CITIES
Uzbekistan city guides: Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva
Choose your cities and decide how many nights to spend in each.
Practical city plans for Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva: visit order, nights needed and onward journeys. Destinations in Kyrgyzstan are listed as an add-on.
CITY GUIDE · TASHKENT
One day in Tashkent: a full day or an afternoon after arrival
Plan Hazrati Imam, Chorsu, the metro and central Tashkent. Compare a full day with an afternoon after arrival, including the new Islamic Civilization Center.
Read the guideCity guide · Khiva
Khiva in one or two days: a practical city plan
Choose one or two full days in Khiva, with an Ichan-Kala walking plan, distinctive sights, ticket checks, hotel areas and arrival logistics.
Read the guideCity guide · Samarkand
Two days in Samarkand: a practical sightseeing plan
Plan two full days in Samarkand: Registan, Gur-e Amir, Shah-i-Zinda, Bibi-Khanym and a museum of your choice, with walking, rest and station transfers.
Read the guideCITY GUIDE · BUKHARA
Bukhara in two or three days: a practical city plan
Two full days for the old-city monuments, or a third for the emir’s country palace and a slower finish. Compare nights, walking areas and onward journeys.
Read the guideADD-ON
Kyrgyzstan add-on
Arranged alongside an Uzbekistan trip, not as a separate programme. How the add-on works
Kyrgyzstan · An overnight mountain trip from Karakol
Altyn-Arashan: access, hot springs and an overnight stay
Plan a trip to Altyn-Arashan from Karakol: compare hiking, horse riding and off-road transport, choose accommodation, and arrange hot-spring access and your return.
Read the guideKyrgyzstan · Karakol
Karakol travel guide: a city day and a mountain base
Plan a full day in Karakol, with its mosque, wooden church, renovated history museum and Dungan food, plus hotel areas and separate mountain journeys.
Read the guideKYRGYZSTAN · LAKE AND SHORE GUIDE
Issyk-Kul travel guide: choose a shore and a place to stay
Compare Issyk-Kul’s north and south shores, plan stays by the lake and in Karakol, and check beach access, seasons and transport before booking.
Read the guideThese plans count full sightseeing days. Confirm arrival times and current admission before deciding how many nights to book.
Common questions
How many nights should I spend in the four main cities?
Plan two full sightseeing days in Samarkand and two or three in Bukhara, one or two in Khiva and one day in Tashkent. Arriving the evening before and leaving the morning after adds a night to each stay.
In which order should I visit them?
Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva follow the railway line west, so most trips run in that order. Fly home from the Urgench area after Khiva, or come back to Tashkent by train or flight; the 10-day itinerary shows both endings.
Are the Kyrgyzstan destinations part of the same trip?
They are an add-on arranged alongside an Uzbekistan route, not a separate programme. The Kyrgyzstan add-on page explains how days at the lake, in town and in the valley fit into your itinerary.