Samarkand
Silk Road Classic: Tashkent – Samarkand – Bukhara – Khiva
Four great cities, a night in the desert and the whole Silk Road story in eight days.
4.9214 reviews8 daysup to 14 people per groupUzbekistan
About this tour
The most complete route for a first trip to Uzbekistan. From Tashkent to Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva by high-speed train and comfortable coach, with one night in a yurt in the middle of the Kyzylkum. Groups are capped at 14, so nowhere feels rushed.
Gallery
Day by day
Airport pickup and hotel check-in. If you still have energy, an evening walk through the finest stations of the Tashkent metro.
The Hazrati Imam complex with the world's oldest Qur'an, then lunch under the dome of Chorsu bazaar. Evening high-speed train to Samarkand.
A full day in the city's heart: the three Registan madrasahs, the Bibi-Khanym Mosque and Timur's mausoleum. We return to the floodlit Registan after dark.
The mausoleum street of Shah-i-Zinda — the finest tilework in Central Asia. Then Ulugh Beg's observatory and bread being baked at Siab bazaar.
Out to the desert via the Nurata springs. A camel ride, sunset over Aydarkul, and a bakhshi singing by the fire in the evening.
Arrive in Bukhara and head straight into the old town: the Kalyan minaret, the Ark fortress and the trading domes. Evening tea at Lyab-i Hauz.
Chor Minor and the Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa palace in the morning, then the drive along the Amu Darya to Khiva. Sunset from the Itchan Kala walls.
Kalta Minor, the Tash Hauli palace and the 213 columns of the Juma Mosque. After lunch, transfer to Urgench airport.
What's included
- 7 nights in 3–4* hotels plus 1 night in a Kyzylkum yurt camp
- Breakfast daily, 4 lunches and 2 dinners
- High-speed train tickets Tashkent–Samarkand and Bukhara–Khiva
- Air-conditioned transport throughout
- Licensed guide (Uzbek, Russian or English)
- Entrance fees to all museums and monuments
What's not included
- International flights
- Travel insurance
- Meals and drinks not listed in the programme
- Photography fees at some sites
- Personal expenses and tips
Reviews
- DDilnoza RahimovaTashkent
Eight days went by in a flash. The group was small so we never queued anywhere, and the guide told each site's history so well that even my children listened. The night in the yurt is what stayed with me.
