Programme and details
Programme
Itinerary: 8 days, day by day
Click a day to expand. The itinerary shows what you can see in each city.
This is an independent tour: hotels, transport and transfers are included, while guided excursions and entrance tickets are chosen and purchased separately — to match your interests and budget.
Day 1 · Arrival in Tashkent
Meeting at the airport and transfer to the hotel. Check-in (from 14:00) and rest after your flight.
Evening: a walk around Did you know? Legend: “Strength lies in justice” were Timur's own words The equestrian statue of Amir Timur in central Tashkent, unveiled in 1994, bears the motto “Strength lies in justice” in four languages. Tradition attributes the words to Timur himself, but historians cannot confirm he said them. Read more → — the modern heart of the city.
Overnight: Tashkent.
Day 2 · Tashkent → Urgench → Khiva
Discover Tashkent: the Old City and 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 oriental Tashkent's old bazaar under a big blue-green dome, not far from Hazrati Imam. Bring cash in so'm. Read more → and the modern centre of the capital.
Evening: flight to Urgench and transfer to Khiva.
Overnight: Khiva.
Day 3 · Khiva
The Ichan Kala fortress (UNESCO): ,Did you know? Legend: the khan wanted to see Bukhara from his minaret Legend says Muhammad Amin Khan wanted the Kalta Minor so tall that Bukhara, some 400 km away, could be seen from the top. In reality work began in the 1850s and stopped in 1855, when the khan died, at a height of about 29 m. Read more → ,Did you know? Khiva's largest madrasah now welcomes hotel guests Muhammad Amin Khan built his madrasah in 1852–1855 beside the Kalta Minor. With about 130 rooms around a 38-metre courtyard it is the largest in Khiva and once taught some 260 students; today it houses a hotel. Read more → The old fortress-residence of the khans of Khiva, inside the walls of Itchan Kala. fortress, Did you know? In Tash-Hauli's harem each of four wives had her own loggia Allakuli Khan built the Tash-Hauli palace in 1830–1838 around three courtyards. In the harem four tall loggias belonged to the khan's four wives and a fifth, the largest, to the khan himself; behind each summer terrace lay a winter room. Read more → Palace.
Overnight: Khiva.
Day 4 · Khiva → Bukhara
Drive across the Kyzylkum Desert along the Amu Darya. Arrival in Bukhara and free time around .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 →
Overnight: Bukhara.
Day 5 · Bukhara
Did you know? Legend says Ismail Samani answered requests after death People long believed that Ismail Samani, the ruler buried in the Samanid Mausoleum, still helped his people: a written request slipped through an opening on one side would be answered by the next day. Notes were left here into the 20th century. Read more → Mausoleum, 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 → spring, The fortress-residence of the rulers of Bukhara on a high artificial hill: the oldest structure in the city. Read more → fortress, Lyabi-Hauz square (UNESCO), the Did you know? Under Bukhara's domes merchants changed money and gold Four 16th-century trading domes still stand over old crossroads. Toki Sarrafon was the money changers' dome, where merchants from India and China swapped coins; Toki Zargaron held jewellers' workshops, Toki Telpak Furushon sold caps. Read more → and the Did you know? Legend: the minaret's foundation was laid with camel milk Legend says master Bako laid the foundations of the Kalyan minaret with ganch plaster mixed with camel milk, then vanished for two years to let them harden, and only then built the tower. Locals still show a grave they say is his. Read more → complex.
Overnight: Bukhara.
Day 6 · Bukhara → Samarkand
Free morning in Bukhara, then the 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 → high-speed train to Samarkand.
Evening: visit to the Gur-Emir Mausoleum — the tomb of .Amir Timur (Tamerlane, 1336–1405), founder of the Timurid empire, which had its capital in Samarkand. Born near Shahrisabz.
Overnight: Samarkand.
Day 7 · Samarkand → Tashkent
The Registan Square (UNESCO), ,Did you know? Legend: count the steps of Shah-i-Zinda twice Legend says you should count the steps at the entrance of the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis on the way up and again on the way down. If the numbers match, your soul is pure and your wish will come true. Most people count about 40. Read more → Did you know? 95 elephants hauled stone for Timur's great mosque Bibi-Khanym, begun in 1399 after Timur took Delhi, was the largest mosque of his empire. Some 200 stonecutters worked on site and 95 elephants brought from India hauled the loads; the courtyard was meant to hold 10,000 people. Read more → and Siab bazaar.
Evening: train back to Tashkent.
Overnight: Tashkent.
