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Places in this article: Samarkand · Khiva · Tashkent
How much does a trip to Uzbekistan cost? A 1-week budget
An economy seat on 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 → from Tashkent to Samarkand costs 311,000 so'm, about $26. A business seat on the same train is 455,000 so'm. That one fare already tells you how a week in Uzbekistan is priced: the basics are affordable, and the total depends on a few choices you make before you land.
We live and work in Tashkent and plan these weeks all year. Here is where the money goes, with real numbers where they hold still and the cost drivers where they do not. All prices are in so'm; in October 2026 the official rate is about 11,800 so'm to the dollar.
Trains and flights
For most routes the train is the main transport cost. These are the Afrosiyob fares in force since 1 February 2026:
| Route | Economy | Business | VIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tashkent – Samarkand | 311,000 so'm | 455,000 so'm | 709,000 so'm |
| Tashkent – Bukhara | 509,000 so'm | 760,000 so'm | 1,138,000 so'm |
The slower Sharq and Nasaf trains on the same line are cheaper. Sales open 60 days before departure, and the fast trains sell out in season, so we book as soon as the dates are fixed. Everything about tickets and boarding is in our guide to trains in Uzbekistan.
Khiva is the expensive leg of a classic week. You either take the train or fly to Urgench. The best order of cities is in Uzbekistan in 7 days.
Hotels and the tourist tax
The hotel bill is where a week becomes cheap or expensive. The price moves with three things: the category, the city and the month. In spring and autumn the best-located hotels in Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva are booked first.
On top of the room there is a tourist tax for foreign guests, charged per person per night and shown as a separate line on the bill. It is tied to the base calculation amount, which has been 440,000 so'm since 1 September 2026. A large hotel charges 15% of it: 66,000 so'm a night, a little over $5. Smaller hotels and family guesthouses charge less. You do not pay it anywhere else: the hotel collects it.
Tickets, guides and food
Every monument has its own ticket desk, and foreigners pay more than locals. The Did you know? The Registan's sun-carrying lion went on a banknote The Sher-Dor Madrasah (1619–1636) is named for the big cats with the sun on their backs on its portal. The image appeared on the reverse of Uzbekistan's 200-som note of 1997. Read more → in Samarkand costs 100,000 so'm for a foreign adult; teenagers pay half and children go in free. Many sites also charge separately for taking photos or video. How we fit Samarkand's sights into one to three days is in Samarkand in 1, 2 and 3 days.
A guide is the biggest single variable. A group tour shares the cost; a private tour with your own guide and car every day is what turns a mid-range week into a premium one. A good middle way is our independent tour with hotels, trains and transfers booked and no daily guide: take a guide for the first day in each city and walk on your own after that.
Food is the easiest place to save. A A teahouse: green tea, plov and conversation on wide wooden beds called topchan. lunch of Rice cooked in a kazan with carrots, onions and meat: the dish of every Uzbek celebration. Each region cooks it its own way. or lagman costs a fraction of a restaurant dinner in a restored An Islamic college: student cells and classrooms around a courtyard behind a grand portal. In the old towns many now house museums and craft workshops. Read more → courtyard.
Taxis, cards and cash
In the cities we use Yandex Go, which since 2024 also works in Urgench and Khiva: the app shows the fare before you get in, and you can pay in cash. City rides are cheap; the cost adds up only when you hire a car for intercity trips.
Visa and Mastercard work at almost every card terminal: hotels, restaurants, shops, museums, stations. Cash in so'm is for bazaars, street vendors and some taxis, so keep small notes for those. Our guide to cards, cash and tipping covers ATMs and how much to tip.
What makes the same week cost more
- The month. March to June and September to November are the main season. Hotels and fast trains fill up, and the best rooms go first. In December to February the cities are quieter.
- Khiva. Adding it means a flight or a long train ride and one more hotel.
- Private everything. Your own guide and car every day is the largest add-on.
- Booking late. Afrosiyob seats and central hotels in season are gone weeks ahead.
A price for your own route
Every route is priced line by line. Send your dates, the number of travellers and the hotel level on the tailor-made tours page, and within 24 hours we send a day-by-day plan with every item itemised; ready routes with their prices are in the tour catalogue.
In short
- Afrosiyob Tashkent–Samarkand: 311,000 so'm in economy, 455,000 in business; Tashkent–Bukhara 509,000 and 760,000.
- The tourist tax is on the hotel bill: 66,000 so'm per night in a large hotel, less in small ones.
- The Registan costs 100,000 so'm for a foreign adult; photo fees are separate at many sites.
- Pay by card almost everywhere; keep so'm for bazaars and street taxis.
