UZBEKISTAN · 8 DAYS
Classic Uzbekistan
Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva in eight days: the four Silk Road cities, by high-speed train and across the Kyzylkum desert.
Guide price from US$1,390 per person
SAMARKAND · BUKHARA · 5 DAYS
Samarkand and Bukhara
The two great cities in a long weekend: two nights in each, linked by the Afrosiyob train, from and back to Tashkent.
The trip
5 days, 3 places
Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara.
Five days is enough to see the two cities that made Uzbekistan famous without rushing either of them. You fly into Tashkent, take the high-speed train to Samarkand the same day, and finish in Bukhara with a train or flight back to the capital.
It suits a short break from the Gulf or Europe, a first visit, or the start of a longer trip with us.
Highlights
- Two full days in Samarkand, including Shah-i-Zinda in the morning before the groups arrive
- Two full days in Bukhara, mostly on foot
- Every transfer by Afrosiyob high-speed train
The route
Where you go
- Tashkentstart
- Samarkand2 nights
- Bukhara2 nights
- Length
- 5 days, 4 nights
- Starts and ends
- Tashkent
- Group
- Private, 1 to 12 travellers
- Pace
- Steady
- Best months
- March to June, September to November
- Updated
- October 2026
Day by day
The itinerary
Marker above the line: a day in one place. Marker cut by the line: a day that moves.
Day 1
Tashkent to Samarkand
Samarkand · by train · night in Samarkand · dinner
Met at the airport. If your flight lands in the morning, a few hours in Tashkent for Khast Imam and Chorsu Bazaar before the afternoon Afrosiyob to Samarkand. First sight of the Registan at dusk.
Day 2
Samarkand
Samarkand · night in Samarkand · breakfast
Shah-i-Zinda early, then Bibi-Khanym and the Siab Bazaar, Gur-e-Amir and the Registan in daylight, with time inside each madrasa. Ulugh Beg's observatory if the afternoon allows.
Day 3
Train to Bukhara
Bukhara · by train · night in Bukhara · breakfast
A morning in Samarkand for anything missed, or for the paper-making workshop at Konigil, then the train to Bukhara. Lyabi-Hauz and the trading domes in the late afternoon.
Day 4
Bukhara
Bukhara · night in Bukhara · breakfast
The Ark, Bolo Hauz, Poi Kalyan, Magoki-Attori and Chor Minor on foot. The summer palace of the emir and the Bahauddin Naqshband shrine outside the city in the afternoon.
Day 5
Back to Tashkent and depart
Tashkent · by train · breakfast
The Afrosiyob takes under four hours to Tashkent, or we book a one-hour flight. Transfer to the airport for your departure, or stay on with us.
The price
What is included
Guide price from
US$890 per person
Per person, two travelling together, mid-range hotels. The final price depends on your dates, group size and hotels; we quote within a working day.
Included
- Four nights in hand-picked hotels in the old towns, with breakfast
- A private English-speaking guide in Samarkand and Bukhara
- Private car and driver for every transfer
- All Afrosiyob train tickets
- Entrance fees to every site in the itinerary
- Airport meeting and departure transfer
Not included
- International flights
- Visa fees, where a visa is needed
- Lunches and dinners except where listed
- Travel insurance
- Tips
Questions
About this trip
Does it work from Dubai, Doha or Istanbul for a long weekend?
Yes. Flights from the Gulf and Istanbul land in Tashkent in the morning, which is what day one is built around.
Can we add Khiva?
Khiva needs two more days. Classic Uzbekistan is this trip with Khiva and the desert road added.
More trips
Also worth a look
UZBEKISTAN · 12 DAYS
Silk Road in depth
The four cities plus the Fergana Valley's silk and ceramics, Timur's birthplace at Shakhrisabz, and a night in a yurt in the Kyzylkum.
Guide price from US$2,190 per person
FERGANA VALLEY · 4 DAYS
Fergana Valley crafts
Silk in Margilan, ceramics in Rishtan, knives in Chust and the palace at Kokand: four days in the valley over the mountains from Tashkent.
Guide price from US$640 per person
Plan this trip
Tell us your dates and who is travelling. We send a proposal for Samarkand and Bukhara built around you, with a firm price, within a working day.
We reply within one working day. [email protected]