Samarkand Group Day Tour: Five Monuments with a Local Guide
Five monuments in a day with a licensed guide: the Registan, Gur-e-Amir, Bibi-Khanym, Shah-i-Zinda and Ulugh Beg's observatory. Transport included. From $20.
Samarkand day tours
Samarkand's great monuments stand within a few kilometres of each other, so one well-planned day covers the Registan, Gur-e-Amir, Bibi-Khanym, Siab Bazaar, Shah-i-Zinda and Ulugh Beg's observatory. We run that day two ways: a small-group tour for travellers who want a guide at the best price, and a private tour with your own guide, car and hotel pickup. Both are led by licensed Samarkand guides who live here.
Tours you can book
Private Samarkand Day Tour with Hotel Pickup: Registan, Gur-e-Amir and Shah-i-Zinda
Samarkand's great monuments in one day, just for your party: your own English-speaking guide and car, pickup at your hotel and a day paced around you.…
Seven Lakes Day Trip from Samarkand: Tajikistan's Fann Mountains by 4×4
Cross into Tajikistan for a day at the Seven Lakes: Panjakent bazaar, the lakes of the Fann Mountains by 4×4 and the UNESCO site of Sarazm on the way…
Samarkand Day Trip from Tashkent by High-Speed Train: Registan, Gur-e-Amir and Shah-i-Zinda
Samarkand in a day from Tashkent: the Afrosiyob high-speed train there and back, your own English-speaking guide and car in Samarkand, and the Registan,…
Shakhrisabz Private Day Trip from Samarkand: Amir Timur's Hometown over the Mountain Pass
A day in Shakhrisabz, the town where Amir Timur was born: the giant gateway of his Ak-Saray palace, the tomb he built for himself and the blue-domed Kok…
Group or private?
The group tour meets in the centre at a fixed time, walks or drives between the six sites with up to 20 travellers and costs from $20 per person, depending on how many join (from $50 for two). The private tour collects you from your hotel at the time you choose, moves at your pace and costs from $59 per person; it is the better choice with children, older relatives or a late flight. Monument tickets are paid on the day in both cases, about 375,000 UZS per person for the five paid sites.
Arriving from Tashkent or Bukhara
Most visitors reach Samarkand by the Afrosiyob high-speed train: about 2 h 10 min from Tashkent and 1 h 30 min from Bukhara. A morning train from Tashkent arrives in time for the private tour to start at the station; tell us your train and we meet you there. If you would rather have a car, our Tashkent–Samarkand transfer is a fixed price for the whole vehicle.
Beyond the city
With a second day, the Seven Lakes of Tajikistan are a one-day trip across the border from Samarkand, and Shakhrisabz, Timur's birthplace, is 90 minutes away over the Takhtakaracha pass. Our two-day guide to Samarkand lays out both.
Transfers
Questions people ask
How long does a Samarkand day tour take?
The group tour runs five to seven hours; the private tour about seven, from a 9 am pickup to about 4 pm, with an hour for lunch. Both can be shortened if you have a train to catch.
Are entrance tickets included?
No. You pay them at each gate, or your guide buys them for you on the day: the Registan 100,000 UZS, Gur-e-Amir 75,000, Bibi-Khanym 50,000, Shah-i-Zinda 75,000 and the observatory 75,000, about 375,000 UZS (around $30) per person. Prices are set by the monuments and change from time to time.
Which languages do the guides speak?
English, Russian and Uzbek are always available. Guides who speak French, German, Italian, Spanish, Korean, Turkish, Chinese or Japanese can be booked for a supplement; choose the language when you book.
Can I do Samarkand as a day trip from Tashkent?
Yes. The first Afrosiyob leaves Tashkent early in the morning and the last returns in the evening, which leaves a full day in Samarkand. Book the private tour and tell us your train times; we meet you at the station and bring you back for the return.