. 19Kashgar
  20. 20Id Kah Mosque
  21. 21Tomb of Abakh Khoja

Included

  • Accommodation & breakfast
  • Transport service from and to airport & tours
  • Speaking English guide
  • Entrance fee
  • Local guide fee at particular tourism objects
  • Meals & mineral water as a program
  • Travel Insurance

Not included

  • Air ticket
  • Personal & other expenses
  • Optional program
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