Tashkent · Samarkand · Bukhara · Khiva

UzbekistanThe Silk Road classic in 8 days

Blue domes, busy bazaars and plov from a giant cauldron

Fly into Tashkent, fly home straight from Urgench. No visa needed

A week in Uzbekistan's four great cities without long transfers. After the night flight: Tashkent and lunch at the Plov Centre, then the Afrosiyob high-speed train to Samarkand, the road to Bukhara through Gijduvan with its pottery and shashlik, and a train across the Kyzylkum desert to Khiva. You fly home nonstop from Urgench instead of going back to the capital.

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8 days: 7 nights, 4 cities
No visa: for Russian passports
≤ 20: travellers per group
+2 h: ahead of Moscow

Next departure 20–27 Mar 2027 Reserve a seat

Route

From Tashkent west to Khiva

The route runs one way: you land in the capital and fly home from Khorezm. Between cities: a high-speed train, one coach transfer with a stop in Gijduvan, and a train across the desert. No day is spent entirely on the road.

Day 1Moscow → TashkentNight flight, early morning arrival
Day 2Tashkent → SamarkandAfrosiyob train, about 2 h 10 min
Day 4Samarkand → Gijduvan → BukharaCoach, about 4½ h with stops
Day 6Bukhara → KhivaTrain across the Kyzylkum, 15:45 → 20:25
Day 8Urgench → MoscowNonstop, 06:00 → 07:55

Nonstop flights both waysNo return to TashkentRussian-speaking guidePlov, shashlik and Khorezm cookingAll entrance fees included

Nonstop flights both ways

Out: a Friday-night Uzbekistan Airways flight from Moscow lands in Tashkent early on Saturday — HY 614 Vnukovo 21:35 → 03:30 or HY 602 Domodedovo 23:00 → 04:45. Early hotel check-in is included.
Home: on Saturday, nonstop HY 9615 Urgench 06:00 → Moscow Vnukovo 07:55. No need to go back to Tashkent.

These are 2026 timetables; 2027 flights are confirmed when you book. St Petersburg, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk and many other cities also fly nonstop to Tashkent; the way home from Urgench is then via a connection. Uzbekistan is 2 hours ahead of Moscow.

Programme

Four cities in seven nights

Day 1

Tashkent

Where the East meets Soviet modernism

Hazrati Imam complexMosques and madrasas from the 16th c.
Muyi Muborak LibraryThe 7th-century Uthman Quran
Chorsu BazaarUnder a great green dome
Tashkent MetroEvery station decorated differently
Amir Timur SquareThe city centre
Navoi TheatreBuilt in 1947

LunchPlov at the Plov Centre, straight from a cauldron for hundreds.

Days 2–4

Samarkand

Timur's Blue City

RegistanThree madrasas, 15th–17th c.
Gur-e AmirTimur's tomb
Shah-i-ZindaA street of blue-tiled tombs
Bibi-Khanym MosqueOne of the largest mosques of the 15th c.
Ulugh Beg Observatory15th-century astronomy
Konigil workshopPaper from mulberry bark

EveningThe Registan lit up at night. The March group sees Navruz in Samarkand.

Days 4–6

Bukhara

A museum city 2,500 years old

Poi KalonKalyan Minaret (1127) and great mosque
Lyabi HauzMadrasas and teahouses around a pool
Samanid Mausoleum9th–10th c., a masterpiece in brick
Ark FortressSeat of the emirs of Bukhara
Trading domesCovered bazaars of the 16th century
Sitorai Mohi HosaSummer palace of the last emir

EveningDinner and a folk show in a madrasa courtyard.

Days 6–8

Khiva

A city inside its walls

Itchan KalaUNESCO World Heritage since 1990
Kalta MinorUnfinished tiled minaret, 19th c.
Juma MosqueMore than 200 carved wooden columns
Pahlavon Mahmud MausoleumPoet, wrestler and patron saint of Khiva
Islam Khoja Minaret1910, 57 metres
Tash Hauli PalaceThe khans' palace and its tiled courtyards

SunsetThe city wall at sunset and a farewell Khorezm dinner.

Day by day

Dates appear here when you choose a departure. Meals: B breakfast, L lunch, D dinner.

