LEGENDARY SILK ROAD FOLLOW THE. September 27 th 2019

Transcription

1 FOLLOW THE LEGENDRY SILK ROD From the Great Wall of Chia to the Walls of Costatiople 20 days - Private Trai & First Class Hotels September 27 th 209

2 LEGENDRY SILK ROD September 27th 209: To BEIJING Joi your flight today to Chia s capital, Beijig. O arrival you are trasferred to your cetrally located 5 star hotel. Overight: First Class hotel [D] September 28th: BEIJING Today we are itroduced to the aciet (ad moder) city of Beijig highlights iclude the Temple of Heave as well as the famous Tiaame Square. For ceturies the doors to the former Emperor's Palaces have bee closed to the public. Today the glorious halls ad mysterious temples of the Forbidde City are ope for us. traditioal Chiese dier of Pekig Duck toight. Overight: First Class hotel [B,L,D] September 29th: BEIJING Great Wall of Chia The Great Wall of Chia is the 8th Woder of the World; today you ca experiece it up close, both o foot ad from a cable car. Costructio bega i the 7th cetury BC with sectios of the,500 mile log wall datig from the rd cetury BC, ad most from the Mig Dyasty (68 to 644). O the way back to our Beijig hotel, we visit the famous Mig Tombs (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) ad the Sacred Way. Overight: First Class hotel [B,L,D] September 0th: To XIN O the tracks today. We joi Chia s high-speed bullet trai, takig our reserved First Class seats for our jourey at 00kph from Chia s moder capital, to her historic capital, the walled city of Xia. O arrival we are trasferred to our 5 star city-cetre hotel. Overight: First Class hotel [B,L,D] October st: XIN Etombed Warriors This morig there is a city sightseeig tour of Xia, icludig the 7th Cetury Wild Goose Buddhist Pagoda ad the 4th Cetury Great Mosque. The afteroo is free for the markets or, for the more athletic, a bicycle ride aroud the city walls 4 kilometres. Overight: First Class hotel [B,L,D] October 2d: XIN Yet aother woder of the world today the Etombed Warriors of Xia. 8,000 life-size soldiers, ad 0 chariots with 520 horses, stad guard over the grave of Qi Shi Huag, the first Emperor of Chia, sice BC. Overight: First Class hotel [B,L,D] October rd: To LMTY We skip the ext bit of the Silk Road today, as there is o trai. Istead, we joi our iteratioal flight to lmaty i Kazakhsta where, o arrival, we are trasferred to our cetrally located hotel. Overight: First Class hotel [B,L,D] October 4th: LMTY This morig we ejoy a sightseeig tour of this gree metropolita city at the foot of the mighty Ile latau Moutais. Highlights iclude the Zekov Russia Orthodox Cathedral, built etirely of wood, the Weddig Palace, the lmaty Circus ad the Cetral Mosque. fter a Kazakh welcome luch, we board our private trai, the Oriet Silk Road Express. Overight o board the Oriet Silk Road Express [B,L,D] October 5th: TURKESTN We arrive after breakfast i the city of Turkesta ad visit the 94 Mausoleum of Khoja hmed Yasawi, oe of the most sigificat examples of Timurid architecture ad a UNESCO World Heritage Site. fterwards our private trai cotiues its jourey, crossig the Kazakhsta Uzbekista border towards Tashket. Border formalities are completed i the comfort of our compartmet. Overight o board the Oriet Silk Road Express [B,L,D] October 6th: TSHKENT Our private trai, the Oriet Silk Road Express, arrives i the early morig at Uzbekista s capital, Tashket. Durig our city sightseeig of this gree oasis i the steppe, we see the Madrassa Kukeldash, the Kavoj ad mir Timur moumets. This eveig we atted a cocert i a music hall, ad the reboard our private trai. Overight o board the Oriet Silk Road Express [B,L,D] October 7th: SHKHRISBZ Through moutaious territory, we follow the route of the trade caravas, also the route ad the armies of lexader the Great, Geghis Kha ad Tamerlae. traditioal ceremoy offers us first-had isight ito the regio s uique folklore, before cotiuig to the gree city of Shakhrisabz, Tamerlae s birthplace, where we visit the brutal Mogol leader s great palace. Back o board, we head for the magical city of Samarkad. Overight o board the Oriet Silk Road Express [B,L,D] October 8th: SMRKND O arrival i Samarkad we settle ito our First Class hotel for a 2 ight stay. Durig the rule of Tamerlae, Samarkad was cosidered the world s most beautiful city, ad it still speaks of all the magic of,00 Nights. Today we lear why. It is