Seeking Culture
Updated 12 September 2026
What this trip costs now
Sydney > Hong Kong - overland - Beijing > Madrid - overland - Paris > Zurich > Los Angeles > Honolulu > Sydney
$2,078 to $3,170 per person, economy (USD)
AirTreks planning estimate from fare history, last checked 1 October 2026. It is not a live fare, so the price for your dates may differ. Parts of this route have little fare history, so the real price may be higher.
Australia, Hong Kong, overland to Beijing, Madrid, overland to Paris, then Zürich, Los Angeles, Hawaii and home to Australia.
Stretch, limber up and hit the ground running. This route takes you on an epic adventure full of culture and historic hot spots. Rail your way through Europe, walk the Great Wall of China, climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower and then frolic barefoot in the white sands of Waikiki.
In 2013 it started at AU$2,889. Today's AirTreks estimate for the flights is in the box at the top of this page.
The two overland legs
Hong Kong to Beijing is a single train now. The daily high-speed train from Hong Kong West Kowloon reaches Beijing West in about eight hours, and on Friday to Monday nights there is a high-speed sleeper as well. Seat61 has the times.
Madrid to Paris means a change in Barcelona: about three hours twenty minutes on the AVE, then just under seven hours on the TGV into Paris Gare de Lyon. It can be done in one day, but a night in Barcelona breaks it up better.
Two palace museums
Start in Hong Kong, before the train leaves. The Hong Kong Palace Museum opened in July 2022 in the West Kowloon Cultural District and shows treasures lent by the Palace Museum in Beijing. M+, the museum of contemporary art and design in the same district, opened in November 2021.
Then see the rest in Beijing. The Forbidden City sells no tickets at the gate. Book on the Palace Museum's website with your passport number, up to seven days ahead, and carry the same passport to get in. It lets in 40,000 people a day and is closed on Mondays, except on Chinese public holidays.
Tags: rtw package, rtw australia, Cultural travel, tours from australia, world tours from australia
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