Khiva Bukhara Samarkand 5 days tour
Accommodation, guides, transport, 4 train journeys included.
Khiva Bukhara Samarkand 5 days tour Highlights
See Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand, the three great Silk Road cities of Uzbekistan, in 5 days by train from Tashkent. A night train takes you across the desert to Khiva, where a local guide shows you the walled old town of Ichan Kala, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with the Kalta Minor minaret, the Kunya Ark fortress, the Juma Mosque and the Pahlavan Mahmud Mausoleum.
A day train brings you on to Bukhara, where history comes alive among bustling bazaars and stunning mosques. A full-day city tour leads from the Samanid Mausoleum and the Ark fortress to the Poi Kalyan ensemble, the old trading domes and the Lyabi-Hauz pool, and on the way out of town you visit the shrine of Bahauddin Naqshband and Sitorai Mohi Khosa, the summer palace of the last emir.
The Afrosiyob high-speed train then takes you to Samarkand, a treasure trove of architectural marvels and Silk Road heritage. Visit the Imam al-Bukhari memorial complex, Gur-e Amir, the tomb of Amir Temur, the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, the Ulugbek Observatory and the Bibi-Khanym Mosque before the evening train returns you to Tashkent. You choose between 3* and 4* hotels, and a professional guide-interpreter accompanies you in every city.
Difficulty: Easy Guided city tours on foot on mostly flat ground in Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand, plus a night train of about 14 hours (Tashkent–Khiva, 21:00–10:58), a day train of about 6 hours (Khiva–Bukhara) and two high-speed trains of 1.5 and about 2 hours; the tour ends in Tashkent at about 19:40.
Tour Itinerary
21:00 The journey starts the evening before at Tashkent's Southern railway station, where you board the night train to Khiva (about 1,070 km) and spend the first night in a coupé compartment. 11:00 Arrival in Khiva at 10:58, pick-up at the railway station and transfer to the hotel to freshen up and leave your luggage. The rest of the day is a city tour of Khiva's walled old town, Ichan Kala, with a professional local guide-interpreter: the Muhammad Amin Khan Madrasah, the Oqshaykhbobo Terrace, the Kalta Minor minaret, the Kunya Ark fortress with its zindan (prison), the Muhammad Rakhim Khan Madrasah, the Juma Mosque, the Tosh Hovli Palace with the khan's harem, the Pahlavan Mahmud Mausoleum, the Allakuli Khan Caravanserai, the Islam Khodja Madrasah and Minaret and the other sights of the inner town. Lunch at the Mirzaboshi restaurant and dinner at the Zarafshan restaurant, both serving local food, then back to the hotel.
Khiva, Mohammed Amin Khan Madrassah, Kalta Minor Minaret, Kunya-ark fortress, Muhammad Rakhim-Khan Madrasah, Juma mosque, Tach Khaouli Palace, Pakhlavan Makhmoud Mausoleum, Islam Khoja Minaret
- Tashkent → Khiva (1,070 km)
Overnight: Khiva (Hotel)
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
07:00–08:00 Breakfast at the hotel. 08:57 Train from Khiva to Bukhara (arrival 14:50, about 470 km), with lunch in the train's restaurant car. After arrival in Bukhara, transfer to the hotel. The rest of the day is free to explore on your own, without guide and transport. 19:00 Dinner at a restaurant at Lyabi-Hauz.
Bukhara, Lyabi-Hauz Ensemble
- Khiva → Bukhara (470 km)
Overnight: Bukhara (Hotel)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
07:00–10:00 Breakfast at the hotel, then a full-day city tour of Bukhara with a professional guide-interpreter. You visit the Samanid Mausoleum, the Chashma-Ayub complex, the Bolo Hauz Mosque, the Ark of Bukhara, the Poi Kalyan square with the Kalyan Minaret, the Abdulaziz Khan Madrasah, the old covered bazaars under their trading domes, the Lyabi-Hauz ensemble and the other main sights of the old town. Lunch and dinner at local restaurants or guesthouses.
