Samarkand's Registan, Bukhara's trading domes, Khiva's Itchan Kala and Tashkent's bazaars and metro offer different experiences. Start with what you want to see, then connect the cities, allowing for journeys between them and your flight home.
Updated on 17 September 2026. For five days, choosing two or three cities is sensible. A week allows three cities with a return to Tashkent, or a busier itinerary including Khiva; ten days leave more time to explore on foot. Below you will find day-by-day plans, overnight stops, transport checks and developments in 2026 that can help you choose your trip.
Count the full days between arrival and departure. A late evening arrival is not a sightseeing day, while a morning flight takes up most of your departure day. For an overnight or early arrival, agree with your hotel which night to book and exactly when you can enter your room: do you need to book the previous night or arrange confirmed early check-in? Notify the hotel if you will arrive late. Your rest on day 1 depends on this; keep the first walk flexible until check-in is confirmed. Then check transport between cities: a free slot in your calendar does not necessarily mean there is a suitable train.
Starting in Tashkent works well for the sequence Samarkand → Bukhara → Khiva. If a suitable international flight arrives in Samarkand or Urgench, you can reverse the route. For a week with arrival and departure in Tashkent, consider three cities with two nights in each. If departing from Urgench is convenient, compare this with the busier four-city programme.
These suggestions will help you choose your stops. If a particular museum or workshop is central to your trip, check its opening dates and hours, and whether advance booking is needed, before fixing your days. Choose another sight or a walk in the same city as a fallback in case of closure. Follow the links in the cards for detailed city itineraries.
Combine Chorsu and the Old City with the metro and a walk through the centre. If you enjoy modernism, allow time for a dedicated architecture walk: in 2026, the serial property “Modernist Architecture of Tashkent”, comprising ten buildings and urban complexes, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Check access to individual interiors separately. You will need transport between neighbourhoods. More details: What to see in Tashkent.
Choose your main architectural ensembles and divide them between two walks. Registan, Gur-e Amir and Shah-i Zinda reveal different sides of the city's architecture; allow extra time for Afrasiab and the Ulugh Beg Observatory. Two days offer more flexibility than a brief visit between trains. More details: An itinerary through Samarkand.
Poi Kalyan, the trading domes and Lyabi Hauz are easy to connect on a walk with stops in the side streets. Add the Ark and other museums according to your interests. Complexes outside the city require a separate outing: do not treat them as a quick stop before your train. More details: Plan your walks in Bukhara.
Within Itchan Kala's walls, explore the Juma Mosque, madrasas and palace courtyards. Allow at least one day without a long journey so you can see the ensemble in different light and choose several interiors to visit. Count the journey from Bukhara and the transfer to Urgench Airport separately. More details: Guide to Khiva and Itchan Kala.
CAJ organises guided visits to the Center of Islamic Civilization in Tashkent and excursions from Samarkand to the Imam Bukhari complex. These visits are not automatically included in the 5-, 7- and 10-day outlines below: when preparing your programme, we will replace some sightseeing or allow more time in the relevant city.
Set aside a separate part of your day in Tashkent for the Center. Address: 47 Karasaroy Street, beside the Hazrati Imam complex. The Quran of Uthman (Mushaf of Uthman) is now in the Quran Hall at the Center of Islamic Civilization; its former location, the Muyi Muborak Museum at Hazrati Imam, is no longer the place to see it. If you want to view the manuscript, include the Center itself in your itinerary. CAJ will organise your guided visit and agree on the language. If you have only one day in the capital, we will reduce other stops to suit your arrival time and pace.
The Imam Bukhari complex is in Payaryk District, Samarkand Region, and requires a separate trip out of the city. CAJ organises excursions from Samarkand; we will agree on return transport, guiding and museum admission when preparing your programme. On a short trip, this outing replaces some city sightseeing. Do not schedule it in a small gap before a train. Keep museum admission, guiding and transport separate when calculating costs; tell us in advance if you wish to visit religious spaces.
Published online prices for the “Local + audio guide” category are 90,000 som per adult and 35,000 som per child. For “Foreign + audio guide”, the prices are 425,000 som per adult and 310,000 som per child. An audio guide is included: Uzbek for the local category, and Russian or English for the foreign category. A personal guide is not included in a standard ticket. We will clarify eligibility for the local rate and the child age limits when costing your trip.
