Overview
Rail is the most relaxed way to cross Uzbekistan, and this route uses it from start to finish. After a day in Tashkent you board a sleeper compartment and wake up in Khorezm, ready for the mud-brick lanes of Khiva.
From there the train carries you to Bukhara and Samarkand, with private guides in every city and a driver waiting on every platform. The overnight train counts as one of the seven nights.
Your trip is planned and run by Khikmatilla, a licensed Uzbek tour guide and founder of Tashkentguide DMC, with licensed local guides in every city.
Highlights
- Sleeper-compartment train across the Kyzylkum desert
- Ichan-Kala, the walled old town of Khiva
- Dinner with a Bukharan family
- Afrosiyob bullet train between Bukhara, Samarkand and Tashkent
- Registan, Shah-i-Zinda and the Konigil paper mill
Prices are per person, private tour, and fall as your group grows. Choose Comfort (3*), Standard (4*) or Premium (5*) hotels. Single room supplement: US$160 / US$250 / US$445.
What's included
- 6 hotel nights in hotels of your chosen category (DBL/TWIN) with breakfast, plus 1 night on the sleeper train
- Sleeper train Tashkent–Urgench (compartment), train Khiva–Bukhara, Afrosiyob economy trains Bukhara–Samarkand and Samarkand–Tashkent
- Dinner with a local family in Bukhara
- Private air-conditioned vehicle with driver for all transfers and sightseeing
- Licensed English-speaking local guide on sightseeing days (other languages on request)
- Entrance fees to the sights listed in the itinerary
- 0.5 L bottled water per person per day
- 24/7 support from our Tashkent team
- International flights and visa fees (many nationalities enter Uzbekistan visa-free)
- Lunches and dinners not listed in the itinerary
- Drinks, personal expenses and tips
- Camera fees at some monuments
- Early check-in and late check-out (standard check-in from 14:00)
- Travel insurance
Meeting and pickup
Tashkent airport or your hotel in Tashkent
Tashkent airport
Itinerary
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1
Day 1 · Tashkent – overnight train
Arrival and transfer to the city. Tashkent tour with your guide: Khast Imam complex, Chorsu bazaar, metro stations, the Navoi opera house and Amir Timur square. In the evening, transfer to the station for the sleeper train to Urgench (approx. 21:24–10:20). Overnight on the train (2-berth or 4-berth compartment).
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2
Day 2 · Urgench – Khiva
Morning arrival in Urgench and a 30 km drive to Khiva. Check in and spend the afternoon at your own pace; the walls of Ichan-Kala at sunset are a short walk from the hotel. Overnight in Khiva.
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3
Day 3 · Khiva – train to Bukhara
Guided walk through Ichan-Kala: Muhammad Amin-Khan madrasah and the Kalta-Minor, Kunya-Ark, the Juma mosque, Tash-Hauli palace and the Islam-Khoja minaret, the tallest in Khiva. Afternoon train to Bukhara (15:13–21:20) and transfer to the hotel. Overnight in Bukhara.
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4
Day 4 · Bukhara
Walk the old town with your guide: Lyabi-Hauz, the trading domes, Poi-Kalon ensemble, the Ark fortress and the Samanid mausoleum. Dinner with a local family in the evening. Overnight in Bukhara.
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5
Day 5 · Bukhara – train to Samarkand
Morning at Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa palace and the Bahauddin Naqshband complex. Afternoon Afrosiyob train to Samarkand (14:58–16:41). Overnight in Samarkand.
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6
Day 6 · Samarkand
Registan square, Bibi-Khanym mosque, Siab bazaar and Gur-e-Amir with your guide, plus free time to return to the Registan when it is lit up at night. Overnight in Samarkand.
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7
Day 7 · Samarkand – train to Tashkent
Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, the Ulugbek observatory, the tomb of Daniel and the Konigil paper workshop. Evening Afrosiyob train to Tashkent (18:10–20:31) and hotel transfer. Overnight in Tashkent.
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8
Day 8 · Departure
Breakfast and transfer to Tashkent airport.
Cancellation policy
- Cancel at least 720 hours before departure: 100% refund.
- Cancel at least 168 hours before departure: 50% refund.
- Less notice than that, or a no-show: 0% refund.
Full refund up to 30 days before arrival, 50% up to 7 days before, no refund after that.
Times are local Tashkent time (UTC+5).