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Tashkent · Samarkand · 3 Days / 2 Nights · Private Tour
Uzbekistan in 3 Days: Tashkent and Samarkand
Tashkent – Samarkand – Tashkent by the Afrosiyob high-speed train
Three days are enough for two cities if the train does the hard part. The Afrosiyob covers Tashkent to Samarkand in about 2 h 10 min, so most of the three days go on the old city and the Registan. On day 1 we show you Tashkent: the old quarter around ,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 → the Center of Islamic Civilization, Chorsu bazaar and the metro. On day 2 the morning train takes you to Samarkand, and in the evening you see the Registan lit up. Day 3 starts on the square at opening time and ends on the evening train back to Tashkent.
| Duration | 3 days / 2 nights |
| Price | on request |
| Format | Private, on your dates, all year round |
| Where | Tashkent and Samarkand, with 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 → near Samarkand |
| Getting around | The Afrosiyob high-speed train Tashkent – Samarkand and back; a private car with driver for the airport, the stations and Konigil |
| Guide | A guide who speaks your language; it is included in the price |
| Best time | March–May and September–November; in summer and winter with the day adjusted to the heat or the short light |
Ideal for a long weekend, a stopover between two flights, a few free days after a conference in Tashkent, and travellers who want a first look at Uzbekistan before a longer trip.
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 → — a street of tiled mausoleums climbing the slope above Samarkand.
The Tashkent metro — stations designed as halls, one of them on the World Heritage List.
Itinerary
Day by Day
Day 1 · Tashkent — The old city, Chorsu and the metro
Our driver meets you at Tashkent airport and takes you to your hotel. With your guide you start in the old city, on the square of Hazrati Imam: the Did you know? A mausoleum built for a khan who was buried in another city Barak Khan Madrasah was built in 1531–32. One of its two mausoleums was meant for Barak Khan himself, but he was buried in Samarkand, so the tomb is still called the Nameless Mausoleum. Its cell doors were inlaid with ivory. 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. Read more → the Tillya Sheikh mosque and the Hazrati Imam mosque around the tomb of ,Did you know? Tashkent's patron saint was nicknamed “the locksmith” Abu Bakr Kaffal Shashi, born in Shash, old Tashkent, in 903–904 and died in 976, was a jurist and poet and the son of a locksmith: “kaffal” means locksmith. His mausoleum at Hazrati Imam dates from 1541–1542. Read more → the scholar Tashkent honours as its patron. Next to it stands the Center of Islamic Civilization, opened in March 2026, with its halls under a 65-metre dome.
Lunch is .Rice cooked in a kazan with carrots, onions and meat: the dish of every Uzbek celebration. Each region cooks it its own way. Then Chorsu bazaar under its blue dome of 1990: spices, dried apricots, nuts and round bread, with the Did you know? A madrasah that was an inn, a fort and a museum Tashkent's Kukeldash Madrasah, built around 1570, became a caravanserai in the 18th century, later a fortress and then a museum, before returning to teaching in the 1990s. Read more → at the edge of the market. From Tashkent's old bazaar under a big blue-green dome, not far from Hazrati Imam. Bring cash in so'm. Read more → station you ride the blue Did you know? Central Asia’s first metro: free to photograph since 2018 Tashkent’s metro opened on 6 November 1977 with nine stations, the first in Central Asia. Since 1 June 2018 it can be photographed freely, richly decorated station halls included. Read more → of the metro to Alisher Navoi, with its turquoise ceramic reliefs, and to ,Did you know? A metro station where Ulugh Beg meets Gagarin Kosmonavtlar station, opened in 1984, has ceramic medallions of Ulugh Beg, Galileo, Icarus, Gagarin and Tereshkova, and glass stars in the ceiling that hint at the Milky Way. Read more → and come up near .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 →
Good to know: if your flight lands in the evening, we keep only the evening part: the Center of Islamic Civilization is open until 22:00, and its facade is lit up after dark. At Hazrati Imam, cover shoulders and knees; women bring a scarf. More in our plan for Tashkent in 1 or 2 days.
