Places in this article: Samarkand · Bukhara · Khiva · Tashkent · Tajikistan
How to get to Uzbekistan: flights, hubs, trains and land borders
Uzbekistan has no coastline, no ferry port and, for most travellers, no road that is quicker than a plane. Yet it is easier to reach than its place on the map suggests. Nonstop flights come in from London and Seoul, from Moscow and Dubai, from Delhi and New York, and a daily train runs from .Did you know? The wild apples around Almaty are the ancestor of the apple In the Tien Shan foothills near Almaty grow forests of wild apple, Malus sieversii. A DNA study in 2010 confirmed it as the main ancestor of the apples we eat today. The city’s name is often linked to alma, the Kazakh word for apple. Read more → Four of its airports take international flights, so you can land in Samarkand or Khiva without passing through the capital.
We are a tour operator in Tashkent and meet guests at these airports and stations every week. This guide explains how to get to Uzbekistan from Europe, the Middle East, Russia and Kazakhstan, Asia and the Americas, which hubs are the most convenient, how the land borders and trains work, and what to do in the first hour after you arrive. The timetables are those of the 2026/27 winter season, checked in October 2026.
Where you land: four international airports
Tashkent (TAS) is the main gateway, and almost every long-haul flight lands here. Three more airports matter for a tour: Samarkand (SKD), Bukhara (BHK) and Urgench (UGC), the airport for Khiva, about 30 km away. All three have direct flights from Istanbul and Moscow, and Samarkand has more and more from the Gulf and China.
That gives you a simple trick: fly into one city and out of another. Land in Samarkand or Urgench, travel the country in one direction by train, and fly home from Tashkent, without ever doubling back. The national carrier is Uzbekistan Airways (code HY); Centrum Air and Qanot Sharq are two other Uzbek airlines that fly abroad.
From Europe: nonstop or via Istanbul
In the November 2026 timetable Uzbekistan Airways flies nonstop to Tashkent from London (Heathrow and Gatwick), Paris, Frankfurt, Munich, Milan and Riga, in five to seven hours. The days, times and the early-morning arrivals are in our detailed guide to flights from Europe, the USA and the UAE.
From anywhere else in Europe the usual route is one connection in Istanbul. Turkish Airlines alone flies Istanbul–Tashkent 32 to 35 times a week in its 2026 timetable, Uzbekistan Airways flies the route too, and the flight takes about four and a half hours. Turkish Airlines also flies from Istanbul to Samarkand, nine or ten times a week, and to Bukhara, Urgench and Fergana.
From Turkey, the Gulf and Israel
Istanbul is both a hub and a starting point: travellers from Türkiye fly from there several times a day. Our guide to tours from Turkey adds Ankara and the summer flights from Antalya.
Dubai has the most choice in the Gulf. flydubai flies to Tashkent several times a day, and Uzbekistan Airways and Centrum Air fly from Dubai too; Air Arabia flies from Sharjah, and the flight takes about three and a half to four and a half hours. From 29 December 2026 flydubai also flies to Samarkand, three nights a week. Etihad has flown daily from Abu Dhabi since August 2026, and Qatar Airways flies from Doha four times a week. For one-stop trips from Africa, Asia or Australia, these Gulf hubs work well. More is in tours from the UAE and the Gulf.
From Tel Aviv, Uzbekistan Airways flies nonstop on set days of the week, in 4 h 50 min; see tours from Israel.
From Russia and Kazakhstan
From Moscow the flight to Tashkent takes about 3 h 50 min, and Uzbekistan Airways, Aeroflot, Centrum Air, Qanot Sharq, Ural Airlines, Pobeda and Utair all fly the route. Moscow also has direct flights to Samarkand, Bukhara and Urgench. St Petersburg, Kazan, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg and several other cities fly to Tashkent nonstop. The full table is in tours from Russia.