Day 1
Moscow → Tashkent
Night flight from Moscow (Friday evening), landing in Tashkent around 03:30–04:45. Your guide meets you; early check-in, rest and breakfast. Lunch at the Plov Centre. City tour: the Hazrati Imam complex and the Uthman Quran, Chorsu Bazaar, a few metro stations, Amir Timur Square and the Navoi Theatre.
B L
Day 2
High-speed train to Samarkand
Morning Afrosiyob train to Samarkand (about 2 h 10 min). Gur-e Amir, Timur's tomb; the Registan and its three madrasas; Bibi-Khanym Mosque and Siab Bazaar. The Registan lit up in the evening.
B
Day 3
Samarkand: Shah-i-Zinda and Ulugh Beg
The Shah-i-Zinda ensemble, Ulugh Beg Observatory, the Afrasiyab site and museum with its 7th-century murals. In the afternoon the Konigil workshop, where Samarkand paper is made from mulberry bark. Free evening.
B
Day 4
Through Gijduvan to Bukhara
Coach to Bukhara (about 4½ hours with stops). In Gijduvan, a family pottery workshop and lunch with the famous Gijduvan shashlik. Evening walk at Lyabi Hauz.
B L
Day 5
Bukhara in a day
Samanid Mausoleum, Chashma Ayub, Bolo Hauz Mosque and the Ark. In the afternoon Poi Kalon with the Kalyan Minaret and Mir-i Arab Madrasa, the trading domes and Chor Minor. Dinner with a folk show in a madrasa courtyard.
B D
Day 6
Across the desert to Khiva
Sitorai Mohi Hosa, the last emir's summer palace, and the Bahauddin Naqshband memorial complex. Free time in the trading domes. At 15:45, the train to Khiva across the Kyzylkum and along the Amu Darya, arriving 20:25. Hotel by the old town walls.
B
Day 7
Khiva, the walled city
A full day on foot in Itchan Kala: Kalta Minor, Kunya Ark, the Juma Mosque with its carved columns, Pahlavon Mahmud Mausoleum, Islam Khoja Minaret and Tash Hauli Palace. Sunset from the city wall, then a farewell dinner of Khorezm dishes.
B D
Day 8
Urgench → Moscow
Early transfer to Urgench airport (about 40 minutes). Nonstop flight to Moscow: 06:00, landing at Vnukovo 07:55. Other cities via a connection.
—

Food

Four meals to remember

Plov, shashlik, samsa and green dill noodles: every city has its own dish. All four lunches and dinners are included in the price.

Tashkent Day 1 · lunch

Plov from a giant cauldron

At the Plov Centre it cooks from early morning in cauldrons for hundreds, and is served by lunchtime with a tomato and onion salad, flatbread and green tea.

Plov CentrePlovFlatbreadGreen tea

Gijduvan Day 4 · lunch

Pottery and Gijduvan shashlik

On the way to Bukhara, a family workshop of Gijduvan pottery with ochre and brown patterns: watch the wheel and buy a plate. Lunch is here too; Gijduvan shashlik is known all over Uzbekistan.

Gijduvan potteryShashlikPotter's wheel

Bukhara Day 5 · dinner

Dinner and a folk show

In the courtyard of an old madrasa: dinner with folk dance, music and a show of costumes in Bukhara silk and gold embroidery.

Madrasa courtyardFolk danceGold embroidery

Khiva Day 7 · dinner

Farewell Khorezm dinner

Khorezm has its own cooking: green shivit oshi noodles with dill, tukhum barak dumplings filled with egg, and thin Khorezm flatbread. A good moment for a last toast to the trip.

Shivit oshiTukhum barakKhorezm cooking

Travel album

Uzbekistan in pictures

Blue tiles, earthen walls, minarets at dusk. Every city has free time for photographs.

Pahlavon Mahmud Mausoleum and Islam Khoja Minaret, Khiva

No hassle

Made for travellers from Russia

Nonstop flights, no visa and Russian spoken almost everywhere. The route shows the highlights in a week without half-days on the road.

Nonstop both ways

Land in Tashkent, fly home from Urgench: no trip back across the country.

No visa

Entry on a Russian international passport; hotels register you.

Russian-speaking guide

A guide for the whole route, and Russian is understood in hotels and bazaars.

4★ and boutique hotels

Small hotels in or a few minutes from the old towns of Bukhara and Khiva.

24/7 contact

Our local office is on Telegram and the phone throughout the tour.

The Mitra Travel standard

The tour in figures

Agents sell a finished product; their clients enjoy a carefree journey.

≤ 20: travellers per group
7 nights: 4★ and boutique hotels
7 + 4: breakfasts and local meals
2: trains: Afrosiyob and across the Kyzylkum
3: UNESCO World Heritage cities
B2B: net rates for agents

Tour package

What the price covers

No hidden conditions: you know in advance what is included.

