The best countries to visit for a Silk Road inspired holiday

Thought to have started from Xi’an in China, when the Han Dynasty officially opened trade with the west in 130BCE, the idea of a single Silk Route doesn’t represent the reality. Instead there was a network of trading routes stretching between western Europe and China, with branches stretching south to India, as well as a maritime Silk Road leading past Jordan to Egypt.

But the most famous routes are those travelling through Central Asia, known as the northern route and the southern route, journeying through deserts to reach fabled cities, navigating mountain ranges and sea crossings and stretching for around 4,000 miles.

And while few people attempt the epic adventure of travelling from Xi’an in the east to Venice in the west, there are still plenty of Silk Road countries to visit for a taste of this bygone world, a glimpse of civilisations known to Genghis Khan and Marco Polo

China

Every journey has to have a starting point, even one as long and often perilous as the Silk Road. And for traders heading west, that was Xi’an, the ancient capital of imperial China. It’s here that the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, set out to unify the region’s warring states into a single country in 221BCE, and where he lies buried today, surrounded by the army of the Terracotta Warriors.

It’s Qin Shi Huang that we have to thank for the Great Wall of China too, unifying existing defensive walls to protect against attack, the beginning of centuries of construction resulting in the eventual creation of one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

Around a century later under the Han dynasty, exploration and conquest saw the beginning of the Silk Road, named for the prized material traded to the west, along with countless other goods. With the silk-making process kept secret, the fabric was a symbol of status and wealth in the Roman empire, and more expensive than gold.

Centuries ago, traders’ camps would have been clustered outside the city walls, filled with exotic spices, ceramics and silk. Fabrics would be piled high in all colours and textures to take on the westward journey across the land mass of China to the Middle East and, eventually, Europe. As you walk around Xi’an’s historic walls to start your Silk Road holidays, it’s easy to transport yourself back in time. Don’t miss a stop in the city’s Muslim Quarter, founded by those travelling east from Persia along the Silk Road, with its historic mosque and Uyghur dishes in the restaurants.

TRAVEL TRIVIA: At China’s western edge, those setting off to travel the Silk Road had to cross one of the world’s most remote and inhospitable regions – the Taklamakan Desert. The name itself means ‘go in but don’t come out’, a reminder of the dangers of venturing into one of the world’s largest sand seas.

Registan Square, Shah-i-Zinda, Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan

Few countries are more strongly associated with the Silk Road than Uzbekistan. Home to Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, traders and travellers have been braving the unforgiving Kyzylkum, or Red Sand Desert, to find the gleaming towers and lavishly tiled buildings of the fabled cities of the Uzbek.

The journey is rather easier today if you’re planning a Silk Road holiday but the destination is no less remarkable, with a chance to follow in the literal footsteps of those who travelled the route during its heyday, walking the streets where they would have broken their journey and haggled over exotic goods.

Samarkand is known as one of the oldest inhabited – and once most powerful – cities in Central Asia, thought to be more than 2,750 years old. And you can still explore some of its medieval sites, as well as marvelling at the fabulous colours and decorations on its buildings, from blue majolica tiles to golden mosaics.

Once you’ve visited the Ulugh Beg Madrasah, the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, and the medieval mausolea of the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, save time to try national dish plov. The rice dish was apparently invented in the 10th century by scholar Ibn Sina (known as Avicenna in the west) and the staple food of the armies of warlord Tamerlane as he defeated the Mongols – the recipe also travelled the Silk Road, inspiring pilau and biryani dishes, while hungry traders would have sat down to a very similar meal centuries ago.

Or step back in time in the medieval inner town of Khiva, known as Itchan Kala, whose streets have barely changed since those days, while Bukhara was another important Silk Road trading hub, with its colourful domes and mosques and a cuisine which fuses Jewish and Central Asian flavours.

Ananuri Fortress Complex, Georgia

Azerbaijan and Georgia

Passing from Central Asia to the Caucasus, the Silk Road travelled through mountains and steppes, past the Caspian Sea towards the Black Sea, finding ways through the high passes to the borders of Europe.

It’s here that you can find the remains of some of the grand caravanserais which dotted the route of multiple countries along the Silk Road. As traders and travellers banded together in caravans to protect against the threat from robbers and unforgiving landscapes, they needed somewhere to stop, to eat, to rest and to buy and sell. A cross between an inn, where traders could sleep and eat, and a warehouse where they could store their goods, they also made it easier to move these exotic wares on to special bazaars.

At the border of Christian western Europe, Muslim Turkey and Zoroastrian Persia, Azerbaijan was a perfect meeting point where ideas travelled alongside items to be sold. While much of Baku is ultra-modern, you can still find corners of Silk Road history in the old town, including some of these caravanserais. Travel onwards to Shemakha (or Shamakhi), one of the country’s oldest cities, and you’ll find yourself at one of the crossroads on the Silk Road, where the route diverged, as well as picturesque Sheki with its traditional mosaics. Another key Silk Road stop, you can visit an original caravanserai here too.

Cross the border into Georgia and the colourful capital Tbilisi was another essential stop on the Silk Road trading routes. Wander the narrow streets of the old town and try to imagine it through a medieval merchant’s eyes, passing centuries-old temples, churches and cathedrals.

Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey

Turkey

Visit Istanbul today and you can easily see how east meets west here, the only capital city crossing two continents. So it’s not surprising that the city, formerly Constantinople, was one of the key locations among the countries on the Silk Road – head to the Grand Bazaar or Spice Bazaar today and it’s easy to transport yourself back through the centuries as you listen the sound of haggling and bustle of trade. Sail along the Bosphorus or visit the sixth-century Hagia Sophia, and you’ll also be looking at sites which Silk Road traders would have seen with their own eyes.

