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Travel itinerary · Central Asia

Uzbekistan

10 Days on the Silk Road

Tashkent · Samarkand · Bukhara · Khiva · September · ~195€ accommodation for two

See the day by day↓
01 — Watch first

The trip in motion

@adventurous.vinhWatch the reel→
02 — Country at a glance

Know before you go

🇺🇿
UzbekistanCentral Asia · Silk Road
CapitalTashkent
Population~37 million
LanguageUzbek (Russian widely spoken)
Currency · UZS1€ ≈ 13,500 UZS
1 USD ≈ 11,000 UZS
DrivingOn the right
Time zoneUTC+5
Best timeApr–Jun and Sep–Oct
National dishesPlov · Samsa · Lagman · Manti
VisaCheck requirements on evisa.mfa.uz↗
CHIMGAN Tashkent Samarkand Bukhara Khiva FLIGHT BACK · 1H30 N
By trainBy plane
03 — Itinerary

Day by day

9 nights in total. Flying in and out of Tashkent. Mountains first to break the city rhythm, then the three great Silk Road cities by train.

DayCityWhat we did
Day0DepartureEvening flight.
Day1ChimganArrival Tashkent. Transfer to Chimgan by taxi, 21€ / ~283,000 UZS. Visit Lake Charvak.
Day2ChimganClimb Chimgan mountain.
Day3SamarkandBack to Tashkent, train to Samarkand ~8€. Late arrival.
Day4SamarkandRegistan Square, Shah-i-Zinda Necropolis, Kokandskaya Somsa for lunch.
Day5SamarkandContinue exploring Samarkand.
Day6BukharaEarly morning train to Bukhara. Walk the old city, rooftop at sunset facing the Kalyan Minaret.
Day7KhivaTrain to Khiva (6.5h). Explore Itchan Kala walled city at golden hour. Rooftop dinner.
Day8TashkentExplore Khiva further, fly back to Tashkent (1h30 · 82 USD / ~75€). Night out.
Day9TashkentChorsu Bazar, Hazrati Imam Complex. Final dinner.
Day10DepartureEarly departure.
04 — Accommodation

Where we stayed

Samarkand · Days 3–5

Dream Guest House

27€/ night
Room2 twin room
Book on Agoda→
Bukhara · Days 6–7

Ali Boutique Hotel

30€/ night
Room2 twin room
Book on Agoda→
Khiva · Day 7

Xiva Azim Ota

30€/ night
Room2 twin room
Book on Agoda→
Tashkent · Day 8

Layan Hotel

54€/ night
Room2 twin room
Book on Agoda→

Prices reflect what we paid in September 2026. Always check current rates before booking.

05 — Getting around

Trains

Book on railway.uz around 30 days ahead. Tea is served on board.

Lower berthPractical for day travel, more foot traffic.
Upper berthQuieter, better for rest. Harder to get into, and you can't sit up because of the low ceiling.
Best pickA bed in the 4-bed compartments, so you are not in the corridor.
AvoidSide berths near the doors.
What we paid · one way
Tashkent → Samarkand~8€
Samarkand → Bukhara~6€
Bukhara → Khiva~15€
06 — Practical tips

Good to know

The small things that made the trip smoother. Sort these before you land.

Transport01

Download Yandex Go

Get it before you leave. You may need to change your App Store region to Uzbekistan to find it.

Money02

ATMs everywhere

Around 1.5% in fees. Carry both a Visa and a Mastercard.

Tashkent03

Ride the metro

Some stations look like palaces. Pay directly with your bank card, no ticket needed. Around 0.13€ per ride.

Khiva04

Entrance fee

100,000 UZS (~7€) per visit or 250,000 UZS (~18€) for a 48h pass, minaret excluded. Not applicable if your hotel is inside the old town.

Evenings05

Book rooftop dinners

Reserve in advance, especially in Khiva.

Food06

Use Yandex for ratings

Local reviews are more accurate than Google Maps for finding non-tourist spots. Cross-check on Yandex.

07 — Food

Where to eat

Our favourite spots, city by city, with what to order.

Tashkent

2 spots
Besh Qozon Pilaf CenterPlov, best of the trip, giant kazan
Google Maps ↗
Boboy ShevchenkoClassic Uzbek eatery
Google Maps ↗

Samarkand

4 spots
Kokandskaya SomsaSamsa
Google Maps ↗
Ibrahim Xoja LagmonLagman, best of the trip
Google Maps ↗
Obloqul Bobo MantuManti
Google Maps ↗
Mayda ShashlikShashlik
Google Maps ↗

Bukhara

2 spots
ChorbaxosaLocal festive atmosphere
Google Maps ↗
Layali Hotel TerraceDrinks on the rooftop
Google Maps ↗

Khiva

4 spots
Ahmad PalovReally good plov, less fatty than Samarkand
Google Maps ↗
Botirbobo RestaurantGreen dill noodles (Shivit oshi)
Google Maps ↗
Dilnura KafeTartare
Google Maps ↗
Terrassa CafeLocal food, meze style, book ahead
Google Maps ↗
Night out in Tashkent

After dark

If you want to discover the local night scene, Joydaman has a cool vibe with DJ sets on weekends, and Nukus 89 gives you a taste of Tashkent's tech crowd.

Joydaman · Maps ↗ Nukus 89 · Maps ↗
08 — Verdict

My honest
take

Uzbekistan sits at the heart of one of the world's great trade routes, a crossroads where merchants, scholars and empires passed through for centuries, leaving behind some of the most extraordinary Islamic architecture ever built. Samarkand's Registan, the turquoise domes of Bukhara and the medieval labyrinth of Khiva's Itchan Kala are more than monuments: they are reminders that Central Asia was once the centre of the world.

I went for 9 full days, and it was the right length. Adding Chimgan at the start was one of the best decisions of the trip, because everything else is cities, each one different, and I really wanted some nature along the way.

I left with full notebooks and a strong desire to come back.

09 — Tools I use

What we pack

The apps and services we actually use on every trip. Some are affiliate links, they cost you nothing extra.

Connectivity

Saily eSIM

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Security

NordVPN

Watch your home streaming services from abroad and stay secure on public wifi. Essential for long trips.

LOUVINH4 months free
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Travel insurance

Chapka

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Get covered→
Keep exploring

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