Programme and details
Samarkand · Bukhara · Amirsoy in summer · 5 Days / 4 Nights · Private Tour
Samarkand and Bukhara in 5 Days
Tashkent – Samarkand – Bukhara – Tashkent, timed to the flights from Dubai and Sharjah
About four hours from Dubai, two cities of the ,A network of caravan routes between China and the Mediterranean. Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva grew rich as stops along it. one fast train between them. In five days we show you 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 → by day and lit up at night, the tiled street of ,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 fortress-residence of the rulers of Bukhara on a high artificial hill: the oldest structure in the city. Read more → and 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 → in Bukhara, with two nights in each city and no long drives. The pace suits children: the sights in the cool of the morning and the evening, a rest in the hottest hours, and a morning at the Konigil paper mill near Samarkand. From June to August we swap the second day in Bukhara for a day at Amirsoy, in the mountains near Tashkent, almost ten degrees cooler than the city.
| Duration | 5 days / 4 nights |
| Price | on request |
| Format | Private, for your family or friends, on your dates |
| Where | Samarkand and Bukhara; arrival and departure in Tashkent; in summer, a day at Amirsoy |
| Getting around | Uzbekistan's high-speed train: Tashkent to Samarkand in about 2 hours 10 minutes, Tashkent to Bukhara in about 4 hours. Tickets are tied to your passport. Read more → high-speed trains Tashkent – Samarkand – Bukhara – Tashkent; a private car with driver for the airport, the stations and the trips out of town |
| Guide | A guide who speaks your language; it is included in the price |
| Best time | March–May and September–November; in summer with the mountain day |
Ideal for families with children, couples and friends from the UAE and the Gulf who want a short first trip to Uzbekistan, a long weekend around Eid or the school holidays, and travellers who want a premium trip with VIP seats on the train and hotels chosen with them.
Poi Kalyan — 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 → of 1127 above the old town of Bukhara.
Amirsoy in summer — two gondolas up to 2,290 m, 65 km from Tashkent, almost ten degrees cooler than the city in July.
Itinerary
Day by Day
Day 1 · Tashkent – Samarkand — Arrival and the fast train
Our driver meets you at Tashkent airport. Flights from Dubai and Sharjah land at different hours, so we fit the first day to yours: after a morning or midday arrival, the Afrosiyob high-speed train takes you to Samarkand in about 2 h 10 min the same day. After a night arrival, we add a night in Tashkent and take a morning train.
From late December 2026, flydubai also flies to Samarkand three nights a week. Then we meet you at Samarkand airport, and the tour starts there.
In the evening, the Registan lit up: the three madrasahs of the square under the lights, with the city out walking around them.
Good to know: Afrosiyob seats sell out, so we book the tickets as soon as your dates are fixed; we need the passport details of every traveller. For a premium trip, choose VIP or Business class. If you wish, we take you through the arrival lounge at Tashkent airport with fast-track passport control (on request).
Overnight in Samarkand
Day 2 · Samarkand — Konigil, Gur-e-Amir and the Registan by day
In the morning, while it is cool, the village of Konigil, about 13 km from the city. At the Meros workshop, paper is made from mulberry bark the old way, with a water wheel turning on the stream, and children can follow every step from the bark to the finished sheet.
Lunch, and the hottest hours at the hotel.
In the late afternoon, ,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 → the mausoleum completed in 1404, where Amir Timur (Tamerlane, 1336–1405), founder of the Timurid empire, which had its capital in Samarkand. Born near Shahrisabz. lies, and then the Registan by daylight. Its oldest building is the 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. of ,Did you know? Ulugh Beg measured the year to within 25 seconds Working at his Samarkand observatory, Ulugh Beg put the tropical year at 365 days 5 h 49 min 15 s, about 25 seconds too long, closer than Copernicus a century later. Read more → built in 1417–1420, where astronomy was taught; your guide shows you the tigers on the portal of Sher-Dor opposite.
Good to know: ,Samarkand's main bazaar, right next to Bibi-Khanym: Samarkand bread, dried fruit, nuts and halva. Read more → next to the ,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 → is the place for dried fruit, nuts and fresh round bread; we stop there on the way if you wish. More in our articles on the Registan and the Konigil paper mill.
Overnight in Samarkand
Day 3 · Samarkand – Bukhara — Shah-i-Zinda and Lyabi-Hauz
Early in the morning, before the heat and the tour groups, Shah-i-Zinda: a street of tiled mausoleums climbing the slope, most of them of the 14th and 15th centuries.
Late in the morning, the Afrosiyob to Bukhara, under 2 hours. Bukhara’s station is in Kagan, about 12 km from the old town; your driver meets you there.
At sunset, ,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 square around its pond, where the old town gathers in the evening. Dinner, if you wish, as the guests of a local family.
Good to know: Shah-i-Zinda is a revered place: cover shoulders and knees, women bring a scarf, and speak quietly. Dinner with a local family is on request; tell us about your food requirements, and we take them into account.
