Samarkand Day Trip from Tashkent by High-Speed Train: Registan, Gur-e-Amir and Shah-i-Zinda

Only one day for Samarkand? The Afrosiyob high-speed train covers the 300 km from Tashkent in just over two hours, so you can spend a full day among Samarkand's great monuments and be back at your hotel in Tashkent the same night.

We do the hard part: Afrosiyob tickets sell out weeks ahead, so we buy them for you as soon as you book. In Samarkand your own guide and car meet you on the platform, and the day is paced around you.

What you see

• The Registan, the square framed by three madrasahs, with the gilded prayer hall of Tilya-Kori
• Gur-e-Amir, the tomb of Amir Timur under its fluted turquoise dome
• Bibi-Khanym, the great mosque Timur built after his Indian campaign, and Siab Bazaar next door
• Shah-i-Zinda, a street of tiled mausoleums climbing the hillside

How the day goes

About 14 hours from pickup to drop-off: a morning train to Samarkand, around seven hours in the city with lunch at a local restaurant (paid on the spot), and an evening train back to Tashkent. Our driver takes you to the station in the morning and back to your hotel at night.

Train tickets

Please book at least 7 days ahead; tickets go on sale 45 days before the date. After booking we ask for each traveller's passport details, which the railway needs for the ticket. Economy class is included; Business class is an option. If no seats are left on your date, we offer you the trip by car instead, or a full refund.

Good to know

Carry your passport: it is checked at the station and on the train. Arrive at the station when our driver suggests: there is a security check at the entrance. Already staying in Samarkand? Our private Samarkand day tour covers the same monuments without the train.