Longer Trips Beyond Tashkent

November 5, 2026

Tashkent is the main arrival point for longer journeys across Uzbekistan, but it supports only two or three days of sightseeing on its own. The routes below leave from the capital by train or plane. Treat the Fergana and Karakalpakstan outlines as starting points to plan with a local operator.

Silk Road rail loop: Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara

The classic route uses the Afrosiyob high-speed train. Tashkent to Samarkand takes about 2 hours 15 to 30 minutes. Samarkand to Bukhara takes about 1 hour 30 to 50 minutes, and Bukhara back to Tashkent about 4 hours. Several morning departures run on the Samarkand line, and an evening return is available. Tickets go on sale about 45 days ahead, and popular services sell out, so buy early on the railway ticket site or the Uzbekistan Railways app. Foreign travellers need their passport number at booking.

Three to five nights usually cover the loop: two in Samarkand for the Registan, Gur-e Amir and Shah-i-Zinda, and two in Bukhara for its old centre. The pages for those cities hold the sight details. Khiva lies further west and is reached by a separate route, not by the Afrosiyob.

Weekend in Shakhrisabz

Afrosiyob trains have run from Tashkent to Shakhrisabz on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays since 27 March 2026. Shakhrisabz holds the Timurid ruins of Ak-Saray and the tombs at Dorut Tilavat and Dorus Saodat. It is a small town, so one night is plenty.

Fergana Valley outline

The Fergana Valley lies east of the Kamchik tunnel, about 19 km long, which the railway uses to cross the mountains. Kokand, Rishton and Margilan are the usual stops for palaces, ceramics and silk. A circuit needs at least three days, and it is not a drive that fits into a single day. Train times and venue details vary, so agree the plan with a local operator.

Karakalpakstan and the Aral Sea

Nukus, home to the Savitsky Museum, and the Aral Sea area near Muynak are far from Tashkent. Flights and four-wheel-drive transport are needed, and desert heat can be severe. Treat this as a distant add-on for a longer holiday and arrange it through a specialist.

Planning notes

Entry is visa-free for UK citizens for up to 30 days, with registration within 3 days, which hotels usually handle; see the UK entry requirements . Carry travel insurance, and check flights if you travel via the Gulf, because the Middle East escalation has disrupted some routes. Cash in UZS is useful away from the cities. Accommodation can be searched on Booking.com .