International · Central Asia
Uzbekistan
Central Asia · Tashkent 440 m, Samarkand 720 m, Bukhara 230 m, Khiva 98 m
Walk streets that Tamerlane built and Marco Polo described — turquoise-domed madrasas, 2,500-year-old bazaars, and Silk Road caravanserais that no brochure has made cliché yet.
Uzbekistan is the Silk Road distilled — three UNESCO-listed cities (Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva) packed within 600 km, each with medieval Islamic architecture so intact it looks freshly painted. For Indian travellers it offers a culturally familiar yet completely alien landscape: mosques and bazaars with zero mass-tourism fatigue.
Plan it with us
Want Uzbekistan shaped around you?
Tell us your dates — we'll build the trip.
Go in
In season, days sit around 26° and nights near 12°.
What you'll see & do
The sights worth the trip, and how to spend the days around them.
To see
- Registan Square, Samarkand — three facing madrasas with the world's finest tilework
- Shah-i-Zinda Necropolis, Samarkand — alley of 11th–15th c mausoleums in vivid blue
- Po-i-Kalon complex & Kalon Minaret, Bukhara — minaret Genghis Khan ordered spared
- Ark Citadel & Lyabi-Hauz, Bukhara — 2,000-year royal fortress above a tree-lined reflecting pool
To do
- Sunrise shoot at Registan before tour groups arrive (5:30 am access with guide)
- High-speed Afrosiyob train hop Tashkent–Samarkand–Bukhara (no overnight buses needed)
- Chorsu Bazaar, Tashkent — spice mountains, dried-fruit walls, live-animal section
- Silk carpet & suzani workshop visit in Bukhara's old caravanserais
Before you go
- E-visa must be secured before travel (e-visa.gov.uz, $20 single-entry, 2–5 business day standard processing); allow at least one week before departure to absorb delays and ensure the approval email is saved offline — clients who arrive expecting visa-free entry will be denied boarding.
- July and August regularly exceed 40°C outdoors; avoid selling travel in this window or restructure itineraries significantly for clients who insist.
- USD is the practical exchange currency — carry crisp, undamaged 50s and 100s, as torn or old-series notes are routinely refused; ATMs outside Tashkent are unreliable, and card acceptance remains limited in Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva.
Days, already shaped
3-day plan
- Day 1 Tashkent: Hazrat Imam mosque complex, Chorsu Bazaar, Amir Timur Museum; evening Afrosiyob train to Samarkand
- Day 2 Samarkand: Registan Square, Gur-e-Amir mausoleum, Bibi-Khanym mosque, Siyob Bazaar
- Day 3 Samarkand: Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, Ulugh Beg Observatory, afternoon train back to Tashkent for flight
5-day plan
- Day 1 Tashkent: Hazrat Imam, Chorsu Bazaar, Amir Timur Museum
- Day 2 Train to Samarkand; Registan, Gur-e-Amir, Ulugh Beg Observatory
- Day 3 Samarkand: Shah-i-Zinda, Bibi-Khanym, Siyob Bazaar; evening fast train to Bukhara
- Day 4 Bukhara: Ark Citadel, Po-i-Kalon complex, Kalon Minaret, Bolo-Hauz mosque, Lyabi-Hauz evening
- Day 5 Bukhara: Chor Minor, silk/carpet workshops, Samanid Mausoleum; fly out from Bukhara or Navoi airport
7-day plan
- Day 1 Tashkent: Hazrat Imam, Chorsu Bazaar, Amir Timur Museum; overnight train or evening flight to Samarkand
- Day 2 Samarkand: Registan, Gur-e-Amir mausoleum, Siyob Bazaar
- Day 3 Samarkand: Shah-i-Zinda, Bibi-Khanym, Ulugh Beg Observatory
- Day 4 Day trip to Shakhrisabz (Ak-Saray ruins, Kok Gumbaz mosque, Timur's mausoleum); overnight to Bukhara
- Day 5 Bukhara: Ark Citadel, Po-i-Kalon complex, Kalon Minaret, Lyabi-Hauz dervish show
- Day 6 Bukhara: Chor Minor, Samanid Mausoleum, suzani workshops, Nakshbandi shrine; evening flight Bukhara–Urgench
- Day 7 Khiva: Itchan Kala full day — Juma Mosque, Kalta Minor, Kunya-Ark fortress, rooftop sunset; fly Urgench–Tashkent
Getting there, permits & day trips
By air — Delhi–Tashkent direct on Uzbekistan Airways and IndiGo (~4.5 h, daily); Mumbai–Tashkent via Delhi or Dubai (~7–9 h total); Bukhara and Urgench also have airports served from Tashkent (1 h domestic)
By rail — Afrosiyob high-speed train: Tashkent–Samarkand 2 h 15 min, Samarkand–Bukhara 1 h 40 min; Bukhara–Urgench (for Khiva) no fast train — fly (1 h) or overnight train (12 h)
By road — Shared taxis and private cars fill gaps: Samarkand–Bukhara 3–4 h, Bukhara–Khiva 5–6 h desert highway; roads are good but long — combine with train for efficiency
On a Driftibo trip we handle the transfers.
Permits & entry — Indian passport holders require an e-visa for Uzbekistan; no visa-free regime exists as of June 2026. Apply online at e-visa.gov.uz before travel — fees are $20 USD single-entry, $35 double-entry, $50 multiple-entry; standard processing takes 2–5 business days, with a 1-hour VIP option also available. The e-visa permits a 30-day stay within a 90-day window from the issue date; visa-on-arrival does not exist, and clients arriving without a valid visa will be denied boarding or turned back at the border. Hotel registration via Emehmon.uz is mandatory within 72 hours of arrival; hotels handle this automatically, but ensure clients receive the registration confirmation slip, as it may be checked at border exit — clients staying in private accommodation must self-register. No special permits are required for Shakhrisabz, Khiva, or any other site on the standard Silk Road circuit. Clients should carry their passport at all times; police checkpoints are routine and polite.
Day trips nearby
- Shakhrisabz from Samarkand (80 km, 1.5 h) — Timur's birthplace, Ak-Saray ruins, UNESCO-listed, half-day
- Urgut Sunday Market from Samarkand (40 km) — Central Asia's biggest silk and carpet bazaar, must on weekends
- Aydarkul Desert Lake from Bukhara (3 h) — camel rides, yurt overnight, empty Kyzylkum desert landscape
- Nurata from Bukhara (180 km, 2.5 h) — ancient Alexander-era fort, sacred spring with sacred fish, trout lunch
Seasons and access shift — we reconfirm every detail before we quote.