Treasures of Uzbekistan

Upon arrival at Tashkent international airport, you will be met by our guide and transferred to your hotel, the rest of the day is free at Leisure.

Hotel Options
• Comfort Class: Lotte City Tashkent Palace
• Tourist Class: Florence Boutique or Ateca Suits
Meals Included: Dinner

Morning flight to Urgench and transfer to Khiva, Depending on the flight schedule, possibly half day sightseeing of Khiva city.

Hotel Options
• Comfort Class: Farovon or Orient Star
• Tourist Class: Malika Khivek or Shaherezada Boutique
Meals Included: Breakfast-Dinner

Legend has it that Khiva was founded when Shem, son of Noah, discovered a well here. The town certainly existed by the 8th Century, as a minor fort and trading post on a Silk Road branch to the Caspian Sea and the Volga. In the early 16th century, Khiva was made capital of the Timurid Empire, becoming a busy slave market and pivot of the khanate for the next three centuries. Until Russia finally wrested the region from Timurid grasp in the 19th century, even the boldest hearts feared encounters with these fierce tribesmen and their desert territory. Khiva is an ancient walled city and looks much like it did in centuries past. It is one of the few sites in Central Asia where one can easily imagine life during the time of the emirates. We will spend the morning wandering its maze of ruins and great mosques. Later, a tour of this living museum including the Ichon-Qala gates, Muhammad Amin and Rakhim Khan’s Medressas, Tosh-Khovli Palace, Islom-Huja Medressa and Miner.

Hotel Options
• Comfort Class: Farovon or Orient Star
• Tourist Class: Malika Khivek or Shaherezada Boutique
Meals Included: Breakfast-Dinner

After breakfast, transfer to the train station for your journey to Bukhara, a city that exemplifies the Silk Road’s rich history and cultural heritage. Relax as the landscape unfolds along the way, from desert plains to historic caravan routes that have connected Central Asia for centuries. Upon arrival, start exploring Bukhara, a living museum of Islamic architecture and urban planning. The city centre, largely preserved as an architectural reserve, is home to over 140 protected monuments, including majestic fortresses, centuries-old madrassas, and traditional hammams (public baths). Wander through bustling market squares where merchants have traded for generations, and discover the intricate craftsmanship in the bazaars and artisan workshops. Highlights of your walking tour include the imposing Ark Fortress, the Chor Minor with its four distinctive minarets, and the tranquil courtyards of historic madrassas. Each site offers insight into Bukhara’s vital role as a centre of learning, commerce, and culture along the Silk Road. 

Hotel Options
• Comfort Class: Mercure Accor, Paradise Plaza, Labi Rud Premium or Shahriston
• Tourist Class: Makon Art, Lyabi House, Nodirabegim Boutique or Rizo Boutique
Meals Included: Breakfast-Dinner

Today we explore the old quarter on foot. Bukhara is an ancient city with its bustling “trade domes,” active mosques, and the Kalyan Minaret (“tower of death”), one of Central Asia’s tallest. We’ll stroll around the streets and visit the old town center where old men with long white beards gossip for hours while drinking tea. Bukhara has been designated a World Heritage Site; the resulting restoration of some of the mosques, constructed in the 11th to 15th centuries, to make them appear as if they were built yesterday. There are even some structures still standing that date back to Zorastrian times 2,500 years ago. We also visit the massive fortress, The Ark, with the Emir’s open-air throne room and the Mausoleum of Ismail Samani, an intricate and beautiful 10th century brick structure that is nicely preserved. We’ll also venture to the outskirts of Bukhara and visit the summer palace of the last emir, built by a Russian Czar with grand halls and a harem. We will also see Char Minar, a gate of a ancient madrassa long time gone. It was built in 1809 and has more in common with Indian art styles than local. Its name comes from Tajik although the towers you can see are not actually minarets but simply decorative towers.

Hotel Options
• Comfort Class: Mercure Accor, Paradise Plaza, Labi Rud Premium or Shahriston
• Tourist Class: Makon Art, Lyabi House, Nodirabegim Boutique or Rizo Boutique
Meals Included: Breakfast-Dinner

Full free day at leisure or optional activities.

