Uzbekistan Train Tour

Arrive in Tashkent, Uzbekistan’s capital. Transfer to the hotel, where check-in begins at noon, and rest after your flight. Free day. First night of your Uzbekistan Train Tour. Overnight in Tashkent.

After breakfast, your guide and driver will meet you at your hotel to begin your private Tashkent city tour. Check-out at noon. The programme includes Old City exploration featuring the Khazret-Imam Architectural Complex, home to the world’s oldest known Quran. The complex also includes the 16th-century Barak-Khan Madrasah, Tillya-Sheykh Mosque, Juma Mosque, and the Mausoleum of Abu Bakr Kaffal Shashi (15th century).

Visit Chorsu Bazaar, Tashkent’s most iconic marketplace, offering traditional Uzbek ceramics, jewellery, clothing, handbags, and more. Take a ride on the Tashkent Metro, each station decorated with distinctive mosaic and ceramic designs. Walk through Amir Timur Square, centred on the statue of Tamerlane, and Independence Square, featuring the Mourning Mother Monument and the Eternal Flame.

Drive to the Sacred Heart Cathedral, a Roman Catholic church noted for its Gothic architecture and stained-glass windows. Tour the Applied Arts Museum, which showcases Uzbekistan’s finest handicrafts in an exquisitely decorated traditional villa. Transfer to the railway station and take the overnight train to Khiva (1100 km, 13 h). Overnight on the train.

Tour duration: 5 hours

Arrive at Khiva railway station and transfer to the hotel. Upon arrival, this open-air museum city welcomes you with its distinctive atmosphere. Check-in and free time to explore at your own pace. Overnight in Khiva.

You may visit the following sights independently – all located within walking distance inside the fortified walls of Itchan-Kala: Kalta Minor Tower, Muhammad Amin-Khan Madrasah, Muhammad Rahim-Khan Madrasah, Juma Mosque, Tash-Hauli Palace, the Necropolis of Pahlavan Mahmud, and the Minaret and Madrasah of Islam Khodja, the personal advisor of the last khan.

After breakfast, enjoy a free morning in Khiva – a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Check out from the hotel and transfer to the train station for your journey to Bukhara (450 km, 6–7 h). Upon arrival, transfer to the hotel. Overnight in Bukhara.

Breakfast at the hotel. Start a walking tour with your local guide and explore the streets of Bukhara, a city where Silk Road history remains visible in its layout and monuments. Your tour leads you through the Old City, revealing its key landmarks. Begin at the Lyabi-Hauz Ensemble, centred around Bukhara’s largest medieval reservoir and surrounded by the Nadir Divan-Beghi khanaka and the Kukeldash and Nadir Divan-Beghi madrasahs. From here, continue to Magoki-Attori, Bukhara’s oldest surviving mosque, whose origins date to the 12th century. Nearby are the Trade Domes, historic bazaars selling silk, spices, jewellery, and ceramics. Your route then takes you to the Poi Kalyan Ensemble, where the Kalyan Minaret, the grand mosque, and the surrounding madrasahs form the architectural centre of Bukhara, developed between the 12th and 16th centuries.

Continue to the adjacent Ulugbek and Abdulazizkhan Madrasahs, two significant religious schools facing one another, each reflecting its own era’s artistic character. Ahead stands the Ark Fortress, once the royal residence and ancient seat of Bukharan rulers. Its interior houses a small museum that outlines the city’s long history. A short walk away stands the Bolo-Hauz Complex, with its carved wooden pillars reflected in the waters of a historic reservoir. Overnight in Bukhara.

Tour duration: 6 hours.

After breakfast, enjoy a free morning in Bukhara – a historic Silk Road city. Check out from the hotel and transfer to the train station for your journey to Samarkand (280 km, 3 h). Pick-up from Samarkand train station and transfer to the hotel. Free time. Overnight in Samarkand

Your private city tour begins under the guidance of an experienced local expert who introduces Samarkand’s principal sites, each reflecting a different layer of its Silk Road heritage.

Begin at Gur Emir, the mausoleum of Tamerlane and Mirzo Ulugbek, known for its ribbed azure dome and refined interior decoration. A short walk leads to Registan Square – the historic heart of the city – framed by the Ulugbek, Sher-Dor, and Tilla-Kori Madrasahs, whose mosaics, portals, and golden accents define the city’s architectural character.

Continue to the Bibi Khanum Mosque, once among the largest mosques in the Islamic world, built by Tamerlane in honour of his wife. Its scale and detailed stonework convey the ambition of the era. Nearby, Siab Bazaar offers a lively marketplace with spices, sweets, fruit, and Samarkand’s well-known bread baked in the tandir.

Then visit the Shakhi-Zinda necropolis, where over twenty blue-tiled mausoleums line a rising passageway, forming a significant ensemble of spiritual and artistic heritage from the 9th to 14th centuries. Overnight in Samarkand.

Tour duration: 6 hours

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel, followed by a leisurely day to explore Samarkand, one of the most atmospheric cities of the Silk Road. Walk through its historic districts, visit artisan workshops, or relax in Registan Square. Check-out at noon. Transfer to the train station for your journey to Tashkent (320 km). Upon arrival, transfer to the hotel. Check-in and free time. Overnight in Tashkent.

After breakfast at the hotel, check out and transfer to Tashkent International Airport for your departure flight. End of Uzbekistan Train Tour.