also historically importat, as the site where may Uzbek wome bured their veils (burkhas) i 97, with the arrival of the Soviet system. Overight: First Class hotel [B,L,D] October 9th SMRKND Our day s sightseeig i this fasciatig city icludes a tour of a silk carpet maufactory, a visit to a Uzbek craftsma s family to see paper beig made from mulberry bark, stops at the Ulug Beg Observatory ad the ruis of the Bibi Khaum Mosque, ad viewig the iterior of the palace-like Gur Emir Mausoleum. Overight: First Class hotel [B,L,D] October 0th: SMRKND The morig is yours to explore Samarkad or sped as you please. We re-board the Silk Road Oriet Express at oo ad depart for Khiva. Overight o board the Oriet Silk Road Express [B,L,D] October th: KHIV Today we visit the oasis of Khiva, a exotic fairy tale from 00 Nights i stoe. Its palaces, mosques, miarets, mausoleums ad madrassas (Muslim religious schools) represet oe of the best preserved esembles of medieval orietal urba architecture i the world. Overight o board the Oriet Silk Road Express [B,L,D] October 2th: BUKHR O arrival i Bukhara (also called Sherif the oble oe) we trasfer to our First Class hotel ad the commece our city sightseeig of just a few of its thousad architectural moumets recallig the golde age of the Great Silk Route, icludig the almost fifty-metre tall Kalya Miaret. Exotic spices, furs ad especially silk were stored ad traded the i the city s caravaserais. The Old Tow is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Overight: First Class hotel [B,L,D] October th: BUKHR This morig we cotiue to explore Bukhara s aciet orietal architecture the spledid Mir-e-rab Madrassa, the Samaid Mausoleum, ad the massive rk Citadel. Our private trai cotiues its jourey i the eveig. Overight o board the Oriet Silk Road Express [B,L,D] October 4th: MERV We farewell the Silk Road Oriet Express this morig o arrival at the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site of Merv. Here are the remats of what was oce oe of the world s largest ad most magificet cities: gigatic walls ad ramparts simply stadig i the middle of the desert ext to the imposig ruis of aciet buildigs such as the Tomb of the Sulta Sajar ad the Maides Castle. We have luch with a local family i their home s picturesque courtyard. Overight: First Class hotel [B,L,D] October 5th: NIS & SHGBT This morig we are drive to the aciet Parthia city of Nisa, the after luch we take a guided tour of the moder-day Turkmeista capital of shgabat ad the Natioal Museum i shgabat, where you view artefacts excavated from the ruis at Nisa ad gai isight ito the developmet of a culture shaped by various peoples, ethicities ad religios. Overight: First Class hotel [B,L,D] October 6th: To ISTNBUL (Costatiople) The traditioal Silk Route further West requires passage through Ira, Iraq ad Syria, so we bail out ad take a flight to its historic termius, Costatiople (Istabul) where, o arrival, you trasfer to your homeward flight or, if you choose to joi your Tour Director o a 8 day dd-o tour of Istabul, Troy ad Gallipoli, we trasfer to our First Class hotel. [B]

3 TURKEY ISTNBUL, TROY & GLLIPOLI POST TOUR: 8 DYS / 7 NIGHTS OCT 6th ISTNBUL O arrival i Istabul irport from our Silk Road jourey, we are trasferred to our First Class citycetre hotel. [D] D OCT 7th ISTNBUL Istabul has a log ad evetful history, reflected i its ames Byzatium, Costatiople, Istabul. Today we see moder Istabul, the city spread across the two cotiets of Europe ad sia. [B,D] lthough the term Silk Road (or Silk Route) was coied oly i the 870s by the Germa cartographer Ferdiad vo Richthofe, there has bee a tradig route betwee Chia ad Europe sice the third cetury BC, with silk from the East beig but oe of the commodities traded.,500 years later Marco Polo may or may ot have followed the route. We do t have 20 years to spare to make the jourey, so we commece with the high-speed trai from Beijig to Xia, the fly o to lmaty i Kazakhsta to joi our private trai, the Oriet Silk Road Express, for a day jourey (6 ights spet o board) alog the historic route through Kazakhsta, Uzbekista ad Turkmeista. We skip the ext sectio of the Silk Road through Ira, Iraq ad Syria ad fly o to fiish our jourey i Istabul, aciet Costatiople, the termius of the historic Silk Road. CHIN INCLUDED FETURES: 6 ights bed ad buffet breakfast i iteratioal 5 star hotels ll meals accordig to programme