Included

7 nights (Tashkent 1, Samarkand 2, Bukhara 2, Khiva 2) in 4★ and boutique hotels, twin rooms with breakfast
Early check-in in Tashkent on the day of arrival
Lunch at the Plov Centre, lunch in Gijduvan, dinner with folk show in Bukhara, farewell dinner in Khiva
Afrosiyob high-speed train Tashkent → Samarkand, train Bukhara → Khiva
Coach Samarkand → Gijduvan → Bukhara, all transfers, early transfer to Urgench airport
Entrance fees to the sites and museums in the programme
Russian-speaking guide for the whole route
Drinking water every day

Paid separately

Flights (group seats on Uzbekistan Airways on request)
Travel insurance
Single room supplement
Lunches and dinners not listed in the programme
Camera fees at some museums
Tips for guide and driver, personal expenses

The exact price and terms are in the quote we send after your enquiry. The order of visits may change without shortening the programme.

Online booking · 2027

Choose your departure

Eight departures from March to October 2027, each for up to 20 travellers. Choose a date and the number of guests; we confirm the seats and send a quote.

March 2027

Arrival in Tashkent (Saturday) Selected Tour days

All 2027 departures

Your departure Choose a date in the calendar

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Notes

A request does not commit you. Payment only after seats are confirmed.

For travel agencies in Russia

Sell the 2027 departures

On the Mitra Travel B2B platform you see free seats for every date, net rates and your commission. Book, upload passenger lists and download programmes and vouchers.

Open the B2B platform

Net rates and agency commission
Live seats for every 2027 departure
Passenger lists, programmes and vouchers
A personal manager, all in Russian

About Mitra Travel

Uzbekistan specialists since 2011

For more than 15 years Mitra Travel has built journeys that show Uzbekistan's culture, history and hospitality.

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Questions and answers

Before you travel

Do Russian citizens need a visa?

No. Russian citizens enter Uzbekistan visa-free on an international passport valid for the whole trip (a few months' margin is safer). Hotels register guests from the first day. Every child needs their own passport. We confirm entry rules when you book.

Are flights included?

No. The price covers the tour from arrival in Tashkent to departure from Urgench. We can book group seats on Uzbekistan Airways: a night flight Moscow → Tashkent and nonstop Urgench → Moscow home. St Petersburg, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk and other cities fly nonstop to Tashkent; the way home is then via a connection.

Money and cards?

Russian-issued Visa, Mastercard and Mir cards do not work in Uzbekistan. Bring cash: dollars or roubles are easy to change into sums at banks and the airport. UnionPay cards from some Russian banks are accepted, and some places take SberPay QR payments; ask the seller. Bazaars and cafés take sums.

Time difference?

Uzbekistan is 2 hours ahead of Moscow, with no daylight saving.

Phone and messengers?

Russian roaming works but is expensive. A local SIM card can be bought with your passport at the airport or in town; your guide will help. Telegram and WhatsApp work normally in Uzbekistan, and hotels have Wi-Fi.

Do I need a plug adapter?

No. 220 V, and the sockets are the same as in Russia.

Is Russian spoken?

In Tashkent and the tourist cities Russian is understood almost everywhere: hotels, restaurants, bazaars and taxis.

How demanding is the tour?

The old towns have cobbles and steps; you walk 5–8 km a day at an easy pace. Two early starts: the night arrival in Tashkent and the 06:00 flight from Urgench. The longest transfer is 4½ hours by coach with stops. Suitable for children from 6.

What is the food like?

Plov, shashlik, lagman noodles, samsa, shurpa soup and tandoor bread. Local restaurants generally do not serve pork; most serve alcohol. Tell us about vegetarian diets or allergies when you book.

Weather and clothing?

April–May and September–October are best, about 18–28 °C by day. March days are around 15 °C with cool evenings. June days can pass 35 °C, so sightseeing is in the morning and late afternoon. Cover shoulders and knees in mosques and mausoleums; a scarf is useful for women.

Group size and private tours?

Up to 20 travellers per departure; the minimum is in the quote. Private tours and other dates on request: tell us the month and we will plan around the flights.

Do you work with travel agencies?

Yes. Agencies book at net rates on the Mitra Travel B2B platform, or choose "Travel agency" in the form below and we will send a login. Contract and payment terms are agreed with each agency.

Mausoleum of Imam al-Maturidi, Samarkand

Uzbekistan is ready for your guests

Questions about dates, prices or a private group? Write on Telegram, call us or send a request on the site.

Travel agents: book net rates on the Mitra Travel B2B platform.