Overnight in Tashkent
Day 2 · Tashkent – Samarkand — The Afrosiyob, Gur-e-Amir, Shah-i-Zinda and the Registan lit up
In the morning, the Afrosiyob from Tashkent Central, which locals call the North station. The earliest trains leave soon after six and reach Samarkand before nine; the ride takes about 2 h 10 min. Samarkand station is more than 6 km from the Registan; your driver meets you there.
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 → first, 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. Read more → lies. From the Registan a pedestrian street runs about 700 m 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 → and Samarkand's main bazaar, right next to Bibi-Khanym: Samarkand bread, dried fruit, nuts and halva. Read more → starts right beside it: dried fruit, nuts and ,Did you know? Legend: Samarkand bread can't be baked anywhere else Legend says a Bukhara ruler brought Samarkand's best baker to his court with his oven, flour and water, yet the bread came out different. The missing ingredient, the baker said, was the air of Samarkand. The round loaves keep for a long time. Read more → and lunch nearby. In the afternoon, Shah-i-Zinda, a street of tiled mausoleums built over eight centuries. In the evening, the Registan under its lights.
Good to know: in summer we turn the day around and go to Shah-i-Zinda first, before the heat. Shah-i-Zinda is a revered place: cover shoulders and knees, women bring a scarf, and speak quietly. More in our articles on the Registan and Shah-i-Zinda.
Overnight in Samarkand
Day 3 · Samarkand – Tashkent — The Registan at opening time, Konigil and the evening train
Be on the Registan when it opens at 8 a.m. The low morning sun falls on the Ulugh Beg madrasah, built in 1417–1420, where astronomy was taught, and the square is quiet. Your guide takes you into the courtyards and shows you the tigers on the portal of Sher-Dor.
Then we drive about 13 km to the village of Konigil, where the Meros workshop makes paper from mulberry bark the old way, with a water wheel turning on the stream. After lunch you have free time in the city, and in the evening the Afrosiyob takes you back to Tashkent in about 2 h 10 min. Our driver meets you at the station and takes you to the airport or your hotel.
Good to know: the last fast trains leave Samarkand around 7 to 8 p.m., so we book the flight home for late on day 3 or the next morning; an extra night in Tashkent is on request. If you fly into or out of Samarkand, we turn the route around. More in our article on the Konigil paper mill.
A longer stay — Bukhara, Khiva or the mountains
If you can stay longer, the route grows in one direction. Bukhara is under 2 hours from Samarkand on the Afrosiyob, and our Samarkand and Bukhara in 5 Days adds two nights there. From December to March, a day at Amirsoy in the mountains near Tashkent can close the trip.
Good to know: how we plan longer trips is in our guides to Uzbekistan in 5 days and Uzbekistan in 7 days.
Accommodation
Where you stay
| City | Stay |
|---|---|
| Tashkent | A hotel in Tashkent, 1 night |
| Samarkand | A hotel in Samarkand, 1 night |
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 and the size of your group.
Good to know
Conditions
- The best months are March–May and September–November. In summer we walk in the morning and the evening and keep the middle of the day for lunch and rest; in December the sun sets before five, so we plan the walks around the light.
- Train tickets go on sale 60 days before departure and need the full name and passport number of every traveller. Afrosiyob seats sell out, so we book them as soon as your dates are fixed.
- 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.
- 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.
- Read before you go: our guides to Uzbekistan in 3 days and Tashkent to Samarkand.
- 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
- Two cities in three days: the 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 → covers Tashkent to Samarkand in about 2 h 10 min, so most of the time goes on the sights.
