When Marco Polo took his fabled journey from Venice, Italy to the court of the Mongol ruler Kublai Khan in China, he spent long, difficult years on the road. He could never have imagined that seven centuries after his death, adventurous travelers could take to the skies and recreate much of his travels — the best bits, at least — in a little over two weeks. Orbridge has built its reputation combining luxury travel with rich educational experiences, and in 2026 is launching a remarkable, 17-day odyssey along and above the world’s most alluring route: welcome to the Silk Road by private jet.
“The Palace is famed for its fine art collection and its views straight onto the Grand Canal, so nothing beats a glass of crisp Italian wine on the roof terrace just as the sun comes down.”
The jet in question is Orbridge’s Bombardier Global 6000, an immaculately designed and equipped VIP plane small enough to access private hangers. Two pilots and a highly experienced crew provide the highest levels of service, ensuring that the hours spent onboard fly by. The plane is based at London’s Stansted Airport, the ideal launchpad for a trip to some of the greatest cities in the ancient and medieval worlds.
Your tour begins in earnest in Venice, the pearl of the Adriatic Sea and the western terminus of the Silk Road. Historically, Venetians made their money trading silks, spices, and other exotic goods, and they invested it in their floating city, where the exquisite architecture seems like something from a fantasy novel. Guests stay in the 15th-century Gritti Palace, which was at one time the private residence of the Doge of Venice. The Palace is famed for its fine art collection and its views straight onto the Grand Canal, so nothing beats a glass of crisp Italian wine on the roof terrace just as the sun comes down. Yes, St. Mark’s Basilica is on the sightseeing itinerary, but so too are private spaces you would otherwise be unlikely to see, including the luxurious family run textiles company, Fondazione Rubelli, and the Gothic palazzo which was once the studio of artist and inventor Mario Fortuny.
Having immersed yourself in Venetian delights, it’s time to turn your face to the east and fly the 6-7 hours to Almaty, the erstwhile capital of Kazakhstan. Close to the border with China and surrounded by a scenic ring of mountains, this is your first taste of the Orient. Using the Ritz Carlton as a base, you can easily tour photogenic Ascension Cathedral and contrast this Russian Orthodox masterpiece with the nomadic folk culture of the Kazakh people, whose ancestors dominated the Eurasian steppe.
By plane, it is only a short hop across the border to Uzbekistan, a journey which would have taken Silk Road caravans weeks. Prepare to be dazzled by the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Samarkand and Bukhara, cities which amazed everyone from Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan, to a generation of imperial British and Russian spies. The Hilton Samarkand Regency and the Wyndham Bukhara offer warm Uzbek hospitality in comfortable surroundings, but you’ll be inpatient to get out and explore.
In Samarkand, the medieval monuments dazzle. The Registan, the Gur-i Amir, and the Shah-i Zinda represent the architectural and artistic heights of the Timurid Renaissance and the wealth and power of this ancient city. Likewise, in Bukhara you can wander through the well preserved Old Town, marveling at the glittering tiles of the mosques and madrassas, many of which hark back to the Golden Age of Islam.
With thousands of miles to cover, you cannot linger too long: Tbilisi is calling! Georgia straddles Europe and Asia, culturally and geographically. The country’s vibrant, eclectic capital buzzes with energy and a strong and proud identity drawn from Georgian Orthodox roots. Of all the cities you can visit on this itinerary, Tbilisi is undeniably the most cool, so you will want to spend at least an hour or two wandering the streets, drinking in bars, shopping in boutiques, and soaking up the vibe.
The Tbilisi Marriott Hotel, Orbridge’s chosen hotel for this tour, is a grand building on Shota Rustaveli, Tbilisi’s answer to the Champs-Élysées. The hotel is the anchor for excursions, including to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Mtskheta and the rock-cut city of Uplistsikhe, so you can pack a lot of sightseeing into two days. But what the Georgian people are most proud of is their viticulture heritage: Georgians invented winemaking 8,000 years ago, and have been enjoying natural wines ever since. Look out for top brands which make their wines in qvevris, terracotta vessels akin to amphorae. Lagvinari is my particular favorite.
No Silk Road itinerary would be complete without Istanbul, the final destination before returning to London. The city’s previous names, Constantinople and Byzantium, remind us of its cultural diversity and how far its rulers projected their power. Arriving by private jet, you see from the air how the Bosphorus and the seas have shaped Istanbul, and this sentiment only grows on the first evening’s sunset cruise. Istanbul is a city as well connected by water as it is by land.
Even today, Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar still looks and feels like the backdrop for an oriental fairytale. Shop for pouches of spices and sticky cubes of rose water flavored lokum, Turkish Delight. The bad worked leather goods and silk carpets are also tempting. But if you have had enough of the labyrinthine bazaar’s 1,000 shops, get ready for more ancient treasures. Istanbul’s Hippodrome was the centerpiece of the Byzantine Empire, the Hagia Sophia is a marvel of art and engineering, and at the Topkapi Palace Museum you’ll be exposed to the opulent lifestyles of the Ottoman Sultan.
Perhaps the most unforgettable of all the activities and experiences Orbridge has curated in Istanbul, however, is to see a whirling dervish performance inside the atmospheric Serefiye Cistern, a structure which is already 1,600 years old. Traditionally, dervishes follow the Mevlevi Order of Sufi Islam, and they whirl in a form of meditation, believing that it will bring them closer to God. What is certain is that when you finally return to the Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus for the night, your head, too, will be spinning with thoughts of all the extraordinary things you have seen.
42 meals, 21 expert-led excursions, seven flights, six countries, and one extraordinary adventure. If Marco Polo could have flown along the Silk Road on Orbridge’s private jet, he would.
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