7-day Uzbekistan Classic Tour

We begin in this capital city, where you are first introduced to the charming culture of Uzbekistan. City sightseeing gives an overview of Uzbekistan's capital city now visibly divided between old and new. A visit to the State Museum of History enables us to see ancient artefacts as well as the applied arts and crafts of more recent times. At the Abdul Khassim Madrassa we see artisans producing traditional Uzbek crafts of woodcarving, metalwork and miniature-painting.

After lunch visit the renovated buildings in what remains of 15th and 16th century Tashkent, as well as the large and exciting Chorsu Bazaar. Here we see typical Uzbek cradles, musical instruments, carpets, tea sets and a huge variety of other items. We also visit the wonderful food market with its splendid displays of fruit and vegetables, spices, nuts and raisins, milk products and meats. After lunch we visit the Museum of Applied Arts which is housed in a splendidly decorated building.

This morning we transfer to the train station for our fast and early train to fabled Samarkand on the very centre of the ancient Silk Road. Upon arrival we start our sightseeing tour of this ancient city. We visit the spectacular Registan, Samarkand's legendary central square. Erected in the 15th and 17th centuries, the Registan's renowned madrassas were restored in 1997. We gaze upon their turquoise domes and towering minarets and visit the numerous student cells now housing gift shops.

We also visit the exquisite Gur Emir, where Amir Timur is entombed, and the early 15th century Bibi-Khanum Mosque where a giant stone Qura'an stand rests in the courtyard.

If time permits we also inspect the remains of the remarkable medieval observatory developed by Ulug Beg, Timur's brilliant astronomer grandson. Today, only half of the below-ground semi-circular track remains to be seen, together with the excellent small museum close by.

Overnight in Samarkand.

After breakfast we'll drive on to holy Bukhara making a stop in Gizhduvan to visit the most important ceramic center of Bukhara region. If we're lucky we'll have the opportunity to see centuries old tradition of using a donkey for spinning the millstones during the process of natural dyes grinding.

Continue afternoon drive on to Bukhara and just before we reach the city we visit the lovely Sitora-i Mohi Khosa, once the summer residence of the last Emir. Designed by Russian architects its lavish interiors are decorated with traditional filigree plaster, mirrored surfaces and delicate floral wall paintings. Of special interest is a superb collection of large dowry embroideries, historic costumes including veiling garments once worn by women.

Then we continue to one of Central Asia's oldest and most exquisite structures, the Ismail Samani Mausoleum, whose superb decorative brickwork has survived 1000 years of rugged history.

It is only a short distance to our hotel which is situated in the old Jewish quarter and decorated with traditional Uzbek crafts. After dinner, we have time to join the locals strolling around the area and visit some of the small craft studios tucked into the ancient nearby madrassas and trading domes.

Today we have a full day visiting the historic sites and remarkable monuments of Bukhara. We walk through the fascinating old city and see the impressive 2000 year-old Ark, where the Emirs once lived, the great 12th century Kalon Minaret and neighbouring Kalon Mosque.

Along the way we can observe the many master craftsmen of Bukhara and admire their wide variety of superb traditional crafts.

After breakfast we experience another aspect of Uzbekistan's endlessly varied landscapes as we drive through the Kizyl Kum desert to Khiva, the most intact and remote city in Central Asia.

Upon reaching the historic Amu Darya (Oxus River) we pause for a picnic lunch and then continue on to Khiva, whose very name evokes thoughts of slaves, caravans and the fierce Turkmen tribesmen feared by 19th century soldiers and spies.

In the late afternoon we arrive in this perfectly preserved museum city with its lovely dun-coloured clay walls and turquoise domes. We spend the rest of the day in Ichan-Kala (Khiva's inner city), admiring the most homogenous collection of architecture in the Islamic world.

One of the first buildings we see is the Mohammed Amid Khan Madrassa which now serves as a hotel; beside it is a large unfinished turquoise-tiled minaret whose planned height was greater than Bukhara's Kalon Minaret. We explore the Friday Mosque with its forest of beautifully carved wooden columns and the partly-restored 12th century Kunya Ark, former residence and fortress of the Khiva rulers.

Traditional dinner and overnight in Khiva.

After breakfast we continue sightseeing of Khiva and once again experience the richness of this museum city.

Then we drive to Urgench (capital of Khoresm region) to depart for Tashkent by air. Hotel transfer upon arrival.

Early this morning we will transfer to the airport for our flight home.