From Almaty it is 1 h 30 min to 1 h 55 min by air with Air Astana, Uzbekistan Airways or Centrum Air, and from Astana about two hours. From late October to late March FlyArystan also flies from Almaty straight to Samarkand on Tuesdays and Saturdays. The train and the road from Kazakhstan are below, and the rest is in tours from Kazakhstan.
From Asia
- South Korea. Uzbekistan Airways flies from Incheon to Tashkent every day in about 7 h 10 min, and Asiana Airlines, Centrum Air and Qanot Sharq fly the route too. See tours from South Korea.
- Japan. Uzbekistan Airways flies nonstop from Narita on Fridays, in about nine hours; on other days connect in Seoul. See tours from Japan.
- China. Nonstop flights leave from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Xi’an, Chengdu and Urumqi. China Eastern flies from Shanghai four times a week in about eight hours, Air China from Beijing three times a week, and Loong Air flies from Xi’an to Tashkent and straight to Samarkand. See tours from China.
- India. Uzbekistan Airways flies from Delhi every day, in 2 h 50 min, and Centrum Air and Qanot Sharq fly from Delhi too. Since 29 September 2026 Centrum Air has flown from Hyderabad twice a week.
- South-East Asia. Uzbekistan Airways and Centrum Air fly nonstop from Bangkok, in about seven hours, and Uzbekistan Airways flies from Kuala Lumpur four times a week from late October 2026, in about eight hours. From Singapore, Jakarta and Vietnam there is no regular nonstop flight as of October 2026, so connect in Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok. See tours from Malaysia and Indonesia and tours from Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
From the Americas and Australia
Uzbekistan Airways flies nonstop from New York JFK to Tashkent, three to four times a week this autumn, in about 12 hours. From other American cities, connect in New York, Istanbul or a European hub; see tours from the USA and Canada.
There is no nonstop flight from Australia, so plan on one connection: Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha all have scheduled flights on to Tashkent. Which hub suits which Australian city is in tours from Australia.
By land: the train from Almaty and the border crossings
Since December 2025 a Talgo train has run every day between Almaty and Tashkent. It leaves Almaty-2 at 19:05, stops in Shymkent at 06:25 and arrives in Tashkent at 12:58; the return train leaves Tashkent at 14:41. By road from Shymkent, Tashkent is about 120 km away, and you cross at Kaplanbek – Navoi, a crossing opened in February 2025.
These are the other crossings we use with travellers:
- Jartepa, from Samarkand to Did you know? Penjikent's walls showed Rustam long before Ferdowsi From the 5th to the 8th century the Sogdian houses of ancient Penjikent were painted with feasts, gods and the hero Rustam, centuries before Ferdowsi wrote the Shahnameh. Many murals are now in the Hermitage and in Dushanbe. Read more → in Tajikistan, for the Did you know? The Fann Mountains have about a hundred peaks The Fann Mountains, between the Zarafshan and Gissar ranges, have about a hundred peaks, eight of them over 5,000 m. The highest is Chimtarga (5,489 m), and among them lie the Kulikalon and Alauddin lakes and Iskanderkul. Read more → and the .Did you know? Each of the Seven Lakes has its own name and colour The Haftkul lakes climb from about 1,600 m to 2,400 m. Their names mean 'eyelashes', 'shadow', 'vigilance' and 'small', among others; the largest is Marguzor, and the highest, Hazorchashma, means 'a thousand springs'. Read more →
- Oybek, from Tashkent to Did you know? Khujand began as Alexander's 'Furthest Alexandria' In 329 BC Alexander the Great founded Alexandria Eschate, 'the Furthest', on the Syr Darya, at or near today's Khujand. It was the most northerly outpost of his empire in Central Asia, and Greek culture lingered there for centuries. Read more → in Tajikistan, about two hours by car from the capital.
