Uzbekistan Highlights Tour: Loop from Samarkand

The Uzbekistan Highlights Tour, starting and ending in Samarkand, is a classic itinerary that visits the country’s main tourist centers: Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva, and Tashkent. Today, Samarkand Airport receives regular flights from many countries, including Turkey, the UAE, China, Russia, and others, allowing you to immerse yourself in an oriental fairy tale almost immediately after arrival.
On your first day in Samarkand, you will visit the city’s most iconic symbol, Registan Square, along with other remarkable landmarks. The second day offers a deeper exploration of Samarkand’s rich history, including a visit to the Afrosiab Museum and an introduction to the traditional production of unique Samarkand paper – an important commodity along the Silk Road.
On the third day, you will travel to Bukhara and experience your first glimpse of this sacred city of a thousand mosques. You will see the majestic Kalyan Minaret, centuries-old mosques, and many other sights that create a truly atmospheric oriental setting. Day four continues your exploration of Bukhara with visits to the mighty Ark Fortress, the legendary Samanid Mausoleum, the emir’s summer residence, Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa, and other fascinating sites.
The second half of the tour begins with a scenic drive through the Kyzylkum Desert to Khiva, a fortress city and a true open-air museum. Along the way, you will experience the vast distances once traveled by ancient caravans. In the evening, you can enjoy a walk through the Ichan-Kala fortress. On the sixth day, you will enjoy a full city tour of Khiva, visiting royal palaces, madrasahs, and mosques, with the opportunity to climb one of the minarets for a panoramic view of the city. That evening, you will fly to Tashkent.
Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, is a modern metropolis that combines 21st-century architecture with Soviet-era monuments and medieval landmarks. At the end of the tour, you will return to the starting point in Samarkand, where you will depart for home.
Discover all the details of our Uzbekistan Highlights Tour with a circular route from Samarkand and start booking your unforgettable journey to Uzbekistan today.

Tour itinerary:

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Day 1: Samarkand – Arrival

Arrive in Samarkand. You will be met by Advantour driver and transferred to the hotel. Check in to the hotel at 14:00.
Meet your guide and driver at hotel lobby to start city tour. Visit spectacular Registan Square, remains of Bibi Khanum Mosque, Siab Bazaar, Ulugbek Observatory, Shakhi-Zinda Necropolis and Gur Emir Mausoleum – authentic shrine of Tamerlane. Overnight at the hotel.
Lunch break 13:00-14:00
Duration of sightseeing tour: 6-7 hours

Day 2: Samarkand

Continue sightseeing: visit Afrasiab Museum and the Tomb of Saint Daniel. Then drive to Konigil village to explore traditional way of making Samarkand paper from mulberry. Enjoy free time with car and driver at your disposal after sightseeing tour. Free time. Overnight at the hotel.
Lunch break 13:00-14:00
Duration of sightseeing tour: 3-4 hours

Day 3: Samarkand – Bukhara

In the morning depart Samarkand and drive to Bukhara (280 km, 4 h*). Stop on the way at Rabat-i-Malik Caravanserai. Continue driving to Bukhara. Arrive in Bukhara, check in to the hotel. Spend your afternoon in fascinating Old Bukhara which is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Explore Kalyan Minaret, Kalyan Mosque and Miri-Arab Madrasah, Magoki-Attori Mosque, madrasahs of Ulugbek and Abdulazizkhan, trade domes, Lyabi-Khauz Ensemble, Chor-Minor Madrasah. Overnight at the hotel.
Lunch break 13:00-14:00
Duration of sightseeing tour: 3-4 hours
*The drive on vans and buses is on average an hour longer.

Day 4: Bukhara

Start the second day in Bukhara discovering Ark Fortress, Bolo-Khauz Mosque, Samani dynasty and Chashma-Ayub mausoleums. Then visit Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa – the summer residence of Bukhara’s last emir, unique site combining Oriental and Russian architecture. Continue to Bakhoutdin Naqshbandi Mausoleum and House Museum of Fayzulla Khodjaev. Enjoy free time in the afternoon. Overnight at the hotel.
Lunch break 13:00-14:00
Duration of sightseeing tour: 6-7 hours

Day 5: Bukhara – Khiva

In the morning depart Bukhara and drive to Khiva (480 km, 7-8 h*). Today we will have an overland transfer from Bukhara to Khiva through Kyzylkum desert**. Caravans on the Silk Road carrying porcelain and spices used the same route for hundreds of years. Arrive in Khiva late in the afternoon. Check-in to the hotel. Free evening in Khiva. Overnight at the hotel.
Lunch break 13:00-14:00
*As the cafés and restaurants on the way are basic and offer limited menus, you may wish to take a packed lunch on this trip (your hotel or guide can help you arrange this the day before).
**Some parts of the road are not in the best condition.

Day 6: Khiva – Urgench – Tashkent

Check-out from hotel till noon. Today you will visit Itchan-Kala Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The tour features visits to Mukhammad Aminkhan Madrasah, Mukhammad Rahimkhan Madrasah, Kalta-Minor, Juma Mosque, Tash-Khovli Palace, Pakhlavan Makhmud Mausoleum and Islam-Khoja minaret, the highest minaret in Uzbekistan. Free time in the afternoon. In the evening you will be transferred to Urgench airport (30 km, 45 min) for flight to Tashkent (1093 km, 1 h 40 min). Upon arrival transfer to the hotel. Here you will complete your Uzbekistan classic tour. Overnight at the hotel.
Lunch break 13:00-14:00
Duration of sightseeing tour: 5 hours

Day 7: Tashkent – Samarkand

Meet your guide at 10:00 to start sightseeing in the capital of Uzbekistan, the biggest city in Central Asia. You begin with a visit to the Courage Monument, one of the key symbols of Tashkent’s 20th-century history. Next, you will explore the Old City part of Tashkent, with the Khast-Imam Complex, where the world-famous Quran of Caliph Uthman is preserved. You will then continue with a drive to the Rishtan Ceramics Center, located in the restored Kallakhona madrasah near Chorsu Bazaar. Next, immerse yourself in the bustling atmosphere of Chorsu Bazaar, a true eastern marketplace. Continue your journey with a ride on Tashkent's Metro, renowned as one of the most beautiful metro systems in the world, to the city center. Visit the Applied Arts Museum and stroll through Navoi Theater to reach Amir Timur Square, where your captivating Tashkent City Tour comes to an end.
At 17:30 transfer to railway station. The high-speed train, Afrosiyob

, leaves Tashkent at 18:50 and arrives in Samarkand at 20:55 (300 km). Upon arrival the driver will meet you and transfer to the hotel.
Lunch break 13:00-14:00
Duration of sightseeing tour: 6-7 hours

Day 8: Samarkand – Departure

Check-out from the hotel till noon. Transfer to Samarkand International Airport. Departure. End of Uzbekistan Highlights Tour: Loop from Samarkand.

Price includes:

All transfers 1-2 pax by sedan economy type car; 3-7 pax by van type car; 8-13 pax by 30 seat bus, 14 pax and more by 40-50 seat bus;
Accommodation based on double/twin room sharing, breakfasts included;
Sightseeing tour program in each city with local guides;
Entrance tickets to sights as per itinerary;
One dinner with a local family during the tour;
Ticket for train Tashkent-Samarkand (on rare occasions when the high-speed train is unavailable, we will replace this with the most-comfortable class of regular train);
Economy class ticket for flight Urgench-Tashkent.