Uzbekistan Tour Package from the UAE: Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara

Spring and autumn are the busy, higher-priced seasons, along with Eid and National Day. Summer and winter are quieter and cheaper.

• Children's prices depend on age and the hotel's policy
• A private guide and car cost more but suit families and older travellers, who can set the pace

1. 01

   Day 1: Arrive in Tashkent

   Our representative and your driver meet you at the airport and take you to the hotel. The rest of the day is free. In the evening, Magic City, a park of lit-up streets, fountains and cafes, is an easy first outing.

2. 02

   Day 2: Tashkent old and new

   The Khast Imam complex with its madrasas and the library that holds one of the oldest Qurans in the world. Then the domed Chorsu Bazaar for spices, dried fruit and nuts. After lunch, the new city: Independence Square, Amir Temur Square, the Minor Mosque and a ride on the decorated Tashkent metro.

3. 03

   Day 3: Fast train to Samarkand

   An early transfer to the station for the train to Samarkand, about two hours. Your guide meets you on arrival for Gur-e-Amir, the tomb of Amir Temur, then Registan Square with its three madrasas. In the late afternoon, the Shah-i-Zinda street of tiled tombs. Overnight in Samarkand.

4. 04

   Day 4: Train to Bukhara

   A morning train of about an hour and a half to Bukhara. See the Samanid Mausoleum, the Bolo Hauz Mosque and the Ark fortress, then after lunch the Poi Kalon square with the Kalon Minaret, the Kalon Mosque and the Miri Arab Madrasa. End the day by the pool at Lyabi Hauz. Overnight in Bukhara.

5. 05

   Day 5: Bukhara morning, train to Tashkent

   A free morning for the covered trading domes, where craftsmen sell carpets, embroidery, ceramics and knives.

6. 06

   Day 6: Fly home

   Breakfast, check-out and transfer to Tashkent airport for your flight back to the UAE.

Only four nights? Skip Bukhara and spend two nights in Tashkent and two in Samarkand. Seven nights? Add a day trip to the Chimgan mountains and Charvak Lake from Tashkent, about 80 to 90 km by road, with a cable car to the top for views over the Tian Shan foothills. In Samarkand you can also add the Ulugbek Observatory, the Siyob Bazaar and the paper workshop at Konigil village, where paper is still made from mulberry bark.

Spring and autumn are the most comfortable months for walking around Samarkand and Bukhara, and the busiest. In summer we start tours early and keep the middle of the day for lunch and rest. Winter is cold, but the tiled monuments look striking in low sun, and the crowds disappear.