5 Stans & Caucasus: Self-Launched Silk Road to the Caucasus

Land at Ashgabat airport — you'll need a pre-arranged visa-support/LOI from a licensed Turkmen agency (book weeks ahead) and a guide is legally required to accompany you most of the time here, so budget for a local guide. Check into a central guesthouse, change some manat, and walk the wildly over-the-top marble boulevards near Independence Park in the evening.

🚌Taxi from airport (~£5-8)

🛏Budget guesthouse or small hotel in central Ashgabat (~£25-35/night)

• →Airport transfer / taxi to guesthouse
• →Evening wander along Ashgabat's marble avenues
• →Arrange local guide & museum tickets for tomorrow

Morning at the National Museum of History and Ethnography (huge carpet and artefact collection), then take a taxi 18km west to Nisa, the UNESCO-listed Parthian fortress ruins. Swing past the Arch of Neutrality for the city views. Your local guide can join for the day — worthwhile for context and permissions.

🚌Shared taxi to Nisa (~£4-6)

🛏Ashgabat guesthouse

• →National Museum of History and Ethnography
• →Nisa UNESCO ruins
• →Arch of Neutrality viewpoint

Take an early shared taxi or hired car (about 4 hours each way) to Mary and the Merv UNESCO site — the ruins of a great Silk Road oasis city spread over kilometres. Explore the archaeological remains and the small Merv museum. If you'd rather not rush, sleep in Mary and catch a morning flight to Dashoguz instead.

🚌Shared/hired car Ashgabat–Mary–Merv (~£15-20 total)

🛏Return to Ashgabat guesthouse (or Mary hotel ~£20)

• →Merv UNESCO World Heritage Site
• →Merv archaeological museum
• →Gyrt Gala & Erk Kala remains

Fly Ashgabat to Dashoguz (Turkmenistan Airlines, book ahead), then hire a taxi to Kunya Urgench's UNESCO monuments — the mosque portal of Turabek Khanum, Kutlug Timur minaret and fortress gates. Continue to the Uzbek border at Shavat/Dashoguz, walk across, then take a shared taxi (about 45 min) to Khiva.

🚌Internal flight ~£55-75 + taxi ~£6 + border crossing

🛏Guesthouse inside Khiva's Ichon Qala (~£15-20)

• →Kunya Urgench UNESCO monuments
• →Walk across Dashoguz–Shavat border
• →Arrive Khiva old town

Hire a driver for the day to the desert fortresses around Khiva: Toprak Kala, Kyzyl Kala and Ayaz Kala, with lunch at a yurt camp near Ayaz Kala (a tourist camp — fine for lunch even if you skip sleeping there). Back to Khiva for dinner in a courtyard restaurant.

🚌Hired car with driver ~£30-40 for the day, shared if possible

🛏Khiva guesthouse

• →Toprak Kala ruins
• →Kyzyl Kala fortress
• →Ayaz Kala fortresses & yurt camp lunch

The walled Ichon Qala is compact and walkable. Buy a combined ticket and cover the Djuma Mosque with its 200 carved wooden pillars, the Kunya Ark palace, Tash-Hauli Palace, and walk to the Sheikh Mukhtar-Vali complex just outside the walls. Climb the Islam Khodja minaret at sunset.

🚌On foot

🛏Khiva guesthouse

• →Khiva Ichon Qala combined ticket
• →Djuma Mosque
• →Kunya Ark palace
• →Tash-Hauli Palace
• →Sheikh Mukhtar-Vali Complex
• →Islam Khodja minaret sunset

A long, flat drive south — shared taxis (about 5-6 hrs, ~£8-10) run from Khiva's Share' Telegraph station area; via Urgench you can also pick up a train. Arrive Bukhara, check in, then walk the Lyabi-Hauz plaza in the evening with its fountain and chaikhana terraces, and take in a folk performance at the Nadir Divan-Begi madrassah if one is on.

🚌Shared taxi ~£10

🛏Bukhara guesthouse (~£15-20)

• →Shared taxi Khiva–Bukhara
• →Lyabi-Hauz Plaza
• →Evening folk show at a madrassah (~£5-8)

Start early at the Ismail Samani Mausoleum and Chashma Ayub, then the Chashma Ayub / Kukeldash madrassah area. Wander the capmaker and spice bazaars around the domed trading streets. Pay an English-speaking local guide for a half day (~£25-35) to bring the Silk Road history alive — a cheap substitute for a tour guide.

