Uzbekistan Highlights — 9 Days with a Flight to Khiva
Overview
All four cities with the flight doing the long distance: Tashkent to Urgench in the air, Khiva to Bukhara across the Kyzylkum by car, then trains the rest of the way. Nine days, two nights in each of the big three, private guide and car.
The desert crossing is the one road day, and we make it count with the fortresses and a lunch stop on the Amu Darya.
Highlights
Is this trip for you?
- Travellers who want all four cities with only one road day
- Families — two nights everywhere means unpacking once per city
- Anyone who wants free time built in
- You dislike flying small domestic routes
- You want to see the Aral Sea (take the Authentic Uzbekistan route)
Our honest opinion
- The morning flight to Urgench gives you a full Khiva afternoon
- Free mornings in Bukhara and Samarkand
- Khiva gets one night only
- The desert day is 6–7 hours
Ask for the sunset slot on the Khiva walls on day 3 — it is the best hour of the whole trip.
The trip in numbers
Your route
Line style shows how you travel each leg: solid = train, dotted = car, dashed = flight.
Day by day
Airport pickup and transfer to your hotel.
Khast-Imam, Chorsu bazaar, the metro and the new city; evening free.
Morning flight, afternoon and evening inside Itchan-Kala with your guide.
Six to seven hours across the desert with stops at Ayaz-Kala, the Amu Darya and a roadside chaikhana.
The Ark, Poi-Kalyan, the Samanid mausoleum, Chor-Minor and the domes; evening show on request.
Free morning in Bukhara — the hammam, the carpet workshops — then the afternoon train.
Registan, Shah-i-Zinda, Bibi-Khanym, Gur-Emir and the bazaar.
Ulugbek observatory and the paper mill at Konigil, then the train.
Airport transfer.
What’s included
What’s not included
Where you’ll stay
Or equivalent, depending on season. Hotels are inside or beside the historic centres wherever the town has one.
Choose your hotel category
Same itinerary, same guide — pick the comfort level that suits you. The price switch is in the booking box.
- TashkentArt Deluxe
- SamarkandZilol Baht
- BukharaAl Hayat
- KhivaZarafshon Boutique
- TashkentIchan Qala
- SamarkandBibikhanum Hotel
- BukharaKomil Boutique
- KhivaOrient Star Madrasah
Traveller reviews
What guests wrote
“We are in our seventies and wanted the four cities without a long desert drive. The day in Nukus at the Savitsky museum was the surprise of the trip — a world-class collection of banned Soviet art in the middle of nowhere. The Khiva guesthouse owner carried Alan’s bag up two flights without being asked. Little things.”
Good to know
Most nationalities enter Uzbekistan visa-free for 30–90 days. If your passport needs an e-visa, it takes 2–3 working days online — we check your case and guide you at booking.
The local currency is the Uzbek som (UZS). Visa and Mastercard work in city hotels, restaurants and supermarkets; keep some cash for bazaars, taxis and tips. ATMs dispense som and sometimes USD.
April–June and September–November are warm and clear — ideal for walking the old cities. July–August afternoons exceed 35°C; winter departures run at reduced prices.
Uzbekistan uses European plug types C and F, 220V. Travellers from the UK, US and Asia need a standard Euro adapter — one per device is enough, hotels have plenty of sockets.
Everyday dress is relaxed across all four cities. Inside mosques and madrasas, shoulders and knees should be covered; headscarves for women are only needed in a few active mosques — your guide will tell you when.
Your included eSIM is activated on arrival, so you’re online from the airport. Hotel Wi-Fi is reliable in all four cities; your coordinator stays reachable on WhatsApp or Telegram throughout.
Free cancellation up to 30 days before departure. 50% refund up to 15 days before; after that the booking is non-refundable, but you can move to another date once for free.
Medical insurance for the tour days is included. We still recommend personal travel insurance covering cancellation and baggage — we can suggest trusted providers.
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