Uzbekistan in 8 Days: Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva
The four great Silk Road cities in one week, in the order the road runs: licensed guides, 3–4★ hotels with breakfast, every transfer and the monument…
Classic Uzbekistan in 11 Days: Tashkent, Samarkand, Shakhrisabz, Bukhara and Khiva by High-Speed Train
The whole Silk Road of Uzbekistan at an unhurried pace: Tashkent, Samarkand, a day in Shakhrisabz, three nights in Bukhara and Khiva by the new high-speed train, with the desert fortresses. Private guides in every city, 3–4★ hotels with breakfast, trains and transfers included.
About this trip
Eleven days give every great city of Uzbekistan the time it deserves. You travel the way the country now does: the Afrosiyob high-speed train to Samarkand and, since 2026, the new high-speed train across the desert to Khiva. In each city your own guide shows you the sights and leaves you time to wander.
The route at a glance
| Days | Where | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Tashkent | Old town, Chorsu Bazaar, metro, modernist city |
| 3–5 | Samarkand | Registan, Gur-e-Amir, Shah-i-Zinda; day trip to Shakhrisabz |
| 6–8 | Bukhara | Old town, Ark, Kalyan minaret; Gijduvan ceramics on the way |
| 9–11 | Khiva | Ichan Kala, the desert fortresses |
What is included
Ten nights in comfortable 3–4★ hotels or boutique guesthouses with breakfast, private guides in Tashkent, Samarkand, Shakhrisabz, Bukhara and Khiva, the train tickets, all transfers by private car, and entrance tickets to the monuments on the itinerary.
Good to know
The trip starts any day you choose; the train timetable may move one sightseeing day by a day. Please book at least 30 days ahead, because train tickets sell out; we ask for each traveller's passport details after booking. Your trip ends in Khiva: fly home from Urgench airport, 30–40 minutes away, or ask us for the train back to Tashkent.
Travelling alone, or want a private car for the whole trip? Message us on WhatsApp.
Day by day
- Arrival in Tashkent
Your driver meets you at Tashkent airport and takes you to your hotel. The rest of the day is free.
- Tashkent
The old town with the Hazrati Imam complex and Chorsu Bazaar, a ride on the metro, and the modernist buildings of the 1960s–80s, now a UNESCO World Heritage site.
- High-speed train to Samarkand
The morning Afrosiyob to Samarkand, just over two hours. In the afternoon, the Registan with your guide.
- Samarkand
Gur-e-Amir, Bibi-Khanym and Siab Bazaar, the tiled street of Shah-i-Zinda and Ulugh Beg's observatory.
- Day trip to Shakhrisabz
Over the Takhtakaracha Pass to Amir Timur's hometown: the gateway of the Ak-Saray palace, Dorus Saodat and the Kok Gumbaz mosque. Back to Samarkand in the evening.
- Samarkand to Bukhara by car
By private car, with stops at the Rabat-i Malik caravanserai and the ceramic workshops of Gijduvan. Evening in Bukhara's old town.
- Bukhara
Lyab-i Hauz, the trading domes, the Kalyan minaret and mosque, the Ark fortress and the Samanid mausoleum.
- Bukhara at your own pace
A morning with your guide outside the old town, at the Sitorai Mohi Hosa summer palace and the Bakhauddin Naqshband memorial, and a free afternoon.
- High-speed train to Khiva
The new high-speed train across the Kyzylkum desert to Khiva. Arrival in the afternoon and a first walk along the walls of Ichan Kala at sunset.
- Khiva and the desert fortresses
The morning in Ichan Kala with your guide: Kalta Minor, the Kunya-Ark, the Juma Mosque and Islam Khoja. In the afternoon, by car to the fortresses of Toprak Kala and Ayaz Kala.
- Departure
Transfer to Urgench airport for your flight, or to the station for the train back to Tashkent.
What's included
- 10 nights in 3–4★ hotels or boutique guesthouses, twin or double room, with breakfast
- Private English-speaking guides in Tashkent, Samarkand, Shakhrisabz, Bukhara and Khiva (other languages: see the options)
- Train tickets: Tashkent–Samarkand (Afrosiyob) and Bukhara–Khiva (high-speed), Economy class
- All transfers and the drives to Shakhrisabz, Bukhara and the desert fortresses by private car
- Entrance tickets to the monuments on the itinerary
- Bottled water
Not included
- International flights and the flight home from Urgench
- Lunches and dinners
- Single room, unless you add it as an option
- Tips for guides and drivers
- Travel insurance — required for every traveller
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