🚌On foot

🛏Bukhara guesthouse

• →Ismail Samani Mausoleum
• →Chashma Ayub Mausoleum
• →Kukeldash Madrassah
• →Domed bazaars (Telpak Furushon, Zargaron)
• →Local guide half-day

See Chor Minor's four-towered madrassah gatehouse first thing, then take an Afrosiyob high-speed train (Bukhara–Samarkand, ~1.5 hrs, book on the Uzbek Railways site) — or, to match the tour, hire a shared car via Shakhrisabz to see Ak Saray Palace and the Urgut bazaar. Arrive Samarkand by evening.

🚌Afrosiyob train ~£8 or hired car ~£25-30

🛏Samarkand guesthouse near Registan (~£18-22)

• →Chor Minor Madrassah
• →Option: Ak Saray Palace at Shakhrisabz
• →Option: Urgut bazaar

The big day. Registan Square's three madrassahs (Ulugh Beg, Shir Dor, Tilla Kari), the Gur-Emir Mausoleum where Timur is buried, and Ulugh Beg's observatory with its surviving sextant. Finish in the Chorsu market area for plov and samsa. Tickets are separate and cheap (~£1-3 each).

🚌On foot / short taxis (~£3)

🛏Samarkand guesthouse

• →Registan Square
• →Ulugh Beg & Shir Dor & Tilla Kari madrassahs
• →Gur-Emir Mausoleum
• →Ulugh Beg Observatory
• →Chorsu bazaar

Take the Afrosiyob north to Tashkent (~2 hrs, ~£10). Explore Independence Square and Navoi Theatre Square, the Barak Khan madrassah near Khast Imam (and its famous 7th-century Uthman Quran), the Russian Orthodox church, and the crafts centre. Metro stations alone are worth the 15p fare — ride a few for the Soviet mosaics.

🚌High-speed train ~£10 + metro

🛏Tashkent hostel/guesthouse (~£15-20)

• →Afrosiyob Samarkand–Tashkent
• →Khast Imam complex & Barak Khan Madrasah
• →Independence Square
• →Navoi Theatre Square
• →Tashkent metro tour

Take a shared taxi over the Oybek border crossing to Khujand (~3-4 hrs). See the Historical Museum of Sughd, the rebuilt Khujand fortress and the Muslihiddin madrassah by the Panjshanbe bazaar. Note: most nationalities need a Tajik e-visa (US$25 online, easy).

🚌Shared taxi across border ~£8-10

🛏Khujand guesthouse (~£14-18)

• →Shared taxi to Khujand
• →Historical Museum of Sughd
• →Khujand Fortress
• →Muslihiddin Medressa & Panjshanbe bazaar

Shared taxi/marshrutka to Dushanbe (~5 hrs) through the mountains. Afternoon at the National Museum (home to a giant reclining Buddha), the Gurminj Musical Instrument Museum, and Shahmansoor bazaar. If you have time, a taxi out to Hissar Fortress (~30 min) fills a late afternoon.

🚌Shared taxi ~£10-12

🛏Dushanbe guesthouse/hostel (~£15-20)

• →Khujand–Dushanbe shared taxi
• →Tajikistan National Museum
• →Gurminj Musical Instrument Museum
• →Shahmansoor Bazaar
• →Optional Hissar Fortress

A quiet day. Fly Dushanbe–Almaty (Air Astana/Somon Air, ~£90-130 booked ahead; visa-free for UK passports). Settle into a hostel in the centre, buy a local SIM, and take an orientation stroll around Panfilov Park and the leafy streets near Abay Avenue.

🚌Flight ~£100 + airport bus ~£1

🛏Almaty hostel (~£12-18 dorm, £25-30 private)

• →Flight to Almaty
• →SIM card & city orientation walk

Zenkov Cathedral in Panfilov Park (built of wood, no nails), the National Musical Instruments Museum, Central State Museum, and the Green Bazaar for horse sausage and dried fruit tastings. Late afternoon, ride the cable car up Kok Tobe for sunset over the mountains.