Samanids Mausoleum, Chashma-Ayub Mausoleum, Bolo Hauz Complex, Ark of Bukhara, Poi Kalyan, Abdulazizkhan Madrasah, Trading Domes of Bukhara, Lyabi-Hauz Ensemble
Overnight: Bukhara (Hotel)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
07:00–10:00 Breakfast at the hotel. Tour of Bukhara's outskirts with visits to the Bahauddin Naqshband Mausoleum and Sitorai Mohi Khosa, the summer residence of Emir Alim Khan. 15:50 Afrosiyob high-speed train from Bukhara to Samarkand (arrival 17:20, about 255 km), then transfer to the hotel to check in and rest. Lunch and dinner at local restaurants or guesthouses.
Sitori-i Mokhi Khosa palace, Bakhauddin Naqshband Mausoleum, Samarkand
- Bukhara → Sitori-i Mokhi Khosa palace (6 km)
- Sitori-i Mokhi Khosa palace → Bakhauddin Naqshband Mausoleum (11 km)
- Bakhauddin Naqshband Mausoleum → Bukhara (12 km)
- Bukhara → Samarkand (255 km)
Overnight: Samarkand (Hotel)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
07:00–10:00 Breakfast at the hotel, then a full-day city tour of Samarkand with a professional guide-interpreter. First you visit the Imam al-Bukhari memorial complex, about 25 km outside the city, the shrine of the famous Islamic scholar and collector of hadith. Back in Samarkand you see Gur-e Amir, the mausoleum of Amir Temur, the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, the Ulugbek Observatory, the Bibi-Khanym Mosque and the Siyob Bazaar. Lunch at a local restaurant or guesthouse. End of the tour services and transfer to Samarkand railway station for the Afrosiyob high-speed train back to Tashkent (17:30–19:40, about 344 km).
Memorial Complex Imam Al-Bukhari, Gur-e Amir Mausoleum, Shah i Zinda, Ulugbek Observatory, Bibi-Khanym Mosque and Mausoleum, Siyob Bazaar
- Samarkand → Memorial Complex Imam Al-Bukhari (25 km)
- Memorial Complex Imam Al-Bukhari → Samarkand (25 km)
- Samarkand → Tashkent (344 km)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
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What's included
Included
- Accommodation in 3* or 4* hotels with breakfast, twin-sharing (4 nights: 1 in Khiva, 2 in Bukhara, 1 in Samarkand)
- Night train ticket Tashkent – Khiva in a coupé compartment
- Afrosiyob high-speed train tickets Bukhara – Samarkand and Samarkand – Tashkent (economy class)
- 5 lunches and 4 dinners as per the itinerary
- Transport and transfers as per the itinerary
- Drinking water, 0.5 l per person per day
- Entrance fees to museums and monuments as per the itinerary
- Professional, certified guide-interpreter in English or another language of your choice
- All taxes
Not included
- Single room supplement (57 USD per person with 3* hotels, 90 USD with 4* hotels)
- Additional food and drinks ordered in restaurants
- Additional services in the hotels
- All other services and charges not mentioned in the program
Nargiza is the office manager of Central Asia Guide and mostly responsible for multi country "Stan" tours.
Good to know
- Night train: The tour starts the evening before day 1 with the 21:00 night train from Tashkent’s Southern railway station to Khiva (arrival 10:58), in a coupé (4-berth) compartment.
- Trains: Khiva – Bukhara by day train (08:57–14:50, lunch in the restaurant car); Bukhara – Samarkand (15:50–17:20) and Samarkand – Tashkent (17:30–19:40) by Afrosiyob high-speed train in economy class.
- 3* hotels: Khiva – Islomxodja Family Hotel or Shams Hotel; Bukhara – Ohun Hotel, Kabir Hotel or Kavsar Boutique Hotel; Samarkand – Amina Hotel or Malika Classic Hotel.
- 4* hotels: Khiva – Bek Khiva Hotel or Asia Khiva Hotel; Bukhara – Asia Bukhara Hotel or Malika Bukhara Hotel; Samarkand – Emir Han Hotel, Diyora Hotel or Asia Samarkand Hotel.
- Free time: The afternoon of day 2 in Bukhara is free to explore on your own, without guide and transport.