Overnight in Bukhara
Day 4 · Bukhara — The Ark, the Samanid Mausoleum and Poi Kalyan
In the morning, the Ark, the fortress of the rulers of Bukhara, and the Did you know? Buried in mud, this tomb escaped Genghis Khan The 10th-century Samanid Mausoleum, one of the oldest monuments of Islamic Central Asia, was covered by flood mud and sand before the Mongols came in 1220. Hidden for centuries, its brick lacework survived intact. Read more → in its park: a cube of baked brick about ten metres a side, from the time of ,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 → whose patterns shift as the sun moves.
A rest in the middle of the day. In the late afternoon, 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 → where carpets, Did you know? One suzani was often stitched by several women at once A family member or a pattern drawer, the kalamkash, drew the design across strips of cotton. The strips went to different women of the family or neighbourhood, who embroidered them at the same time; sewn back together, they show slightly mismatched seams. Read more → and metalwork are sold, and, for children, the puppet workshop-museum. At sunset, Poi Kalyan: the Kalyan minaret of 1127 between the Kalyan mosque and 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 that kept working through the Soviet period, and it still trains students today. Read more → madrasah.
Good to know: The old town of Bukhara is compact and flat, easy on foot with children. If you stay longer, the seven Sufi masters around the oasis are on our two-day Seven Saints of Bukhara tour.
Overnight in Bukhara
Day 5 · Bukhara – Tashkent — Home or onward
A free morning in the old town, then the Afrosiyob to Tashkent, about 4 hours. In the evening, if you wish, a guided evening walk in Tashkent, to Tashkent City and the Magic City park, lit up after dark (on request).
Then the transfer to the airport. Flights to Dubai and Sharjah leave at night and in the morning; for a morning flight we add a night in Tashkent.
Before the trip, read our article on Uzbekistan tours from the UAE and the Gulf: flights, entry without a ,Entry rules depend on your passport. Once you are here, each stay must be registered within three days, and hotels do it for you; customs and registration rules are in our guide. Read more → the 2027 holidays and halal food.
Summer option, June to August — A day at Amirsoy in place of the second day in Bukhara
From June to August afternoons in Bukhara reach 36–37 °C, so we change the end of the trip. You see the trading domes and Poi Kalyan on the evening of day 3, and on day 4 the Ark and the Samanid Mausoleum early in the morning; at midday the Afrosiyob takes you to Tashkent.
On day 5 we drive about an hour and a half to Amirsoy, a mountain resort 65 km from Tashkent. Two gondolas take you up to 2,290 m, where in July it is almost ten degrees cooler than in the city. At the resort there is a rope park for adults and children, quad bikes with an instructor and lunch with a view. In the late afternoon we drive back to Tashkent and the airport.
Good to know: In strong wind the lifts can stop, so we ride up in the morning. If you want a night in the mountains, we add one (on request). More in our guide to Amirsoy.
Accommodation
Where you stay
| City | Stay |
|---|---|
| Samarkand | A comfortable or premium hotel, 2 nights |
| Bukhara | A comfortable or premium hotel, 2 nights (in summer, 1 night in Bukhara and 1 in Tashkent) |
We choose the hotels with you and confirm them for your dates before booking.
Price
Price
The price is given on request: it depends on the dates, the hotels, the train class, the size of your group and the ages of your children, and on whether you take the summer version.
Good to know
Conditions
- The best months are March–May and September–November. From June to August afternoons in Bukhara reach 36–37 °C; then we start early, keep the middle of the day for lunch and rest, and take the summer version with the day at Amirsoy.
- Your guide speaks your language, and that is included in the price. Tell us the language you need when you book, ideally well in advance.
- Citizens of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman can stay in Uzbekistan for up to 30 days without a visa (rules as of October 2026). We check the current entry rules for your passport before booking.
- Tell us the ages of your children when you book, so that we plan the days and the car around them.
- Your guide plans each day with prayer times in mind. Most dishes in Uzbekistan are cooked with halal meat; tell us about your food requirements, and we take them into account.
- At the mausoleums and mosques, cover shoulders and knees; women bring a scarf, and shoes come off on the carpets.
- Drink bottled water: it is sold everywhere.
- Train tickets go on sale 60 days before departure and sell out; tickets need the full name and passport number of every traveller.
- Around Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, Ramazon hayiti and Qurbon hayiti, which are public holidays in Uzbekistan too, trains and hotels fill up, so book early for those dates.
- Read before you go: our article on Uzbekistan tours from the UAE and the Gulf and our guide to Uzbekistan with kids.
- Reservations are confirmed with passport copies only.
Cancellation policy
| Cancellation timing | Penalty |
|---|---|
| 21 days before the service | 20% |
| 20–7 days | 50% |
| 6–0 days | 100% |
Transportation
| Vehicle | Group size |
|---|---|
| Chevrolet Cobalt | 2 pax |
| Hyundai Starex | 3–4 pax |
| Toyota Hiace / King Long | 5–8 pax |
| Mercedes Sprinter | 9–14 pax |
Vehicles may differ in make and colour.
🌿 Responsible tourism: we allocate part of our profits to good causes and are preparing for GSTC certification.
