Expert opinion
Pluses
- More time per city: three nights each in Bukhara and Samarkand, with a trip outside Bukhara on day 6 and free time on days 6, 9 and 10.
- Dinners included: half board covers breakfasts and dinners, including a Rice cooked in a kazan with carrots, onions and meat: the dish of every Uzbek celebration. Each region cooks it its own way. master class in Bukhara and a farewell dinner with live music in Tashkent.
- Four cities by train: the classic Tashkent–Khiva–Bukhara–Samarkand route as a private tour, with Uzbekistan's high-speed train: Tashkent to Samarkand in 2 hours 30 minutes, Tashkent to Bukhara in about 4 hours. Tickets are tied to your passport. Read more → trains between cities and one flight.
Minuses
- A 7–8 hour drive: day 4 is about 490 km by car from Khiva to Bukhara across the The Kyzylkum, or Red Sands: the desert between the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers that the road and the railway cross on the way to Khiva. Desert.
- Tickets not in price: the Tashkent–Urgench flight and the trains are paid separately, and train tickets need passenger data at least 62 days before departure.
- Lunches and fees: lunches (10-lunches supplement), drinks and photo or video fees at the sites are not included.
AroundCA numbers
How we counted
By the AroundCA programme: we count only what is written in the day-by-day programme of this tour. If the programme gives no figure, we show nothing.
- Hotel changes
- 4
- Longest transfer
- 8 h · by car
- Walking
- Medium
Walking: Medium: days 2, 3, 5 and 8 each have 4–8 sights on foot (Tashkent, Ichan-Kala with a watchtower climb, Bukhara, the Registan and Shah-i-Zinda); days 6 and 9 have 2–3 sights and free time; no trekking.
Best time
Mar–Jun, Sep–Nov
March and November are the start and end of the season: 11–17 °C by day, few crowds and lovely weather. Winters are getting milder, too: very few people, sunny days and pleasant prices.
Cool, fewer people: Jan–Feb, Dec
Better to avoid
Jul–Aug
July–August is outside the season and hot: 33–37 °C by day in all four cities.
A typical day
On day 6 you leave Bukhara for the Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa Summer Palace of the Emirs, the Chor Bakr Necropolis and the Naqshbandi Ensemble. You return to Bukhara for lunch and have a free afternoon. Dinner is at a restaurant of Bukharan cuisine.
What the price includes
What is included
- Accommodation in double/twin rooms
- Tourist taxes at hotels
- Half board: 10 breakfasts, 9 dinners
- Tea and filtered water at meals
- Air-conditioned transport
- Entrance fees to museums, monuments and historical sites
- Guide in your language for all excursions
- Souvenirs and a map of Uzbekistan
Not included
- 10-lunches supplement (+$200 per person)
- Domestic flight Tashkent–Urgench (+$110 per person)
- Train Samarkand–Bukhara, economy (+$35 per person)
- Train Samarkand–Tashkent, economy (+$40 per person)
- Visa processing and costs (if applicable)
- International air tickets
- Early check-in or late check-out unless indicated
- Drinks
- Photo and video fees at historical sites
- Personal expenses and services not listed
Extra cost on site
- Khiva: wine, fruit and cheese on a terrace (+$15 per person)
- Samarkand: Registan light and music show with entrance (+$15 per person)
- Photo and video fees at historical sites
- Drinks
Good for
- Travellers who dislike rushing
- Those who want a deeper look at each city
Maybe not for you if
- Short holidays — the 8-day tours cover the same cities
Questions about this tour
What hotel levels are available, and what does it cost?
Tourist 3★ or Business 4–5★ hotels: for 2 people $1,305 or $2,040 per person in a double/twin room. The per-person price is lower for 4 people, and the single supplement is +$330 or +$750.
Which meals are included?
Half board: 10 breakfasts and 9 dinners, with tea and filtered water at meals. Ten lunches can be added for +$200 per person.
Are the domestic flight and trains included?
No. The Tashkent–Urgench flight is +$110, the Samarkand–Bukhara train +$35 and the Samarkand–Tashkent train +$40 per person (economy). The Khiva–Bukhara leg is by car, about 490 km and 7–8 hours.
What do you need for the train tickets?
Train tickets are issued in each passenger’s name, so we need passenger data at least 62 days before departure; tickets are bought 60 days ahead and cannot be reserved earlier.
Is the visa included?
No, visa processing and costs (if applicable) are paid separately, as are international flights.
What is Arda Khiva, and can we spend an evening there?
Arda Khiva is a new tourist complex on the shore of Lake Govuk, a short drive from Ichan-Kala, opened in May 2025: 17 hotels and guest houses, a 3,000-seat amphitheatre, restaurants, a bazaar and a canal with gondolas. We can add an evening or a stay there on request; in the Business category of this tour a hotel at Arda Khiva is already one of the options for Khiva.
