New luxury train will travel some of world's most remote, exotic regions
Is there any more evocative term in travel than 'Silk Road'?
Reaching back through history to the second century BC and China's Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD), rulers created it as a route between Asia and Europe. Alexander the Great and Marco Polo were among the many who traversed the web of caravan tracks the route comprised. It was used for more than 1500 years before sea trade became the easier option.
With freedom and romance replacing trade and power as the wind beneath their travelling wings, the hippies and footloose backpackers of the 1960s and 1970s revived it, with painters, authors and musicians chronicling their bohemian odysseys for posterity.
Now, you can choose all manner of travel modes to explore the wonders of the route, but few are as alluring as a luxury train, from which you can admire the passing scenery and experience eclectic stops from a capsule of luxury.
To celebrate its new train, the Golden Eagle Silk Road Express, and to mark its 35th anniversary, Golden Eagle Luxury Trains has launched an epic 22-day journey, Grand Silk Road, melding six nights onboard its new train, and 12 nights on the Golden Eagle train.
Set to depart in September 2026, it promises to 'take in some of the world's most remote and historically rich regions in supreme comfort and safety'. On all counts, it sounds like the mother of all understatements.
The Grand Silk Road Express travels a wondrous 6500 kilometres, departing from Beijing and heading across China to Kashgar, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, before meandering through the 'Stans', of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan with many stunning stops.
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Sydney Morning Herald
12 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Surreal and secretive, this Asian country is finally opening up
The Tolkuchka bazaar (also known as Altyn Asyr Bazaar), a 20-minute drive from downtown Ashgabat, affords visitors a glimpse of older Turkmen ways. Its shape is meant to resemble a Turkmen carpet and while it's only the fifth largest in Central Asia, it covers 100 hectares. Stalls sell spices, fake Rolexes, livestock, carpets, souvenirs, vegetables and fruit. Melons are a specialism; Turkmenistan has a crossbreed muskmelon called the Turkmenbashi melon. The second Sunday in August is National Melon Day. Turkmenistan is twice the size of the UK, almost as big as Spain. It has more than 4800 kilometres of railways, including lines to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, Iran and Russia, and the 540-kilometre Trans-Karakum Railway across the desert of the same name. The most celebrated 'sight' here is the Gates of Hell gas crater at Darvaza, burning since the '80s when someone took out a match to prevent the emission of poisonous gases caused by a gas field's collapse 20 years earlier. A long, Milton-esque stairway in a cave at the foot of a mountain leads to the Köw Ata Underground Lake, where you can swim in sulphurous waters. Ancient Merv is a Unesco World Heritage site, a repository of 4000 years of history and 'the oldest and best-preserved of the oasis-cities along the Silk Route in Central Asia'. Nokhur cemetery in southern Turkmenistan contains tombstones decorated with mountain goat horns – believed by the Nokhuris (who claim to have descended from Alexander the Great's soldiers) to protect against evil spirits. Animism, Islam and Zoroastrianism are routinely melded, causing some traditional Muslims to take umbrage at Turkmenistan's bespoke approach to theology. The country is dotted with photogenic rock-scapes. Yangykala Canyon is the one that you see most often on promotional material, with its striated limestone walls rising out of an ancient seabed. Turkmenistan is a de facto one-party state with no serious opposition permitted. Should that put anyone off? Only if you also want to discard China, Cuba, Vietnam, Laos, Eritrea; the US is a de facto two-party state and is more likely to go in the other direction than to suddenly announce a trio of options. Turkmenistan has some of the slowest and most tightly controlled internet – positive messaging only is firmly encouraged – which is, of course, a major issue for locals. Youtube, WhatsApp and Facebook are blocked. There's no roaming. All in all, it's also an excuse for tourists to switch off and forget screens and report back on their experiences once they get home. For the time being, a letter of invitation is required (though this will be retired with the introduction of the new e-visa); tour firms will usually take care of the red tape. The Australian government's Smart Traveller website also advises, 'you must take a COVID-19 (PCR) test on arrival, and if you have a positive test result, you may be required to quarantine in a state-run facility or at your place of residence under medical supervision'. THE DETAILS Loading Fly Turkmenistan Airlines does not fly to Australia, but does fly from Ashgabat to several Asian hubs where passengers can connect to the airline, including Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Alternatively, Turkish Airlines flies from Sydney and Melbourne to Ashgabat via Istanbul. Stay The five-star Yyldyz Hotel in Ashgabat has rooms from about $480 per night.
