Train Backbone from China to Istanbul

[Spailpin.Fanach]

Hi

I'm trying to finalise my trip from China back home to Dublin from Oct to Dec 2017.

My intention is to travel by train and see as much as possible over a 3 month period. I'm ok with shortish bus journeys and ferries but train will be my preferred mode of transport.

I'm trying to get a backbone journey that'll take in as much as possible and I don't mind how much it zigzags. My plan is to stop off and spend the night in many places and plan trips from a base containing a train station.

I'm intending to travel from Urumqi and then West to Istanbul through as many countries as possible and spending a day or two in many places.

Can you recommend a source of information. I tried Seat61 but would like more detailed itineraries, if possible. Maybe a trip, or partial trip, someone else did.

Thanks

Brian

[steven]

Hi Spailpin,

You can try Urumqi - Almaty - Shymkent - Tashkent - Samarkand - Bukhara - Khiva - Konye-Urgench - Ashgabat - Mashad - Tehran - Esfahan - Shiraz - Tehran - Tabriz - Baku - Tblisi - Batumi - Kars - Istanbul.

This leaves out Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan (no trains) but otherwise takes in quite some highlights and is 90% doable by train.

For more info on the details, the train pages have been revamped in December 2016.

http://caravanistan.com/transport/train/

[Spailpin.Fanach]

That's brilliant Steven. Many thanks

[Spailpin.Fanach]

Only a few weeks to go and a few changes in my plans.

I had a few hassles in getting visas here in Dublin so decided to drop Turkmenistan from plans. I have all tickets booked from Dublin to Astana, where I arrive on 8th Nov. I intend to spend a month or so in 'stans and then scoot back to Dublin via ferry from Aktau to Baku, then Caucasus, Turkey and rest of Europe by train. I aiming to get back to Dublin by around 20th Dec. I'd willingly return a week later so I could avoid all that christmas shite but have a commitment!

My eyes are cross-eyed and my brain is frazzled from looking for information on the internet and I'm suffering from information overload and analysis paralysis so I thought I'd ask some experts for help.

Can you recommend a itinerary of about 6 weeks from Astana to Istanbul by train with 4 weeks on Silk Route cities and the rest Caucasus and Turkey to W Europe. I prefer not to fly and would use bus or coach where there is no rail connection. Otherwise, I'll let the train take the strain.

Thanks folks

[steven]

I would go Astana - Shymkent - Tashkent - Samarkand - Bukhara - Urgench (Khiva) - Nukus - then

A) Atyrau - Astrakhan - Makhachkala - Derbent - Baku
B) Aqtau - Baku

then

Batumi - Kars by bus then the train to Istanbul.

[Spailpin.Fanach]

Thanks Steven

I have to avoid Russia as I could only get a 1 month visa. I had option of double entry but it had to be used within a month. That won't work. I couldn't get a business visa so decided to spend 30 days in Russia.

I was thinking of starting at Almaty (from Urumqi) and then taking in as much of Silk Route sites as possible and then exiting through Aktau to Baku and then through Caucasus to Iran, Turkey and home.

I have checked the Astana to Yerevan leg and this works really well, provided I get the ferry from Aqtau to Baku. I could even use any of these stops to dive into Tajikistan or Kyrgyzstan for a few days.

I'm a bit baffled by all the information available and wondering if you could suggest a train or bus from Yerevan or Batumi to Iran.

Cheers

[Spailpin.Fanach]

Hi

I'm a bit baffled by all the information available and wondering if you could suggest a train or bus from Yerevan or Batumi to Iran.

Thanks

[steven]

There is a bus from Yerevan to Iran. See http://caravanistan.com/border-crossings/armenia Nordooz-Agarak.

If it's too difficult to plan it out, I recommend getting a travel agent to do it for you.