Uzbekistan Winter Small Group Tour 2023-2024

Arrive in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. A driver will meet you at Tashkent International Airport to take you to your hotel, where check-in begins at noon.
Your guide and driver will pick you up from your hotel to begin your Uzbekistan Winter Small Group Tour, Tashkent city tour. Your private tour will include:

• Excursion to the Old City, including the Khazret-Imam Architectural Complex, which holds the oldest known Quran in the world. Also on site are the Madrasah of Barak-Khan (16th century), Tillya-Sheykh Mosque, Juma Mosque and Mausoleum of Saint Abu Bakr Kaffal Shashi (15th century);
• Visit to Chorsu Bazaar, Tashkent’s most well-established bazaar that includes a large selection of traditional Uzbek ceramics, jewelry, handbags, garments and more;
• Ride on the Tashkent Metro, an immaculate subway system with each station decorated in colored mosaics and ceramics to depict a specific theme;
• Walk through Amir Timur Square, with a massive statue of none other than Tamerlane himself at the center;
• Independence Square, including the moving Mourning Mother Monument and the Eternal Flame, burning continuously in memory of more than half a million Uzbek soldiers who died during World War II;
• Tour of the Applied Arts Museum, an informative collection of Uzbekistan’s finest handicrafts housed in an ornately decorated villa.

Overnight in Tashkent.
Tour duration: 5 hours

Breakfast at the hotel and transfer in the morning to the Tashkent railway station for a train to Bukhara (580 km). Arrive in Bukhara in the noon, where your driver will be waiting for you to take you to the hotel in the Old City.
With your private local guide, enjoy a walking tour of the most impressive sights of Bukhara’s Old City:

• Lyabi-Hauz ensemble, holding the largest artificial reservoir of medieval Bukhara (14th-17th centuries). This ensemble includes some of the largest madrasahs in the city: the Khanaka Madrasah, Kukeldash Madrasah and Nadir Divan Beghi Madrasah (all 16th century);
• Magoki-Attori Mosque, the oldest mosque in Bukhara (12th century);
• Four Trade Domes (15th-16th centuries), which still house local handicrafts for sale;
• Poi Kalyan Ensemble (12th-16th centuries), consisting of the Kalyan Minaret, Kalyan Mosque, Amir-Alimkhan Madrasah and Miri-Arab Madrasah;
• Ulugbek Madrasah (15th century) and Abdulazizkhan Madrasah (17th century), relatively untouched yet impressive religious schools;
• Ark Fortress (4th century), the ancient center of Bukharan statehood and currently home to a small museum;
• Bolo-Khauz Complex, consisting of an artfully decorated 18th century mosque, a minaret and reservoirs that once provided water for the entire city.

Finish your walking city tour of Uzbekistan Winter Small Group Tour. Overnight in Bukhara.
Tour duration: 6-7 hours

Begin the third day of your Uzbekistan Winter Small Group Tour with a delicious breakfast at the hotel. You’ll have the morning to explore Bukhara on your own. Enjoy free time exploring the old streets of Bukhara, whose alleyways resemble a living depiction of “A Thousand and One Nights”.
Your driver transfers to the train station in the afternoon for your trip to Samarkand. Take the train from Bukhara to Samarkand (330 km). You’ll be met at the Samarkand train station by your driver and transfer to hotel. Overnight in Samarkand.

Breakfast at hotel and start a private city tour of Samarkand, led by an experienced, local guide, to the following sights:

• Gur Emir, the imposing burial sight of Tamerlane and Mirzo Ulugbek.
• Registan Square, the social and commercial center of Samarkand for centuries and Samarkand’s most celebrated site today. The square includes three madrasahs: Ulugbek Madrasah (15th century), Sher-Dor Madrasah (17th century) and Tilla-Kori Madrasah (17th century).
• Siab Bazaar, the sprawling multi-level bazaar where you can shop for souvenirs and sample sweets, fruits and Samarkand’s famous bread.
• Bibi Khanum Mosque, built by Tamerlane for his favorite wife.
• Shakhi-Zinda, a burial complex built between the 9th-14th centuries. Climb the blue-domed path and explore more than 20 small mausoleums that line the broad alleyway.
• Ulugbek Observatory, the remains of a 14th-15th century sextant and its accompanying museum dedicated to this amazing astronomer’s life.

Overnight in Samarkand of your Uzbekistan Winter Small Group Tour fourth night.
Tour duration: 6-7 hours

After breakfast, you’ll have free time to enjoy Samarkand until the afternoon in your Uzbekistan Winter Small Group Tour. Check out from the hotel at noon. Transfer in the afternoon to the Samarkand railway station. Upon arrival in Tashkent you’ll be met by a driver who will take you to your hotel, check-in.
You’ll have the opportunity to join in the New Year festivities with a visit to the large New Year’s Tree, a central park of Tashkent. Afterwards, enjoy the party and dinner at the restaurant. Overnight in Tashkent.

Check-out from the hotel at noon. Transfer to Tashkent International Airport. End of the Uzbekistan Winter Small Group Tour.