Nuratau Mountains Hiking: 2 Days, 1 Night in Hayat Village
A night in a family guesthouse in Hayat, a walnut-shaded village in the Nuratau Mountains, with an afternoon walk up to the ridge: wild sheep on the…
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 tickets. Starts any day you choose.
About this trip
Uzbekistan's four great Silk Road cities in eight days, in the order the road runs: Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva. The trip ends in Khiva, so you fly home from Urgench instead of driving back across the desert.
Hotels, transfers, guides and monument tickets are arranged before you arrive. Meals are the one thing you pay for as you go, which leaves you free to eat where you like.
What the price covers
- 7 nights in 3★–4★ hotels, double or twin room, breakfast every day
- a licensed English-speaking guide for the city tours in all four cities
- every transfer, including the journeys between cities and the airport pickup and drop-off
- entrance tickets to the monuments and museums in the itinerary
Lunches and dinners, flights and travel insurance are not included. A single room costs extra.
The route
- Tashkent, days 1–2. Chorsu Bazaar, the Khast Imam complex with the Uthman Quran, the Museum of Applied Arts and a ride on the metro, whose stations are among the most decorated in the world.
- Samarkand, days 3–4. The Registan, the Gur-e-Amir mausoleum where Amir Timur is buried, the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis and Ulugbek's observatory.
- Bukhara, days 5–6. The Kalyan minaret and the Poi Kalyan ensemble, the Ark fortress, the trading domes, Chor Minor and the old city around Lyab-i-Hauz.
- Khiva, days 7–8. A full day crossing the Kyzylkum desert, then Ichan Kala, the walled inner city that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in its own right.
Dates and group
The tour starts on any day you choose, from two travellers. Tell us your arrival date when you book and we arrange everything around it.
Book early if you can: train seats between the cities sell out weeks ahead. When you book in good time we put you on the high-speed train; for last-minute bookings we drive you between cities instead. More in our guide to trains in Uzbekistan.
Who it suits
A first visit to Uzbekistan for travellers who want to see the whole Silk Road in a week, without spending their evenings on train tickets and hotel bookings.
Day by day
- Day 1
Arrival in Tashkent
Your driver meets you at Tashkent airport and takes you to the hotel.
In the evening, an orientation walk through the centre: Amir Timur Square and Independence Square. Overnight in Tashkent.
- Day 2
Tashkent city tour
After breakfast, a full day with your guide. Start in the old town at Chorsu Bazaar and the Kukeldash Madrasah, then the Khast Imam complex, where the library keeps the Uthman Quran, one of the oldest Qurans in the world.
In the afternoon, the Museum of Applied Arts, in an old Tashkent mansion decorated with carved wood and painted plaster, and a ride on the Tashkent metro to see its stations. Lunch at a plov restaurant is a good way to try the national dish. Overnight in Tashkent.
- Day 3
Tashkent to Samarkand
Morning journey to Samarkand: by high-speed train, about two hours, when you book early enough to get seats, or by car, about four to five hours, for last-minute bookings. In the afternoon your guide takes you to the Registan, the square framed by the Ulugbek, Sher-Dor and Tilla-Kari madrasahs, then to the Gur-e-Amir mausoleum, the tomb of Amir Timur, and through Siab Bazaar. Overnight in Samarkand.
- Day 4
Samarkand
A second day in Samarkand: the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, built after Timur's Indian campaign, the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, a street of tiled mausoleums, and the observatory where Ulugbek measured the stars in the 15th century.
In the evening, the light show at the Registan, when it is running. Overnight in Samarkand.
- Day 5
Samarkand to Bukhara
Travel to Bukhara by train, or by car for last-minute bookings. In the evening, a walk around Lyab-i-Hauz, the pool square at the heart of the old city, with its madrasahs and tea houses. Overnight in Bukhara.
- Day 6
Bukhara
A full day with your guide in Bukhara: the Poi Kalyan ensemble with the Kalyan minaret, the Kalyan Mosque and the Mir-i-Arab Madrasah; the Ark, the fortress of the emirs; the trading domes, still full of silk and craft stalls; the Magoki-Attori Mosque; Chor Minor; and the wooden columns of the Bolo Hauz Mosque. Overnight in Bukhara.
- Day 7
Bukhara to Khiva across the Kyzylkum
A long day on the road: about 450 km across the Kyzylkum desert, with stops on the way. Arrive in Khiva in the late afternoon and walk inside the walls of Ichan Kala as the light goes. Overnight in Khiva.
- Day 8
Khiva and departure
A guided morning in Ichan Kala: the Kalta Minor minaret and the Muhammad Amin Khan Madrasah, the Kunya-Ark citadel, the Juma Mosque with its forest of carved wooden columns, the Pakhlavan Makhmud mausoleum and the Tash Khauli palace.
Afterwards, transfer to Urgench airport, about 40 minutes away, for your onward flight.
What's included
- 7 nights in 3★–4★ hotels, double or twin room, with breakfast
- Airport pickup in Tashkent on day 1 and drop-off at Urgench airport on day 8
- All transfers in air-conditioned vehicles, and the journeys between cities by train or road as in the itinerary
- Licensed English-speaking guide for the city tours in Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva
- Entrance tickets to the monuments and museums in the itinerary
- Bottled water during the excursions
Not included
- International flights
- Visa fees, if your passport needs a visa
- Lunches and dinners
- Travel insurance — required for every traveller
- Single room supplement (on request)
- Evening shows and activities not in the itinerary
- Drinks, souvenirs and other personal expenses
- Tips for guides and drivers
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