Samarkand in Two Days: A Practical Itinerary

Samarkand is the city most travellers come to Uzbekistan to see, and two full days is the minimum to do it justice. This is the sequence we use for most private and small-group programs, built around light, crowds and walking distances.

Day one: the Timurid city

• Morning, Gur-e-Amir: the mausoleum of Amir Temur, with its ribbed blue dome and gilded interior. Go early, before tour buses arrive.
• Late morning, Registan: three madrasahs facing one square. Ulugbek Madrasah dates from the 15th century; Sher-Dor and Tilya-Kori followed in the 17th. Allow at least 90 minutes.
• Lunch: Samarkand plov, served in layers rather than mixed.
• Afternoon, Bibi-Khanym Mosque: once among the largest mosques in the Islamic world, next to the bazaar.
• Evening: return to Registan at sunset, when the tilework turns gold and the square is lit.

Day two: necropolis, science and craft

• Morning, Shah-i-Zinda: an avenue of mausoleums covered in some of the finest tilework in Central Asia. The early light is best for photography.
• Siab Bazaar: bread, dried fruit, nuts and spices. A good place to taste Samarkand non.
• Ulugbek Observatory: the remains of the 15th-century observatory of the astronomer-king.
• Afternoon, Konigil: a short drive to see traditional silk paper made by hand.

Operator tip: Registan and Shah-i-Zinda are busiest from 10 am to 2 pm. Schedule them first thing or late in the day, and use midday for lunch and museums.

Getting there

High-speed trains connect Tashkent and Samarkand in a little over two hours, and continue to Bukhara. Samarkand also has direct international flights, which makes it a convenient start or end point for a circuit.

With a third day

Add Shakhrisabz, Amir Temur's birthplace, or the Afrosiyob museum and the ancient city site on the northern edge of town. Both turn a fast visit into a rounded one.