# Peking Express

Peking Express is a Dutch–Flemish reality game show that follows a series of couples as they hitchhike to or from Beijing (only in the first three seasons; the following seasons are set elsewhere around the world). The series, first broadcast on 14 March 2004, ran for seven seasons from 2004 to 2008 and was revived in 2012 (as a sole Dutch production) and again in 2017. In the Netherlands, it was screened by Net 5 and in Belgium by VT4 during its original 2000s run before moving to Q2 in 2017. The game show concept has also been sold to a number of countries around the world since 2005.

## General theme

The theme of the show is to demonstrate how various couples deal with the challenges and pitfalls of attempting a long-distance hitchhike to a strange city, together with all the difficulties presented by trying to communicate in a language they don't understand. Tension was added by including couples who had broken up "in real life", but were willing to work together for the sake of winning the race.
In somewhat similar fashion to The Amazing Race, couples that come in last at various checkpoints along the way are eliminated from further competition. In the second series, each of the couples was given €1 per person/per day as their stipend along the route.

## Theme music

The music used during the opening sequence is "Summon the Worms" from Brian Tyler's soundtrack to the 2003 miniseries Frank Herbert's Children of Dune.

## Winning couples in the international versions
### Africa
#### Moroccan seasons

| Dakar Fès Express | Season | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
| Dakar Fès Express | 2011 | Hind & Abd el Hakim | Dakar to Fez | Senegal Mauritania Western Sahara Morocco |
| Dakar Fès Express | 2012 | Samid Ghilan & Younès Lazrak | Sulawesi to Manado | Indonesia |

### America
#### Colombian seasons

| Asia Express | Season | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
| Asia Express | 2016 | Jairo & Eliseo | Hai Duong to Bangkok | Vietnam Laos Cambodia Thailand |

#### Mexican season

| Abandonados Asia | Season | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
| Abandonados Asia | 2016 | Gabriel Hernesto Villareal & Guillermo Villareal | Hai Duong to Bangkok | Vietnam Cambodia Laos Thailand |
| Abandonados Asia | 2024 | Mafer García & Amor Carlin | Chiang Rai to Kuala Lumpur | Thailand Malaysia |

### Asia
#### Israeli Seasons

| פקין אקספרס - מסלול הדרקון Peking Express - The Dragon Track | Season | Host | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
| פקין אקספרס - מסלול הדרקון Peking Express - The Dragon Track | 2024 | Oz Zehavi [he] | Ram Strauss & Tal Eros | Siem Reap to Bangkok | Cambodia Laos Thailand |

### Europe
#### Belgium/Netherlands seasons

| Peking Express | Season | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
| Peking Express | 2004 | Rani & Hans | Moscow to Beijing | Russia Mongolia China |
| Peking Express | 2005 | Karla & Sophie | Beijing to Mumbai | China Nepal India |
| Peking Express | 2006 | Yves & Wendy | Mekong Delta to Lhasa | Vietnam Cambodia Laos China |
| Peking Express | 2006 VIP | Chimène van Oosterhout & Bart Veldkamp | Gangotri to Kochi | India |
| Peking Express | 2007 | Pascal & Miranda | Rio de Janeiro to Lima | Brazil Bolivia Peru |
| Peking Express | 2008 | Mark & Marlinde | Mexico City to Caracas | Mexico Nicaragua Venezuela |
| Peking Express | 2012 | Annebet & Quintin | Seoul to Manila | South Korea Philippines |
| Peking Express | 2017 | Brecht & Cedric | Hạ Long to Angkor | Vietnam Laos Cambodia |

#### Denmark/Sweden/Norway seasons

| Peking Express | Season | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
| Peking Express | 2007 | Tyra & Stefan | Moscow to Beijing | Russia Mongolia China |