Guided sightseeig ad etraces as per itierary First Class seats o the high-speed Beijig to Xia trai Xia to lmaty Ecoomy Class flight irport arrival ad departure trasfers. BOX: T C S F 20 DY TION: DUR ES: RTUR 209 P E h D are i sh ber 27t pp tw ge 2 0 a p 5 Septem 9 o, U 6d Costs detailsleave i $, From abis a Beijig ORIENT SILK ROD EXPRESS: 7 overights o the private trai accordig to the booked cabi category 5 overights i First Class hotels ll meals accordig to programme Sightseeig programme icludig all etrace fees accordig to programme Guided trasfers to ad from all airports ad trai statios accordig to programme Multi-ligual Tour Director Experieced local guides Doctor o board shgabat to Istabul Ecoomy Class flight. LMTY TURKESTN SMRKND HR 2 see C (Joi i Please ly Cotet O Lad tiople). :, ad Beijig FRES Costa L IR apital city to stralia city. N IO T c u INTERNy ustralia the same From a tabul back to$2,200 from Is MY CLSS: $5,200 ECONOESS CLSS: BUSIN 2 FROM XIN TSHKENT BEIJING SHKHRISBZ TO LMTY MERV NORTH KORE SOUTH KORE RUSSI XIN OCT 8th ISTNBUL We begi our exploratio of the Byzatie ad Ottoma city at the Hippodrome ad earby twi shries of Hagia Sophia, the greatest church i Christedom for a milleium, ad the Blue Mosque. We the visit the historic udergroud cisters costructed uder Emperor Justiia i the sixth cetury. Free time i the afteroo for the Spice Market, which has bee sellig spices from the East sice mediaeval times. [B] OCT 9th ISTNBUL This morig we visit the Topkapi Palace, the royal palace of the Ottomas, fouded i 459, just 6 years after the ivasio of Christia Costatiople by the Turks. Sice the collapse of the Ottoma Empire at the ed of World War it has served as a most importat museum with fie art ad orametatio from the Ottoma era. The harem room is of more tha appropriate iterest to most tourists. We sped the afteroo i Istabul s Grad Bazaar, oe of the largest ad oldest covered markets i the world, with 6 covered streets ad over 4,000 shops. [B] OCT 20th To GLLIPOLI By coach today we skirt the Sea of Marmara south-west ito Europea Turkey towards the Dardeelles. Here is the tow of Gelibolu situated o the peisula of the same ame. We all kow it as Gallipoli. [B,D] OCT 2st GLLIPOLI The holy of holies for ustralias ad Kiwis today. Our sightseeig today is a roll call of those places seared ito our atioal psyche zac Cove, Chuuk Bair, Loe Pie. Back to our Gallipol hotel toight.[b,d] OCT 22d TROY ISTNBUL ciet history excursio today to Classical Troy, log believed to be a Greek myth util uearthed i the 860s by the Germa archaeologist Dr Heirich Schliema. I the afteroo we make our way back to our Istabul hotel.[b,d] OCT 2rd FREWELL Our Turkish holiday eds this morig after breakfast. [B] INCLUDES 7 ights i First Class hotels (best available i Gallipoli) with breakfasts, 5 diers, all etraces ad sightseeig per itierary. CHIN UKRINE BOX: NIGHTS FCTION: 8 DYS / 7 KZKHSTN UZBEKISTN SMRKND KHIV ISTNBUL BUKHR 2 TURKEY TURKMENISTN DURT LMTY TURKESTN 2 KYRGYZSTN TSHKENT TJIKISTN SHKHRISBZ FROM XIN CHIN E: RTUR DEP 6th 209 r Octobe 4,900 $U re. : T S a CO twi sh ul.) IstabBEIJING tour i. ly. (Joi 0 o 0 t 9 $ ote et Lad c supplem o per pers The Legedary Silk Road SHGBT SYRI IRQ IRN MERV FGHNISTN TO LMTY room Sigle XIN

4 LEGENDRY SILK ROD CBINS & COSTS September 27th 209 to October 6th 209 LDDIN CTEGORY CBIN: This category features two lower beds (67cm x 84 cm), a small table ad storage space. Each car has eight compartmets ad oe shower facility. Combied toilet ad washig facilities are located at both eds of each car. SULTN CTEGORY CBIN: This category features two beds, with a upper berth measurig 80cm x 74cm ad the lower oe a more geerous 0cm x 84cm. The compartmet also offers comfortable seatig, a larger table ad a small closet. Each compartmet has its ow lavatory equipped with toilet, washig basi ad itegrated shower with shower curtai. Every car of this category cotais oly six compartmets. KLIF CTEGORY CBIN: This category is the highest available o the Oriet Silk Road Express, ad has the same cabi layout as the Sulta category, except that each cabi has its ow e suite bathroom. Each compartmet features closet, safe ad e-suite bath with separate shower cabi. Every car of this category, offerig the highest level of comfort available o the Silk Road, cotais oly four compartmets ad offers space for a maximum of just 8 guests. 