Budget Tour to Uzbekistan: 6-Day Silk Road Route

Six days are enough to see the three great Silk Road cities of Uzbekistan if the route is planned in one direction. Our budget tour does exactly that: it starts and ends in Tashkent, flies once to the far west, and then works back east through Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand by road and train. This post walks through the itinerary day by day, so you know what you see, how you travel and where the free time falls.

Key facts

• Route: Tashkent – flight to Urgench – Khiva – Bukhara – Samarkand – Tashkent.
• Duration: 6 days; tours start daily in Tashkent.
• Transport: one domestic flight; Khiva to Bukhara by car across the Kyzylkum or by train, depending on the timetable; Bukhara to Samarkand and Samarkand to Tashkent by train.
• Guided sightseeing: walking tours in Khiva and Bukhara and a city tour of Samarkand; one free day each in Bukhara and Samarkand.
• Hotels: in Khiva inside Ichan-Kala, in Bukhara in the historic centre (tour data).
• Good for: first-time visitors, solo travellers and couples who want the classic cities without extra days.
• Prices: depend on the number of travellers and the season — see the Budget tour to Uzbekistan page or contact us.

Why this route keeps the trip economical

The most expensive thing on a short trip is wasted time: transfers back and forth, extra hotel nights, days spent only travelling. This route avoids backtracking. The single flight takes you from Tashkent straight to the west of the country in the early morning, so the first day is already a sightseeing day. From there each move is shorter than the last, and the two trains at the end are fast and comfortable. Free days in Bukhara and Samarkand let you explore at your own pace instead of paying for guided hours you do not need. For general advice on saving, read our budget travel guide to Uzbekistan.

Day 1: Tashkent – Urgench – Khiva

An early transfer takes you to Tashkent airport for the morning flight to Urgench. Our driver meets you outside the terminal for the short drive to Khiva, where your hotel is inside Ichan-Kala, the walled inner town. After dropping your bags you start a walking tour with your guide: the Ata-Darvaza gate and the Kunya-Ark citadel, the madrasahs of Muhammad Rahim Khan and Muhammad Amin Khan, the unfinished Kalta Minor minaret, the Tash-Hauli palace with its harem, the caravanserai, the Juma Mosque with its forest of wooden columns, and the Islam-Khoja minaret, the tallest in Khiva. The evening is free, and Ichan-Kala at sunset is worth a walk on your own.

Day 2: Khiva – Bukhara across the Kyzylkum

This is the long travel day. Depending on the train schedule, you cross the Kyzylkum desert to Bukhara by car — most of the day on the road — or by train. Either way, the landscape changes from the irrigated Khorezm oasis to open desert before you reach Bukhara in the afternoon. The rest of the day is for resting at the hotel.

Day 3: Bukhara on foot

Bukhara is a walking city, and the guided tour of about 5–6 hours stays on foot. You start at Lyabi-Hauz, the pool surrounded by the Nadir Divan-Begi madrasah, a khanaka and the Kukeldash madrasah, with the statue of Khoja Nasreddin nearby. Then come the Magoki Attari mosque, one of the oldest in the city; the covered trading domes of Toki Sarrofon, Toki Telpak Furushon and Toki Zargaron; the twin Ulugh Beg and Abdulaziz Khan madrasahs; the Poi-Kalon square with the Kalon minaret, mosque and Mir-i-Arab madrasah; and finally the Ark, Bukhara's citadel.

Day 4: free day in Bukhara, train to Samarkand

The morning is yours: revisit the trading domes, look into the workshops or simply sit in a teahouse at Lyabi-Hauz. In the afternoon our driver takes you to the station for the train to Samarkand — the high-speed Afrosiyob or the Sharq, depending on the timetable. In Samarkand a driver meets you with a TravelBliss sign and takes you to your hotel.

Day 5: Samarkand city tour

The guided tour lasts about six hours and covers the essentials: the Gur-e-Amir mausoleum, where Amir Timur and his descendants are buried; the Registan with the Ulugh Beg, Sher-Dor and Tilla-Kari madrasahs; the vast Bibi-Khanym mosque; and the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, a lane of tiled mausoleums climbing a hill. The evening is free.

Day 6: free day in Samarkand, train to Tashkent

Use the last day as you like: the Siab bazaar, a second look at the Registan, or a museum. In the late afternoon you take the Afrosiyob back to Tashkent, where our driver meets you and drops you at your hotel. End of the tour.

Practical tips

• Spend the night before day 1 in Tashkent: the airport transfer is very early.
• Pack so that you can carry your bags easily on trains and in the old towns.
• On day 2, take water, snacks and something to read for the desert crossing.
• Comfortable shoes matter more than anything else on the walking days in Khiva and Bukhara.
• Train trips can be replaced by car transfers if no tickets are available for your dates; book early.
• Check-in at hotels is usually in the afternoon; plan the arrival days with that in mind.

Plan it with TravelBliss

We arrange the whole route: the flight, transfers, train tickets, hotels, and guides for the walking tours in Khiva and Bukhara and the city tour of Samarkand. See the Budget tour to Uzbekistan page for the full programme, and the Afrosiyob train guide for how the trains work. Prices depend on the number of travellers and the season — contact us for a quote, including for a single traveller.