#### French seasons

| Pékin Express | Season | Season's subtitle | Host | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
| Pékin Express | 2006 | La Route du Transsibérien The Transsiberian Route | Stéphane Rotenberg | Fathi & Médi | Paris to Beijing | France Russia Mongolia China |
| Pékin Express | 2007 | La Route de l'Himalaya The Himalayan Route | Stéphane Rotenberg | Nadine & Sylvie | Beijing to Mumbai | China Hong Kong Nepal India |
| Pékin Express | 2008 | La Route des Incas The Incas' Route | Stéphane Rotenberg | Gérard & Cédric | Rio de Janeiro to Lima | Brazil Bolivia Peru |
| Pékin Express | 2009 | La Route des Dragons The Dragons' Route | Stéphane Rotenberg | Albert & Laurence | Ha Long bay to Bali | Vietnam Cambodia Laos Thailand Indonesia |
| Pékin Express | 2010 | La Route du bout du monde The Edge of the World's Route | Stéphane Rotenberg | Cécilia & Mathieu | Equator/Amazon rainforest to Ushuaia | Ecuador Chile Argentina |
| Pékin Express | 2010 VIP | Duos de choc Shock duos | Stéphane Rotenberg | Taïg Khris & Chloé (season 5) | Bhatwari to Pondichery | India |
| Pékin Express | 2011 | La Route des grands fauves The Big Cats' Route | Stéphane Rotenberg | Jean-Pierre & François | Cairo to Cape Town | Egypt Kenya Tanzania Lesotho South Africa |
| Pékin Express | 2012 All-Stars | Le Passager mystère The Mystery Passenger | Stéphane Rotenberg | Ludovic & Samuel (season 7) | Seoul to Sydney | South Korea Philippines Australia |
| Pékin Express | 2013 | Le Coffre maudit The Cursed Chest | Stéphane Rotenberg | Linda & Salim | Habana to Miami | Cuba Mexico United States |
| Pékin Express | 2014 All-Stars | À la découverte des mondes inconnus Discovering the Unknown Worlds | Stéphane Rotenberg | Caroline (season 4) & Sabrina | Man Lawae to Colombo | Myanmar India Bhutan Sri Lanka |
| Pékin Express | 2018 | La Course infernale The Infernal Race | Stéphane Rotenberg | Christina & Didier | Kuching to Tokyo | Malaysia Philippines Japan |
| Pékin Express | 2019 | La Route des 50 volcans The 50 Volcanoes' Route | Stéphane Rotenberg | Laeticia & Aurélie | lake Atitlan to Bogotá | Guatemala Costa Rica Colombia |
| Pékin Express | 2020 All-Stars | Retour sur la Route Mythique Return on the Mythical Route | Stéphane Rotenberg | Julie & Denis (season 9) | Moscow to Beijing | Russia China |
| Pékin Express | 2021 | Sur les pistes de la Terre Rouge (episodes 1-3) On the Red Soil's Tracks La route des 3 continents (episodes 4-10) The 3 Continents' Route | Stéphane Rotenberg | Christophe & Claire | Entebbe to Istanbul | Uganda Greece Turkey |
| Pékin Express | 2022 | Sur les terres de l'Aigle Royal On the Royal Eagle's Lands | Stéphane Rotenberg | Lucas & Nicolas | Son-Kul to Dubai | Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan Jordan United Arab Emirates |
| Pékin Express | 2022 VIP | Duos de choc Shock duos | Stéphane Rotenberg | Inès Reg & Anaïs | Negombo to Colombo | Sri Lanka |
| Pékin Express | 2023 | Le choix secret The secret choice | Stéphane Rotenberg | Xavier & Céline | lake Titicaca to Rio de Janeiro | Bolivia Paraguay Brazil |
| Pékin Express | 2024 | Sur les traces du tigre d'or In the footsteps of the golden tiger | Stéphane Rotenberg | Romain & Laura | Bali to Hanoi | Indonesia Malaysia Vietnam |
| Pékin Express | 2024 All-Stars | L'épopée des Maharadjas The epic of Maharadjas | Stéphane Rotenberg | Jean-Claude & Axel | Agra to New Delhi | India |
| Pékin Express | 2025 | La route des tribus légendaires The legendary tribes' route | Stéphane Rotenberg | TBA | Arusha to Johannesburg | Tanzania Mozambique Lesotho South Africa |
| Pékin Express | TBA | La route des glaces The ice route | Stéphane Rotenberg | TBA | Shymkent to Astana | Kazakhstan |