The Age
12 hours ago
- The Age
Surreal and secretive, this Asian country is finally opening up
The Tolkuchka bazaar (also known as Altyn Asyr Bazaar), a 20-minute drive from downtown Ashgabat, affords visitors a glimpse of older Turkmen ways. Its shape is meant to resemble a Turkmen carpet and while it's only the fifth largest in Central Asia, it covers 100 hectares. Stalls sell spices, fake Rolexes, livestock, carpets, souvenirs, vegetables and fruit. Melons are a specialism; Turkmenistan has a crossbreed muskmelon called the Turkmenbashi melon. The second Sunday in August is National Melon Day. Turkmenistan is twice the size of the UK, almost as big as Spain. It has more than 4800 kilometres of railways, including lines to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, Iran and Russia, and the 540-kilometre Trans-Karakum Railway across the desert of the same name. The most celebrated 'sight' here is the Gates of Hell gas crater at Darvaza, burning since the '80s when someone took out a match to prevent the emission of poisonous gases caused by a gas field's collapse 20 years earlier. A long, Milton-esque stairway in a cave at the foot of a mountain leads to the Köw Ata Underground Lake, where you can swim in sulphurous waters. Ancient Merv is a Unesco World Heritage site, a repository of 4000 years of history and 'the oldest and best-preserved of the oasis-cities along the Silk Route in Central Asia'. Nokhur cemetery in southern Turkmenistan contains tombstones decorated with mountain goat horns – believed by the Nokhuris (who claim to have descended from Alexander the Great's soldiers) to protect against evil spirits. Animism, Islam and Zoroastrianism are routinely melded, causing some traditional Muslims to take umbrage at Turkmenistan's bespoke approach to theology. The country is dotted with photogenic rock-scapes. Yangykala Canyon is the one that you see most often on promotional material, with its striated limestone walls rising out of an ancient seabed. Turkmenistan is a de facto one-party state with no serious opposition permitted. Should that put anyone off? Only if you also want to discard China, Cuba, Vietnam, Laos, Eritrea; the US is a de facto two-party state and is more likely to go in the other direction than to suddenly announce a trio of options. Turkmenistan has some of the slowest and most tightly controlled internet – positive messaging only is firmly encouraged – which is, of course, a major issue for locals. Youtube, WhatsApp and Facebook are blocked. There's no roaming. All in all, it's also an excuse for tourists to switch off and forget screens and report back on their experiences once they get home. For the time being, a letter of invitation is required (though this will be retired with the introduction of the new e-visa); tour firms will usually take care of the red tape. The Australian government's Smart Traveller website also advises, 'you must take a COVID-19 (PCR) test on arrival, and if you have a positive test result, you may be required to quarantine in a state-run facility or at your place of residence under medical supervision'. THE DETAILS Loading Fly Turkmenistan Airlines does not fly to Australia, but does fly from Ashgabat to several Asian hubs where passengers can connect to the airline, including Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Alternatively, Turkish Airlines flies from Sydney and Melbourne to Ashgabat via Istanbul. Stay The five-star Yyldyz Hotel in Ashgabat has rooms from about $480 per night.
The Age
16-05-2025
- The Age
Near-perfect hotel overlooks one of the most remarkable ancient sites
The place The Dolli at Acropolis, Athens Check-in Despite the extravagance of Le Salon (the lobby), the concept is to make guests feel like they're entering a living room, and check-in is informal, albeit deeply curated. I sink into a sofa among expensive art and am soon presented with an iPad, alongside a silver tray containing a glass of sparkling wine and two colour-coordinated mocktails. The look Entering this 1925-era neoclassical mansion-turned-boutique hotel is like stepping inside a jewellery box containing the most prized treasures of a modern Aphrodite. Soft mirrored panels reflect sumptuous salt-and-pepper marbled floors, brass accents, plump furnishings, soaring stucco ceilings and tiered silver trays of Greek sweets such as loukoumi and chocolate almonds. A high-gloss patisserie spread in the lounge is complimentary for guests. Owned by Grecotel, run by second-generation hotelier Mari Sifounakis, the historic property features 46 rooms and suites over five floors and embodies a feminine energy, with curvy details, circular furniture and natural materials. The art collection is astounding: ancient Greek vases date back to the 4th century BC, there are chairs by 20th-century French artist Jean Cocteau, an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus mask from the 6th century BC and a ceramic work by Picasso. But it's the submersible installation on level five that earns this property one-of-a-kind kudos. The rooftop infinity pool all but laps at the Parthenon. It feels so close you could flick it off the Acropolis with your finger.
