The Samarkand Express: A French Grand Voyage Awakens on the Silk Road (2026)

Imagine waking to the pale gold light of the Kyzylkum desert sliding past your cabin window, a pot of green tea steaming on polished walnut, and the turquoise domes of Samarkand rising on the horizon. This is not nostalgia for a lost golden age of travel — it is 2026, and the Silk Road is about to become the most romantic rail journey on earth.

Uzbekistan has announced the Samarkand Express, a new luxury train created with Italy's Arsenale Group, the same house behind Europe's most coveted rail cruises. For French travellers who cherish the art de voyager — the belief that how you arrive matters as much as where — this may be the announcement of the year.

Un train de luxe sur la Route de la Soie

Slated to welcome its first passengers in late 2026, the Samarkand Express is a rolling palace of Italian craftsmanship: more than a dozen carriages, upwards of 38 elegant cabins, and space for just 66 to 76 guests. Everything is built around the philosophy of slow tourism — long, languid days of scenery and short, immersive stops in cities most travellers have only dreamed of. Think of it as an Orient-Express reborn for Central Asia, where the destinations are not European capitals but the fabled oases of the Silk Road.

Samarcande, Boukhara, Khiva — les perles du voyage

The route traces the classic Silk Road arc from Tashkent through Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva — a UNESCO-studded itinerary that would take days of logistics to arrange independently, delivered here in seamless comfort. In Samarkand you step off to the Registan, three madrasas whose scale silences even seasoned travellers. In Bukhara, 2,500 years of unbroken history unfold on foot. In Khiva, the walled city of Itchan Kala glows like a mirage at sunset. Between them: the desert, the tea, the slow unspooling of a landscape unchanged for centuries.

Pourquoi 2026 est le moment idéal

The timing is remarkable. Uzbekistan is now visa-free for French citizens and most of Europe for stays up to 30 days. Foreign arrivals passed 11 million in 2025 and keep climbing, while new flights are shortening the journey from Paris and other European hubs. Samarkand has been hailed as a "City of the Year" by international travel media. And for those who prefer not to wait for the luxury train's debut, the high-speed Afrosiyob already links Tashkent and Samarkand in just over two hours today — a taste of the comfort to come.

Voyagez avec des experts locaux

GoUzbekistan is a licensed Uzbek tour operator based in Bukhara, on the Silk Road itself — operating since 2007, with a French-friendly team who understand that a great journey lives in its details. We pair the grand set pieces with the quiet ones: a private courtyard dinner, a master ceramicist's studio, a sunrise you will remember longer than any monument. Whether you board the Samarkand Express when it launches or design a bespoke rail-and-road journey now, we craft every hour around you.

The Silk Road is calling, and this time it travels first class. Create your own custom tour or explore our tours and begin your grand voyage.

Plan your Uzbekistan trip — in your language

العربية

استقلّ قطار سمرقند إكسبريس الفاخر عبر طريق الحرير في أوزبكستان، من سمرقند إلى بخارى وخيوة. صمّم رحلتك الفاخرة مع خبراء محليين. صمّم رحلتك الخاصة الآن.

Deutsch

Reisen Sie mit dem neuen Luxuszug Samarkand Express auf der Seidenstraße durch Usbekistan — von Samarkand über Buchara bis Chiwa. Planen Sie Ihre Usbekistan Rundreise mit lokalen Experten. Entdecken Sie unsere Rundreisen.

Español

Viaje en el nuevo tren de lujo Samarkand Express por la Ruta de la Seda en Uzbekistán, de Samarcanda a Bujará y Jiva. Diseñe su viaje de lujo con expertos locales. Cree su viaje a medida.

Français

Embarquez à bord du nouveau train de luxe Samarkand Express sur la Route de la Soie en Ouzbékistan, de Samarcande à Boukhara et Khiva. Composez votre voyage d'exception avec des experts locaux. Explorez nos circuits.

中文

乘坐全新的撒马尔罕快车豪华列车，沿乌兹别克斯坦丝绸之路，从撒马尔罕到布哈拉与希瓦。与当地专家一起定制您的奢华之旅。立即定制您的专属行程。

Русский

Отправьтесь в путешествие на новом люксовом поезде «Самарканд Экспресс» по Шёлковому пути в Узбекистане — из Самарканда в Бухару и Хиву. Спланируйте роскошные туры в Узбекистан с местными экспертами. Смотрите наши туры.