Discover Bukhara & Samarkand in 2 Days

Two days for Samarkand and Bukhara is short, but it works if you know what matters most. The two cities are about an hour and a half apart by high-speed train, so you can spend one full day in each. The hard part is choosing: both have far more monuments than a day allows. This guide ranks the sights so that you see the essentials of each city and leave knowing what to come back for.

Key facts

• Plan: one day in Samarkand, one day in Bukhara, with a night in Bukhara in between.
• Getting between them: Afrosiyob high-speed train, about 1.5 hours between Samarkand and Bukhara; about 2–2.5 hours from Tashkent to Samarkand.
• Samarkand priorities: Registan, Gur-e-Amir, Shah-i-Zinda, Bibi-Khanym and Siab Bazaar.
• Bukhara priorities: Poi-Kalyan with the Kalyan Minaret, the Ark, Lyabi-Hauz and the trading domes.
• Sightseeing time: about 6–7 hours in Samarkand and 4–5 hours in Bukhara on our tour.
• Good for: travellers with little time, stopovers, a first look before a longer trip.
• Book with: see our tour "Discover Bukhara & Samarkand in 2 Days" or contact us — prices depend on group size and season.

How to split two days

The most efficient order starts in Tashkent with an early train to Samarkand, a full day of sightseeing there, and an evening train to Bukhara. You sleep in Bukhara, see the old town the next morning and return to Tashkent in the evening. This is the plan our "Discover Bukhara & Samarkand in 2 Days" tour follows. For the train-by-train details of a similar trip, see our two-day train tour from Tashkent; this guide is about what to see once you are there.

Samarkand in one day: what to prioritise

Must see

• Registan: three madrasas around one square — Ulugh Beg's from 1417–1420, and Sher-Dor and Tilya-Kori from the 17th century. It is the image of Samarkand, and it deserves the first hour of your day.
• Gur-e-Amir: the mausoleum of Amir Timur (Tamerlane) and members of his dynasty, with its ribbed blue dome and gold-decorated interior.
• Shah-i-Zinda: a street of mausoleums built from the 11th to the 15th century, known for its glazed tilework.

If you have time

• Bibi-Khanym Mosque: Timur's great Friday mosque, built 1399–1404, a short walk from the Registan.
• Siab Bazaar: next to Bibi-Khanym, the place for bread, dried fruit and nuts.
• Ulugh Beg Observatory: the remains of the observatory built by Timur's grandson in the 1420s, a short drive from the centre.

What you can leave for next time

The Afrasiab Museum, the Tomb of Saint Daniel, the paper workshops at Konigil and the Shakhrisabz day trip all need extra time. If they appeal to you, a longer stay is the answer — our 4-day Bukhara and Samarkand tour from Tashkent includes some of them.

Bukhara in one day: what to prioritise

Must see

• Poi-Kalyan: the Kalyan Minaret of 1127, the Kalyan Mosque and the Mir-i-Arab Madrasa around one square.
• The Ark: the citadel of the emirs, today a museum.
• Lyabi-Hauz: the 17th-century pool with its madrasas — the place to finish the day.
• Trading domes: the covered bazaars between Lyabi-Hauz and Poi-Kalyan.

If you have time

• Samanid Mausoleum (10th century) and Chashma-Ayub, a short drive from the centre.
• Magoki-Attari Mosque and the Ulugh Beg and Abdulazizkhan madrasas, on the walk between the domes.

What you can leave for next time

Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa, the summer palace of the last emir, and the Bahouddin Naqshbandi complex lie outside the city. They are the reason to spend two full days in Bukhara. For the walking route through the centre, see our Bukhara city tour guide.

Is Bukhara a day trip from Samarkand?

It is possible: the Afrosiyob covers the distance in about 1.5 hours, so a morning train out and an evening train back leave you most of a day in Bukhara. It is a long day, though, and you see Bukhara only in daylight. If you are based in Samarkand and have only one day for Bukhara, go by an early train and book the return before you leave, because popular trains sell out. If your plans allow, a night in Bukhara is more relaxed and lets you see Lyabi-Hauz in the evening.

Practical tips

• With only two days, the whole plan hangs on one train: reserve your seats as soon as sales open, usually about 60 days ahead.
• Carry your passport on every train journey.
• In Samarkand, start at the Registan early, before the heat and the groups.
• In both cities, dress modestly for mosques and shrines.
• Wear comfortable shoes; you will walk several kilometres each day.
• Keep your luggage small: on day one it travels with you from Tashkent to Bukhara.

Plan it with TravelBliss

Our tour "Discover Bukhara & Samarkand in 2 Days" combines guided sightseeing in both cities with the train from Tashkent, a hotel night in Bukhara, the return to Tashkent and transfers. If you already stay in one of the cities, book a single day instead: the Samarkand City Tour or the Bukhara City Tour. With one more day, our Golden Bukhara two-day tour gives Bukhara more time. Prices depend on group size and season — see the tour page or contact us.