2-Day Tour: Samarkand, Langar-Ota and Shakhrisabz

This 2-day tour is built for travellers who are in Bukhara and moving on to Samarkand anyway. Instead of a plain transfer, you spend the first afternoon at Samarkand's main monuments and the second day on a loop into the mountains of Kashkadarya — the Langar-Ota shrine and Shakhrisabz — before returning to Samarkand. You end in the city you were heading for, with two of its highlights and two places most itineraries skip.

Key facts

• Starts: Bukhara (morning). Ends: Samarkand — at your hotel or with a transfer to your next destination.
• Getting from Bukhara: by train to Samarkand; the Bukhara–Samarkand train ticket is part of the tour.
• Day 1: Registan, Gur-e-Amir, Shah-i-Zinda, Ulugh Beg Observatory, Bibi-Khanym Mosque, Siab Bazaar.
• Day 2: Langar-Ota shrine (about 2 hours from Samarkand), Shakhrisabz (about 1.5 hours on), back to Samarkand (about 2 hours).
• Type: private tour with driver and guide; runs daily.
• Included (tour page): driver, guide, transport, entrance fees, the train ticket. Not included: lunch and drinks, personal expenses.
• Book with: the 2-Day Tour: Samarkand, Langar-Ota Shakhrisabz — prices depend on group size and season; see the tour page or contact us.

Why start in Bukhara?

Most Uzbekistan routes run Tashkent – Samarkand – Bukhara, or the other way round. If you finish Bukhara first, the day you travel to Samarkand is often half lost. This tour uses the morning train for the move, so you arrive in Samarkand with the afternoon free for sightseeing. The second day then uses Samarkand as the base for a trip that would be very long from Bukhara itself: Langar-Ota and Shakhrisabz both lie south of Samarkand, beyond the mountains.

Two days also make Langar-Ota realistic. As a one-day trip from Samarkand it means eleven or more hours on the move (see our Langar-Ota and Shakhrisabz day trip guide); here you start fresh from your Samarkand hotel, with the city already seen.

Day 1: Bukhara to Samarkand

Morning: the train

You leave Bukhara in the morning. Fast trains between Bukhara and Samarkand usually take about 1.5–2 hours; on arrival in Samarkand you check in at your hotel.

Afternoon: Samarkand's essentials

The afternoon covers the monuments every first visit needs: the Registan with its three madrasas; Gur-e-Amir, where Amir Timur is buried; the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis with its tiled mausoleums; the Ulugh Beg Observatory, a 15th-century scientific site; and the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, once among the largest mosques of the Islamic world. You end at the Siab Bazaar next to Bibi-Khanym for bread, dried fruit and spices.

It is a full afternoon. If you would rather see Samarkand at a slower pace, add a Samarkand city tour on a separate day before you move on.

Evening

Free time to rest or take an evening walk — the Registan area is pleasant after dark. Overnight in Samarkand.

Day 2: Langar-Ota and Shakhrisabz

Morning: Langar-Ota

The drive south to the village of Langar takes about two hours through hills and over the mountain road. Here, on a hillside, stands the mausoleum of the Sufi sheikh Muhammad Sodiq, with an old mosque on the next hill and the village around them. You have time to walk around quietly; lunch is at a local café in Langar (not included). The background of the shrine is in our Langar-Ota guide.

Afternoon: Shakhrisabz

About 1.5 hours further on is Shakhrisabz, Amir Timur's home town. Your guide shows you the ruins of the Ak-Saray Palace, the Dorut Tilovat complex and Dorus Saodat. For what each monument is, read Day Tour to Shakhrisabz.

Evening: back in Samarkand

The return to Samarkand takes about two hours. The tour ends with drop-off at your hotel or a transfer to your next destination — useful if you continue by train to Tashkent.

Who this tour suits

• Travellers going from Bukhara to Samarkand who want to use the travel day well.
• Those who have one extra day and want something beyond the three big cities.
• Couples, friends and families: transport is private, so the car, driver and guide are only for your group.

It suits less well those who want a full day for Samarkand alone: day 1 is a compact overview.

Practical tips

• Keep your passport in your hand luggage: it is needed for the train.
• Pack a small day bag for day 2 and leave the big luggage at the Samarkand hotel if you stay a further night.
• Dress modestly on day 2: Langar-Ota and two complexes in Shakhrisabz are active religious sites. Women should carry a scarf.
• Wear comfortable shoes; Shah-i-Zinda has steps and Langar has steep paths.
• Bring some cash in Uzbek som for lunch, drinks and donations.
• On day 2 sit in front if you get car-sick: the mountain road has many bends.

Plan it with TravelBliss

We arrange the whole two days from Bukhara: the train ticket to Samarkand, a private car with professional driver, the guide and the entrance fees, as listed on the tour page. Starting from Samarkand instead? Take the one-day Langar-Ota and Shakhrisabz Day Trip. Prices depend on group size and season — see the tour page or contact us.