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Arrival, departure, transfers
Programme and details
Day-by-day route, prices and terms
Programme
Day-by-day itinerary: 11 days
Click a day to expand the full excursion and programme details.
Day 1 · Arrival in Tashkent
Meeting at the airport and transfer to the hotel. Meet and greet by our local guide. Private transfer, check-in (14:00) and rest after your flight.
Evening: a leisurely walk in Amir Timur (Tamerlane, 1336–1405), founder of the Timurid empire, which had its capital in Samarkand. Born near Shahrisabz. Square, surrounded by lush gardens and fountains and centred on an equestrian statue of Amir Timur. The square symbolises Tashkent’s modern heart, blending Soviet architecture with Central Asian flair.
Overnight: Tashkent.
Day 2 · Tashkent City Tour
Breakfast at the hotel.
Old part of the city: the The religious heart of old Tashkent: madrasahs, a Friday mosque and mausoleums. Right next to it stands the new Center of Islamic Civilization, opened in 2026. Read more → Complex — the spiritual heart of Tashkent, with mosques, madrasahs and mausoleums. Home to the Uthman Quran, considered the world’s oldest Quran (7th century), believed to have belonged to Caliph Uthman. Visits: Barak Khan Madrasah, Tillya Sheikh Mosque and the Mausoleum of Saint Kaffal Shashi. Tashkent's old bazaar under a big blue-green dome, not far from Hazrati Imam. Bring cash in so'm. Read more → — a bustling traditional market under a stunning blue-domed structure; since the A network of caravan routes between China and the Mediterranean. Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva grew rich as stops along it. era, a key trading spot for spices, textiles, crafts and Uzbek street food.
Lunch.
Modern part of the city: Independence Square (formerly Lenin Square, 12 hectares) with the Monument of Independence and Humanism (1991). The Romanov Palace (exterior visit, 1891, architects Heinzelman and Benois) — palace of Grand Duke Nikolai Romanov, exiled here in 1874. The square by the Did you know? An opera house with a foyer for every region The Alisher Navoi Theatre, opened in 1947, has six halls carved in the styles of Tashkent, Fergana, Bukhara, Samarkand, Khiva and Termez, each led by a master of that school. Read more → (architect Aleksei Shchusev, 1942–1947, 1,400 seats). We finish the day at Amir Timur Square and the Orthodox Cathedral of the Assumption.
Evening: dinner at a traditional Uzbek restaurant.
Overnight: Tashkent.
Day 3 · Tashkent → Urgench → Khiva
Early breakfast. Transfer to the airport for the morning flight to Urgench (subject to schedule), then transfer to Khiva (about 30 min). Check-in at a hotel in the heart of Did you know? People still live inside Khiva's museum city Itchan Kala packs more than 50 historic monuments and about 250 old houses inside clay walls 8–10 m high and 5–6 m thick, and families still live and work in its lanes. Read more →.
Full-day tour of the Ichan Kala fortress (UNESCO): the walled inner city of Khiva, an open-air museum of Islamic architecture and the last resting place of caravans before crossing the desert to Persia.
Did you know? A 14-metre-wide base for a tower that stopped at 29 m Kalta Minor was begun in 1852 and meant to reach 70–80 m, but work halted in 1855 at about 29 m when its khan died. It is said to be the only minaret covered entirely in glazed tiles. Read more → Minaret — an unfinished yet stunning turquoise minaret, a symbol of Khiva. Muhammad Amin Khan Madrasah — the largest in Khiva (mid-19th c.), now a hotel and museum. The old fortress-residence of the khans of Khiva, inside the walls of Itchan Kala. Citadel — a fortress with the khan’s palace, mosque and prison (17th c.); climb the watchtower for panoramic views. Tash Hauli Palace — a labyrinthine palace with courtyards and harem quarters (19th c., Allakuli Khan): carved wooden columns and vibrant tilework.
Optional: an evening on a terrace with a glass of wine, fruit and cheese to feel the spirit of the city of the Thousand and One Nights (weather permitting) — +$15 per person.
Evening: dinner in an ancient courtyard, free time to explore Khiva at sunset.
Overnight: Khiva.
Day 4 · Khiva → Bukhara (by car, 490 km, 7–8 hrs)
Breakfast. Transfer to Bukhara across the vast Kyzylkum Desert, capturing the timeless landscapes of the Silk Road. Arrival and check-in at a charming hotel near the old town.
Noble Bukhara — the sacred pillar of Asia and a legendary Silk Road city. The only city in Central Asia with almost 2,000 monuments, where you can still feel the ancient atmosphere.