#### German seasons

| Peking Express | Season | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
| Peking Express | 2005 | Anja & Marc | Moscow to Beijing | Russia Mongolia China |
| Star Race | 2012 | Jimi & Nino | Bolinao to Manila | Philippines |

#### Greek seasons

In this version, there are only celebrity couples.
| Asia Express | Season | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
| Asia Express | 2022 | Konstantinos Vassalos & Fipster | Angkor to Bangkok | Cambodia Laos Thailand |

#### Hungarian seasons

In this version, there are mainly Hungarian VIP couples.
| Ázsia Expressz | Season | Season's subtitle | Host | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
| Ázsia Expressz | 2017 | A sárkány útja | Ördög Nóra | Ambrus Attila & Berki Krisztián | Haidong to Bangkok | Vietnam Cambodia Laos Thailand |
| Ázsia Expressz | 2019 | | Ördög Nóra | Horváth Gréta & Meggyes Dávid | Negombo to Chiang Mai | Sri Lanka India Thailand |
| Ázsia Expressz | 2022 | | Ördög Nóra | Halastyák Fanni & Szlépka Armand | Aqaba to Tashkent | Jordan Turkey Georgia Uzbekistan |
| Ázsia Expressz | 2023 | Felfedezzük Amerikát! | Ördög Nóra | Kucsera Gábor & Tóth Dávid | Queretaro City to Antigua Guatemala | Mexico Guatemala |
| Ázsia Expressz | 2024 | | Ördög Nóra | Béres Anett & Sáfrány Emese | Lucena to Taipei | Philippines Taiwan |
| Ázsia Expressz | 2025 | | Ördög Nóra | TBD | TBA to TBA | Malaysia Indonesia |

#### Italian seasons

In this version, there are mainly VIP couples.
| Pechino Express | Season | Season's subtitle | Host | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
| Pechino Express | 2012 | Avventura in Oriente (Adventure in the East) | Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia | Alessandro Sampaoli & Debora Villa (Gli attori) | Haridwar to Beijing | India Nepal China |
| Pechino Express | 2013 | Obiettivo Bangkok (Goal: Bangkok) | Costantino della Gherardesca | Massimiliano Rosolino & Marco Maddaloni (Gli sportivi) | Hanoi to Bangkok | Vietnam Cambodia Laos Thailand |
| Pechino Express | 2014 | Ai confini dell'Asia (At the boundaries of Asia) | Costantino della Gherardesca | Stefano Corti & Alessandro Onnis (I coinquilini) | Mandalay to Bali | Myanmar Malaysia Singapore Indonesia |
| Pechino Express | 2015 | Il nuovo mondo (The new world) | Costantino della Gherardesca | Antonio Andrea Pinna & Roberto Bertolini (Gli antipodi) | Quito to Rio de Janeiro | Ecuador Peru Brazil |
| Pechino Express | 2016 | Le civiltà perdute (The lost civilizations) | Costantino della Gherardesca | Alessio Stigliano & Alessandro Tenace (I socialisti) | Bogotá to Mexico City | Colombia Guatemala Mexico |
| Pechino Express | 2017 | Verso il Sol Levante (Towards the Rising Sun) | Costantino della Gherardesca | Ema Stokholma & Valentina Pegorer (Le clubber) | Pagbilao to Tokyo | Philippines Taiwan Japan |
| Pechino Express | 2018 | Avventura in Africa (Adventure in Africa) | Costantino della Gherardesca | Patrizia Rossetti & Maria Teresa Ruta (Le signore della TV) | Tangier to Cape Town | Morocco Tanzania South Africa |
| Pechino Express | 2020 | Le stagioni dell'Oriente (The seasons of the East) | Costantino della Gherardesca | Nicole Rossi & Jennifer Poni (Le collegiali) | Ko Phra Thong to Seoul | Thailand China South Korea |
| Pechino Express | 2022 | La rotta dei Sultani (The sultans route) | Costantino della Gherardesca & Enzo Miccio | Victoria Cabello & Paride Vitale (I pazzeschi) | Uçhisar to Dubai | Turkey Uzbekistan Jordan United Arab Emirates |
| Pechino Express | 2023 | La via delle Indie (The Indies route) | Costantino della Gherardesca & Enzo Miccio | Joe Bastianich & Andrea Belfiore (Gli italoamericani) | Mumbai to Angkor | India Malaysia Cambodia |
| Pechino Express | 2024 | La rotta del Dragone (The route of the Dragon) | Costantino della Gherardesca & The Jackal | Damiano Carrara & Massimiliano Carrara (I pasticceri) | Tam Cốc to Sigiriya | Vietnam Laos Sri Lanka |
| Pechino Express | 2025 | Fino al tetto del mondo (To the roof of the world) | Costantino della Gherardesca & The Jackal | TBD | TBA to TBA | Philippines Thailand Nepal |