- Samarkand twice: 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 → lit up in the evening and again at 8 a.m., when the square opens and the morning sun is on the .Did you know? Engineers pulled a leaning minaret back upright By 1920 a minaret of the Ulugh Beg Madrasah on the Registan was tilting. In 1932 engineer Vladimir Shukhov straightened it; the second minaret was set upright in 1965. Read more →
- Tashkent too: the old city, ,Did you know? Tashkent’s Chorsu dome is younger than the city’s metro Trade at the old crossroads is centuries old, but the domed building opened only in 1990, thirteen years after the metro. Architects Vladimir Azimov and Sabir Adylov gave it a main dome of 86 m ringed by seven smaller ones. Read more → the Center of Islamic Civilization and the Did you know? A metro designed to ride out a magnitude-9 earthquake The three original lines of the Tashkent Metro were built to withstand an earthquake of magnitude 9.0, and the tunnels lie unusually shallow, only 8–25 m below the street. Read more → instead of only an airport and a station.
Minuses
- No Bukhara or Khiva: they need at least two more days; see our five- and seven-day plans.
- Full days: on day 2 the train leaves in the morning, and both cities are seen on foot.
- 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
- Medium
Walking: Medium: two full days on foot in the old cities of Tashkent and Samarkand, with the car for the longer distances.
Best time
Mar–May, Sep–Nov
March–May and September–November: mild days for walking the old cities from morning to evening.
A typical day
On day 2 you take the morning Afrosiyob to Samarkand, see Gur-e-Amir, walk the pedestrian street to Bibi-Khanym and Siab bazaar, spend the afternoon at Shah-i-Zinda and end the day at the Registan under its lights.
What the price includes
What is included
- Meeting at Tashkent airport and all transfers on the programme
- Accommodation: 2 nights with breakfast (Tashkent 1, Samarkand 1)
- Train tickets: the Afrosiyob Tashkent – Samarkand and Samarkand – 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
Not included
- International flights to and from Uzbekistan
- Lunches, dinners and drinks
- An extra night in Tashkent for a morning flight home (on request)
- The arrival lounge at Tashkent airport (on request)
- Photo and video fees at the sites
- Tips and personal expenses
Extra cost on site
- Lunches, dinners and drinks
- An extra night in Tashkent for a morning flight home (on request)
- The arrival lounge at Tashkent airport (on request)
- Photo and video fees at the sites
- Tips and personal expenses
Good for
- Travellers with a long weekend or a stopover between two flights who want to see two cities, not one
- Guests in Tashkent for a conference or business who have two or three free days
- Anyone who wants a short first look at Uzbekistan before coming back for a longer trip
Maybe not for you if
- Anyone who wants Bukhara or Khiva: they are not on this route; see our five- and seven-day plans
- Travellers who prefer a slow pace: on day 2 the train leaves in the morning, and each day is full
- Those looking for mountains or the desert: this trip is about the two cities
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 and the size of your group.
Can I do this tour as a stopover between two flights?
Yes, if you have at least two nights in Uzbekistan. We fit the first day to your arrival: after an evening landing we keep only the evening part in Tashkent. On the last day the train reaches Tashkent in the evening, so we book the flight home for late on day 3 or the next morning.
Why Tashkent and Samarkand, and not Bukhara?
In three days we keep the hours on trains short. Tashkent to Samarkand is about 2 h 10 min on the Afrosiyob; with Bukhara, the way back to Tashkent alone takes about four hours. If you can add two days, our tour Samarkand and Bukhara in 5 Days includes Bukhara.
How early is the train to Samarkand?
The earliest Afrosiyob trains leave Tashkent soon after six in the morning and reach Samarkand before nine. We choose the train with you: an early one gives you a longer day in Samarkand, a later one a calmer morning.
Can we start in Samarkand?
Yes. If you fly into or out of Samarkand, we turn the route around: Samarkand first, then the train to Tashkent.
What do I need to book the train?
The full name and passport number of every traveller. Tickets go on sale 60 days before departure and Afrosiyob seats sell out, so we buy them as soon as your dates are fixed. More in our guide to Tashkent to Samarkand.
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
