Uzbekistan-Azerbaijan Tour 2 ItineraryTashkent, Bukhara, Samarkand, Baku, Shamakhi, Sheki, Lahich

Arrive in Tashkent. You will be met by Advantour driver and transferred to the hotel (check in is at noon).
Guided sightseeing in the capital of Uzbekistan, the biggest city in Central Asia. You will start with exploring the Old City. Visit Khast-Imam Complex where the world famous Quran, holy book, of Caliph Uthman has been preserved. The complex consists of Barak-Khan Madrasah, Tillya Sheykh Mosque, Saint Abu Bakr Kaffal Shashi Mausoleum and the Islamic Institute of Imam al-Bukhari. Continue to Chorsu Bazaar. Then take a ride on Tashkent Metro to the city center to visit Applied Arts Museum and walk through Navoi Theater to Amir Timur Square where you will end Tashkent city tour. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 5-6 hours

Morning transfer to the train station. Take the high-speed Afrosiyob train to Bukhara. You will depart at 07:30 and arrive at 11:17 (3 h 47 m, 605 km).
Upon arrival you will be transferred to the hotel to leave luggage. Take a walking sightseeing tour with a guide in historic center of Bukhara enlisted by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Visit Lyabi-Khauz Ensemble, Magoki-Attori Mosque, trade domes, Ulugbek and Abdulazizkhan madrasahs, Kalyan Minaret, Kalyan Mosque and Miri-Arab Madrasah, legendary Ark Fortress, Bolo-Khauz Mosque, Chor-Minor Madrasah, Ismail Samani and Chashma-Ayub mausoleums. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 6-7 hours

Continue guided sightseeing tour. Drive out of the city to Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa – the summer residence of Bukhara’s last emir, and visit the Mausoleum of Bakhouddin Naqshbandi. In the afternoon depart to Samarkand (4 h, 280 km). Stop on the way at the 11th century Rabat-i-Malik Caravanserai. Arrive in Samarkand late in the afternoon, check in to the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 2-3 hours

Meet your guide and driver at the hotel lobby and start sightseeing. Visit spectacular Registan Square, remains of Bibi-Khanum Mosque, Siyob Bazaar, Ulugbek Observatory, Shakhi-Zinda Necropolis and Gur-Emir Mausoleum – the mausoleum of Amir Timur. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 6-7 hours

Check-out from the hotel till noon. Continue sightseeing: visit Afrasiab Museum and the Tomb of Saint Daniel. Then drive to Koni Ghil village to explore traditional way of making Samarkand paper from mulberry. Enjoy free time with car and driver at your disposal after sightseeing tour. At 16:00 transfer to the railway station to take the high-speed Afrosiyob train departing to Tashkent. You will depart at 17:00 and arrive at 19:10 (2h 10 m, 300 km). Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 3-4 hours

Transfer to Tashkent International Airport for morning flight to Baku. Arrival in Baku. You will be met by our driver and transferred to the hotel (check-in at noon).
Meet your guide to start sightseeing tour in Baku. Visit Martyrs' Lane, called ‘Shehidler Khiyabany’ among locals. When you walk through Martyrs' Lane, you will find a beautiful view overlooking Baku’s coastline. Continue touring new Baku and exploring architecture of 19-20th centuries: Nizami Street, Fountain Square, Nizami Ganjavi monument. Pay a visit to Azerbaijan History National Museum and move to the old part of the city – Icheri Sheher, the old part of the city. Visit Maiden Tower, Shirvanshahs’ Palace, Caravanserai, and market square with numerous art studios and souvenir stalls. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 5-6 hours

Today you will visit the area of the Greater Baku and Absheron Peninsula. Start with Gobustan National Park. Pay a visit to the Petroglyphs Museum to see rocks carved as far back as 10000 BC. If the weather allows, continue to mud volcanoes in Gobustan Reserve (change of vehicle to smaller cars). Gobustan is home to almost half of world’s mud volcanoes. Later drive to Ateshgah – temple of fire worshippers located in Surakhany village. Zoroastrians from India travelled thousands of kilometers to Ateshgah to worship fire coming out of the earth. Continue to Yanardag Mountain, where natural gas has been burning for millenia. Return to Baku. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 7-8 hours

In the morning drive to Sheki town. There will be several stopovers en-route to explore ancient and attention worth sights of Azerbaijan. The first one is Ven Dam village in Gabala province, where you will explore the ruins of ancient Caucasian Albania capital. The next stopover will be in Basqal village famous for its local mineral water “Bado”. In Lahich, a settlement located on the left bank of the River Ghirdiman and the slopes of the Niyal Mountain Chain, you will see ancient mosques and bath-houses, medieval water supply and sewage systems and visit numerous workshops (jewelry, copperware, carpets, pottery, daggers, iron tools, etc.). Continue driving to Sheki. Upon arrival transfer to the hotel for overnight.

Check out from the hotel and start sightseeing tour in Sheki. Visit medieval fortress, Sheki Khans Palace, history museum, handicrafts workshop, mosque-madrassah, and local bazaar. Drive to Kish village, where you will see the first church in Caucasus built in the first century and Old Albanian castle. The next stop will be in Shamakhi, the capital of Shirvan Empire in the 8-15th centuries. There you will see Yeddi Gumbez Mausoleum (“The Seven Domes”) with numerous burial places of Shamakhi governors, and Djuma Cathedral Mosque. Continue driving to Baku. Transfer to the hotel upon arrival.

Transfer to Baku International Airport. End of the tour.