Inspiration for your own tailor-made trip
Uzbekistan – Ferghana – Tashkent – Samarkand – Bukhara – Khiva
100% customisable for you
Today, your Silk Road adventure begins. Head to the airport, breeze through security, and settle in for your flight east – there are no direct flights to Fergana, so the total travel time can be aorund ten hours depending on your layover.
On arrival in Fergana, you’ll be met and whisked to your hotel. After the journey, keep things easy – perhaps a short wander to stretch your legs, a swim in the hotel pool or a relaxed dinner while you start to get your bearings.
Over the next couple of days, dive into the Fergana Valley with your private guide – a region that’s long been one of Uzbekistan’s cultural and craft heartlands.
One day, head to Kokand, once a powerful khanate and a strategic pawn in the 19th-century ‘Great Game’. The Khudayar Khan Palace is the standout – part-restored, part-ruined, but still full of colour and detail. Nearby, the Friday Mosque is something else entirely – a long, low building supported by rows of slender carved wooden columns that give it an almost meditative feel.
Another day takes you east towards Andijan, birthplace of Babur, founder of the Mughal Empire. It’s a place with layers – Silk Road history, Soviet legacy, modern industry – all sitting side by side. As you edge closer to the Tian Shan foothills, the scenery softens into greener, quieter landscapes, with walnut trees and mountain backdrops creeping in.
After breakfast, it’s time to get stuck into Uzbekistan’s most famous crafts.
Start in Rishtan, where ceramics have been produced for centuries. You’ll visit a workshop where the process still leans heavily on handwork – shaping, glazing, firing – with that signature blue palette appearing again and again. It’s the kind of place where you’ll probably be tempted to buy something fragile (logistics are for later).
Then on to Margilan, long known as the country’s silk capital. At the Yodgorlik factory, watch the full process unfold from silkworm cocoons to vividly patterned fabrics, all worked using traditional techniques that haven’t changed much over time.
Later, a private driver will take you to Margilan station where you’ll board the five-hour train to Tashkent. It’s a comfortable ride, and a good moment to pause before arriving in the capital. Check into your hotel, freshen up, and take the evening as it comes.
Today, along with your guide, you’ll explore a mix of old and new – the Khast Imam complex, where one of the world’s oldest Qurans is kept, alongside wide boulevards and Soviet-era buildings rebuilt after the 1966 earthquake.
The highlight for many is Chorsu Bazaar. Under its vast turquoise dome, everything spills out in colour and noise, from pyramids of spices and stacks of bread to butchers at work and traders calling out. It’s chaotic in the best way.
Between stops, you’ll pass parks, metro stations with surprisingly ornate designs, and neighbourhoods that give a more everyday feel for the city.
If you’re feeling up to it, we can also arrange a visit to the Uzbekistan Art Museum, or a private tour of Tashkent at night.
This morning, take the high-speed Afrosiab train to Samarkand: fast, smooth and a far cry from the caravans that once took weeks to make the same journey.
On arrival, a private transfer will whisk you to your hotel in the old part of the city, where you’ll be staying for the next three nights. After settling in, head out with your guide for an introduction that’s deliberately flexible. Depending on your mood, maybe a first glimpse of the Registan, or maybe a wander through quieter backstreets. In the evening, enjoy dinner at the hotel restaurant and views from the roof terrace before an early night.
Over the next two days, explore Samarkand’s Silk Road highlights with your guide. Begin at the Afrasiab Museum, where murals depict seventh-century powers and some of the oldest chess pieces discovered. Continue to Shah-i-Zinda, a striking avenue of tiled mausoleums built for Timurid nobility, then visit Ulugh Beg’s 15th-century observatory – a reminder of the city’s scientific past.
The following day focuses on Samarkand’s most iconic landmarks. Start at the Registan, framed by three richly decorated madrasas, before heading to the Gur-e-Amir, where Tamerlane, first ruler of the Timurid dynasty, is buried beneath a jade cenotaph that inspired Mughal architecture. Visit the vast Bibi-Khanym Mosque, tied to a local legend, then finish at the nearby bazaar, where stalls brim with bread, spices and dried fruits.
This morning, return to the station and board the train to Bukhara, another key stop along the Silk Road. The journey is around two-and-a-half hours, giving you time to reset after the past few days of exploring.
On arrival, you’ll be met and transferred to your hotel in the heart of the old town. Bukhara feels different straight away – more compact, a little quieter, with a slower, more lived-in rhythm.
The rest of the day is yours to enjoy as you wish. Stretch your legs with a wander through the surrounding lanes, stop for green tea in a shaded courtyard or simply settle in and take things easy ahead of tomorrow’s deeper dive into the city.
Over the next two days, explore Bukhara with your guide, focusing on its best-preserved historic sites. Start at the Ark Citadel, once home to the city’s rulers, then head to the Bolo Hauz Mosque, known for its painted wooden columns reflected in the pool outside.
Nearby, the Samanid Mausoleum stands out for its intricate brickwork, while the Po-i-Kalyan complex brings together mosque, madrasa and the towering Kalon Minaret, long used as a landmark for travellers arriving by caravan.
You’ll also spend time in the old trading domes, where commerce has taken place for centuries and continues today, and pause for tea in a traditional choyxona (teahouse).
One day includes an excursion to Gijduvan, a centre for Uzbek ceramics, where you’ll see the full process in a family-run workshop, followed by a stop at the historic Vobkent Minaret on the return.
Today, set off by private transfer across the desert to Khiva – a longer journey, but part of the Silk Road experience, with wide, open landscapes stretching out along the way.
On arrival, check in for a two-night stay in a restored early 20th-century madrasa just outside the eastern walls. The original layout has been preserved, with former student rooms now comfortably styled with traditional Uzbek fabrics. The central courtyard is a lovely spot to unwind, especially as the day cools.
This evening, a table is reserved for you at Terrassa restaurant, where you can enjoy refined regional dishes alongside sweeping views over Khiva’s old town (a first glimpse of what’s to come tomorrow).
Today is dedicated to exploring Itchan Kala, Khiva’s UNESCO-listed inner city. Enclosed by almost 33ft-high crenellated walls and four historic gates, it’s one of the most complete Silk Road cities you’ll see.
With your guide, wander through a maze of narrow lanes, open squares and beautifully preserved monuments. Highlights include the Kunya Ark, once the residence of Khiva’s khans, and the Juma Mosque, known for its forest of carved wooden columns, some older than the building itself.
You’ll also visit the mausoleum of Pakhlavan Mahmoud (poet, wrestler and local hero), a place of quiet significance with tiled domes and richly decorated interiors still drawing pilgrims today.
Once the guided visit ends, take time to explore at your own pace. Climb a minaret for views over the rooftops, wander the quieter corners, or find a spot to sit and watch the city tick along.
This morning, transfer to Urgench Airport for your connecting flight back to the UK. Depending on your layover, the journey can take around ten hours.
As you make your way home, there’s time to reflect on the journey from the fertile Fergana Valley to Khiva’s walled city, tracing the Silk Road across the country just like travellers from bygone eras (although a little more comfortably these days).
Everything in this itinerary is entirely customisable, down to the smallest details. Here are some more suggestions of what could be included
Each of our trips is entirely tailor-made with originality, quality and cultural immersion in mind. Our team of destination specialists will craft itineraries based on your tastes, using their first-hand knowledge and the help of our in-country team of Concierges and guides. All trips are accompanied by a wide range of additional services, including a 24-hour helpline, the Original Travel app, fast-track airport services and much more.
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