Uzbekistan tours from Portugal: tiles of Samarkand and Khiva, flights from Lisbon and Porto, visa-free entry and 2027 holidays

Start at Shah-i-Zinda. A narrow lane climbs a hillside past mausoleums built mostly in the 14th and 15th centuries for Timur’s relatives and the nobility of his court, and their portals show almost every technique the tile makers knew: carved glazed terracotta, majolica, mosaic. At the Registan, the madrasahs of Ulugh Beg (1417–1420), Sher-Dor (1619–1636) and Tilla-Kari (1646–1660) show the same craft across more than two centuries.

In Khiva the Kalta-Minor, begun in 1852 and left unfinished in 1855, is the only minaret covered entirely in glazed tiles, in bands of turquoise, green and white. The words for what you are looking at are explained in our guide on how to read Uzbek architecture, and the stories behind the buildings in our articles on Shah-i-Zinda and the Kalta-Minor.

Near Bukhara you can see the craft alive: our day in Gijduvan includes a ceramics workshop and lunch. For a whole trip built around tiles and the people who made them, see our ten-day tour Tiles and Master Builders.

The nearest historical link is next door, in Castile. On 22 May 1403 Ruy González de Clavijo, an envoy of King Henry III of Castile, sailed from the Bay of Cádiz, and in September 1404 he reached Samarkand. He described the great mosque then rising in the city, now called Bibi-Khanym, and Timur’s palace Ak-Saray in Kesh, today’s Shahrisabz, still under construction, with a very high portal and blue and gold tilework. Two pylons of that gate still stand, about 38 metres high, and the blue is still on them.

The whole story is in our guide to Uzbekistan tours from Spain. Shahrisabz is about 90 km from Samarkand over the Takhtakaracha pass: book our trip to Shahrisabz with a guide, transfer and tickets, or follow the envoy for eight days on In the Footsteps of Clavijo.

As of October 2026 there is no nonstop flight from Portugal to Uzbekistan. The simplest connection is Istanbul: Turkish Airlines flies there from Lisbon in about 4 h 45 min and from Porto in about 4 h 30 min, and the flight on to Tashkent takes 4 h 20 min to 4 h 50 min with Turkish Airlines, Uzbekistan Airways, Centrum Air or Qanot Sharq. From Istanbul, Turkish Airlines also flies to Samarkand, Bukhara and Urgench, the airport for Khiva, so you can start the trip in the middle of the country.

Via Frankfurt, Lufthansa flies from Lisbon in about 3 hours and from Porto in under 3 hours; from Frankfurt, Uzbekistan Airways, Qanot Sharq and Centrum Air reach Tashkent in about 6 h 20 min. Via Paris, Air France flies from Lisbon and Porto, and Uzbekistan Airways flies from Charles de Gaulle to Tashkent in about 6 h 45 min. From Madeira or the Azores, add a flight to Lisbon or Porto. Airports and connections are in our guide to flights to Uzbekistan.

Tashkent is on UTC+5 all year, with no summer time: five hours ahead of Lisbon in winter and four in summer, six and five hours ahead of the Azores. Arrival times vary with the connection, so we plan your first day around your actual flight and can arrange fast-track passport control and a car to your hotel.

You book the flight, and we arrange everything on the ground: hotels, train tickets, guides and transfers. While you travel, our office in Tashkent is in touch with you 24/7.

The classic route, 8 or 11 days. Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva on the 8-day classic tour, or at an easier pace on the 11-day classic tour and the ten-day Classic Uzbekistan at a Gentle Pace. How we lay out such trips is in Uzbekistan in 7 days and Uzbekistan in 10 days.

Tiles, 10 days. Madrasahs, mausoleums and workshops on Tiles and Master Builders.

Clavijo’s route, 8 days. Tashkent, Samarkand, a day in Shahrisabz and two nights in Bukhara on In the Footsteps of Clavijo.

Wine and archaeology. Two wineries, outside Tashkent and outside Samarkand, on Wine Uzbekistan; the digs of Samarkand and Bukhara on Sogdiana Unearthed.

Your guide speaks Portuguese, and that is included in the price of our tours: tell us when you book, the earlier the better. For what applies to all of Europe, see Uzbekistan tours from Europe; not sure which route fits, try our tour finder.

Easter. In mainland schools the Easter break runs from 22 March to 2 April 2027; Good Friday is 26 March and Easter Sunday 28 March. Navruz, the spring new year and a public holiday in Uzbekistan, falls on 21 March, the day before the break begins. Late March is cool and fresh, about 14–17 °C in the afternoon, with fruit trees in blossom: pack for rain. More in Uzbekistan in March, Navruz and Uzbekistan in spring.

Carnival. Schools break from 8 to 10 February 2027, and Carnival Tuesday is 9 February. February is winter here: about 10 °C in the afternoon in Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara, nights around zero, and the monuments are quiet. See Uzbekistan in February and Uzbekistan in winter.

Long weekends. Corpus Christi on Thursday 27 May and Portugal Day on Thursday 10 June 2027 each make a long weekend with one day of leave. June is hot, 32–36 °C in the afternoon, so we plan the sightseeing for the mornings and evenings; see Uzbekistan in June. In autumn, 5 October falls on a Tuesday and 1 November on a Monday; in December, 1 and 8 December are both Wednesdays. October is one of the best months; December is cold and quiet, 8–9 °C in the afternoon. Month by month: October, December and when to go.

Summer. Classes end on 4, 11 or 30 June 2027, depending on the school year. July and August are the hottest months, with afternoons of 35–37 °C in Samarkand and Bukhara in July, and the old towns are at their best after sunset; see Uzbekistan in summer. September is cooler and among the best months. Madeira and the Azores set their own school calendars, so check yours.

• At the table. Uzbek food is built around meat, mostly mutton, and around rice and bread. Plov is a midday dish: by evening the best cauldrons are empty. Tell us about allergies and diets, and we take them into account; see Uzbek cuisine and plov.
• Wine. If you drink Douro or Alentejo wines at home, try the local ones: our guide to Uzbek wine explains what to order, and near Samarkand you can add a tasting at the Bagizagan winery.
• Cards and euros. Visa and Mastercard work at most card terminals in hotels, restaurants, shops and stations. Banks and exchange offices change euros as easily as dollars; take your passport. Cash, in so’m, is for bazaars and street stalls. See cards, cash and tipping.
• Plugs. Sockets are types C and F at 230 V, the same as in Portugal: no adapter needed.
• Phone. Roaming works, and a local SIM card is sold against your passport. For a one- or two-week tour your phone needs no registration; see bringing a phone to Uzbekistan.
• Water. Drink bottled water; it is sold everywhere.
• At mosques and shrines. Cover shoulders and knees; women may want a scarf. More in what to wear.