5 TWIN SHRE SINGLE IN HOTELS TWIN ON TRIN SINGLE THROUGHOUT laddi $6,950 $8,750 $20,950 Sulta $20,950 $22,750 $24,950 CBIN CLSS ROME 5 Kalif $22,950 $24,750 $28,950 Based o $US exchage rates at 0th March 208, $ US = $0.78 USD. Tour Costs i ustralia dollars. ORIENT SILK ROD EXPRESS: 7 overights o the private trai accordig to the booked cabi category 5 overights i First Class hotels ll meals accordig to programme (B = breakfast, L = luch, D = dier) Sightseeig programmeme icludig all etrace fees accordig to programmeme Guided trasfers to ad from all airports ad trai statios accordig to programme Multi-ligual Tour Director Experieced local guides Doctor o board shgabat to Istabul Ecoomy Class flight. INCLUSIONS & COSTS: We have a strictly limited allocatio of cabis i the top classes laddi, Sulta ad Kalif o the Oriet Silk Road Express. Tour costs do ot iclude costs associated with arragig visas for the 5 coutries visited, but Great Trais of Europe Tours is delighted to assist you with obtaiig the ecessary visas. INTERNTIONL IRFRES: (Based o airfares quoted at 0th March 208). From ay ustralia capital city to Beijig, ad from Istabul back to the same ustralia city. Ecoomy Class: $2,200 Busiess Class: $5,200 PYMENT DETILS: deposit of $5,000 per perso guaratees your seat (uless your preferred class of cabi is sold out prior), with the fial paymet due 6 moths i advace. Travel isurace is madatory ad Great Trais of Europe Tours will be delighted to quote for your travel isurace. Direct deposit details for paymets: Bak: Heritage Bak, 400 Ruthve St, Toowoomba, Queeslad 450 USTRLI BSB: ccout No: 0974 ccout Name: Great Trais of Europe Tours MLT

5 BOOKING CONDITIONS Great Trais of Europe Tours (BN ) is a accredited travel aget (TS #2982). We are members of IT (Licece # ) ad the Cocorde Idepedet gets Network. Costs: ll costs i this brochure are expressed i ustralia dollars ad are based o airfares, ad lad trasport ad accommodatio costs, ad ustralia dollar exchage rates effective as at Jue st, 208. Exchage rate fluctuatios i the price of ay service provided, beyod the cotrol of Great Trais of Europe Tours, may be passed o to travellers, right up to the date of departure. Please ote that some city taxes or bed taxes caot be pre-paid by agets, ad must be paid by the tour member at check-out. deposit of $2,500 per perso will guaratee a place o your chose tour (uless already filled, i which case you will be advised of your place o the waitig list. With a maximum tour size of 25 travellers, tours ofte fill early). Full fial paymet is due 90 days before commecemet of the tour. Please make paymet by cheque to Great Trais of Europe Tours or by bak trasfer as follows: Heritage Bak, Toowoomba, Queeslad, ustralia. BSB ccout Number Great Trais of Europe Tours curretly does ot accept paymet by credit card. Cacellatio Policy: Cacellatio at ay time after the deposit is paid will result i the forfeiture of the deposit. y bookig cacelled betwee 90 days ad 45 days before departure will icur a 50% cacellatio charge o lad cotet ad up to 00% o airfares, depedig o the airfare used. Bookigs cacelled withi 45 days of departure will icur a 00% cacellatio charge. Travel isurace will cover cacellatio because of illess, death i the family etc. Travel isurace is therefore cosidered madatory. Travel Isurace: coditio of joiig a Great Trais of Europe tour is either the purchase of travel isurace through Great Trais of Europe Tours, or documetary evidece of a sufficiet level of travel isurace purchased elsewhere. Europea Rail Travel: The stadard of rail travel i Europe rages from small ad basic local trais to luxury high-speed iteratioal trais. O rare occasios Europea rail compaies may chage timetables, classes of travel available or rollig stock withi the period of validity of a travel brochure. Descriptios of trais & routes provided i this brochure are accurate at the time of pritig ad provided i good faith. It is ot possible to request rail seatig either facig or with back to the directio of travel. May Europea trais chage directio durig a jourey. Baggage allowace: Porterage of oe suitcase per perso is icluded i tour cost. Coaches: Whe itieraries take us away from rail routes ad coaches must be used, a seatig rotatio system applies. Hotels: Europea hotel rooms eve i 4 or 5 star hotels are ofte smaller tha i ustralia hotels. Sigle rooms, particularly, ca be very