📍
China
SILK ROAD EPIC: XI'AN TO ISTANBUL LEGENDARY JOURNEY
Caravans wind through the mountains, oasis cities gleam gold, turquoise domes pierce the sky. The Silk Road is history's trade corridor.
≈ 19
Days
7829
Km
13
Stops
From Xi'an to Istanbul, follow the Silk Road: Dunhuang caves, Kashgar and its bazaar, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva. A legendary journey in the footsteps of caravaneers.
- Xian: terracotta starting
- Kashgar: bazaar chaos
- Samarkand: turquoise dome
- Istanbul: bridge two worlds
- Mary: desert oasis
Your day-by-day itinerary
1
Day
4 photos
Discover
1
Discover the Terracotta Army at Emperor Qin's Mausoleum, where over 8,000 life-sized clay soldiers guard the tomb of China's first emperor. Each warrior features unique facial expressions, fired at 900°C-a testament to ancient craftsmanship dating back to 210 BC.
2
Walk atop Xi'an's ancient City Walls, a remarkably preserved 14th-century Ming Dynasty fortification stretching 13.7 km around the old town. The ramparts measure 15-18 meters wide at the base and 12-14 meters at the top, with watchtowers every 120 meters.
3
Explore the Muslim Quarter, home to 20,000 descendants of Silk Road merchants. Browse the bustling food market to taste local specialties like Yangrou Paomo, and discover the unique blend of Chinese and Islamic cultures that has flourished here for centuries.
4
Visit the Great Mosque of Xi'an, one of China's oldest and largest Islamic places of worship. This architectural gem blends traditional Chinese design with Islamic elements, reflecting the multicultural heritage of the Silk Road.
+4 Places visited
Activities
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Stroll through Tang Paradise and Lake Furong, a vast theme park southeast of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. This reconstructed Tang Dynasty garden offers lakeside walks and evening water shows celebrating China's golden age.
Next stop
Distance:
120 km
Travel time:
2h30
2
Day
3 photos
Discover
1
Conquer Mount Hua (Huashan), one of China's five sacred mountains. The western peak rises to 2,154 meters, accessible via cable car or challenging hiking trails including the infamous 'Soldier's Path' with 4,000 steep steps carved into sheer cliffs.
2
Experience the North Peak via the Gorge Trail or the more demanding routes that 'break the legs' with endless stairs. As you ascend, spectacular panoramas unfold across the surrounding plains and distant peaks.
3
Discover ancient temples and shrines perched on precipitous ledges throughout the mountain. Taoist monks have practiced here for millennia, drawn by the mountain's spiritual power and breathtaking natural beauty.
Activities
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Challenge yourself on the famous plank walk, narrow wooden boards bolted to vertical cliff faces offering heart-stopping views. This iconic attraction draws adventurers from around the world.
Next stop
✈️ Flight / transfer day
Distance:
1100 km
Travel time:
13h
3
Day
2 photos
Discover
1
Marvel at the Mogao Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage site featuring 400 Buddhist grottoes adorned with paintings and sculptures spanning a millennium. These caves were created not by monks but by Silk Road merchants documenting their perilous journeys.
2
Experience the Crescent Moon Lake (Yueyaquan), a spring-fed oasis surrounded by towering singing sand dunes in the Gobi Desert. Climb the dunes at sunset for breathtaking views of this natural wonder that has sustained travelers for over 2,000 years.
3
Explore the Yadan National Geological Park, a landscape of spectacular wind-eroded rock formations rising from the desert floor. These 'devil city' formations create an otherworldly atmosphere in the western Gobi.
4
Visit the Yumen Pass (Jade Gate), the historic western gateway where caravans officially entered imperial China. This Han Dynasty frontier outpost marked the transition from the dangers of Central Asia to the relative safety of the Middle Kingdom.
+2 Places visited
Activities
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Ride a camel across the Mingsha Sand Dunes as Silk Road merchants did for millennia. The singing sands produce an eerie humming sound as grains shift in the wind.
Next stop
⏱️ Long drive (5h+)
Distance:
580 km
Travel time:
7h
4
Day
4 photos
Discover
1
Jour 1: Wander through the ancient ruins of Jiaohe (Yar), a 2,000-year-old city carved into a natural plateau between two rivers. This remarkably preserved settlement-larger and better conserved than Gaochang-features homes, temples, and streets excavated directly from the earth.
2
Jour 1: Explore the Karez underground irrigation system, an ingenious 2,000-year-old network of channels bringing mountain water to this desert oasis. Some tunnels stretch 20-30 km, with vertical shafts allowing maintenance, and many remain functional today.
3
Jour 1: Visit the Emin Minaret in Munar village, China's tallest at 44 meters, built in 1777. Its distinctive geometric brickwork patterns showcase Islamic architecture adapted to Chinese materials and techniques.
