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 Muhammad Amin-Khan Madrasah, The old fortress-residence of the khans of Khiva, inside the walls of Itchan Kala., Tash-Khauli and the Did you know? Khiva's tallest minaret is barely a century old The Islam Khoja Minaret was begun in 1908, near the very end of the khans' era. At 56.6 m it is one of the tallest in Central Asia; a spiral stair of 175 steps leads up to its windowed top. Read more → An Islamic college: student cells and classrooms around a courtyard behind a grand portal. In the old towns many now house museums and craft workshops. and minaret, seen entirely on foot.
- Desert fortress: a drive to Ruins of ancient Khorezm fortresses on hills at the edge of the Kyzylkum, in Karakalpakstan., passing the ancient Toprak-Kala 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. The programme gives no distances or hours.
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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Arrival, departure, transfers
Programme and details
Day-by-day route, prices and terms
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 Kalta-Minor minaret 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.
