Uzbekistan Essential 8 days

Trip Description

Accomodation

Stay program

• day 1

  Friday // Paris – Tashkent

  Flight to Tashkent.

• day 2

  Saturday // Tashkent

  Arrival in Tashkent at 07:35. Welcome by the guide at the airport. Breakfast in the city. Visit of the Chorsu market and Hasti Imam square, composed of the Friday mosque, the Barak Khan madrasa, the Kaffal Chachi mausoleum, a large esplanade, and the manuscript museum with the first specimen of the Quran. Lunch in a local restaurant. Transfer and check-in at the hotel. Stroll on Independence Square, then Saïlgoh Street (locally known as the Broadway of Tashkent) and Amir Timur Square. Possibility of a stop to have tea or refreshing drinks on a terrace. Dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 3

  Sunday // Tashkent – Khiva

  Early breakfast. Transfer to the airport and flight to Urgench. Arrival and transfer to Khiva, then check-in at the hotel. Stroll through the Khiva market among mountains of watermelons and melons (depending on the season), bags of potatoes, carrots, onions... Visit to the truncated minaret Kalta Minar, the Mohammed Amin Khan madrasa, the king's seat and the ancient Kunya Ark palace, as well as the Mohammed Rahimkhan madrasa. Lunch in a local restaurant. Visit to the Pahlavan Mahmud mausoleum and the Islamkhodja minaret. Continue visits with the Jouma mosque, the Toch Khovli palace and the Khan's Harem. Folklore show of Khorezmian dances in the Harem. Dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 4

  Monday // Khiva – Bukhara

  Breakfast. Transfer to the airport and flight to Bukhara at 07:15. Arrival at 08:55 and visit of the outer city, notably the Naqshbandi mausoleum and the summer palace of the Emir of Bukhara. Lunch in a local restaurant. Check-in at the hotel. Visit of Bukhara: the Ismail Samani mausoleum, the Chashma Ayub mausoleum, the Ark citadel, and the Bolo Khaouz mosque. Dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 5

  Tuesday // Bukhara

  Breakfast. Visit of the old town around the Lyabi Khaouz complex, including the Kukeldash madrasa, the Nadir Divanbegi madrasa, and a large Khanaka. Possibility to stop for tea or refreshing drinks in a Chaykhana by the pond. Continuation of visits: the Magoki-Attari mosque, the medieval markets (Toki Sarrafon, Toki Telpakfuruchon, Tim of Abdullakhan, Toki Zargaron), the Ulug Beg madrasa and the Abdul Aziz Khan madrasa, the Poyi Kalyan complex composed of 3 monuments: the Kalyan Minaret, the Mir Arab madrasa, and the Great Mosque. Lunch in a local restaurant. Free time for individual strolls. Dinner in a local restaurant. Traditional dance show in the Nodir Devonbegui madrasa. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 6

  Wednesday // Bukhara – Samarkand

  Breakfast. Transfer to the station and train to Samarkand. Arrival and transfer to the hotel. Lunch in a local restaurant. Visit of the Amir Timur mausoleum, Registan Square, walk along Tashkent Street to the Bibikhanum Mosque and Siyob market. Dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 7

  Thursday // Samarkand – Urgut – Samarkand

  Breakfast. Visit to the Chakhi Zinda necropolis and the Samarkand paper workshop (produced in the ancestral way and under UNESCO protection). Drive to Urgut – a typical village at the foot of the mountains. Arrival at the village and welcome by a local family. Typical lunch with the locals. Opportunity to discover the local way of life and meet the local people. Return to Samarkand at the end of the day. Dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 8

  Friday // Samarkand – Tashkent – Paris

  Breakfast. Early departure for Tashkent. Lunch in a local restaurant upon arrival in Tashkent. Transfer to the airport and return flight.