#### Polish seasons

In this version, there are only celebrity couples.
| Azja Express | Season | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
| Azja Express | 2016 | Michał Żurawski & Ludwik Borkowski | Hai Duong to Bangkok | Vietnam Laos Cambodia Thailand |
| Azja Express | 2017 | Antoni Pawlicki & Paweł Ławrynowicz | Sigiriya to Mumbai | Sri Lanka India |
| Ameryka Express | 2018 | Aleksandra Domańska & Dawid Domański | San Antonio de Ibarra to Cusco | Ecuador Peru |
| Ameryka Express | 2020 | Karolina Pisarek & Marta Gajewska-Komorowska | Antigua Guatemala to Cartagena | Guatemala Colombia |
| Azja Express | 2023 | Angelika Trochonowicz & Luka Trochonowicz | Istanbul to Tashkent | Turkey Georgia Uzbekistan |
| Azja Express | 2024 | TBD | TBA | Philippines Taiwan |

#### Romanian seasons

In this version, there are only celebrity couples.
| Asia Express | Season | Season's subtitle | Host | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
| Asia Express | 2018 | Drumul Dragonului (The Dragon Road) | Gina Pistol and Marius Damian | Raluca Nistor & Ana Baniciu | Hạ Long to Bangkok | Vietnam Laos Cambodia Thailand |
| Asia Express | 2019 | Drumul Elefantului (The Elephant Road) | Gina Pistol, Liviu Vârciu and Andrei Ștefănescu | Eduard Mihail Andreianu & Ionuț Dongo | Negombo to Mumbai | Sri Lanka India |
| Asia Express | 2020 | Drumul Comorilor (The Treasure Road) | Gina Pistol, Ionuț Dongo and Marius Damian | Sorin Bontea & Răzvan Fodor | Lucena to Taipei | Philippines Taiwan |
| Asia Express | 2021 | Drumul Împăraților (The Emperors Road) | Irina Fodor, Ionuț Dongo and Marius Damian | Mihai Petre & Elwira Duda | Edirne to Jerusalem | Turkey Georgia Jordan Israel |
| America Express | 2023 | Drumul Aurului (The Gold Road) | Irina Fodor, Ionuț Dongo and Marius Damian | Cătălin Bordea și Nelu Cortea | Querétaro City to Cartagena | Mexico Guatemala Colombia |
| America Express | 2023 | Drumul Soarelui (The Sun Road) | Irina Fodor and Marius Damian | Laura Giurcanu & Sânziana Negru | Medellin to Buenos Aires | Colombia Ecuador Argentina |
| Asia Express | 2024 | Drumul Zeilor (The Gods Road) | Irina Fodor and Marius Damian | Nicolai Tand & Sorin Brotnei | Chiang Rai to Bali | Thailand Malaysia Indonesia |
| Asia Express | 2025 | Drumul Eroilor (The Heroes Road) | TBA | TBA | Legazpi to Seoul | Philippines Vietnam South Korea |