Hotel Options
• Comfort Class: Mercure Accor, Paradise Plaza, Labi Rud Premium or Shahriston
• Tourist Class: Makon Art, Lyabi House, Nodirabegim Boutique or Rizo Boutique
Meals Included: Breakfast-Dinner

We depart early for Shakhrisabz, the birthplace of Tamerlane, where we tour Ak-Saray Palace, Kok-Gumbaz Mosque, House of Meditation and the Crypt of Timur, a man who changed the course of history and made a signfigant difference to Central Asia. There’s little left of Timur’s Ak-Saray Palace except bits of the gigantic, 40 m (98 foot) high entrance covered with gorgeous filigree like blue, white and gold mosaics, but it’s staggering to try and imagine what the rest of this glorious summer palace must have looked like. We continue later to Samarkand. For most people, Samarkand is as mythical as Atlantis or as remote and legendary as Tombouctou. The sublime larger-than-life monuments of Timur, the technicolour bazaar and the city’s long, rich history work a special kind of magic. On arrival we’ll visit the old bazaars for which this exotic city is famous.

Hotel Options
• Comfort Class: Hilton Garden Inn, Continental, Movenpick or Zafshon Parkside
• Tourist Class: Medina, Rayyan or Registon Saroy
Meals Included: Breakfast-Dinner

Samarkand, sometimes called the ‘Rome of the Orient’ was already flourishing when Rome and Babylon were founded. During the course of our full day tour we visit the famous Registan Square, Bibi Khanum Mosque, Mausoleum of Tamerlane, Observatory of Ulughbek, the site where Uleg Bek, grandson of Tamerlane, made some of the greatest achievements of the pre-telescope era of astronomy in the 15th century. We also visit the regal mausoleums of Shah-I Zinda, site of Central Asia’s most sacred Islamic shrine, the massive mosque of Bibi Khanym, and the adjacent colourful market. You can purchase Samarkand’s famous bread which Alexander the Great unsuccessfully tried to have duplicated back home in Greece, or try some of the region’s local produce, from grapes to the world’s tastiest melons of multiple varieties. Our afternoon tour covers the Afrosiab Museum, located on the site of ancient Afrosiab and the Historical Museum of Uzbek Culture and Art, with the wooden coffin of Tamerlane and a large copy of the Koran.

Hotel Options
• Comfort Class: Hilton Garden Inn, Continental, Movenpick or Zafshon Parkside
• Tourist Class: Medina, Rayyan or Registon Saroy
Meals Included: Breakfast-Dinner

In the morning transfer to the train station for express train journey to Tashkent.
Upon arrival transfer to your hotel. Later we continue on a city tour of Tashkent includes visting the historic Old City with a visit to the Hazrati Imam Complex, the spiritual heart of the city. Explore the Barak-Khan Madrasah, Hazrati Imam Mosque, and Mausoleum of Kaffal Shashi, together forming one of Tashkent’s most important historic and religious landmarks.

Continue to Chorsu Bazaar, one of Tashkent’s oldest and most vibrant markets. Wander through colourful stalls filled with spices, dried fruits, fresh produce, sweets, and traditional Uzbek foods. Be sure to visit a traditional tandir bakery, where local bakers press non bread by hand against the walls of a clay oven. Try it warm from the oven for an authentic taste of everyday Uzbek life.

See another side of Tashkent aboard the city’s famous Metro, stopping at some of its most impressive stations, including Alisher Navoi, Uzbekistan, and Kosmonavtlar. Each station features its own distinctive architecture, mosaics, chandeliers, and artistic design.

Continue to the Museum of Applied Arts, housed in an elegant historic residence. Its collection of intricate embroidery, textiles, ceramics, jewellery, and wood carving offers an insight into Uzbekistan’s rich artistic and craft traditions.

The tour then continues to Independence Square, Tashkent’s principal ceremonial space and an important symbol of the country’s independence. Finish at Amir Timur Square, one of the city’s central landmarks, dominated by the monument to Amir Timur, the celebrated 14th-century ruler and statesman.

Note: The State Museum of Arts of Uzbekistan is currently closed for renovation. We will add it back to the itinerary once it reopens to visitors.

Hotel Options
• Comfort Class: Lotte City Tashkent Palace
• Tourist Class: Florence Boutique or Ateca Suits
Meals Included: Breakfast-Dinner

Trip will end with airport transfer

Meals Included: Breakfast