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Samarkand in a day
1 day 9 stops

Samarkand in a day

© Arina Pan, CC BY-SA 4.0

Only one day? See Gur-e-Amir, the Registan, Bibi-Khanym, the Siab Bazaar, Shah-i-Zinda and the Ulugh Beg Observatory, then end with the Registan's evening light show.

Practical information

Most of this route is on foot — 4–5 km in total. Gur-e-Amir to the Registan is 900 metres, the Registan to Bibi-Khanym 700–800 metres along Tashkent Street, and from there it is another fifteen minutes past the Siab Bazaar and Hazrat Khizr to Shah-i-Zinda. You only need a taxi to the observatory and back: about 10 minutes with Yandex Go.

Have lunch around the Siab Bazaar, since plov is a midday dish. Opening hours vary with the season: from April to October most sites open from 8:00 to 19:00, with shorter hours in winter. On Fridays, don't enter the Hazrat Khizr Mosque as a sightseer during the midday prayer: the 14:15 slot usually falls after it, but if you're running ahead of schedule, push this stop back. If the summer heat is too much, rest at your hotel after the bazaar and reach Shah-i-Zinda around 16:00. Cover shoulders and knees, and carry a scarf and water.

Variations

Arriving on a morning train? Start at the Registan and save Gur-e-Amir for the evening, when the floodlit mausoleum is at its most beautiful. You could also swap the observatory for the Afrasiab Museum. Tickets are sold at each monument's ticket office, and a Registan ticket covers all three madrasas.

Stops

  1. 08:30

    Gur-e-Amir

    Begin at Timur's mausoleum while it is quiet and the ribbed turquoise dome catches the morning sun. Inside, look for the gilded decoration and the dark-green jade slab over Timur's grave.

  2. 09:30

    Registan

    A 10–15-minute walk from Gur-e-Amir. Allow at least two hours for the courtyards of all three madrasas and the gilded mosque inside Tilya-Kori.

    Registan

    The great square of three madrasas

  3. 11:30

    Islam Karimov Street (formerly Tashkent Street)

    Stroll the pedestrian street from the Registan to Bibi-Khanym, browsing the suzani, ceramics and knife stalls along the way.

  4. 11:50

    Bibi-Khanym Mosque

    Timur's colossal congregational mosque dwarfs everyone at its portal. Look for the giant marble Qur'an stand in the courtyard.

  5. 12:45

    Siyob Bazaar

    Taste Samarkand bread, dried fruit and navvot sugar at the bazaar and grab lunch nearby. Some sources say the market closes on Mondays.

  6. 14:15

    Hazrat Khizr Mosque

    The hilltop mosque offers a fine view back over Bibi-Khanym and the bazaar. It is a working mosque, so dress modestly.

  7. 15:00

    Shah-i-Zinda

    Give the majolica-clad street of mausoleums an hour and a half. It is a pilgrimage site: keep your voice down and don't photograph people at prayer.

  8. 17:00

    Ulugh Beg Observatory

    A 10-minute taxi ride. See the underground arc of the giant sextant and the small museum; in winter it closes earlier.

  9. 20:00

    Registan Evening Show

    The evening sound-and-light show can be watched from the open area outside the ensemble. It is seasonal, so confirm the start time locally.