- Dustlik, near Andijan, to Osh in Kyrgyzstan, after the .Did you know? Legend says Fergana's 'heavenly horses' sweated blood Legend says the horses of Dayuan, as Chinese chronicles called Fergana, sweated blood, and around 102 BC Emperor Wu of Han sent an army to bring some home. The 'blood' was most likely a skin parasite that causes tiny bleeding spots. Read more →
- Dashoguz – Shavat, between Turkmenistan and the Khiva side of Uzbekistan, which we use on our Merv, Darvaza and Khiva tour.
At most crossings you walk between the two posts with your bags, and formalities take time, so on a border day we plan nothing tight and our driver waits on the Uzbek side. If you travel on an Uzbek e-Entry rules depend on your passport. Once you are here, each stay must be registered within three days, and hotels do it for you; customs and registration rules are in our guide. Read more → and plan to leave and come back, apply for a double- or multiple-entry one. Routes that combine several countries are in Central Asia tours.
Before you fly: visa and registration
Citizens of close to 90 countries enter Uzbekistan without a visa for up to 30 days; most others apply online for an e-visa. Check your passport in do you need a visa for Uzbekistan. Every foreign visitor is registered within three days of arrival, and hotels do it at check-in; the details, and what customs ask about, are in registration and customs.
The first hour after landing
In Tashkent, international flights use Terminal 2, about 6 km south of the city centre. After passport control, the ATMs by the baggage belts take Visa and Mastercard and pay out Uzbek so’m, and there are bank exchange offices and SIM card desks. Our Tashkent airport arrival guide goes through it step by step: passport, bags, money, SIM card, car.
Many flights land at night or before dawn. Our driver meets you with a name sign at any hour, in a sedan or a minivan, and with fast-track arrival you go through a separate passport control and baggage claim. If you land before 6 a.m., book the hotel room from the night before.
Moving on inside the country
From Tashkent the Uzbekistan's high-speed train: Tashkent to Samarkand in about 2 hours 10 minutes, Tashkent to Bukhara in about 4 hours. Tickets are tied to your passport. Read more → high-speed train reaches Samarkand in about 2 hours 10 minutes, and since May 2026 the Did you know? The fast train to Khiva bears the name of a 13th-century shah The Jaloliddin Manguberdi, a Hyundai Rotem high-speed train, made its first run on 5 May 2026: 1,220 km from Tashkent to Khiva via Samarkand, Bukhara and Urgench in about 7.5 hours. It is named after Jalal ad-Din, the last Khwarazmshah. Read more → high-speed train has run all the way to Khiva through Samarkand and Bukhara. For Khiva you can also fly to Urgench in about an hour and a half. How to book, which classes to choose and how the night trains work is in trains in Uzbekistan.
Domestic flights in Tashkent leave from Terminal 3, about 4 km from Terminal 2 by road, so allow at least three to four hours if you change planes the same day. On our 8-day classic tour we build the route around your flights: tell us when and where you land, and we plan the rest. Which cities you can fly to, and with which airlines, is in domestic flights in Uzbekistan.
Once you have your international flights, the rest can be ours: send your arrival and departure times on the tailor-made tours page, and we will meet you at the airport, plan the trains and domestic flights between the cities and send a day-by-day programme. Not sure where to start? The tour finder suggests a route in a few questions.
In short
- Tashkent is the main gateway; Samarkand, Bukhara and Urgench (for Khiva) also have international flights, so you can fly in and out of different cities.
- Nonstop flights to Tashkent come from London, Paris, Frankfurt, Munich, Milan, Riga, Istanbul, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Tel Aviv, Moscow, Almaty, Delhi, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Tokyo, several Chinese cities and New York.
- Convenient hubs for one-stop trips are Istanbul, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Seoul and Kuala Lumpur.
- By land: the daily train from Almaty, and road crossings from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan.
- Timetables change by season: check the days of operation for your dates when you book, and send us your arrival time.
© Photos
- The Afrosiyob train at Tashkent Central station — Nikolai Bulykin / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
