The classic route with a domestic flight, 3–4* hotels and every meal included.
Duration
8 days / 7 nights
Route
Tashkent → Bukhara → Samarkand → Tashkent
Duration
8 days / 7 nights
Route
Tashkent → Bukhara → Samarkand → Tashkent
Meals
Full board: 8 breakfasts, 7 lunches and 7 dinners
Guide
English
Group size
Groups of 2–20 people, departures guaranteed from 2
Hotels
3* and 4* hotels
Overview
Eight days across the three great cities with nothing left to organise: a morning flight to Bukhara instead of a long train day, lunches and dinners included every day, and 3–4-star hotels. The route adds the sacred sites around Bukhara, the Naqshbandi necropolis and the emir's summer palace, and the memorial of Imam al-Bukhari near Samarkand.
Day by day
1
Day 1
Arrival in Tashkent
Welcome at the airport by your English-speaking guide, transfer to the hotel (rooms available from 14:00). Free time with guide and vehicle at your disposal. Dinner.
2
Day 2
Tashkent
Khast Imam complex and the Uthman Quran, Chorsu Bazaar, a walk along Amir Temur Square with the Museum of the Timurids, Independence Square and the metro's most beautiful stations. Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
3
Day 3
Flight to Bukhara
Morning flight to Bukhara and welcome by your local guide. Ismail Samani Mausoleum, Chashma-Ayub Mausoleum, Bolo-Hauz Mosque and the Ark citadel, seat of the emirs for over a thousand years. Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
4
Day 4
Bukhara, pillar of Islam
Lyabi-Hauz and its khanaka and madrasas, the Ulugbek and Abdulaziz Khan madrasas, the Poi-Kalyan complex, Chor-Minor and the 16th–17th-century covered bazaars. Evening dance performance in the Nadir Divan-Begi Madrasa. Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
5
Day 5
Sacred outskirts, then drive to Samarkand
The necropolis of Bahauddin Naqshbandi, founder of the Naqshbandi Sufi order, and Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa, summer residence of the last emirs. Dinner of Bukhara's layered kuzacha kebab, cooked in small clay pots. Drive to Samarkand and check-in. Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
6
Day 6
Samarkand
Gur-Emir, Registan Square, the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, Siab Bazaar and the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis; evening 3D light show at the Registan. Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
7
Day 7
Imam al-Bukhari and train to Tashkent
Morning at the memorial complex of Imam al-Bukhari in Khartang. Early evening Afrosiyob high-speed train to Tashkent (2 h 20 min). Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
8
Day 8
Departure
Breakfast and lunch, then transfer to Tashkent airport.
What's included
Accommodation in the listed hotels, double room
Full board: 8 breakfasts, 7 lunches and 7 dinners
Domestic flight Tashkent – Bukhara, economy class
High-speed train Samarkand – Tashkent, 2nd class
English-speaking local guide throughout the trip
All transfers and excursions in air-conditioned vehicles
Entrance fees according to the programme, including the Uthman Quran
Dance performance in the Nadir Divan-Begi Madrasa, Bukhara
3D light show at the Registan, Samarkand
24-hour assistance and a tour advisor for every group
Not included
International flights (can be booked through us)
Travel and health insurance
Meals and drinks not mentioned in the programme
Tips for guides and drivers
Personal expenses and alcoholic drinks
Early check-in (before 14:00) and late check-out (after 12:00)
Air-conditioned vehicles, including the Bukhara – Samarkand drive
Hotels
3* and 4* hotels
Tashkent
Grand Afrasiab 4*, Ramada by Wyndham 4*, Afrasiab Regency 4*, Mirzo Boutique Hotel, Stay Inn 3*, Welcome Inn 3* or similar
Bukhara
Caravansaroy Rashid 4*, Salom Inn 4*, Caravan Plaza Inn Boutique Terrace 4*, Fatima Boutique Hotel, Malika Hotel 3*, Meros Boutique Hotel or similar
Samarkand
Grand Plaza 4*, Hilton Garden Inn 4*, Continental Hotel 4*, Sangzor Boutique Hotel, Kamila Boutique & Terrace, East Star 3* or similar
Hotels are recommended at the time of your request; the final choice depends on availability at booking. We always reserve a hotel of similar or higher category.
Add to any package
Experiences we organise on request, in any city on the route.
Masterclasses in traditional bread and plov
Traditional dance performance
Camel and horse riding
A visit to the outskirts with lunch in a local home
