Uzbekistan Culinary Tour

Arrive in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, where ancient heritage meets a modern rhythm. Our representative meets you at the airport and takes you to the hotel to check in and rest before your first evening in the East. As the sun sets, you gather for a welcome dinner at one of Tashkent's best traditional restaurants. The highlight is the famous Tashkent shashlik – juicy skewers of marinated meat grilled over charcoal, served with warm, crusty bread and sharp pickled onions. The lively atmosphere, the fragrant smoke and the cheerful hospitality set the tone for the culinary journey ahead. Overnight at the hotel in Tashkent.

Tashkent

• Tashkent International Airport → Tashkent (9 km)

Overnight: Tashkent (Hotel)

Meals: Dinner

After breakfast, start exploring Tashkent's old town. Visit Khast-Imam (Hazrati Imam) Square, home to the world-famous 7th-century Quran of Caliph Osman, admire the elegant Barak-Khan Madrasah and the Kukeldash Madrasah and stroll through their peaceful courtyards. For lunch, head to the famous Central Asian Plov Centre, Besh Qozon, where master chefs cook up to ten tons of plov every day in giant cauldrons. Watch how rice, meat and spices are layered to perfection, then enjoy your serving of this beloved Uzbek dish – rich, fragrant and unforgettable. In the afternoon, visit Independence Square and Amir Temur Square, the heart of the capital. Dinner introduces another classic: Uyghur lagman, hand-pulled noodles tossed with tender meat and vegetables in a savory sauce. Overnight at the hotel in Tashkent.

Hazrati Imam complex, Kukeldash Madrasah​, Tashkent Independence Square, Amir Temur Square

Overnight: Tashkent (Hotel)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, board the train to Samarkand, the legendary “Pearl of the East”. Few cities in the world can rival its history: once the capital of Sogdiana and later the imperial heart of Tamerlane, it still dazzles travelers with its blue domes, ancient madrasahs and timeless Silk Road spirit. On arrival, check in to the hotel and have lunch at the famous Panjab plov centre, where you taste Samarkand-style plov – golden rice layered with tender meat, sweet carrots and aromatic spices, slow-cooked to perfection. In the afternoon, explore the Registan, the crowning jewel of Central Asia, framed by the splendid Ulugbek, Sher-Dor and Tilya-Kori madrasahs. In the evening, join a warm, hands-on master class in a traditional family house and learn to make manti – delicate steamed dumplings filled with spiced meat – side by side with a local chef, then enjoy your creations for dinner. Overnight at the hotel in Samarkand.

Samarkand, Registan

• Tashkent → Samarkand (344 km)

Overnight: Samarkand (Hotel)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, continue discovering Samarkand, where every corner tells a story. Visit the majestic Bibi-Khanym Mosque, the bustling Siyob Bazaar and the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, a breathtaking avenue of turquoise-tiled mausoleums. Then see the Ulugbek Observatory and the Afrasiyab Museum, where the roots of Samarkand's civilization reach back more than 2,500 years. Lunch brings a local specialty, nokhat-shurak – a comforting stew of chickpeas and lamb, full of earthy flavors and slow-cooked until tender. In the afternoon, drive to Konigil village, where artisans keep alive the ancient crafts of Samarkand, from handmade silk paper to fine ceramics. Continue to the Bagizagan Winery, a family estate that has produced wines and brandies for five generations: learn about local grape growing, tour the cellar and enjoy a guided wine tasting in the tasting hall. Dinner features kazan-kabob, meat seared in a deep cast-iron pan until crisp outside and juicy within – a fitting finale to a day full of color, taste and tradition. Overnight at the hotel in Samarkand.

Bibi-Khanym Mosque and Mausoleum​, Siyob Bazaar, Shah i Zinda, Ulugbek Observatory, Afrasiyab, Konigil Paper Mill (Meros), Bagizagan Winery

• Samarkand → Konigil Paper Mill (Meros) (7 km)
• Konigil Paper Mill (Meros) → Bagizagan Winery (22 km)
• Bagizagan Winery → Samarkand (27 km)

Overnight: Samarkand (Hotel)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, set out for Bukhara. On the way, stop in Gijduvan, a town famous for its distinctive ceramics: for centuries its masters have passed their skills down from generation to generation, creating pottery known for its deep turquoise hues and intricate geometric patterns. Visit the workshop of one of Uzbekistan's most celebrated pottery dynasties and, guided by a master, try your hand at shaping clay on the potter's wheel – a meditative and rewarding experience. Afterwards, sit down for a hearty lunch in the family's courtyard with Gijduvan-style kebabs and tandoor kabob, meat slow-roasted in a clay oven until smoky and tender. In the afternoon, continue to Bukhara, one of the most ancient and sacred cities of the Islamic world. With its winding streets, turquoise domes and more than 2,500 years of history, Bukhara feels like a living open-air museum. Start exploring at the Lyabi-Hauz ensemble, the heart of the old city, surrounded by madrasahs, old trading domes and a tranquil pool. Dinner is at a local family home, where you taste damlama – a fragrant stew of lamb and vegetables, slow-cooked and served straight from the kazan: the essence of Uzbek home cooking. Overnight at the hotel in Bukhara.

Gijduvon, Bukhara, Lyabi-Hauz Ensemble, Trading Domes of Bukhara​

• Samarkand → Gijduvon (225 km)
• Gijduvon → Bukhara (45 km)

Overnight: Bukhara (Hotel)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, continue discovering Bukhara, a city where every brick and minaret seems to tell the stories of the travelers, scholars and poets who once walked its streets. Begin at the elegant Samanid Mausoleum, a masterpiece of early Islamic architecture, then visit Chashma-Ayub (“Job's Well”) with its unusual domed design and ancient legend. The Bolo-Hauz Mosque, reflected in its pond, enchants with twenty carved wooden columns. Next, explore the mighty Ark fortress, the stronghold of the emirs and their courts, before heading to the spiritual heart of the city, the Poi Kalyan complex, crowned by its graceful 12th-century minaret. Also visit the Abdulaziz Khan and Ulugbek madrasahs, adorned with exquisite tilework and geometric harmony. The farewell lunch takes place in a restaurant in the old town, where the table is filled with the aromas of saffron, sweet carrots and freshly baked samsa. Here you taste Sofi plov (Osh-i-sofi), Bukhara's signature plov known for its lightness and subtle sweetness, along with alat samsa, delicate pastries baked in a clay tandoor. In the evening, transfer to the railway station for the train back to Tashkent, with a packed dinner on the train. On arrival in Tashkent, transfer to the hotel for the night.

Samanids Mausoleum​, Chashma-Ayub Mausoleum​, Bolo Hauz Complex​, Ark of Bukhara, Poi Kalyan, Abdulazizkhan Madrasah, Ulugbeg Madrasah​ Bukhara

• Bukhara → Tashkent (600 km)

Overnight: Tashkent (Hotel)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before your transfer to Tashkent International Airport for your flight home, taking with you the colors, scents and memories of your journey – the taste of plov, the laughter of new friends and the quiet charm of an ancient land that welcomes every guest as family.

• Tashkent → Tashkent International Airport (9 km)

Meals: Breakfast