Colorful Uzbekistan

Day 1: Flight to Tashkent

You fly to Tashkent with a direct flight from Uzbekistan Airways or with a stop via Istanbul, Moscow, and St. Petersburg. Arrive in Tashkent late in the evening or midnight / early morning the next day. You meet with your guide at the airport. Transfer to the hotel. Overnight stays in Tashkent.

🏚️ Hotel Option: Arien Plaza or similar.

Day 2: The Fascination of the Capital of Uzbekistan (B, D)

Tashkent became known as an important center on the Silk Road after the October Revolution, which became the capital of the Soviet Republic of Turkestan. The city almost had to be rebuilt after the 1966 earthquake. In the old town, we visit the Khasti Imam complex, in which the most ancient version of the Koran is kept. On the large square, we visit Tilla Sheikh Mosque, Barak Khan Madrasah, and Mausoleum Kaffal Shashi and experience the hustle and bustle at the Chorsu Bazaar, which was already known in the middle ages and was located at the intersection of the caravan processions of the Great Silk Road. In the afternoon we visit the Museum of Applied Arts. Then we take the subway to the city center, where we walk through the modern city of Tashkent and visit Independence Square on the way with the building complex of the “grieving mother” and walk to the Amir Timur green area.
With the evening flight, you fly to Urgench. From there we continue to the beautiful oasis city of Khiva. We have dinner in a local restaurant. During the meal, our guide introduces us to Uzbek hospitality and tea traditions in Uzbekistan today. Tea is a symbol greeting to guests which are first presented in Uzbekistan and play a very crucial role in Uzbek cuisine. The preparation and serving of tea also have certain traditions. Overnight stays in Khiva.

🏚️ Hotel Option: Shohjahon Hotel or similar.

✈️ Domestic flight from Tashkent – Khiva in an economy class is included.

Day 3: Fairy-Tale Khiva (B, D)

 Khiva, the medieval city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a tale of a thousand and one nights obtained from adobe or otherwise said to be stone. It is not for nothing that the old town “Ichan Kala” is called a massive “open-air museum”. Today we intensively explore the winding streets with their simple houses made of unfired bricks and the many richly decorated mosques, madrasahs, mausoleums, and palaces. We visit the Madrasah of Muhammad Amin Khan, Kalta Minor – according to legend, the builder promised the Emir of Bukhara a higher minaret and therefore did not want to complete it in Khiva; Juma Mosque, its wooden beam ceiling is supported by 212 wooden columns decorated with elaborate carvings; Kuhna Ark and Tosh Hovli Palace – the Khan’s residences; Islam Khoja Minarets – the tallest minaret in Uzbekistan and The Pakhlavan Makhmud Mausoleum – a place of pilgrimage especially for the locals. In this beautiful, oriental ambiance always, you find new motifs for taking pictures and places to linger. Overnight stays in Khiva.

🏚️ Hotel Option: Shaherezada Hotel or similar.

OPTION: Khorezm (Khiva is located in the Khorezm area) has been famous for its dances, music, and rich history since ancient times. If you want to immerse yourself in the world of Khorezm music, feel the beauty of fire dances, see unusual musical instruments, and dance with professional dancers, we invite you to visit the folklore show in the summer residence of Khiva Khan “Kibla Tozabog”.

Day 4: Khiva – Bukhara (B, D)

Today we drive along the Silk Road to the next oasis town Bukhara. As we travel through the vastness of the desert landscape, our tour guide tells about the history and culture of the country as well as the traditions of the 120 different ethnic groups of Uzbekistan. Have your camera ready, because photo stops are planned in unusual, picturesque locations. After arriving in Bukhara we visit the wonderful summer residence of the last ruling emir – Sitorai Mohi Khosa before we drive to the hotel. Overnight stays in Bukhara.

🏚️ Hotel Option: Komil Boutique or similar.

Day 5: “Noble” Bukhara (B, D)

Bukhara today presents itself as a unique authentic museum. Let yourself be enchanted by the magic of the old town (UNESCO World Heritage Site) with its imposing palaces, mosques, mausoleums, and madrasahs. There is almost everything a tourist’s heart desire: Today you can explore the old town on foot from the Lyabi Hauz complex in the southeast through the domed bazaars, the madrasah from Ulugbek, and Abdul-Aziz Khan to the Ark and the Registan in the northwest. The small Samanid mausoleum and the huge Kalon minaret are absolute highlights. In addition to the relaxed sightseeing, the day is filled with strolling, looking, and shopping. You feel like you are in the world of fairy tales of a thousand and one nights. Later you visit the exhibition of Uzbek photographer Shavkat Boltaev which is housed in an old caravanserai in his studio. If you are lucky, the artist may be there himself and can tell you about the stories behind the pictures. Your day ends with a tasty dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight stays in Bukhara.

