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 →, The great mosque Amir Timur ordered after his Indian campaign of 1398–1399, one of the largest of its time. 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 programme lists 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.
Add a few days
A guided day
Arrival, departure, transfers
Programme and details
Day-by-day route, prices and terms
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 Amir Timur (Tamerlane, 1336–1405), founder of the Timurid empire, which had its capital in Samarkand. Born near Shahrisabz. Square — 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? 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, Muhammad Amin Khan Madrasah, The old fortress-residence of the khans of Khiva, inside the walls of Itchan Kala. fortress, Tash-Hauli 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
Ismail Samani 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 trading domes and the Poi-Kalon 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.
Overnight: Samarkand.
Day 7 · Samarkand → Tashkent
The Registan Square (UNESCO), Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, Bibi-Khanym Mosque 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.