Day 8 · Departure from Tashkent
Breakfast and transfer to the airport. End of the programme.
Price
Price per person for the whole tour
Three hotel categories to choose from. The programme and route stay the same — only the level of accommodation changes.
| Occupancy | Touristbasic comfort | Boutiqueatmospheric hotels | Superiorpremium 4–5★ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Double / Twin | $570 | $545 | $870 |
| Single | $805 | $820 | $1500 |
Additional services
| Service | Price per person |
|---|---|
| Flight Tashkent — Urgench (TAS–UGC) | +$110–115 |
| Train Bukhara — Samarkand (economy) | +$35 |
| Train Samarkand — Tashkent (economy) | +$40 |
Prices are in US dollars per person. Hotels may be replaced with similar ones of the same category if unavailable.
Accommodation
Hotels by category
| City | Nights | Tourist | Boutique | Superior |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tashkent | 2 nights | Baden-Baden / Milan | Farovon Tashkent | Hyatt / Hilton |
| Khiva | 2 nights | Asia / Twins | Zarafshan / Arslan | Faravon / Komil |
| Bukhara | 2 nights | Asia / Garden Plaza | Devon Begi / Makon | Wyndham / Sahid |
| Samarkand | 1 night | Konstantin / Grand | Shahzoda Elit | Movenpick / Hilton |
The exact hotel is confirmed at booking, subject to availability.
Expert opinion
Pluses
- Logistics handled: 7 hotel nights with breakfast, accommodation taxes, airport, hotel and station transfers and the logistics between cities are included.
- Three hotel levels: Tourist, Boutique or Superior, with the same route and programme.
- Excursions by choice: guided excursions and entrance tickets are chosen and bought separately, to match your interests and budget.
Minuses
- Four hotel changes: the route moves on days 2, 4, 6 and 7, by air to Khiva, by road 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, by high-speed train to Samarkand and by evening train to Tashkent.
- A lot is paid separately: excursions and the guide, entrance tickets, lunches, dinners, and the domestic flight and train tickets are not included.
- One night in Samarkand: you arrive on the day-6 train for 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 → in the evening and spend day 7 at 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 → ,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 → Did you know? Legend says the architect asked the queen for a kiss Legend says the architect of Bibi-Khanym would finish on time only for a kiss from Timur's wife, and Timur punished him. In fact the mosque was Timur's own project; his wife Saray Mulk Khanum built her madrasah across the road. Read more → and the Samarkand's main bazaar, right next to Bibi-Khanym: Samarkand bread, dried fruit, nuts and halva. Read more → before the evening train.
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
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
Day 5 in Bukhara: the day covers the Ismail Samani Mausoleum, the Chashma-Ayub spring, the Ark fortress, Lyabi-Hauz square, the trading domes and the Poi-Kalon complex, and you stay overnight in Bukhara. Guided excursions and entrance tickets are not in the price, so you choose and buy them separately.
What the price includes
What is included
- Accommodation in your chosen category, 7 nights
- Breakfasts at the hotels
- All accommodation taxes
- Transfers: airport, hotel, station
- Logistics between cities per the programme
- Drinking water on the road
Not included
- International flights to and from Uzbekistan
- Excursions and guide services, added at your choice
- Entrance tickets to museums and monuments
- Domestic flight and train tickets (Additional services)
- Lunches and dinners
- Photo and video fees at the sites
- Early check-in and late check-out
Extra cost on site
- Entrance tickets to museums and monuments
- Lunches and dinners
- Photo and video fees at the sites
- Early check-in and late check-out
Good for
- Independent travellers on a budget
- Those who like to explore on their own
Maybe not for you if
- Those who want a guide every day — excursions and entrance tickets are not included
- Those who want one all-in price — trains and the domestic flight are added separately
Questions about this tour
What is included in the price?
Everything that is and isn’t included, and what you pay on site, is in one list: What the price includes
Are guides and entrance tickets included?
No. This is an independent tour: guided excursions and entrance tickets are chosen and paid for separately, to match your interests and budget.
Are the domestic flight and train tickets included?
No, they are paid separately: the Tashkent–Urgench flight is +$110–115, the Bukhara–Samarkand train +$35 and the Samarkand–Tashkent train +$40 per person (economy).
What hotel levels can I choose?
Three categories — Tourist, Boutique and Superior (4–5★); the route stays the same and only the accommodation changes. The exact hotel is confirmed at booking, subject to availability.
Are lunches and dinners included?
No, only hotel breakfasts are included. Early check-in and late check-out are also paid separately.
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.
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.