4
Jour 1: Discover the Turpan Museum, home to extraordinarily preserved artifacts from the bone-dry climate. Marvel at 3,000-year-old mummies with red hair, textiles with tartan-like patterns, and jewelry that would be fashionable today-all in perfect condition.
+6 Places visited
Activities
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Jour 1: Drive through the legendary Flaming Mountains, dramatic red sandstone formations stretching over 100 km-China's hottest location and setting for a famous Chinese legend featuring a monkey king and a wise monk.
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Jour 2: Hike through the Flaming Mountains gorge from Tuyok, a challenging 5-hour trek crossing the red sandstone massif to emerge in landscapes of extraordinary geological drama.
Next stop
Distance:
53 km
Travel time:
1h
5
Day
6 photos
Discover
1
Lose yourself in Kashgar's Old Town, a labyrinth of narrow alleys and traditional mud-brick houses where Uyghur culture thrives. This ancient quarter-70% Uyghur population-preserves the atmosphere of a Central Asian trading hub at the crossroads of civilizations.
2
Enter the Id Kah Mosque, China's largest, built in the 15th century. Its vast courtyard can accommodate 10,000 worshippers and serves as the spiritual heart of the Uyghur community, a center of Islamic life in China.
3
Visit the Abakh Khoja Mausoleum, an architectural masterpiece with turquoise-tiled domes housing generations of a revered Islamic family. The intricate tilework exemplifies the artistic traditions connecting Kashgar to Samarkand and beyond.
4
Browse the Grand Bazaar of Kashgar, one of Central Asia's most vibrant markets. Stalls overflow with spices, carpets, jewelry, and colorful fabrics in a sensory feast that has drawn traders for two millennia.
+1 Places visited
Activities
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Watch local artisans at work in the old town's craft workshops-coppersmiths, knife-makers, and musical instrument builders maintaining skills passed down through generations of Uyghur craftsmen.
Next stop
⏱️ Long drive (5h+)
Distance:
290 km
Travel time:
5h
6
Day
3 photos
Discover
1
Journey along the Karakoram Highway, one of the world's most spectacular mountain roads connecting China to Pakistan. The route climbs through dramatic gorges and high plateaus with views of 7,000-meter peaks.
2
Arrive at Lake Karakul, an alpine jewel at 3,600 meters reflecting the snow-capped peak of Muztagh Ata (7,546m) in its crystal waters. Kyrgyz herders graze yaks on the shores of this sacred lake.
3
Experience the high-altitude landscape where the Pamir, Karakoram, and Kunlun ranges converge. This 'roof of the world' offers some of Earth's most dramatic mountain scenery.
Activities
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Stay in a traditional Kyrgyz yurt by the lakeshore, experiencing nomadic hospitality with fresh yogurt, butter tea, and stories of life in these remote highlands.
Next stop
Distance:
100 km
Travel time:
2h
7
Day
3 photos
Discover
1
Explore the Stone Fortress ruins at Tashkurgan, an ancient citadel perched at 3,200 meters altitude. This frontier outpost guarded the mountain passes connecting China to the kingdoms of Central Asia for over two millennia.
2
Discover Tashkurgan's Tajik community, an ethnic minority with Persian roots distinct from both Uyghurs and Han Chinese. Their colorful traditional dress, music, and hospitality reflect ancient connections to the Iranian world.
3
Drive the Panlong zigzag road, an engineering marvel with 600 hairpin turns ascending through dramatic high-altitude scenery near the Pakistan border-one of the world's most spectacular mountain drives.
Activities
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Visit a Tajik village to witness traditional eagle hunting demonstrations, a practice connecting these mountain people to nomadic cultures across the Eurasian steppes.
Next stop
✈️ Flight / transfer day
Distance:
750 km
Travel time:
3h
8
Day
3 photos
Discover
1
Stroll through Ala-Too Square, the ceremonial heart of Kyrgyzstan dominated by a statue of the legendary hero Manas. Watch the changing of the guard ceremony with its distinctive goose-step march beneath the national flag-hourly in winter, every two hours in summer.
2
Visit the National History Museum, a Soviet-era marble cube housing artifacts from Scythian gold treasures to photographs of Kyrgyzstan's 2010 revolution. A traditional yurt exhibit introduces nomadic heritage, though original gold pieces are shown only to VIPs.
3
Explore Dubovy (Oak) Park and its outdoor art market where local painters sell landscapes of the Tian Shan mountains. The sculpture garden behind the statue of 19th-century heroine Kurmanjan Datka offers peaceful walks among the oaks.
4
Discover the National Museum of Fine Arts, where traditional felt carpets (shyrdaks), embroideries, and paintings showcase Kyrgyz artistic heritage. The collection contrasts beautifully with the building's Soviet neoclassical façade.
