Uzbekistan train tour: 6 days

Takeaway breakfast

06:30 Transfer to Tashkent Airport ( Terminal 3). 

08:00 Departure for Bukhara by morning flight.

09:10  Arrival at Bukhara Airport.

Come out of the terminal; the driver will meet you with a signboard "ANUR TOUR".

Transfer to the hotel to drop off the bags; standard check-in is after 14:00.

Meet the guide at the hotel. Start WALKING sightseeing in Bukhara (5 hours):

- Ensemble Lyabi Hauz (Nadir Divanbegi Madrassa, Khanaka, Kukeldash Madrassa, and the monument of Khodja Nasreddin);

- Magoki Attari Mosque is one of the oldest mosques to survive in Bukhara from the time before the Mongolian invasion.

- Abdullakhan’s Tim with numerous handicraft shops of souvenirs, ceramics, national clothes, and carpets;

- Caravanserai Sayfuddin (the Center of Handicraft Development of Bukhara);

-  Trading domes, or so-called covered bazaars, Toki Sarrofon, Toki Telpak Furushon, and Toki Zargaron were preserved from the 16th century, and these bazaars were the centers for trade of silk, jewelry, and money exchange. Today as well, there are shops in the domes selling a wide range of souvenirs, from small magnets, suzani, and ceramics to the famous Bukhara carpets.

- Ulugbek and Abdulazizkhan Madrassas with the distinctive style of facade ornamental decoration;

- Poi Kalon Square with Kalon Minaret and Mosque, Mir Arab Madrassa – the heart of Bukhara, a monumental complex that impresses the imagination;

- Ark Fortress – the oldest citadel, dating back to the 1st century BC, where one can feel the history of the great fortress covered in beautiful legends and myths.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Free day in Bukhara.

By request (extra payment)

Sightseeing program in the Bukhara countryside, visiting:

- Samanids mausoleum (9th century), a monument of early medieval architecture.

- Naqshbandi mausoleum (the founder of the Naqshbandi Sufi Spiritual order). Located near Bukhara, the memorial complex of Bakhauddin Naqshbandi is considered one of the most significant religious places of Bukhara that attracts many visitors as well as pilgrims.  The memorial was rebuilt several times in the 14th century - each Emir of Bukhara wanted to build something new near the mausoleum. This complex impresses with its incomparable style of oriental architecture, which reflects the spirit of the Sufi Order.

- Sitora-I – Mohi Khosa – last Emir's summer residence visit by request.

15:00 Transfer to the railway station in Bukhara.

16:16 Departure for Samarkand by train "Afrosiyob"/ "Sharq".

18:05 Arrival in Samarkand.

Come out of the terminal and meet the driver. Transfer to the hotel.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

09:00 Meet the guide at the hotel.

Start sightseeing program in Samarkand (6 hours):

– Gur Emir Mausoleum – a burial vault of Timur the Great and his descendants is decorated with gold ornaments and is considered one of the most significant sights of the world;

– Continue to the famous Registan Square – the heart of Samarkand and a real masterpiece of Central Asian medieval architecture, which consists of three grandiose buildings: Ulughbek Madrassa, Madrassa Sherdor, and Madrassa Tilla Kori; 

– Bibi Khanim Mosque – the biggest medieval building in the city was one of the most magnificent mosques in the Islamic world in the 15th сentury; 

– Shahi Zinda Necropolis – a unique complex of mausoleums formed by standing on both sides of the cenotaph (an imaginary grave) of the Muslim saint Abbas ibn Kussam; 

– Ulugbek’s Observatory – one of the finest astronomical centers in the medieval world was built by order of Ulugbek, an outstanding scholar and astronomer;

– Samarkand bazaar – Siyab. 

22:30 Transfer to the railway station in Samarkand.

23:40 Departure for Termez by night train.

Overnight on the train. 

09:32 Arrival in Termez.

10:00 Meet a guide in the hotel’s lobby and start the sightseeing program.

Termez, one of the oldest cities in Central Asia, is located in the Surkhan Oasis, where ancient Buddhist monastery complexes coexisted along with monumental Islamic architectural masterpieces of the region. Tour around the city includes visiting:

- Kokildor-Ota Khanaka,

- Sultan Saodat Ensemble, a summer residence of Samani governors.

- Fortress Kyrk-Kyz; - the unique "Kirk Kiz" building ("forty girls”) which has attracted the attention of researchers for a long time, has been variously considered as a palace, an abbey, a caravansarai, Hanaqoh, or just simply a civil construction.

- Zurmala – Buddha’s stupa, Buddha complex, Fayaz – Tepa – one of the museums in the open air under the protection of UNESCO

- Mausoleum of Al – Hakim at Termezi, the founder of the dervish order, an outstanding theologian who wrote numerous religious works, and a leader of Islamic mysticism.

Transfer to the hotel.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel. 

Breakfast at the hotel.

09:00 Continue excursion in Termez and its suburbs, visiting:

-  Kampyr – Tepe – Greco – Bactrian Kingdom fortress;

- Jarkurgan Minaret - The decoration of the minaret is not a mosaic of colored tiles but masonry on a ganch solution. The design is notable for the fact that the tower consists of 16 half-columns in the shape of a flower or a star.

Drive back to Termez, with picturesque views of Surkhan oasis and Friendship Bridge, which connects Uzbekistan and Afghanistan;

- Archaeology Museum of Termez, where one can see the unique exhibits found on the territory of Termez and its surroundings.

16:50 Transfer to the railway station in Termez.                                                                     

17:43 Departure for Tashkent by night train.

Night in the train.

08:17 Arrival in Tashkent.

Transfer to the hotel.

End of the tour.