Arrive in Tashkent, where you will be welcomed at the airport and transferred to your hotel. Check-in is available from 14:00.
Your Uzbekistan journey begins with an introductory sightseeing tour of Tashkent, the country’s capital and the largest city in Central Asia. Start with the Courage Monument, built in memory of the 1966 earthquake and dedicated to the strength and resilience of the people of Tashkent. Continue to the historic Old City, visiting the Mausoleum of Kaffal Shashi and passing through the Khast-Imam Complex. View the exterior of the Islamic Civilization Center and enjoy a walk along the newly developed Zarkaynar Street.
Continue to the lively Chorsu Bazaar and visit a local pottery gallery before taking a ride on the beautifully decorated Tashkent Metro. The tour then continues to the modern city centre. Enjoy free time for lunch on Taras Shevchenko Street, known for its vibrant dining scene. In the afternoon, visit the State Museum of Applied Arts, admire the elegant façade of the Alisher Navoi Opera and Ballet Theatre, and finish the day at Amir Timur Square.
Early in the morning, transfer to the airport for your domestic flight to Urgench. Upon arrival, continue by road to Khiva, located around 30 km away. Check in at your hotel before beginning a guided walking tour of this beautifully preserved Silk Road city.
Spend the day exploring Ichan-Kala Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the historic heart of Khiva. Highlights include Mukhammad Amin Khan Madrasah, Mukhammad Rahimkhan Madrasah, Kalta Minor, Kunya-Ark, Juma Mosque, Toshkhovli Palace, Pakhlavan Makhmud Mausoleum and the Minaret of Islom Khodja.
The afternoon is free to explore at your own pace or relax at the hotel.
After breakfast, depart Khiva and drive across the Kyzylkum Desert towards Bukhara. This route follows part of the ancient Silk Road that once connected Khiva and Bukhara through the desert landscapes of Central Asia.
Along the way, stop to enjoy views of the Amu Darya River and the surrounding desert scenery. Arrival in Bukhara is expected in the late afternoon. Check in at your hotel and enjoy time to rest after the journey.
Enjoy a full-day guided walking tour of Bukhara’s atmospheric Old City, one of the most important historic centres along the Silk Road.
Begin at the Lyabi Hauz Ensemble, then continue to Magoki-Attori Mosque and Chor-Minor Madrasah. Walk through the old trading domes before visiting the magnificent Kalyan Minaret, Kalyan Mosque and Miri-Arab Madrasah. Continue to Ulugbek and Abdulazizkhan madrasahs, Ark Fortress, Bolo-Khauz Mosque, and the mausoleums of Ismail Samani and Chashma-Ayub.
Start the day with a visit to the House Museum of Fayzulla Khodjaev, an impressive historic residence that offers insight into the lifestyle and architecture of old Bukhara.
Continue to the Bakhoutdin Naqshbandi Mausoleum, one of the most important spiritual sites in the region. Afterwards, visit Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa, the summer residence of Bukhara’s last emir. This unique palace complex combines Oriental and Russian architectural influences, creating one of the city’s most distinctive heritage sites.
The afternoon is free for leisure or independent exploration.
Depart Bukhara in the morning and drive to Gijduvan, a town renowned for its traditional ceramics. Visit the Gijduvan pottery centre, where generations of craftsmen have preserved one of Uzbekistan’s most famous ceramic traditions.
Explore the workshops and learn about ceramic and embroidery techniques, visit the ceramic museum showcasing works from five generations, and browse the gallery of handmade ceramics. Depending on availability, enjoy demonstrations or master classes in pottery, embroidery or traditional Gijduvan bread-making.
Lunch is served in traditional Uzbek style and may include a cooking demonstration.
In the afternoon, continue to Samarkand. Upon arrival, check in at your hotel and enjoy the evening at leisure.
Meet your guide and driver at the hotel and begin a full-day tour of Samarkand, one of the great legendary cities of the Silk Road.
Visit the spectacular Registan Square, the remains of Bibi Khanum Mosque, and the colourful Siyob Bazaar. Continue to Ulugbek Observatory, once one of the most advanced astronomical centres of the medieval world. Later, explore the beautifully tiled Shakhi-Zinda Necropolis and visit Gur Emir Mausoleum, the burial place of Tamerlane.
Depart Samarkand for a day trip to Shakhrisabz, the birthplace of Tamerlane and an important historic city in southern Uzbekistan.
On arrival, enjoy a short sightseeing tour. Visit the Mausoleum of Jakhongir within the Dor-us Saodat Memorial Complex, see the remains of the grand Ak-Saray Palace, and explore the Dor-ut Tilavat Ensemble, including Kok-Gumbaz Mosque and the burial vault of Tamerlane’s father.
Return to Samarkand in the afternoon.
Check out from your hotel by noon and continue your sightseeing in Samarkand.
Visit the Afrasiab Museum, which presents the ancient history of the city, then continue to the Tomb of Saint Daniel. Afterwards, drive to Konigil village to learn about the traditional process of making Samarkand paper from mulberry bark.
After the sightseeing tour, enjoy free time with the vehicle and driver at your disposal. Later in the afternoon, transfer to the railway station and board the high-speed Afrosiyob train to Tashkent. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel.
Check out from the hotel by noon. Enjoy free time until your transfer to Tashkent International Airport for your departure flight.
This is intended to give an idea of the type of accommodation that may be expected. The actual hotels used for any given tour may change due to many reasons such as group size, availability, time of year, hotel standard has dropped or simply we found a better hotel. We update the website immediately if and when any changes take place. If and when we do change hotels it will be to a hotel of equal or higher standard and will be at no extra cost.
Where more than one hotel is shown for a given an overnight stop this means that one of those hotels will be used.
This tour is an 'On Demand' tour. This means it doesn't have fixed departure dates, can depart any day within the season, except where otherwise stated.
