Uzbekistan in 5 days: everything that matters

You land in Tashkent — a city where Soviet-era avenues sit alongside mosques and modern districts. Transfer to the hotel and check-in. The evening is for meeting the capital.

• The Khast-Imam complex — the spiritual heart of Central Asia, home to the 7th-century Uthman Quran
• Chorsu Bazaar — one of the largest covered markets of the East
• A walk through Tashkent’s Old City
• Dinner at a traditional restaurant: plov, samsa, lagman

Early morning — the high-speed Afrosiyob train (2 hours). Soon you are in Samarkand, the city Tamerlane built as the showcase of his empire. Blue domes greet you from the doorstep.

• Registan Square — an ensemble of three 15th–17th-century madrasahs, the main symbol of Uzbekistan
• The Bibi-Khanym Mosque — one of the largest in the Islamic world
• Siab Bazaar — spices, dried fruit, nishalda sweets
• An evening walk around the illuminated Registan

A full day in Samarkand. The Arab traveller Ibn Battuta called it “the Face of the Earth” — today you will see why. A thousand years of history in every stone.

• The Gur-Emir Mausoleum — resting place of Tamerlane and his descendants, 14th–15th centuries
• The Shah-i-Zinda necropolis — an avenue of 11 mausoleums in turquoise glaze
• Ulugbek Observatory — a 15th-century astronomical masterpiece, a century ahead of Europe
• The Afrasiyab Museum — relics of Samarkand’s ancient predecessor city

Transfer to Bukhara (train or car, ~3 hours). Bukhara is one of the best-preserved medieval cities in the world — its entire centre is UNESCO-listed.

• Lyabi-Hauz square — a medieval pond shaded by thousand-year-old plane trees
• The Kalyan Minaret and Kalyan Mosque — the 47-metre symbol of the “Mother of Cities”
• The Ark fortress — residence of Bukhara’s emirs since the 1st–2nd centuries AD
• Folklore dinner with a traditional music show

Morning Bukhara is quiet and golden. Final impressions, gifts for your loved ones — and the journey home with memories for a lifetime.

• The Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa Palace — “a star like the moon”, summer residence of the last emir
• The Toki Zargaron trading dome — jewellers and craftsmen have worked here since the 16th century
• Transfer to Bukhara airport or on to Tashkent
• Flights home from Bukhara or via Tashkent