#### Spanish seasons

| Pekín Express | Season | Season's subtitle | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
| Pekín Express | 2008 | La Ruta del Transiberiano The Trans-Siberian Route | Fernando & María (couple in crisis) | Pskov to Beijing | Russia Mongolia China |
| Pekín Express | 2009 | La Ruta del Himalaya The Himalayan Route | Carmela & Antonio (rural friends) | Beijing to Mumbai | China Hong Kong Nepal India |
| Pekín Express | 2010 | La Ruta del Dragón The Route of the Dragon | Sandra & Belinda (sisters) | Hanoi to Bali | Vietnam Cambodia Laos Thailand Indonesia |
| Pekín Express | 2011 | Aventura en África Adventure in Africa | Mar & Vanesa (sisters) | Great Rift Valley, Kenya to Cape Town | Kenya Tanzania South Africa |
| Pekín Express | 2015 | La Ruta de los Mil Templos The Route of the Thousand Temples | Ángel & Bea (siblings-in-law) | Mandalay to Singapore | Myanmar Malaysia Singapore |
| Pekín Express | 2016 | La Ruta de los Elefantes The Route of the Elephants | Matías & Nabil (geek cousins) | Anuradhapura to Mumbai | Sri Lanka India |
| Pekín Express | 2024 | Objetivo Angkor Objective Angkor | Alba & Alex (siblings-in-law) | Cát Bà Island to Angkor | Vietnam Laos Cambodia |

