Afrosiyob Train in Uzbekistan: Tickets, Routes & Booking Guide

The Afrosiyob is Uzbekistan's high-speed train between Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara, and for most visitors it is the quickest way between the Silk Road cities. Seats are limited, so the most useful things to know are when tickets go on sale and how to book them. This guide covers tickets and booking; for journey times, stations and life on board, see How to Travel Uzbekistan by High-Speed Train.

Key facts

• Ticket sales open: usually 60 days before departure, sometimes later. You cannot buy before sales open.
• Official website: eticket.railway.uz (with an English version); also the Uzbekistan Railways app.
• Other ways to buy: station ticket offices, or through your tour operator.
• You need: each passenger's name and passport number when booking, and the passport itself at the station.
• Classes: Economy, Business and VIP.
• Route: Tashkent – Samarkand – Bukhara; Khiva has its own fast train, the Jaloliddin Manguberdi.
• Fares: differ by class and travel date; the booking site shows the fare of each seat before you pay, and our trip quotes list them too.

Afrosiyob routes at a glance

The Afrosiyob runs on one main line, Tashkent – Samarkand – Bukhara, and travellers book it in legs: Tashkent to Samarkand, Samarkand to Bukhara, and Bukhara or Samarkand back to Tashkent. When you search on the booking site, search each leg separately and make sure the station names match your plan — Tashkent has two large stations, and your ticket shows which one you leave from.

Khiva is not on the Afrosiyob line. If your trip includes Khiva, book the Jaloliddin Manguberdi train or a flight for that leg first, because it runs less often, then fit the Afrosiyob legs around it.

When do Afrosiyob tickets go on sale?

Uzbekistan Railways normally opens sales 60 days before the travel date, occasionally a little later. Some dates go much faster than others: weekends, public holidays such as Navruz (21 March) and Independence Day (1 September) with the long weekends around them, and the busy travel months of April–May and September–October. On these dates the most convenient morning and evening trains can sell out soon after sales open.

If your dates are fixed, book on the day sales open. If you are still deciding, plan the train legs first and build hotels and day tours around them — not the other way round.

How to book Afrosiyob tickets

Online at eticket.railway.uz

The official booking site is eticket.railway.uz; switch the language to English at the top of the page. Search for your route and date, choose the train, the class and the seat, then enter each passenger's name and passport number exactly as they appear in the passport. After payment you receive an e-ticket with a QR code. If the site does not accept your bank card, a travel agency or tour operator can book for you.

In the Uzbekistan Railways app

The official app for iPhone and Android offers the same steps and keeps the QR codes on your phone, which is convenient when you have several legs.

At a station ticket office

The main stations also have ticket counters, where the cashier needs each traveller's passport as well. Buying at the counter is fine for a spontaneous trip on a quiet weekday; on holiday and peak-season dates the train you want may already be full.

Through TravelBliss

When you travel with us, we book the train as soon as sales open for your date, using the passport details you send us, and we coordinate the train times with your guide and transfers.

Which class should you choose?

• Economy: seats in a 2+2 layout; comfortable for journeys of two to four hours.
• Business: wider seats in a 2+1 layout.
• VIP: the premium carriage with leather seats in a 2+1 layout.

All three classes travel at the same speed and use the same café-restaurant car. When Economy is sold out, Business or VIP seats may still be available, so check every class before you change your plans.

What to do if the Afrosiyob is sold out

• Check again later. Seats sometimes come back closer to the date when other bookings change. We keep checking for our guests until shortly before departure.
• Try another departure or class. A train an hour earlier or later, or a different class, may still have seats.
• Take a classic train. The Sharq runs on the same line; it is slower but comfortable and air-conditioned.
• Travel by car. A private car with a driver keeps your plan intact and lets you stop on the way — for example at a yurt camp in the desert between Samarkand and Bukhara.

Practical tips

• Copy names exactly: a typo in the passenger's name or passport number can cause problems at the station check.
• Save the QR codes offline: take a screenshot of each e-ticket in case you have no mobile data at the station.
• Book return legs at once: buy the whole chain of legs in one go so one sold-out leg does not break the plan.
• Watch the date of sale: set a reminder for 60 days before each leg, as each date opens on its own day.
• Note the train number: it is printed on the e-ticket and helps you find the right platform on the station boards.
• Recheck times before travel: timetables change with the season, so look at your booking again a few days before.

Plan it with TravelBliss

We build trips around the train timetable: tickets, a guide waiting at the station, private transfers and a car as back-up if the train is full. For a short visit, see the Samarkand One Day Tour from Tashkent or the 2-Day Bukhara and Samarkand Tour by Train; for a longer trip, Bukhara and Samarkand from Tashkent in 4 Days. Prices depend on the number of travellers, the season and the train class — see the tour pages or contact us for a quote.