Evening: leisure time around Lyabi Hauz (UNESCO) — a serene pond surrounded by centuries-old mulberry trees and teahouses. Dinner at a local restaurant.
Overnight: Bukhara.
Day 5 · Bukhara Historical Tour
Breakfast. Full-day excursion around Bukhara:
Ismail Samani Mausoleum — a 10th-century brick mausoleum with a unique geometric design, one of the oldest Muslim monuments in Central Asia and the family tomb of the Samanids. Did you know? A cone-shaped dome over Job's spring Chashma-Ayub, 'Job's Spring', has a conical dome in the Khorezm style, rare in Bukhara. Legend says Job struck the ground with his staff and water flowed; inside is a museum of Bukhara's water supply. Read more → (14th c.) — mausoleum and holy spring, «the Fountain of Saint Job». A mosque of 1712 opposite the Ark in Bukhara. Its twenty carved wooden columns reflect in the pond in front. Mosque (18th c.) — carved wooden pillars, the Emir’s official mosque. The fortress-residence of the rulers of Bukhara on a high artificial hill: the oldest structure in the city. Read more → — an ancient citadel and residence of the Emirs (from the 5th c.), with museums of royal artefacts and manuscripts. Did you know? Bukhara's ponds were once its water supply Pools like Lyabi-Hauz, dug around 1620 and 46 × 36 m, were the city's main source of water. Most were filled in during the 1920s–30s because they spread disease; Lyabi-Hauz survived. Read more → Ensemble (16th–17th c.), Did you know? A madrasah that was an inn, a fort and a museum Tashkent's Kukeldash Madrasah, built around 1570, became a caravanserai in the 18th century, later a fortress and then a museum, before returning to teaching in the 1990s. Read more → and Nadir Divan-Begi Khanaka.
Lunch.
Three trading domes: Toki Zargaron (jewellers), Toki Telpak Furushon (hat makers) and Toki Sarrafon (money changers) — 16th c. Poi-Kalon Complex: Did you know? Diggers went 13 m down and never found its base The Kalyan Minaret of 1127 rises about 46 m, and an excavation reached 13 m without finding the bottom of its foundations. Genghis Khan reportedly ordered it spared. Read more → (1127), Poi Kalon Mosque (12th c.) and Did you know? A madrasah still teaching after almost 500 years Mir-i-Arab, built in the 1530s opposite the Kalyan Mosque, was one of only three Islamic schools allowed to keep working in Soviet times, and it still trains students today. Read more → Madrasah (15th c., exterior, still an active Quran school). A small gatehouse of 1807 in Bukhara with four towers topped by turquoise domes. — a charming building with four blue-domed towers.
Evening: dinner at a local guest house with a plov cooking master class.
Overnight: Bukhara.
Day 6 · Bukhara Cultural Exploration
Breakfast. Today we explore beyond the city: The summer palace of the last emirs of Bukhara, built in the late 19th and early 20th century in a mix of European and Central Asian styles. (Summer Palace of the Emirs) — a luxurious residence blending Oriental and Russian styles, built by the last Emir, Alim Khan, in the early 20th century; mirrored mosaics, frescoes, chandeliers, harem quarters and a museum of royal costumes and gifts. Chor Bakr Necropolis and the Naqshbandi Ensemble — sacred sites of the Sufi tradition.
Return to Bukhara for lunch. Free afternoon for exploring or shopping.
Evening: dinner at a restaurant of Bukharan cuisine.
Overnight: Bukhara.
Day 7 · Bukhara → Samarkand (high-speed train)
Breakfast. Afternoon transfer to the station for the Afrosiyob high-speed train (14:58–16:41).
The itinerary may change according to Uzbekistan Railways’ schedules. Train tickets must be nominative — we need passenger data at least 62 days before departure. There are no reservations, only ticket purchase 60 days before departure.
A scenic journey through the Uzbek countryside. Arrival in Samarkand — the jewel of the Timurid Empire. Check-in.
Evening walk to the Did you know? Timur's tombstone went to Persia and came back The dark-green jade slab on Timur's grave in Gur-e-Amir was carried off by Nader Shah in 1740. It broke, and on his advisers' urging he sent it back to Samarkand. Read more → Mausoleum, beautifully illuminated at night — the resting place of Amir Timur (15th c.), a masterpiece that influenced Mughal architecture and the design of the Taj Mahal: a majestic blue dome and intricate tile mosaics.
Optional: evening visit to 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 → Square for the light and music show (with entrance) — +$15 per person.
Evening: dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight: Samarkand.