+3 Places visited
Activities
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Experience a traditional Kyrgyz banya at Jirgal or Toktogul bathhouses, recognizable by their distinctive domed architecture. The ritual of steam bathing with birch branches (venik) offers authentic Central Asian relaxation.
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Pay respects at the World War II Monument, erected for the 40th anniversary of victory. The eternal flame burns beneath a structure evoking a yurt, symbolizing Kyrgyz sacrifice in the Great Patriotic War.
Next stop
✈️ Flight / transfer day
Distance:
680 km
Travel time:
2h
9
Day
3 photos
Discover
1
Jour 1: Stand in awe before the Registan, one of the world's most spectacular public squares. Three magnificent madrasas frame this ensemble of turquoise domes, intricate mosaics, and soaring minarets that defines Timurid architecture at its absolute peak.
2
Jour 1: Explore the Ulugh Beg Madrasa (1420), where the astronomer-king established a renowned center of learning that attracted scholars across the Islamic world. Admire the honeycomb muqarnas, two-story arcades, and intricate tilework in endless variety.
3
Jour 1: Watch artisans demonstrate traditional crafts in the madrasa's restored cells, including a miniature painter using a two-hair brush for the finest details. Small museums display manuscripts and artifacts from Samarkand's scholarly golden age.
4
Jour 1: Enter the gilded interior of Tilla-Kari Madrasa (1660), whose name means 'covered in gold.' This combined madrasa and Friday mosque features a dazzling prayer hall ceiling-the pinnacle of Islamic decorative arts in Central Asia.
+17 Places visited
Activities
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Jour 1: Return to the Registan at dusk to witness the transformation as floodlights illuminate the façades. Most evenings feature a sound-and-light show projecting colors and patterns across the ancient tilework-times vary seasonally.
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Jour 2: Wander through the Siyob Bazaar near Bibi-Khanym, sampling legendary Samarkand bread (non), dried fruits, nuts, and spices in a market operating since Silk Road times. The bread is reputedly the finest in Central Asia.
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Jour 3: Visit a traditional bakery in the old quarter to watch craftsmen prepare Samarkand's famous bread in tandoor ovens. The distinctive round loaves stamped with decorative patterns taste best fresh and warm.
Next stop
⏱️ Long drive (5h+)
Distance:
279 km
Travel time:
5h35
10
Day
3 photos
Discover
1
Jour 1: Admire the Kalon Minaret, Bukhara's 46-meter landmark that so impressed Genghis Khan he spared it when destroying the city in 1220. The 12th-century tower's fourteen bands of intricate brickwork patterns remain a masterpiece of Islamic architecture.
2
Jour 1: Enter the Kalon Mosque adjacent to the minaret, capable of holding 10,000 worshippers beneath 288 domes supported by 208 pillars. This was Bukhara's main Friday mosque, rebuilt in the 16th century after Mongol destruction.
3
Jour 1: Study the façade of Mir-i-Arab Madrasa facing the mosque, a working theological school since 1536. Its turquoise domes and elaborate portal complete the Po-i-Kalon ensemble-Bukhara's most photographed view.
4
Jour 1: Explore the Ark Citadel, the 20-meter-high fortress that served as the residence of Bukhara's emirs for over a millennium. The throne room, mosque, stables, and prison reveal the grandeur and cruelty of Central Asian rulers.
+11 Places visited
Activities
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Jour 1: Browse the Trading Domes (Taqi), three 16th-century vaulted bazaar structures where merchants have traded carpets, silk, jewelry, and money since the Silk Road era. Each dome specialized in different goods.
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Jour 2: Visit the Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa summer palace outside the center, where the last emir's residence blends Russian and Central Asian styles amid peaceful gardens. The Museum of Decorative Arts displays 19th-century clothing, embroidery, and ceramics.
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Jour 2: Wander through the local Bukhara Bazaar near Samani Park, a working market where residents shop for produce, spices, household goods, and clothing-far less touristy than the Trading Domes.
Next stop
⏱️ Long drive (5h+)
Distance:
506 km
Travel time:
10h07
11
Day
3 photos
Discover
1
Jour 1: Enter the Itchan Kala through the western Ota-Darvoza gate into Khiva's completely preserved inner city. This UNESCO-listed walled town contains over 50 historic monuments within its 2.5 km of adobe ramparts rebuilt in the 18th century.
2
Jour 1: Learn the four gates of Itchan Kala: Ota-Darvoza (Father's Gate) to the west, Bogtcha-Darvoza (Garden Gate) north, Polvon-Darvoza (Strongman's Gate) east, and Tosh-Darvoza (Stone Gate) south. Each name tells a story.
3
Jour 1: Climb the watchtower of the Kunya-Ark fortress for panoramic views over the city's minarets and domes. The former khan's residence, founded in the 12th century, includes a harem, mint, throne room, and summer mosque.