🚌Metro/taxi + Kok Tobe cable car ~£3

🛏Almaty hostel

• →Zenkov Cathedral & Panfilov Park
• →Central State Museum
• →National Musical Instruments Museum
• →Green Bazaar
• →Kok Tobe cable car

Take a shared taxi or minibus from Almaty to Bishkek (~4 hrs, ~£8-12, visa-free). Explore Ala-Too / Independence Square, Philharmonic Square, University Boulevard and TSUM department store — a Soviet-era time capsule. Bishkek is cheap and easy, with Osh Bazaar a must for the foodie.

🚌Shared taxi ~£10

🛏Bishkek hostel/guesthouse (~£12-18)

• →Almaty–Bishkek shared taxi
• →Independence Square
• →Philharmonic Square
• →University Boulevard
• →Osh Bazaar

Head east along the lake by marshrutka. Stop at Kyzyl Tuu, the yurt-maker's village, then detour into Djety Oguz canyon for red-rock scenery and a short walk to the Broken Heart viewpoint. Overnight in Karakol — a friendly small town with a wooden Dungan mosque and Russian cathedral.

🚌Marshrutka/shared taxi ~£8 + local driver for canyon ~£15

🛏Karakol guesthouse (~£12-16)

• →Marshrutka to Issyk-Kul
• →Kyzyl Tuu yurt-making village
• →Djety Oguz canyon hike

Return west to Cholpon Ata to see the open-air petroglyph field with Bronze Age ibex and sun carvings, the local museum, and the wooden Dungan mosque and Holy Trinity Cathedral in Karakol before you go if you stayed the night. Finish with a cheap farewell dinner in Bishkek.

🚌Marshrutka Cholpon Ata–Bishkek ~£4

🛏Bishkek hostel/guesthouse

• →Cholpon Ata petroglyphs
• →Museum of N.M. Przhevalsky (optional, Karakol)
• →Dungan wooden mosque
• →Return to Bishkek

Fly Bishkek–Baku via Almaty or Istanbul (book well ahead, ~£130-180). Azerbaijan e-visa is straightforward online (~US$25). Evening walk along the Caspian seafront boulevard — the flame towers light up after dark.

🚌Flight ~£150 + airport bus ~£1

🛏Baku hostel/guesthouse (~£15-22)

• →Flight to Baku
• →Baku Boulevard evening stroll

Morning in the walled Old City (Icherisheher): Palace of the Shirvanshahs, the Maiden Tower, caravanserais. Afternoon at the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre (Zaha Hadid's swooping white building) and Upland Park for the panorama. The city is walkable and the metro is cheap (top up a BakiKart).

🚌Metro & walking (~£2)

🛏Baku hostel/guesthouse

• →Icherisheher Old City
• →Palace of the Shirvanshahs
• →Maiden Tower
• →Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre
• →Upland Park viewpoint

Join a small-group day tour from Baku (GetYourGuide, ~£35-45) covering Gobustan's petroglyphs and mud volcanoes, the Ateshgah fire temple at Surakhany, and the Gala open-air ethnographic village — far cheaper than a private driver.

🚌GetYourGuide small-group day tour ~£40

🛏Baku hostel/guesthouse

• →Gobustan petroglyphs & museum
• →Mud volcanoes
• →Ateshgah Fire Temple
• →Gala Village open-air museum

Take a shared taxi or marshrutka west. Stop at Shamakhi's Diri Baba tomb and the Yeddi Gumbaz mausoleums, then detour to Lahij — a cobbled mountain village of copper workshops. Continue to Sheki for the night (marshrutka, ~3 hrs from Shamakhi).

🚌Shared taxis & marshrutkas ~£10-14

🛏Sheki guesthouse (~£15-20)

• →Diri Baba Tomb
• →Yeddi Gumbaz mausoleums
• →Lahij copper workshops
• →Shamakhi Juma Mosque

The Palace of the Sheki Khans with its stained glass and painted interiors is the highlight; combine with the Kish Albanian church and the local bazaar. Sheki is also famous for its sweet halva — try it with tea in a caravanserai.