## International versions

A German version was shown in 2005. The concept has also been sold to Scandinavia where it was broadcast for the first time in the autumn of 2007. The Scandinavian version is shown on Kanal 5 in Sweden, TVNorge in Norway and Kanal 5 in Denmark.
A French version named Pékin Express is screened by M6, with twelve seasons aired so far from 2006 to 2019, and a thirteen and fourteen planned for 2020. It can be seen on TV5 outside France. In Spain, the first four seasons of local version Pekín Express aired on Cuatro from 2008 to 2011; Atresmedia acquired the rights in 2015 and has produced two seasons since. An Italian version has been produced since 2012 by RAI and shown on Rai 2 successfully until 2020, when it passed on Sky Uno. In Poland, the series has been broadcast on TVN since 2016 and was known for its first two seasons, which were set in Asia, as Azja Express. From season 3 onwards, it has been known as Ameryka Express, with its production location changing to America; a fourth season premiered in spring 2020. In Romania, the series has aired successfully on Antena 1 since 2018 as Asia Express for its first four seasons, with the upcoming season being titled America Express, following the changing of its production location into Americas. In Greece, the series has started airing on Star Channel as Asia Express in fall 2022.
| Country | Name | Channel | Route | Host | Website |
| Belgium (Dutch) Netherlands | Peking Express | NET 5 VT4 (2004–2008) Q2 (2017) | 2004: Moscow – Beijing 2005: Peking – Mumbai 2006: Rach Gia – Lhasa 2006: Gangotri – Kochi 2007: Rio de Janeiro – Lima 2008: Mexico City – Caracas 2012: Seoul – Manila 2017: Hạ Long – Angkor | Ernst-Paul Hasselbach (2004) Art Rooijakkers and Roos Van Acker (2005–2008) Sol Wortelboer (2012) Sean Dhondt and Rik van de Westelaken (2017) | Official website Netherlands Official website Belgium |
| Belgium (French) | Pékin Express | RTL | 2012: Wori – Manado | Michel De Maegd | Official website |
| Colombia | Asia Express | Caracol Televisión | 2016: Hanoi – Bangkok | Ivan Lalinde | Official website |
| Denmark Sweden Norway | Peking Express | TVNorge Kanal 5 | 2007: Moscow – Beijing | Thomas Mygind Martin Björk Synnøve Skarbø | Official website Norway |
| France | Pékin Express | M6 | 2006: Paris – Pskov – Beijing 2007: Beijing – Mumbai 2008: Rio de Janeiro – Lima 2009: Ha Long Bay – Bali 2010: Nueva Loja – Ushuaia 2010: Gangotri – Pondicherry 2011: Cairo – Cape Town 2012: Seoul – Sydney 2013: Habana – Miami 2014: Lashio – Colombo 2018: Kuching – Tokyo 2019: lake Atitlan – Bogotá 2020: Moscow – Beijing 2021: Entebbe – Istanbul 2022: Son-Kul – Dubai 2022: Negombo – Colombo 2023: La Paz – Rio de Janeiro 2024: Bali – Hanoi 2024: Agra – Delhi 2025: Arusha – Johannesburg 2026: TBA | Stéphane Rotenberg | Official website |
| Germany | Peking Express Star Race | RTL | 2005: Moscow – Beijing 2012: Bolinao – Manila | Patrice Bouédibéla Roberta Brandao | |
| Greece | Asia Express | Star | 2022: Angkor – Bangkok | Petros Polychronidis | Official website |
| Hungary | Ázsia Expressz | TV2 | 2017: Hải Dương – Bangkok 2019: Negombo – Chiang Mai 2022: Aqaba – Tashkent 2023: Mexico City – Antigua Guatemala 2024: Lucena – Taipei | Nóra Ördög | Official website |
| Israel | פקין אקספרס - מסלול הדרקון Peking Express - The Dragon Road | Channel 13 | 2024: Siem Reap – Bangkok | Oz Zehavi | האתר הרשמי של פקין אקספרס |
| Italy | Pechino Express | Rai 2 (2012–2020) Sky Uno, TV8 (2022–) | 2012: Haridwar – Beijing 2013: Hanoi – Bangkok 2014: Mandalay – Bali 2015: Quito – Rio de Janeiro 2016: Bogotá – Mexico City 2017: Pagbilao – Tokyo 2018: Tangier – Cape Town 2020: Ko Phra Thong – Seoul 2022: Uçhisar – Dubai 2023: Mumbai – Angkor 2024: Tam Cốc – Sigiriya 2025: El Nido – Kathmandu | Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia (2012) Costantino della Gherardesca (2013–) Enzo Miccio (2022–) | Official website |
| Mexico | Abandonados Asia | Azteca 7 Azteca Uno | 2016: Hanoi – Bangkok 2024: Chiang Rai – Kuala Lumpur | Paola Nuñez | Official website |
| Morocco | Dakar Fès Express | 2M | 2011: Dakar – Fez 2012: Wori – Manado | Hicham Mesrar | Official website |
| Poland | Azja Express (1–2, 5) Ameryka Express (3–4) | TVN | 2016: Hanoi – Bangkok 2017: Sigiriya – Mumbai 2018: San Antonio de Ibarra – Cusco 2020: Antigua – Cartagena 2023: Istanbul – Tashkent 2024: Lucena – Taipei | Agnieszka Woźniak-Starak (2016–2018) Daria Ładocha (2020, 2023) | Official website |
| Portugal | A Grande Aventura | TVI | 2012: Manado Tua – Manado | Fernanda Serrano | Official website |
| Romania | Asia Express (1–4, 7) America Express (5–6) | Antena 1 | 2018: Hạ Long – Bangkok 2019: Negombo – Mumbai 2020: Lucena – Taipei 2021: Edirne – Jerusalem 2022: Querétaro City – Cartagena 2023: Medellín – Buenos Aires 2024: Chiang Rai – Bali 2025: Legazpi – Seoul | Gina Pistol (2018–2020) Marius Damian (2018, 2020-) Liviu Vârciu (2019) Andrei Ștefănescu (2019) Ionuț Dongo (2020-) Irina Fodor (2021-) | Official website |
| Spain | Pekín Express | Cuatro (2008–2011) Antena 3 (2015) laSexta (2016) Max (2024) | 2008: Pskov – Beijing 2009: Beijing – Mumbai 2010: Hanoi – Bali 2011: Rift Valley – Cape Town 2015: Mandalay – Singapore 2016: Anuradhapura – Mumbai 2024: Cát Bà Island – Angkor | Paula Vázquez (2008) Raquel Sánchez Silva (2009–2010) Jesús Vázquez (2011) Cristina Pedroche (2015–2016) Miguel Ángel Muñoz (2024) | Official website (Cuatro) Official website (Antena 3) Official website (laSexta) |