4
Jour 1: Marvel at the Tosh-Hovli Palace, whose 150+ rooms showcase Khiva's finest decorative tilework, carved wood, and ganch plasterwork. Built 1832-1841, its high ceilings caught desert breezes in an era before air conditioning.
+11 Places visited
Activities
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Jour 1: Walk the northwestern ramparts at sunset when golden light transforms the mud-brick city. Access via steps near the North Gate offers views over the desert beyond and the monuments within.
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Jour 2: Ride the Ferris wheel outside the North Gate for aerial views over the walled city-a surreal modern addition offering the best panorama of Itchan Kala's clustered monuments.
Next stop
⏱️ Long drive (5h+)
Distance:
571 km
Travel time:
11h25
12
Day
3 photos
Discover
1
Explore Ancient Merv, a UNESCO World Heritage archaeological park preserving five overlapping cities spanning 4,000 years across 353 hectares. Once the world's largest city in the 12th century, Merv was a Seljuk capital and vital Silk Road hub.
2
Enter the Sultan Sanjar Mausoleum, the most impressive surviving Seljuk monument. Its 38-meter double dome-once visible from a day's journey away-showcases 12th-century engineering, with intact murals and carved stucco inside.
3
Walk the walls of Erk Kala, the oldest citadel core where 30-meter ramparts still stand. This was the administrative heart of Merv through multiple civilizations from Achaemenid Persians to Arab conquerors.
4
Explore Gyaur Kala, the square Hellenistic-era city with 2-km walls enclosing Buddhist stupas, a Zoroastrian fire temple, the central Beni Makhan Mosque, and the mysterious 'oval building' whose purpose remains debated.
+3 Places visited
Activities
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Photograph the distinctive köchks-fortified manor houses unique to the Merv oasis-rising from the surrounding desert. These mud-brick towers once protected wealthy landowners and their estates.
Next stop
✈️ Flight / transfer day
Distance:
2800 km
Travel time:
4h
13
Day
2 photos
Discover
1
Jour 1: Enter Hagia Sophia, the 6th-century architectural wonder that defined Byzantine grandeur for a millennium. Its massive dome-55 meters high and 30 meters wide-remained the world's largest until St. Peter's in Rome, while Byzantine mosaics share space with Islamic calligraphy.
2
Jour 1: Explore Topkapi Palace, the Ottoman sultans' residence for 400 years overlooking the Bosphorus and Golden Horn. This UNESCO-listed complex spans 70 hectares with four courtyards, the imperial harem, and treasury displaying the Spoonmaker's Diamond.
3
Jour 1: Wander through the Topkapi Harem, where up to 300 women lived in a labyrinth of 400 rooms. The apartments of the Sultan's mother (Valide Sultan) and the crown prince showcase the finest Ottoman tilework and carved fountains.
4
Jour 1: Descend into the Basilica Cistern, an underground cathedral of 336 marble columns built by Justinian to supply the Byzantine palace. Two columns rest on carved Medusa heads-one sideways, one inverted-their origins still debated.
+12 Places visited
Activities
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Jour 1: Relax at Cağaloğlu Hammam, an 18th-century Ottoman bathhouse where marble halls beneath star-pierced domes have hosted royalty and celebrities for three centuries. The men's and women's sections operate separately.
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Jour 2: Cross to the Asian shore to see Haydarpaşa Station, a German neo-Renaissance terminus from 1908. This grand railway station-currently under restoration-marked the start of the Baghdad Railway, the modern heir to the ancient Silk Road.
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Jour 3: Watch sunset from Galata Bridge, where fishermen cast lines and restaurants serve fresh catches from the Golden Horn. The silhouettes of minarets against the evening sky complete the Silk Road journey at the gateway between East and West.
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❓ Frequently asked questions
What weather should you expect?
Spring (April-May): Pleasant temperatures, blooming flowers, ideal weather, moderate crowds, excellent for most regions, comfortable travel.
Fall (September-October): Perfect weather, clear skies, comfortable temperatures, peak tourist season, higher prices, autumn colors beautiful.
Summer (June-August): Hot and humid, rainy season, crowded tourist sites, highest prices, but best for Tibet and western regions.
Winter (November-March): Cold temperatures, fewer crowds, lower prices, perfect for southern regions, harsh in north, unique winter experiences.
Regional Variations: Vast climate diversity, southern subtropical, northern continental, western plateau, plan according to regions visited.
How many days should I plan?
We believe you will enjoy this itinerary best by dedicating between 15 and 23 days. The next step will allow you to adjust the duration of your stay.
What to discover in China?
Ancient civilization meets modern superpower with Great Wall, forbidden cities, and cutting-edge technology. Experience diverse landscapes, incredible cuisine, and 5000-year cultural heritage. The country offers bustling megacities, pristine nature, and traditional arts. China provides overwhelming cultural richness and geographical diversity in rapidly modernizing nation.