Feel the spirit of ancient Uzbekistan – 2025

After breakfast, transfer to the railway station for the morning high-speed train "Afrosiyob" to Samarkand. Upon arrival in Samarkand — the start of the sightseeing program.

Samarkand is one of the oldest cities in the world and the former capital of Timur’s vast empire. This museum-like city, the heart of caravan trade along the Great Silk Road, still preserves the unique atmosphere of medieval Asia.

10:00–18:00 — Sightseeing tour of Samarkand: Gur-Emir Mausoleum — the tomb of the great Tamerlane, and Central Asia’s most famous square — Registan (Ulugh Beg Madrasah, Sher-Dor Madrasah, Tillya-Kari Madrasah).
Lunch at the “Bibi Khanum” teahouse. After lunch — walk to the Bibi Khanum Mosque and visit the famous Siab Bazaar.

At 19:00 or 20:00 — visit the light show at Registan Square.
Dinner at a local restaurant.
Overnight stay at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast — visit to the architectural ensemble of Shah-i-Zinda, Ulugh Beg Observatory, and the Afrasiab Museum. Then, visit one of the workshops where paper is made from mulberry bark using a technique brought by Chinese prisoners in the 8th century (the "MEROS" paper factory in the village of Konigil).

Lunch. After lunch — free time (optional — shopping).
Overnight in Samarkand.

Breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast — transfer to the railway station and high-speed “Afrosiyob” train ride to Bukhara.

Bukhara is another ancient city of Uzbekistan that was once a key stop on the Great Silk Road. In the Middle Ages, Bukhara was one of the main political, cultural, and religious centers of the Middle East. Over 140 architectural monuments have been remarkably preserved here, including magnificent madrasahs, mosques, iconic landmarks like the Kalyan Minaret and the Ark Fortress, as well as functioning medieval baths and domed trading domes. The historic center of Bukhara is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Upon arrival — transfer to the hotel and check-in. Lunch. After a short rest — a walk around the Old City of Bukhara.
Overnight in Bukhara.

After breakfast — full day sightseeing in Bukhara.
After breakfast — full day sightseeing in Bukhara. The program includes: Ismail Samani Mausoleum — the oldest and most valuable monument in the country, a masterpiece of medieval architecture, built by Ismail Samani for his father Nasr I. Also included is the Chashma Ayub Mausoleum.

You will see the Bolo-Hauz Mosque — the official place of worship for the emirs, built in 1718, located next to the gates of the Ark Fortress — the city center and the official residence of Bukhara’s rulers.

After lunch — visit the Poi-Kalyan Minaret and Mosque, the Abdulaziz Khan and Ulugbek madrasahs, and the Lyabi-Hauz ensemble with its pool and teahouse, which is a modern center of traditional Uzbek life.
(Lunch is planned during the guided tour.)
Overnight in Bukhara.

Breakfast at the hotel.
09:00 — Transfer to Khiva through the endless Kyzylkum desert along the Amu Darya River. We will travel the very route once slowly traversed by countless caravans of the Great Silk Road. “Kyzylkum” means “Red Sands” in Turkic — indeed, the local sand has a reddish hue.

During the journey, we will make several stops and take a walk along picturesque dunes, admiring the endless panoramas from a viewing platform near one of the region’s two largest rivers — the Amu Darya.
Arrival in Khiva.
Independent walk through the historic district of Itchan-Kala — the inner part of ancient Khiva, a state museum-reserve surrounded by a mighty fortress wall.
Overnight stay in Khiva.

Khiva is over 2,500 years old — an astonishing and almost untouched-by-time example of a medieval Eastern city. Itchan-Kala appears to us like a living street from an Eastern fairy tale, where every building is a unique architectural monument and a separate attraction.

10:00–18:00 — Excursion around Khiva (Itchan-Kala): Kunyo-Ark fortress, Islam Khodja madrasa and minaret, Tash-Khauli palace, Alakuli-khan madrasa, Juma mosque, Muhammad Amin-khan minaret and madrasa.
(Lunch is planned during the guided tour.)
Overnight stay in Khiva.

Breakfast. After breakfast — excursion around old Khiva.
Lunch. After lunch — visit to Nurullaboy Palace, the second residence of the Khiva rulers with a harem; the mausoleum of Pahlavan Mahmud — poet, philosopher, legendary wrestler and protector of the city, one of the most sacred and beautiful places in Khiva; then — the Royal Caravanserai with its fascinating bazaar.

After that, you will have free time for a walk and shopping at the local Khiva bazaar.
Dinner.
After dinner — transfer to Urgench International Airport for your flight home with bright impressions!