small. Should a traveller who has requested a sigle room wish to have a quote for the cost of sigle occupacy of a double room, please ask. Tea ad coffee makig facilities are rare i Europea hotels, as are iroom security safes. I some Europea coutries, govermet evirometal agecies restrict the use of air-coditioig i hotels to the summer moths. Travellers sharig a room o a twi share basis will be asked their prefereces re a double bed or twi beds, but o guaratee ca be give that your request will be met. Hotel star ratigs, where provided, are those of the coutry i which the hotel is situated, ad vary from coutry to coutry. Other Importat dvice: ll tours will proceed if a miimum of 2 travellers have paid deposits by 90 days before scheduled departure. I the highly ulikely (uprecedeted) evet that there are isufficiet travellers for a tour, you will be offered either (i) a full refud of all moies paid, (ii) a modified cost structure for a smaller group, or (iii) a place o a alterative Great Trais of Europe Tour. Each tour is sold as a package ad there ca be o refud for ay elemet of the tour (e.g. a meal or a excursio) ot utilised by the traveller by her / his ow choice. Tour costs have built ito them the costs associated with researchig tours, commuicatig with overseas suppliers, brochure preparatio ad marketig. Great Trais of Europe Tours does ot claim or imply that some of the iclusios i our tours may or may ot be available at a lower price direct from the overseas supplier. Travellers are remided, however, that purchases made direct with overseas suppliers are geerally ot covered by ustralia Travel gets licesig protectios or the ustralia Travel Compesatio Fud. Most photographs used i this brochure were take by the Tour Leader o past tours, but some have bee provided by hotels, rail compaies or Tourism Boards. Photographs are idicative oly ad we caot guaratee that a traveller o a Great Trais of Europe tour will persoally see all of the places depicted i them. Great Trais of Europe Tours reserves the right to declie ay reservatio or bookig request, ad may at the Tour Directors discretio termiate ay perso s ivolvemet i the tour due to disruptive or ati-social behaviour. Great Trais of Europe Tours does ot accept resposibility for ay ijury, damage, loss, delay, chage of schedule or other evets which are beyod our direct cotrol such as, but ot limited to war, terrorism, civil disturbace, idustrial actio, acts of govermet or of God, or mechaical failure such as aircraft, trais or coaches. 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6 Great Trais of Europe Tours BOOKING FORM Oe form per perso, please. Tour Name: Departure Date: PSSPORT DETILS Full ame (as i passport): ddress: Passport No: Date of Issue: Expiry Date: Natioality: Date of Birth: Ph. Home: ( ) Ph. Work: ( ) Mobile: MEDICL / DIET Do you have ay medical coditios or dietary requiremets that we should be alerted to? YES NO If you aswered YES, please outlie briefly: re you able to walk 500 metres ad climb 25 stairs without assistace? YES NO NEXT OF KIN {to be cotacted i evet of a emergecy} Name: Ph. Home: ( ) Ph. Work: ( ) Mobile: TRVEL INSURNCE Please provide me with travel isurace. I have a pre-existig medical coditio. {NOTE: Passegers over 75 years of age at ed of a tour will eed a medical clearace} I declie your offer of travel isurace ad attach documetary evidece that I have sufficiet travel isurace cover. Isurace Compay Policy Number CCOMMODTION Double Twi, sharig with Twi, please fid someoe to share with me. If o suitable room-mate ca be foud, the sigle supplemet is payable. Sigle Room Sigle occupacy of double sized room {surcharge} No-smokig Smokig EXTR CCOMMODTION Pre-Tour i {city} Date IN / / Date OUT / / Post-Tour i {city} Date IN / / Date OUT / / S I seek your assistace with a airfare. Please cotact me. or I will make my ow flight arragemets. PYMENT METHOD I eclose a cheque, payable to Great Trais of Europe Tours for $ or I have deposited $ i the Great Trais of Europe Tours accout at Heritage Bak, 400 Ruthve St, Toowoomba, Qld., 450, ustralia as follows. BSB ccout Number 0974 Swiftcode HBSLU4T, ad I attach a pay-i slip as evidece. By sigig this form I declare that I have read the Tour Terms ad Coditios, uderstad them, ad agree to abide by them. Sigature Date Phoe Fax greattrais@bigpod.com Postal PO Box 455 TOOWOOMB EST 450, USTRLI BN Travel Licece # IT #