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Three days: city and mountains
3 days 18 stops

Three days: city and mountains

© Kraftabbas, CC BY-SA 4.0

Two days for Samarkand's great monuments, and a third for the countryside: Urgut's bazaar, the Chor-Chinor garden, the Amankutan gorge and the Takhtakaracha Pass.

Practical information

Day one is all on foot; day two starts on foot and continues by taxi. Its last stops are on the city's eastern edge, where the Konigil paper mill and the Eternal City sit close together. In winter the mill usually closes at 17:00, so go before lunch at that time of year.

For day three, hire a car and driver for the day: Urgut is about an hour away, Urgut to Amankutan takes roughly another hour, and the drive back from the pass to Samarkand is a little over an hour — 150–170 km in all. Urgut's bazaar is busiest on Sundays and Saturdays, so plan around those days if you can. The mountains are cooler than the city, so pack a jacket, and expect patchy phone signal. If shrines appeal more, swap day three for a trip to the Imam al-Bukhari complex and the Makhdumi Azam mausoleum.

Who it suits

This itinerary suits travellers who want to see Samarkand unhurriedly and don't mind plenty of walking. Choose day three according to the weather: the mountains are loveliest in spring and autumn, and in summer they offer an escape from the city heat.

Stops

  1. Day 1
  2. 08:30

    Registan

    Begin in the city's great square and give its three madrasas a good two hours.

    Registan

    The great square of three madrasas

  3. 11:00

    Islam Karimov Street (formerly Tashkent Street)

    Walk the pedestrian street to Bibi-Khanym, browsing the souvenir shops.

  4. 11:15

    Bibi-Khanym Mosque

    The grandest mosque of Timur's age — take in the sheer scale of its domes and portal.

  5. 12:15

    Siyob Bazaar

    Explore the bazaar and have lunch nearby — don't leave without trying Samarkand bread.

  6. 14:00

    Hazrat Khizr Mosque

    Enjoy the view over the bazaar and Bibi-Khanym from the hilltop mosque.

  7. 14:45

    Shah-i-Zinda

    Linger on the street of tombs — the afternoon light makes the tiles glow.

  8. 20:00

    Registan Evening Show

    After dinner, watch the Registan's light show (seasonal).

  9. Day 2
  10. 08:30

    Gur-e-Amir

    Visit Timur's mausoleum in the morning — its gilded interior deserves your full attention.

  11. 09:30

    Rukhabad Mausoleum

    Pop into the 14th-century mausoleum next door to Gur-e-Amir.

  12. 10:30

    Afrasiyab Museum

    A 10–15-minute taxi ride. The 7th-century 'Ambassadors' mural is a rare masterpiece of Sogdian art.

  13. 12:00

    Khoja Doniyor (Tomb of Daniel)

    A peaceful riverside shrine. Dress modestly; women should bring a headscarf.

  14. 14:00

    Ulugh Beg Observatory

    After lunch, visit Ulugh Beg's 15th-century observatory and its museum.

  15. 15:30

    Konigil Meros Paper Mill

    Fifteen minutes by taxi. Watch every stage of making paper from mulberry bark.

  16. 17:30

    Eternal City (Boqiy Shahar)

    Spend the evening among craft workshops and Uzbek cooking.

  17. Day 3
  18. 08:30

    Urgut Bazaar

    About 40 km from Samarkand, roughly an hour by car. The suzani and embroidery rows are at their best on Sundays.

  19. 11:00

    Chor-Chinor Garden

    A few kilometres from the bazaar, rest in a garden shaded by centuries-old plane trees.

  20. 13:00

    Aman-Kutan

    Lunch beside the stream in a cool mountain gorge, then take a short walk.

    Aman-Kutan

    A Stone Age cave in a wooded mountain valley

  21. 15:30

    Takhtakaracha Pass

    From this pass on the Zarafshan range you look out over the peaks and south towards the Kashkadarya valley. In winter the road can be closed by snow.