- Single rooms: All prices are per person in a shared twin room; a single room costs 57 USD extra per person with 3* hotels and 90 USD with 4* hotels.
Uzbekistan travel information
Practical essentials for travelling in Uzbekistan. Open a topic to read more.
Visa policy
Find your country from the list and check possible visa requirements for Uzbekistan before booking.
The local currency is the Uzbek sum. Uzbekistan is still mostly a cash economy, but money is easy to exchange and ATMs are common in the larger cities.
Exchanging money
Banks exchange US dollars, euros, British pounds and Japanese yen. There are exchange offices in major cities such as Bukhara and Khiva and at Tashkent airport; elsewhere you need a bank, which often gives a better rate anyway. Your notes must be in pristine condition. Sum is hard to exchange outside Uzbekistan, but you can change it back to US dollars at a local bank.
Cards and ATMs
Cards are accepted in upscale hotels and restaurants in Tashkent and the main tourist cities, with Visa more widely recognised than Mastercard and a standard 3% commission. ATMs dispense sum and are easy to find in the larger cities; many also offer US dollars.
Uzbekistan is generally a safe destination, with little religious extremism and few crimes against foreigners.
Documents
Always carry your passport: it is a legal requirement, and police carry out routine checks.
Getting around
- Use licensed taxis. Local taxi apps are the easiest way to get a ride at local prices, and Yandex works very well in Tashkent and Samarkand. If you take a taxi on the street or at the airport, agree the price first.
- Many roads outside Tashkent, especially in the Tian Shan and Fan mountains, are in poor condition. Driving standards are generally low, and rural roads are often unlit, so night driving is riskier.
- On night trains, keep valuables safe, do not leave belongings unattended and lock the compartment door from the inside.
- Watch your belongings as you would anywhere, and avoid demonstrations and large gatherings.
Laws and customs
- Possessing narcotics is strictly illegal.
- Same-sex relationships are illegal and still socially condemned. Avoid public displays of affection.
- Drones are in practice banned. Permits can be applied for but are very rarely granted.
Photography
Be discreet near government buildings such as the Palace of Forums in Tashkent, and sometimes at local markets that see few tourists. Restrictions have eased, but check before photographing near airports, border checkpoints, military sites, bridges and police stations.
Earthquakes
Uzbekistan is prone to earthquakes, mostly tremors, though stronger ones occasionally occur.
Entering Uzbekistan is straightforward when your documents are in order. Citizens of many countries can visit visa-free, and for many others a visa is easy to get without an invitation.
Registration
Registration rules are stricter than elsewhere in Central Asia: by law you must be registered within 3 days of arrival. Hotels usually do this for you, but register yourself if you stay longer than 3 days in, for example, a rented apartment. Border officers check the registrations when you leave and may ask for the paper slips, so keep them until you exit the country.
Customs
Exporting handcrafted items older than 50 years is prohibited. At land borders, customs officers may check your phone and photos for explicit or confidential material, though this has become very rare.
The best times to visit Uzbekistan are spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November), between the summer heat and the winter cold.
Summer
At the height of summer the land dries out, especially in the countryside, and temperatures rise well above 30°C, often up to 40°C.
Winter
From November to March it can get cold, sometimes below zero, but the skies are mostly clear and bright. Snow is occasional and usually melts within a day or two.
Medical services in Uzbekistan have improved in recent years but are still limited, so good travel insurance that includes evacuation is essential.
Food and water
To avoid traveller's diarrhoea, drink only bottled, filtered or boiled water, and do not use tap water for brushing your teeth or for ice. Choose meat and fish that are thoroughly cooked and served hot.
Medical care
Uzbekistan has a state healthcare system and a small private sector. Larger clinics serve the cities and regional hospitals the countryside. Hospitals usually ask for payment in cash up front, even if you are insured, and serious cases may need evacuation home. Contact your insurer straight away if you need urgent care, and check before you leave what your insurance covers in Uzbekistan.
Medicines
Pharmacies are private, and the range of medicines can be limited. Prescriptions generally require a doctor's consultation. If you travel with medication, check the rules with the embassy, a consulate or Uzbekistan's Ministry of Health.
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