The Perfect 7-Day Uzbekistan Itinerary (2026): Day-by-Day Route
· 9 min read · Itinerary
One week. Four cities. Zero wasted time. Here's the exact route I'd send to my best friend if they had 7 days in Uzbekistan and one chance to get it right.
Seven days is the sweet spot for Uzbekistan: enough to see the Silk Road triangle plus Tashkent, not so long that you burn out on madrasas. This is the exact route I run with first-time visitors.
Day 1 — Tashkent arrival
Land at TAS. Yandex Go to your hotel (~25,000 UZS from airport). Afternoon: Chorsu Bazaar, Khast Imam complex, Independence Square. Dinner at Besh Qozon (Central Asian Plov Center) — get there by 6 pm before they run out.
Day 2 — Tashkent metro + Afrosiyob to Samarkand
Morning ride the Soviet-era metro (Kosmonavtlar, Alisher Navoi, Pakhtakor stations are the prettiest). 14:00 Afrosiyob high-speed train to Samarkand (2h 10min, book at railway.uz a week ahead, ~150,000 UZS economy).
Day 3 — Samarkand: Registan day
- Morning: Registan Square (go at opening, 8am, for empty photos).
- Late morning: Bibi-Khanym Mosque + Siab Bazaar (try fresh non bread).
- Afternoon: Shah-i-Zinda necropolis — the most photogenic spot in the country.
- Evening: Registan again at sunset for the light show (April–October).
Day 4 — Samarkand → Bukhara
Morning Gur-e-Amir (Timur's tomb) and Ulugh Beg Observatory. Afternoon Afrosiyob to Bukhara (1h 30min). Evening stroll around Lyabi-Hauz with a cold Sarbast beer.
Day 5 — Bukhara old town
Po-i-Kalyan complex, Ark Fortress, Bolo Hauz mosque, then the trading domes (Toki Zargaron, Toki Sarrafon, Toki Telpak Furushon). Sunset from the rooftop of Minzifa Restaurant.
Day 6 — Bukhara → Khiva
This is the only painful leg: 6–7h shared taxi or 7h sleeper train across the Kyzylkum desert. Leave early. Sleep at a guesthouse inside Itchan Kala — Hotel Orient Star (an old madrasa) is unbeatable.
Day 7 — Khiva + fly back
Walk Itchan Kala at dawn before the buses arrive: Kalta Minor, Juma Mosque (213 carved wooden columns), Tash Hauli Palace. Afternoon Uzbekistan Airways flight Urgench → Tashkent (1h 40min, ~$45). Done.
Total cost
Mid-range, all in: ~$650–800 per person including all trains, the Urgench flight, hotels, food and entry tickets. Budget version: ~$400. Worth every dollar.