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Khujand Day Trip from Tashkent: Tajikistan's Oldest City Across the Border

11–12 hoursPrivate tour

Cross into Tajikistan for a day: Khujand fortress and its museum, the Panjshanbe bazaar in its grand 1960s hall, and the Sheikh Muslihiddin complex. Private car on both sides of the Oybek border and an English-speaking guide in Khujand.

Khujand Day Trip from Tashkent: Tajikistan's Oldest City Across the Border — 1 / 5
Khujand Day Trip from Tashkent: Tajikistan's Oldest City Across the Border — 2 / 5
Khujand Day Trip from Tashkent: Tajikistan's Oldest City Across the Border — 3 / 5
Khujand Day Trip from Tashkent: Tajikistan's Oldest City Across the Border — 4 / 5
Khujand Day Trip from Tashkent: Tajikistan's Oldest City Across the Border — 5 / 5

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About this trip

Khujand, on the Syr Darya, is one of the oldest cities in Central Asia: Alexander the Great founded a city here, Alexandria Eschate, "the furthest", in 329 BC. Today it is Tajikistan's second city, relaxed and green, and only a couple of hours from Tashkent.

This private day trip takes you across the border at Oybek with a car on each side, so all you do is walk across with your passport.

What you see

  • Khujand fortress and its Museum of Archaeology and Fortification, telling the city's story from Alexander to the Silk Road
  • The Panjshanbe bazaar, one of the largest markets in Central Asia, in a grand 1960s hall
  • The Sheikh Muslihiddin complex, the mausoleum and mosque of the city's patron saint
  • The Syr Darya embankment and the city's parks

How the day goes

About 11 to 12 hours. Our driver collects you in Tashkent at around 07:00 and takes you to the Oybek border, about 2 hours. You cross on foot, which usually takes about an hour for both sides, and your guide and a Tajik car meet you on the other side. Khujand is about an hour's drive from the border. You return the same way in the afternoon.

Visas and passports

Citizens of more than 90 countries can enter Tajikistan without a visa; others need an e-visa from evisa.tj. Check your nationality in our Tajikistan visa guide before you book. If you need a visa for Uzbekistan, it must allow two entries, because you come back the same day.

Larger groups, an overnight in Khujand, or onward travel to Dushanbe: message us on WhatsApp.

Day by day

  • Tashkent to the Oybek border

    Our driver collects you from your hotel in the morning. About two hours through the Tashkent region to the Uzbek border post.

  • Crossing into Tajikistan

    You cross on foot with your passport; allow about an hour for both sides. Your guide and a Tajik car wait on the other side.

  • Khujand fortress and museum

    The restored walls on the Syr Darya and the Museum of Archaeology and Fortification inside them.

  • Sheikh Muslihiddin complex

    The mausoleum and mosque of Khujand's patron saint, a place of pilgrimage for the whole region.

  • Panjshanbe bazaar and lunch

    Time in the great covered market, then lunch at a local restaurant (paid on the spot).

  • Back to Tashkent

    The drive back to the border in the afternoon, the crossing on foot, and our driver takes you to your hotel in Tashkent in the evening.

What's included

  • Private car with driver Tashkent – Oybek border – Tashkent
  • Private car with driver on the Tajik side, border – Khujand – border
  • Your own English-speaking guide in Khujand, meeting you at the border (other languages: see the options)
  • Bottled water

Not included

  • Tajik e-visa, if your nationality needs one
  • Lunch and drinks
  • Museum tickets in Khujand
  • Tips for guide and drivers
  • Travel insurance — required for every traveller

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