🏚️ Hotel Option: Komil Boutique or similar.

Day 6: Bukhara – Shakhrisabz – Samarkand (B, D)

Before we say goodbye to Bukhara in the morning, we visit the incredible Chor Minor building. The ancient mosque is one of the symbols of the city. In Persian, the name means “four minarets”, like the four towers that rise into the sky at the corners. Then we follow the course of the Great Silk Road through the fertile valley of the Amudarya, in which cotton is grown, apricots, figs, and melons grow in its moist, shady oases. We first reach Shakhrisabz, the “green city”. Timur (Tamerlane) built his magnificent palace AK Saray here, which means “White Castle”. Even the ruins that have survived today give an overwhelming impression of their size. We also visit the Kuk Gumbaz Mosque, which with its turquoise dome is visible from far and has incredible acoustics. After the tour, we leave directly to the train station to continue to Afrosiyob at 3:43 P.M. to Samarkand. Arrive at 5:52 p.m. and transfer to the hotel. Dinner and overnight stay in Samarkand.

🏚️ Hotel Option: Ideal Hotel or similar.

🚆 Shakhrisabz – Samarkand train ticket (fast train) is included.

Day 7: Samarkand (B, D)

The fairy tale of a thousand and one nights begins again for us in Samarkand. At over 2,750 years old, it is one of the oldest cities in the world and at the same time the center of the famous Silk Road. Here in the mausoleum of the ruler Amir Timur, the Gur Emir mausoleum, during our city tour. Today we enjoy the highlight of your trip – Registan Square with three impressively massive and artistically decorated madrasahs. Then we visit the once largest mosque in Central Asia – Bibi Khanum Mosque. To demonstrate his unlimited technical and financial possibilities, Timur wanted to build the most beautiful mosque in the eastern world. Afterward, we visit the Siab Bazaar, which puts you in a world of 1001 nights through the hustle and bustle and the oriental scents.
Samarkand is known not only for its historical monuments but also for the production of wine: Wine and cognac run through your throat like a balm! After visiting the wine museum in Samarkand in the “Khovrenko” winery, we try 10 of the best varieties of Uzbek wines and cognacs here. After the tasting, in the evening we enjoy typical dishes in a typical Uzbek atmosphere.
OPTION: Towards evening we experience the theatricalized performance for historical oriental costumes in the theatre “El Merosi”. This theatre demonstrates costumes of the peoples of Central Asia in different epochs – from the ancient times to the 19th century – the times of the massages, Akhamanids, Anahita, Sogdian, and Timurid.

🏚️ Hotel Option: Ideal Hotel or similar.

Day 8: Samarkand (B, D)

Samarkand is the center of the Silk Road and one of the oldest cities and cultural centers in the world. The architecture makes the city look majestic and extremely inviting. Today we are impressed by the palace-like The Afrosiyob Museum, we get a closer look at old Samarkand. Then we visit one of the largest pilgrimage sites in the Islamic world – the tomb complex of St. Daniel and Ulugbek observatory, once the largest research center in Central Asia. After a break, we drive to a tissue paper factory founded by master brothers Mukhtarov. Thanks to their efforts, the old tradition of paper production using Samarkand technology has been revived in this factory. Interestingly, the whole production is done manually and every guest can watch the process of production. Then we visit the Shakhi-Zinda complex, a magnificent ensemble of various mausoleums clad in the Timurid style with majolica and mosaic tiles. Today we are preparing the Uzbek dish – Plov together with a local family. This is the Sultan of national dishes in Uzbekistan. Enjoy a typical dinner with the locals. At 6:00 p.m. we take the “Afrosiyob” fast train towards Tashkent. Transfer to the hotel. Overnight stays in Tashkent.

🏚️ Hotel Option: Arien Plaza Hotel or similar.

🚆 Samarkand – Tashkent train ticket (fast train) is included.

Day 9: Tashkent – Flight Back Home (B)

Check out at the hotel. Transfer to the airport. End of the trip.