Programme and details
3-day trip from Tashkent · by train
Khiva in 3 Days — from Tashkent by Night Train
An overnight train to Khiva, a full day walking the living museum of Ichan-Kala, a desert excursion to Ayaz-Kala, and back by night train. All-inclusive — no hidden extras.
3 days · 2 nights on the train + 1 in a hotel
Train tickets included
Min. group 5
Programme
What you will see
- Ichan-Kala — the walled inner city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, seen entirely on foot
- The 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 → and the Muhammad Amin-Khan Madrasah
- Kunya-Ark, the khan’s citadel, and the Tash-Khauli Palace
- The Islam-Khoja madrasah and minaret, and the Juma Friday Mosque
- 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 → in the evening, with optional gondola rides on the canal
- Ayaz-Kala desert fortress and the ancient Toprak-Kala fortress en route
Days
The route
Day 1 · Friday — Tashkent to Khiva
Evening departure from Tashkent’s Southern railway station, overnight train to Khiva, compartment (kupe) class.
Day 2 · Saturday — Khiva
Morning arrival in Urgench, transfer to Khiva (~30 km). Breakfast included; bags held until check-in after 14:00. A fully walking tour of Ichan-Kala: the Kalta-Minor minaret, the Muhammad Amin-Khan Madrasah, Kunya-Ark citadel, the Tash-Khauli Palace, and the Islam-Khoja madrasah and minaret. Dinner included. Evening visit to Arda Khiva, with gondola rides on the canal available at extra cost. Overnight in Khiva.
Day 3 · Sunday to Monday — Khiva to Tashkent
Breakfast at the hotel, then a drive out to the Ayaz-Kala desert fortress, passing the ancient Toprak-Kala fortress on the way. Lunch included, then back to Khiva and on to the station. Evening departure by night train, arriving in Tashkent Monday morning.
Price
Price per person
| All-inclusive tour, min. group 5 people | $290 |
One price, no hidden extras — train tickets, hotel, meals and entrance tickets are already included. Book 21+ days before departure and save 10%; inside the 21-day window, the full price applies.
Booking
How to book
- Send a request via the form on this page, by email hello@aroundca.com or on WhatsApp, or contact your manager directly. Reply within 24 hours.
- Fixed monthly departures, minimum group 5 people — see available dates above.
- Book 21 or more days before departure and save 10%; inside the 21-day window, the full price applies.
A weekend that becomes a journey — Khiva’s living old town, by night train, with a day in the desert.
Expert opinion
Pluses
- Trains and hotel included: compartment train tickets both ways, a hotel with breakfast, entrance tickets and the meals on the programme are in the price.
- A day on foot in :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 → ,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 → the ,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. 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 → and the Did you know? A grand vizier brought Khiva a hospital and a telegraph Islam Khoja, grand vizier of Khiva from 1898, funded the khanate's first European-style school, a hospital, a pharmacy, a post office and a telegraph. In 1908–1910 he also built the small madrasah beside his famous minaret. Read more → and minaret, seen entirely on foot.
- Desert fortress: a drive to ,Did you know? Legend says a shepherd named Ayaz built Ayaz-Kala for a bride Legend says a Khorezm king promised his daughter to whoever built an unassailable fortress; the shepherd Ayaz began, the king broke his word, and the walls stayed unfinished. In fact the oldest fort here dates to the 4th–3rd century BC. Read more → passing the ancient Did you know? Toprak-Kala was the palace city of ancient Khorezm's kings In the 2nd–3rd century AD Toprak-Kala was the capital of Khorezm. From 1938 Sergey Tolstov's expedition uncovered its palace, with wall paintings, coins and archives; its sculptures are now in the Hermitage. Read more → fortress on the way.
Minuses
- Two night trains: you leave Tashkent on an evening train in compartment class, take the night train back, and arrive in Tashkent on Monday morning.
- Early arrival: you reach Khiva in the morning, and bags are held until check-in after 14:00.
- Group of five: the tour has a minimum group of 5 people and fixed monthly departures.
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.
- On the ground
- 2 full days · 2 nights on the train + 1 in a hotel
- Hotel changes
- none — one hotel
- Walking
- Medium
Walking: Medium: day 2 is a fully walking tour of Ichan-Kala with five named sights and an evening visit to Arda Khiva; day 3 is a drive to the desert fortresses. Day 2 is long hours on your feet; the guide sets the pace for your group.
Best time
Mar–Jun, Sep–Nov
March and November are the start and end of the season: 11–16 °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: 34–36 °C by day in Khiva and Tashkent.
A typical day
Day 2: you arrive in Urgench in the morning and transfer to Khiva (about 30 km), with breakfast included and bags held until check-in after 14:00. Then a fully walking tour of Ichan-Kala: Kalta-Minor, the Muhammad Amin-Khan Madrasah, Kunya-Ark, Tash-Khauli and the Islam-Khoja madrasah and minaret. Dinner is included, and in the evening you can visit Arda Khiva, with gondola rides at extra cost.
What the price includes
What is included
- Hotel in a twin/double room, Tourist category, with breakfast
- Compartment (kupe) train tickets Tashkent–Khiva–Tashkent
- All transfers by comfortable vehicle
- Excursion programme with a guide in your language
- Entrance tickets to the listed monuments
- Meals on the programme: 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches and 2 dinners
- Hotel, twin/double room, category «Tourist» (Zarafshan / Arslan / Asia Khiva / Twins), with breakfast
Not included
- Gondola rides at Arda Khiva (optional)
- Photo and video fees at the monuments
- Personal expenses and tips
Extra cost on site
- Gondola rides on the canal at Arda Khiva (optional, extra cost)
- Photo and video fees at the monuments
- Personal expenses and tips
Good for
- A long weekend from Tashkent
- Travellers curious about the desert fortresses
Maybe not for you if
- Those who don’t want to spend two nights on a train
Questions about this tour
How do we get to Khiva?
By overnight train in compartment (kupe) class from Tashkent on Friday evening, arriving in Urgench in the morning and transferring about 30 km to Khiva. You return by night train, arriving in Tashkent on Monday morning.
Where do we stay?
In Khiva you stay in a tourist-category hotel such as Zarafshan, Arslan or Asia Khiva, in a twin/double room with breakfast.
Which meals are included?
All programme meals: 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches and 2 dinners.
What costs extra?
Gondola rides at Arda Khiva, photo and video fees at the monuments, personal expenses and tips.
What is the minimum group?
Departures are fixed monthly with a minimum of 5 people. Book 21 or more days ahead to save 10%; inside the 21-day window the full price of $290 applies.
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. An evening visit is already part of day 2 of this tour (gondola rides are paid separately), and we can add a stay there on request.
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Tick what you’d like to add — it goes into your request, and the manager confirms the final price.