Published online prices for the Imam Bukhari Innovative Museum are 50,000 som per adult and 20,000 som for children aged 7–18 for citizens of Uzbekistan; for foreign visitors, 250,000 som per adult and 180,000 som for children aged 7–18. This is a ticket for a 40-minute group session: Uzbek is listed for citizens of Uzbekistan, and Russian or English for foreign visitors. Sessions for 18 September 2026 were checked. This rate applies to the museum; it does not represent an admission charge for the entire complex. We will check arrangements for its other areas separately.
Admission prices were checked on 17 September 2026 and are per visitor in Uzbek som. They are not the price of a CAJ excursion. We will agree on guiding, transport and ticket costs in your proposal: send us your dates, the number of adults and children, children's ages and your preferred tour language. Before confirmation, we will check the applicable rate and visiting conditions. For travel in 2027, we will calculate prices again for your dates.
For a trip in 2027, use these outlines as an initial way to choose cities and the number of nights. Confirm tickets, prices and visiting arrangements for your own dates. The five-day itinerary and both seven-day options assume arrival in Tashkent before noon on day 1. Each card specifies your departure point. Before booking hotels, coordinate flights and key trains; if your arrival time differs or the necessary journey is unavailable, reduce the programme or add a night.
Day 1: arrival, rest and a short walk in Tashkent. Day 2: train to Samarkand and the first part of your sightseeing. Day 3: Samarkand, then travel to Bukhara if a suitable evening train is available. Day 4: Bukhara. Day 5: depart from Bukhara on a suitable flight. This is a busy option with four nights: one in Tashkent, one in Samarkand and two in Bukhara. If you can only depart from Tashkent, allow time to return or limit the trip to Tashkent and Samarkand.
Day 1: arrival, rest and Tashkent. Day 2: travel to Samarkand and a first walk. Day 3: Samarkand. Day 4: travel to Bukhara and explore the old city. Day 5: Bukhara. Day 6: return by train to Tashkent, arriving the same day; keep the evening free. Day 7: international departure from Tashkent. Six nights: two in Samarkand, two in Bukhara and two in Tashkent, at the beginning and before departure. This option gives you a full day in each historic city. If there is no suitable return train, change the sightseeing days before paying for hotels.
Day 1: arrival and Tashkent. Day 2: travel to Samarkand and sightseeing. Day 3: Samarkand and evening travel to Bukhara if a suitable train is available. Day 4: Bukhara. Day 5: set aside the day for the Bukhara → Khiva journey. Day 6: a full day in Khiva. Day 7: transfer to Urgench Airport and an international flight, if a suitable service is available. Six nights: one in Tashkent, one in Samarkand, two in Bukhara and two in Khiva. If flying out via Tashkent, rework the final part of the itinerary and allow a buffer for the connection; an extra night is usually more comfortable than a tight transfer.
Day 1: arrival and rest in Tashkent. Day 2: the capital, then travel to Samarkand according to the timetable. Days 3–4: Samarkand. Day 5: travel to Bukhara and an evening walk. Day 6: Bukhara. Day 7: travel to Khiva. Day 8: Khiva. Day 9: return to Tashkent by train or via Urgench Airport, arriving the same day. Day 10: international departure. Nine nights: one in Tashkent at the beginning, three in Samarkand, two in Bukhara, two in Khiva and one in Tashkent before departure. To add another region, you will need to replace part of the programme or extend the trip.
Confirm the most difficult leg and the journey back to your departure airport first. Compare the full hotel-to-hotel time for each journey, not just the hours on a train or plane. If you have limited mobility, ask in advance about access to the platform, boarding and luggage assistance for the specific journey.
On 5 May 2026, Uzbekistan Railways announced the first passenger service of the Jaloliddin Manguberdi train from Tashkent to Khiva, with stops in Samarkand, Bukhara and Urgench. It is therefore worth checking this train when planning a trip to Khiva. Its launch does not guarantee tickets for your date: use the current booking search for times, stops and availability.
Open the official ticket service, choose your departure and arrival stations, then the date. Compare available trains, carriage types and arrival times. If there is no suitable option, check the day before or after, another train or the reverse city order. An empty search result does not explain the reason by itself: ask the carrier before changing your entire trip. Do not commit to non-refundable hotels for an unconfirmed train journey.