Day 8 · Samarkand Historical Tour
Breakfast. Samarkand is the birthplace of Timur — for more than two thousand years a key point on the Great Silk Road and a centre of medieval Eastern science; inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Registan Square — the heart of ancient Samarkand, framed by three madrasahs. Did you know? Engineers pulled a leaning minaret back upright By 1920 a minaret of the Ulugh Beg Madrasah on the Registan was tilting. In 1932 engineer Vladimir Shukhov straightened it; the second minaret was set upright in 1965. Read more → (15th c.), built by Timur’s grandson, an astronomer and mathematician. Sher Dor Madrasah (17th c.) with its tiger mosaics. Tillya-Kori Madrasah (17th c.) with a gold-decorated hall. Did you know? Why Shah-i-Zinda means 'the Living King' The necropolis grew around the shrine of Qutham ibn Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad. Legend says he did not die in battle but went down a deep well to a garden of paradise, where he lives on. Read more → Necropolis — a sacred pilgrimage site of mausoleums (9th–14th c.), believed to hold the grave of Qutham ibn Abbas, cousin of the Prophet Muhammad; turquoise tilework and mosaics. The great mosque Amir Timur ordered after his Indian campaign of 1398–1399, one of the largest of its time. Read more → Mosque (14th c.) — one of the largest in the Islamic world, built by Timur in honour of his favourite wife. Samarkand's main bazaar, right next to Bibi-Khanym: Samarkand bread, dried fruit, nuts and halva. Read more → — a market since Silk Road times: fresh produce, dried fruit, spices and Samarkand sweets.
Evening: dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight: Samarkand.
Day 9 · Samarkand Cultural & Historical Tour
Breakfast. We continue exploring Samarkand: Did you know? Ulugh Beg measured the year to within 25 seconds Working at his Samarkand observatory, Ulugh Beg put the tropical year at 365 days 5 h 49 min 15 s, about 25 seconds too long, closer than Copernicus a century later. Read more → — one of the earliest astronomical observatories in the world (15th c.); the remnants of a giant sextant and a museum. Did you know? A 7th-century mural shows envoys from Korea Uncovered by road builders in 1965, the Ambassadors' Painting at Afrasiyab shows delegations bearing gifts, Chinese with silk among them, and two men in feathered hats thought to be envoys from Korea's Goguryeo. Read more → Museum and Ancient Settlement — the precursor of modern Samarkand (founded in the 7th century BC): wall paintings of royal ceremonies, pottery and artefacts. Meros Paper Mill in A village near Samarkand where paper is made by hand from mulberry bark, the old way, at a working mill on the stream. village — production of Samarkand’s famous silk paper from mulberry bark (a technique from the 8th century); a demonstration of the process and handmade products to buy.
Free time for shopping or exploring local cafés.
Evening: dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight: Samarkand.
Day 10 · Samarkand → Tashkent (high-speed train)
Breakfast. Morning at leisure to explore more of Samarkand or relax at the hotel.
Afternoon departure on the Afrosiyob high-speed train to Tashkent (17:35–20:08).
The itinerary may change according to Uzbekistan Railways’ schedules. Train tickets must be nominative — we need passenger data at least 62 days before departure. There are no reservations, only ticket purchase 60 days before departure.
Evening: farewell dinner at one of Tashkent’s finest traditional restaurants with live Uzbek music.
Overnight: Tashkent.
Day 11 · Departure from Tashkent
Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Tashkent International Airport for your departure flight. End of the programme.
Price
Price per person
Two hotel categories to choose from. Price per person in a double/twin room (DBL/TWN).
| Group size | Tourist3★ hotels | Business4–5★ hotels |
|---|---|---|
| 2 people | $1305 | $2040 |
| 4 people | $1125 | $1590 |
| Single room supplement | +$330 | +$750 |
Prices are in US dollars per person.
Accommodation
Hotels by category
| City | Nights | Tourist | Business |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tashkent | 3 nights | Baden-Baden / Milan / Gabrielle | Holiday Inn / Crowne Plaza / Lotte City Hotel |
| Khiva | 1 night | Zarafshan / Erkin Palace / Arslan Boutique | Farovon or A new tourist complex on the shore of Lake Govuk, a short drive from Ichan-Kala, opened in May 2025: 17 hotels and guest houses, a 3,000-seat amphitheatre, restaurants, a bazaar under domes and a canal with gondolas. Read more → |
| Bukhara | 3 nights | Makon / Devon Begim / Asia Bukhara | Wyndham Bukhara / Sahid Zarafshan / Mercure Ayvan |
| Samarkand | 3 nights | Wellfort / Shaxzoda Elite / City | Movenpick / Continental / Kosh Havuz |
The exact hotel is confirmed at booking, subject to availability. If unavailable, it is replaced with a similar one of the same category.