But Istanbul isn’t the only place where you can relive some Silk Road history across Turkey. The Seljuk Sultans wanted to expand trade across Anatolia and the lands east under their control, building nearly 100 caravanserais along the trading route. Accommodation and food was provided free of charge for up to three days to encourage people to stop, and the caravanserais were considered as charitable organisations.

You can still visit some of these huge stone hostels and see the courtyard at the heart where traders and their animals would rest and store their wares. One of the largest is the Sultanhan Caravanserai, built in 1229 on the road between Konya and Aksaray, with intricate stonework and both summer and winter residences, showing how vital these stopping points were year-round.

Jovan Kaneo church in Ohrid, Macedonia

Albania and North Macedonia

You might not associate Albania and North Macedonia with Silk Road holidays, but goods flowed through this less well-known corner of Europe as they made their final leg of the journey to Venice from Turkey. And unlike some of the more difficult stretches of the route further east, traders could thank the Romans for making this part of their journey easier as they followed the Via Egnatia, an ancient road connecting Istanbul to Durrës in Albania, passing through North Macedonia on the way.

Although you won’t find anything like the caravanserais of Turkey here, there are plenty of chances to step back in history. In Skopje, the Old Bazaar dates back to at least the 12th century, so wares from Xi’an and Uzbekistan may well have finished their long journey at stalls here. Or soak up the scenery at Ohrid, where views of the pretty lake must have been a welcome sight to travellers whose journey started in the dusty deserts far to the east.

Cross the border into Albania and a 5th century castle still stands in the medieval town of Kruja, now home to the History and Ethnographic Museum, as well as its own historic bazaar with traditional crafts, colourful rugs and silver filigree jewellery on sale, just as it would have been centuries ago.

Venice

Venice

While some traders travelled onwards to Rome, or took the sea routes to the Middle East and North Africa, Italy's Floating City was the main western stopping point on the Silk Road, a destination around 4,000 miles from Xi’an in the east. It’s also thanks to Marco Polo that Venice is forever associated with the Silk Road.

A Venetian merchant, explorer, and writer, his own journey east, where he spent around 17 years at the court of Kublai Khan, give us a first-hand insight into life in Asia, as well as what it was like to travel the countries of the Silk Road during the late 13th century.

As you explore La Serenissima, crossing curving bridges over its endless network of canals, you can still see a few of the buildings which Marco Polo himself might have recognised. Along the Grand Canal, the Fondaco dei Turchi was built in the first half of the 13th century, later becoming a residence and trading centre for Ottoman Turks, while Ca’ da Mosto is the oldest on the Grand Canal.

And the ornate St Mark’s Basilica had already been standing for several centuries before Marco Polo set off east – although little of the oldest elements survive, the structure of the building itself hasn’t altered much since the 13th century. Climb the belltower to soak up the views too; apart from the gilding, the tower, belfry and spire were all in place by the explorer’s departure.

Wander around the Rialto Market and you’ll be strolling on a spot where traders have sold their goods for centuries – the focus here is on fresh produce and fish rather than exotic fabrics and crafts from lands far away, but some of Venice’s legendary trading spirit still lives on here today.

Dead Sea, Jordan

Jordan

While Venice marked the final destination for the land-based Silk Road, the route took many traders elsewhere along what’s become known as the Maritime Silk Road, travelling from Jordan in the Middle East towards Africa.

The Rose Red City of Petra was once a vital trading hub, marking the point where the Silk Road split, with one stretch continuing overland, the other heading towards the coast. This Nabatean site dates back around 2,000 years, making it one of the world’s oldest cities, and in the early days of the Silk Route, it flourished. An earthquake in the year 363 saw the start of Petra’s decline, as trade routes started to shift north and the city itself was lost beneath the shifting desert sands for centuries. Walk through the Siq, the winding entry route leading through a 1.2km gorge to see the façade of the Treasury and you’ll still get a sense of the wonder traders and travellers must have felt entering the ancient site.

But while Petra was replaced as a centre of trade, the King’s Highway through Jordan was still the main route for those travelling between the countries of the Levant, including modern-day Syria and Lebanon, towards the Arabian Peninsula. One of the world's oldest continuously used roads, it follows the edge of the Great Rift Valley, past the Dead Sea, it stopped at many of Jordan’s most important historic centres, including Mount Nebo, Madaba and Kerak Castle before reaching Petra. From here, traders had to brave the dunes of Wadi Rum to reach the Red Sea and the maritime routes to Africa.

Muhammad Ali mosque in Cairo

Egypt

It wasn’t only Europe that the Silk Road served, with traders boarding ships to sail from China around the Malay Peninsula and Indonesia, over to Sri Lanka and on to India, Persia and Africa, finishing in the Red Sea at Egypt.

While some goods only travelled by sea for the final part of the route from Jordan to Egypt, some will have covered thousands of miles by boat - Egyptian glass has been found in Korean graves dating back as far as the 2nd century, showing these complex trading links. The coastal city of Berenice was one key stop, before goods travelled along the Nile, while Mediterranean shipping routes called at Alexandria in the north. You can still visit the Pearl of the Mediterranean, as the city was known, founded by Alexander the Great only a century before the first traders set out west on what would become the Silk Road.

Save time to explore the Khan el-Khalili bazaar in Cairo, founded in the 14th century – like Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar, this timeless scene lets you imagine you’re back in a world where exotic wares might have spent months, even a year voyaging to reach the buyers haggling for these luxuries.

Or board a ship for an equally timeless cruise along the Nile, including a chance to sail in a traditional dahabiya boat, to enjoy your own adventure through history, visiting ancient temples and the Valley of the Kings, which make the venerable Silk Road seem like a newcomer.

Explore our range of incredible holiday destinations, or browse our culture and history holidays