Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva: a classic one-week route across Uzbekistan
Three Silk Road cities in seven days: what to see in each, how to travel between them and how much time to allow.
In this article
If this is your first trip to Uzbekistan, this route is a must. Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva are the three pearls of the Great Silk Road, and each is unlike the others. Samarkand amazes with its scale, Bukhara with its cosiness and atmosphere, and Khiva with the fact that an entire city has survived as an open-air museum.
How to plan the route
It is easiest to start in Tashkent and head west:
- Tashkent — Samarkand: the Afrosiyob high-speed train, about two hours.
- Samarkand — Bukhara: train, about an hour and a half.
- Bukhara — Khiva: train or car across the Kyzylkum Desert.
- Back to Tashkent: by plane from Urgench, which is next to Khiva.
A week is enough for everything: two days each for Samarkand and Bukhara, a day or a day and a half for Khiva and a day for Tashkent.
Samarkand: the legendary city
The main square of Central Asia — Registan. Three madrasas face each other: Ulugbek, Sher-Dor with its famous lion-tigers, and Tilya-Kori with a golden dome inside. Come here twice — during the day and in the evening, when the lights come on.
Be sure to visit the Gur-e Amir Mausoleum, where Tamerlane is buried, and walk along the Shah-i-Zinda street of mausoleums — the most beautiful collection of tiles in all of Uzbekistan. And at Siab Bazaar buy some Samarkand flatbread: they say it can’t be baked anywhere else.
Bukhara: a city you won’t want to leave
Bukhara is easy to explore on foot. The Po-i-Kalyan ensemble with the Kalyan Minaret, built in 1127, the Ark Fortress and the trading domes where craftsmen still work — all within a few minutes of each other.
In the evening be sure to sit by Lyab-i Hauz — an old pond in the shade of mulberry trees. People drink tea, eat plov and are in no hurry. It is also worth seeking out the small and very photogenic Chor Minor madrasa with its four turquoise towers.
Khiva: a fairy tale behind fortress walls
Khiva’s inner city — Itchan Kala — is surrounded by a clay wall and is listed in its entirety as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Inside are minarets, madrasas, khans’ palaces and narrow streets where ordinary Khivans live.
Don’t miss the Kalta-Minor Minaret, covered in turquoise tiles — it was never finished. The best place to watch the sunset is on the fortress wall or the viewing platform of the Islam Khoja Minaret.
Useful tips
- Tickets for the Afrosiyob sell out fast in season — book in advance.
- Mosques and mausoleums should be visited in clothes that cover the shoulders and knees.
- The best time to go is April — May and September — October.
Want to travel this route without the hassle of tickets and hotels? Take a look at our classic tour of Uzbekistan — everything is already planned, all that’s left is to enjoy it.