Expert opinion
Pluses
- Built around your flights: about four hours from Dubai and Sharjah, with the first and last days fitted to your arrival and departure.
- Two nights in each city: one hotel change and high-speed trains instead of long drives.
- A pace for children: the sights in the morning and evening, a rest at midday, the A village near Samarkand where paper is made by hand from mulberry bark, the old way, at a working mill on the stream. Did you know? Paper polished with stone, made to last 400 years At the Meros mill in Konigil, founded in 1996 to revive a craft that had died out, a water wheel beats mulberry bark into pulp, and each sheet is polished for hours with agate, shell or horn. It is made to last some 400 years. Read more → and the puppet workshop in Bukhara.
Minuses
- No Khiva: the route covers Samarkand and Bukhara; Khiva and the desert are not on it.
- Little of Tashkent: the capital is only a point of arrival and departure.
- Meals mostly extra: only breakfasts are included; lunches, dinners and drinks are paid on site.
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
- 1
- Walking
- Light
Walking: Easy: the old towns of Samarkand and Bukhara are compact, and the middle of the day is for rest.
Best time
Mar–May, Sep–Nov
March–May and September–November: mild days for walking the old towns with children.
A typical day
On day 2 you drive 13 km to Konigil in the cool of the morning, where paper is made from mulberry bark beside a water wheel, spend the hottest hours at the hotel, and in the late afternoon see Gur-e-Amir and the Registan.
What the price includes
What is included
- Meeting at Tashkent airport, or at Samarkand airport, and all transfers on the programme
- Accommodation: 4 nights with breakfast (Samarkand 2, Bukhara 2)
- Train tickets: the Afrosiyob Tashkent – Samarkand, Samarkand – Bukhara and Bukhara – Tashkent
- A private car with driver for the airport, the stations and the trip to Konigil
- A local guide in every city on the programme, speaking your language
- Entrance tickets on the programme
- In summer: the car with driver and the guide for the day at Amirsoy
Not included
- International flights to and from Uzbekistan
- Lunches, dinners and drinks
- Dinner with a local family in Bukhara (on request)
- The arrival lounge at Tashkent airport and the evening walk in Tashkent (on request)
- An extra night in Tashkent for a night arrival or a morning flight home (on request)
- Gondola tickets and activities at Amirsoy
- Photo and video fees at the sites
- Tips and personal expenses
Extra cost on site
- Lunches, dinners and drinks
- Dinner with a local family in Bukhara (on request)
- The arrival lounge at Tashkent airport and the evening walk in Tashkent (on request)
- Gondola tickets and activities at Amirsoy
- Photo and video fees at the sites
- Tips and personal expenses
Good for
- Families with children who want a short first trip: two nights in each city and a rest in the hottest hours
- Guests from the UAE and the Gulf: about four hours from Dubai and Sharjah, and a long weekend around Eid or the school holidays
- Travellers who want a premium trip: VIP seats on the Afrosiyob and hotels chosen with you
Maybe not for you if
- Anyone who wants Khiva or the desert on this trip: they are not on the route
- Travellers who want time in Tashkent: the capital is only a point of arrival and departure here
- Those looking for an in-depth heritage programme: for that, see our seven-day Heritage of the Great Scholars
Questions about this tour
How much does the tour cost?
The price is given on request: it depends on the dates, the hotels, the train class, the size of your group and the ages of your children, and on whether you take the summer version.
Do citizens of the UAE and the Gulf need a visa?
No: citizens of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman can stay in Uzbekistan for up to 30 days without a visa. That is the rule as of October 2026; we check it for every booking, and details are in our article on <a href="/blog/uzbekistan-tours-from-uae-and-gulf/">Uzbekistan tours from the UAE and the Gulf</a>.
Which flights does the tour fit?
The flights from Dubai and Sharjah to Tashkent, about four hours. After a morning or midday arrival you take the high-speed train to Samarkand the same day; after a night arrival we add a night in Tashkent. From late December 2026 flydubai also flies to Samarkand three nights a week, and then the tour starts there.
Does the tour suit small children?
Yes. There is only one hotel change, the trains take two to four hours, the sights are in the morning and evening, and the middle of the day is for rest. Tell us the ages of your children when you book, and we plan the days and the car around them.
Is there time for prayer, and is the food halal?
Yes. Your guide plans each day with prayer times in mind; on Friday, tell us if you want to pray Juma at a particular mosque. Most dishes in Uzbekistan are cooked with halal meat; tell us about your food requirements, and we take them into account.
What changes in summer?
From June to August afternoons in Bukhara reach 36–37 °C. Then you see Bukhara in the evening of day 3 and the morning of day 4, take the train to Tashkent at midday, and on day 5 spend the day at Amirsoy, where the gondolas go up to 2,290 m and it is almost ten degrees cooler than in the city.
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
Arrival, departure, transfers
© Photos
The Afrosiyob train at Tashkent Central station — Nikolai Bulykin / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0; Gondola cabins above the slopes of Amirsoy — Iplossusvulpes19 / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