🚌On foot & short taxis

🛏Sheki guesthouse

• →Palace of Sheki Khans
• →Kish Village & Albanian Church
• →Sheki bazaar
• →Caravanserai tea break

Marshrutka to the Georgian border at Lagodekhi (~1 hr), cross on foot, then continue to Telavi in Kakheti wine country. Visit Tsinandali Estate and winery, Alaverdi Cathedral, and a small family winery for qvevri wine and a churchkhela (walnut sweet) making session — many family cellars offer this informally for ~£10-15.

🚌Marshrutkas ~£6-8 + local taxi ~£10

🛏Telavi guesthouse (~£15-20)

• →Cross Lagodekhi border
• →Tsinandali Estate & winery
• →Alaverdi Cathedral
• →Family winery visit & churchkhela making

Visit Sighnaghi's cobbled streets and walls over the Alazani Valley, taste at Pheasant's Tears winery, then marshrutka to Tbilisi (~2 hrs). Evening walk through the old town: Metekhi Church, the sulfur bath district, and the cable car up to Narikala Fortress for city views (cable car ~50p).

🚌Marshrutka ~£4 + cable car ~£1

🛏Tbilisi hostel/guesthouse in old town (~£15-22)

• →Sighnaghi old town & walls
• →Pheasant's Tears winery tasting
• →Tbilisi old town walk
• →Metekhi Church
• →Narikala cable car

Take a marshrutka to Gori for the Stalin Museum and his birth house, then a taxi to the cave-town of Uplistsikhe. On the way back, stop at Mtskheta — Jvari Monastery on its hilltop and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral — both UNESCO sites. Return to Tbilisi for dinner and a wine bar (Vino Underground is a good stop).

🚌Marshrutka + shared taxi ~£8-10

🛏Tbilisi hostel/guesthouse

• →Stalin Museum & birth house, Gori
• →Uplistsikhe cave complex
• →Jvari Monastery
• →Svetitskhoveli Cathedral
• →Wine bar evening

Shared taxi or marshrutka to the Sadakhlo/Bagratashen border and on to Alaverdi. See the Akhtala fortress and Haghpat monastic complex (UNESCO), then climb to Dilijan in the forested hills. Explore the old town's craftsman workshops and wood-carving studios. Armenia is visa-free for UK/EU/US passports for short stays.

🚌Shared taxi/marshrutka ~£10-12

🛏Dilijan guesthouse (~£15-20)

• →Akhtala fortress
• →Haghpat Monastery
• →Dilijan old town & craftsmen workshops

A private driver for the day is the easiest way to hit all three (~£45-55, shareable). Sevanavank monastery on the lake peninsula, the Hellenistic Garni temple, a lavash-baking demo and lunch at a local house, then the rock-cut Geghard Monastery. End in Yerevan for an evening in the Cascade area.

🚌Hired driver ~£50 (share if possible)

🛏Yerevan hostel/guesthouse (~£15-22)

• →Sevanavank monastery
• →Garni Temple
• →Lavash baking demonstration
• →Geghard Monastery
• →Yerevan evening walk

Marshrutka out to Vagharshapat for Zvartnots temple ruins, Etchmiadzin Cathedral (the mother church of Armenia) and St Hripsime Church. Back in Yerevan, tour the Ararat Brandy Factory with tasting (~£8) and catch live folk music over dinner at a tavern in the centre.

🚌Marshrutka ~£2 + metro

🛏Yerevan hostel/guesthouse

• →Zvartnots Temple ruins
• →Etchmiadzin Cathedral
• →St Hripsime Church
• →Brandy factory tour & tasting
• →Folk music dinner

Stop in Ashtarak to see the small Karmravor church, then catch a shared taxi or marshrutka back to the Georgian border and on to Tbilisi (~5 hrs total). Spend the last evening in Tbilisi's Sololaki or Abanotubani district with a final Supra-style feast.

🚌Shared taxi/marshrutka ~£12-15

🛏Tbilisi hostel/guesthouse

• →Karmravor Church, Ashtarak
• →Border crossing back to Georgia
• →Farewell dinner in Tbilisi old town

Last morning for coffee on Chardin Street or a final wander through the Dry Bridge flea market, then the airport bus (No. 337, ~£1) to Tbilisi International for your flight home.

🚌Airport bus ~£1

🛏N/A — depart

• →Dry Bridge flea market (if time)
• →Airport transfer