If train times do not suit you or there are no seats, compare a car journey with a driver against moving the journey by a day. The Khiva itineraries above already allocate a separate day for this leg. For a car, agree on stops, luggage and the final address; if choosing a night train, plan your sleep and hotel check-in separately. Do not squeeze this journey into a short gap between two tours.
Urgench Airport and Khiva are different locations: you will need a transfer. Find a suitable flight for your date first, then fix your final day in Khiva. If returning via Tashkent on separate tickets, leave a buffer between flights; the ten-day example includes a night in the capital before your international departure.
For the Fergana Valley, Termez and Nukus, compare rail and air options for your date with travelling by car. You will need local transport to workshops, archaeological sites and remote places. If you would like CAJ to help find train tickets, specify the exact cities, dates and number of passengers; ticketing availability requires confirmation.
The same cities can be visited at different speeds. Before booking, decide how many hours of walking per day suit you and which expenses matter most to you.
In summer, save long walks across open squares for the morning and evening, using the hot middle of the day for rest or a museum. In winter, plan sightseeing during daylight and alternate outdoor stops with indoor visits. Check the forecast in spring and autumn too: weather can change a day's plan. For a slower pace, choose a three-city week or ten days without increasing the number of stops.
Add up accommodation for every night, tickets between cities, station and airport transfers, meals, admission tickets and guiding. For Khiva, calculate the return journey separately; for flights, include baggage. Five days mean fewer nights, but an awkward departure can add an expensive journey or an extra night. Compare options for the same dates and with the same included services; there is no single price for a “seven-day trip”.
If crafts, art or archaeology are your main interest, you can reshape the whole trip around them. Give one region its own part of the journey and decide how long to stay after checking transport and visits.
Margilan is associated with silk weaving, and Rishtan with ceramics. Before visiting a workshop, check whether you can watch the craft being practised on your chosen day. Fergana is a separate city in the valley; do not expect to see every craft centre during one brief stop there.
Start with the Savitsky Museum if you are interested in art. A visit to Moynaq and its former port differs in distance and organisation from a trip to the current shore of the Aral Sea. Your choice affects the number of nights and transport needed; do not add the seashore as a short excursion between intercity journeys.
Fayaztepa and the archaeological collection in Termez will interest visitors who want to explore the region's Buddhist heritage. Choose your sites in advance and check visiting arrangements. Plan the southern part of the route separately: getting there and reconnecting with the main cities takes time.
Yes, if a suitable flight is available. You can then spend more time in Samarkand and Bukhara or continue to Khiva. Check your departure flight too: a convenient start does not always mean an easy finish.
If Khiva is your main goal, build the itinerary around it and reduce time in other cities. Travelling from Tashkent through Samarkand and Bukhara already involves several journeys. For four cities, it is better to extend the trip and keep one day in Khiva free of long-distance travel.
Spend more nights in the same hotel, alternate sightseeing with rest, and choose daytime journeys if night travel disrupts your routine. In the same seven days, you can limit the trip to three cities and use the extra time for walks and relaxed evenings.
No. You can travel between cities independently and book guided visits on selected days. For a detailed visit to a museum, archaeological complex or workshop, agree in advance on the language, subject and duration.
First match international flights with the key journeys, then confirm overnight stays. Pay particular attention to the Bukhara–Khiva leg and the return to your departure airport. Check your arrival date and time against the confirmed time you can enter your hotel room, especially after midnight.
If you would prefer CAJ to organise your trip, tell us your dates, arrival and departure airports, number of guests and preferred pace. Before choosing, compare overnight stops, transport and the services included in each programme.
Discuss your itinerary with CAJ
Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, returning to the capital. In the published programme, the Urgench → Tashkent airfare is calculated separately; the flight and other services are confirmed for your chosen dates.
A programme without Khiva, with a stop in Gijduvan and a finish in Tashkent. A useful comparison if you want to focus a week on three cities. Included services and availability are checked when you choose your dates.
For an overview of the country, see Uzbekistan: essential travel information. Once you have chosen your route, open the travel preparation checklist.
To choose your travel dates, read about Uzbekistan's climate by season and region.
To compare other stops, explore the historic cities of Uzbekistan.
