Expert opinion
Pluses
- Old town on foot: A full-day walking tour covers 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 →, the 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 →, the 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 → and The fortress-residence of the rulers of Bukhara on a high artificial hill: the oldest structure in the city. Read more → citadel.
- Logistics included: The economy train ticket from Samarkand, all transfers in a car, entrance tickets and tea with sweets are in the price.
- Free Monday: The last day is free time in Bukhara before you return to Samarkand for your departure flight.
Minuses
- Saturday departure: The extension leaves Samarkand on Saturday; on the first day there is only the evening train to Bukhara.
- Meals not included: Lunches, dinners, photo and video fees, personal expenses and tips are paid separately.
- Summer heat: July and August are 35.6–37.3 °C by day in Bukhara, and the main day is a full-day walking tour.
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
- none — one hotel
- Walking
- Medium
Walking: Medium: the Sunday tour is on foot for the whole day, with six stops (Lyabi-Hauz, Magoki-Attori Mosque, trading domes, Kalon minaret, Mir-i-Arab Madrasah, the Ark) and a tea break. The programme does not give distances or mention climbs.
Best time
Mar–Jun, Sep–Nov
March and November are the start and end of the season: 14–17 °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: 36–37 °C by day in Bukhara.
A typical day
The Sunday walking tour goes through Lyabi-Hauz, the Magoki-Attori Mosque, the old trading domes, the Kalon minaret, the Mir-i-Arab Madrasah and the Ark citadel, with a tea break along the way. The programme does not list lunch or an evening plan.
What the price includes
What is included
- Accommodation in a TWN/DBL room
- Breakfasts: 2 nights in Bukhara
- Train ticket Samarkand — Bukhara (economy)
- All transfers in a comfortable car
- Tea with sweets
- Excursion programme with a local guide
- Entrance tickets on the programme
Not included
- Additional services not in the programme
- Lunches and dinners not specified
- Photo and video fees
- Personal expenses and tips
Extra cost on site
- Lunches and dinners
- Photo and video fees
- Personal expenses and tips
Good for
- Travellers based in Samarkand who want a second Silk Road city
- Those who like exploring an old town on foot
Maybe not for you if
- Travellers whose dates don't fit a Saturday departure from Samarkand
- Those who find a full day of walking hard
Questions about this tour
What is included?
Everything that is and isn’t included, and what you pay on site, is in one list: What the price includes
What is not included?
Everything that is and isn’t included, and what you pay on site, is in one list: What the price includes
Which hotels are used?
Tourist category: Asia Bukhara, Makon Bukhara or Minorai Kalyan. Superior: Mercure Ayvan, Sahid Zarafshan or Wyndham, for a supplement of $30 per person in a twin/double or $40 single.
What does the walking tour cover?
Lyabi-Hauz, the Magoki-Attori Mosque, the trading domes, the Kalon minaret, the Mir-i-Arab Madrasah and the Ark citadel, with a tea break along the way.
How do I get from Samarkand to Bukhara?
By evening train on Saturday; the economy ticket is included.
Didn’t find your answer? Ask about this tour →
Make it your trip
Tick what you’d like to add — it goes into your request, and the manager confirms the final price.
Arrival, departure, transfers
Programme and details
Day-by-day route, prices and terms
Route extension · 2 days
Bukhara Extension
Two nights in Bukhara added to a Samarkand trip — the old town, the Ark and the trading domes.
from $175 per person
Saturday departure from Samarkand
Train Samarkand — Bukhara
An add-on to the «Samarkand Group Tour — 4 Days». You leave from Samarkand and return to Samarkand for your flight; the route is tied strictly to that tour (Friday arrival, Saturday evening train to Bukhara, back to Samarkand on Monday).
Highlights
What’s inside
- Lyabi-Hauz ensemble and the Nadir Divanbegi Madrasah
- The Kalon minaret and the Mir-i-Arab Madrasah
- The Ark citadel — the residence of the Bukhara emirs
- The old trading domes and a tea break with oriental sweets
Programme
Day by day
Saturday · Samarkand — Bukhara
Evening train from Samarkand to Bukhara, arrival and check-in.
Sunday · Bukhara
A full-day walking tour of Bukhara: Lyabi-Hauz, the One of the oldest mosques in Central Asia, in the centre of Bukhara. It stands below today's street level: the city has grown up around it. Mosque, the trading domes, the Kalon minaret, the Mir-i-Arab Madrasah and the Ark citadel, with a tea break along the way.
Monday · Bukhara
Free time, then return to Samarkand for your departure flight.
Price
Price per person for the extension
| Cost per person | $175 |
| Superior hotels — single supplement | +$40 |
| Superior hotels — twin / double supplement | +$30 per person |
Tourist-category hotels: Asia Bukhara / Makon Bukhara / Minorai Kalyan. Superior: Mercure Ayvan / Sahid Zarafshan / Wyndham.
Booking
How to book
- Send a request via the form on this page, by email hello@aroundca.com or on WhatsApp. Reply within 24 hours.
- This is an add-on to the Samarkand Group Tour — 4 Days; the route is tied to that tour, and we help you fit it in.
The A network of caravan routes between China and the Mediterranean. Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva grew rich as stops along it. city that keeps its old atmosphere — added to your route in two days.
