Uzbekistan in 7 days

Tashkent – Arrival

Arrival in Tashkent. You will be met by an STANROADS driver and transferred to the hotel. Check in to the hotel at noon. Your Uzbekistan tour will start with meeting your guide to start sightseeing in the capital of Uzbekistan, the biggest city in Central Asia. Visit the Old City part of Tashkent with Khast-Imam Complex where the world famous Quran of Caliph Uthman has been preserved. Explore Chorsu Bazaar. Then take a Metro ride to the city center to walk through Amir Timur Square, Independence Square and the Applied Arts Museum. Overnight at the hotel. Duration of a city tour: 5-6 hours

Tashkent – Samarkand

Morning transfer to the railway station for the high-speed Afrosiyob train ride to Samarkand (journey time 2 h 10 min). Your guide and driver will meet you at the train station to begin the city tour in Samarkand. Visit spectacular Registan Square, remains of Bibi-Khanum Mosque, Siab Bazaar, Ulugbek Observatory, Shakhi-Zinda Necropolis and Gur-Emir Mausoleum, the final resting place of the Turco-Mongol emperor, Timur. Overnight at the hotel. Duration of a city tour: 6-7 hours

Samarkand

Continue sightseeing: visit Afrasiab Museum and the Tomb of Saint Daniel. Then drive to Konigil village to explore the traditional way of making Samarkand paper from mulberry. Enjoy free time with a car and driver at your disposal after a city tour or choose some other sights that you might consider. Overnight at the hotel. Duration of a city tour: 3-4 hours

Samarkand – Bukhara

In the morning depart Samarkand and drive to Bukhara (283 km, 4 h*). Stop on the way at Rabat-i-Malik Caravanserai. Continue driving to Bukhara. Or you can choose to take the high-speed Afrosiyob train to Bukhara (if you take the train which is at 09:44 - 11:17 you can only check into your hotel in the afternoon). Arrive in Bukhara, check in to the hotel. Spend your afternoon in the fascinating Old Bukhara which is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Explore Kalyan Minaret, Kalyan Mosque and Miri-Arab Madrasah, Magoki-Attori Mosque, madrasah of Ulugbek and Abdulazizkhan, trade domes, Lyabi-Khauz Ensemble, Chor-Minor Madrasah. Overnight at the hotel. Duration of a city tour: 3-4 hours *The drive between might be longer by van or bus.

Bukhara

Start the second day in Bukhara discovering Ark Fortress, Bolo-Khauz Mosque, Samani dynasty and Chashma-Ayub mausoleums. Then visit Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa – the summer residence of Bukhara’s last emir, a unique site combining Oriental and Russian architecture. Continue to the Mausoleum of Bakhouddin Naqshbandi. Enjoy free time in the afternoon. Overnight at the hotel. Duration of city tour: 5-6 hours

Bukhara – Khiva

In the morning depart Bukhara and drive to Khiva (480 km, 7-8 h*). Today we will have an overland transfer from Bukhara to Khiva through Kyzylkum desert**. Caravans on the Great Silk Road carrying porcelain and spices used the same route for hundreds of years. Arrival in Khiva late in the afternoon. Check-in to the hotel. Free evening in Khiva. Overnight at the hotel. *As the cafés and restaurants on the way are basic and offer limited menus, you may wish to take a packed lunch on this trip (your hotel or guide can help you arrange this the day before). **Some areas' road conditions might not be good.

Khiva – Urgench – Tashkent

Check-out from the hotel till noon. Today you will visit Itchan-Kala Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The tour features visits to Mukhammad Aminkhan Madrasah, Mukhammad Rahimkhan Madrasah, Kalta-Minor, Juma Mosque, Tash-Khovli Palace, Pakhlavan Makhmud Mausoleum and Islam-Khoja minaret, the highest minaret in Uzbekistan. Free time in the afternoon. In the evening you will be transferred to Urgench airport (30 km, 35 min) for a flight to Tashkent (1093 km, 1 h 40 min). Upon arrival transfer to the hotel. Here you will complete your Uzbekistan classic tour. Overnight at the hotel. Duration of city tour: 5 hours

Tashkent – Departure