Self-Launched Silk Road: Tashkent, Bukhara & Samarkand Independently
7 days · Uzbekistan
Global Connect charges £825
No-markup version: ~£370 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched 7-day Silk Road route through Uzbekistan covering the same headline sights as Global Connect's private tour — Tashkent's Old City, Bukhara's walled medina, Samarkand's Registan and Shakhi-Zinda, Shakhrisabz's Ak Saray Palace and the Chimgan/Charvak mountains — but built around Afrosiyob high-speed trains, shared taxis, yandex/go apps and self-booked guesthouses. You'll do the walking tours yourself with a good guidebook or a couple of cheap half-day local guides, eat plov at the same Plov Centres for a few pounds, and stay in hostel privates or family guesthouses instead of 3* hotels. Slow-travelling and culture-heavy, with a full-on but easy-to-follow transport plan.
Day-by-day
Tashkent Old City on foot
Tashkent
Land at Tashkent airport, take the metro or a Yandex taxi (£2-3) into the centre and drop bags at a hostel/guesthouse near Amir Temur Square or in the Old City. Self-launch your own Old City walk: Khast Imam complex (Barak-Khan Madrasah, Tillya Sheikh Mosque, Muyi Muborak, Kaffal Shashi Mausoleum, the new Hazrati Imam Mosque), then Chorsu Bazaar for dried fruit and bread. Lunch at the Central Asian Plov Center — a plate of plov for £2-3. Ride a few stops on the ornate Soviet-era metro (£0.15 a trip), then loop Independence Square, the Navoi Opera House exterior, Amir Temur Square and the Monument of Courage. Take it slowly — jet lag is real. Overnight: hostel private or family guesthouse in Tashkent.
🚌Airport transfer by Yandex taxi or metro (£2-3); walking + metro in the city
🛏Hostel/guesthouse, Tashkent (£12-15)
- →Khast Imam Complex (free)
- →Chorsu Bazaar (free)
- →Central Asian Plov Center lunch (~£3)
- →Tashkent metro hop-on ride (~£0.15)
- →Independence Square, Amir Temur Square & Monument of Courage (free)
Afrosiyob to Bukhara — medina on foot
Bukhara
Book the Afrosiyob high-speed train Tashkent–Bukhara in advance online or via the Uzbekistan Railways app — economy class roughly £12-18 and about 4 hours. Check into a guesthouse inside or beside the old town. Walk the medina yourself: Lyabi-Khauz ensemble and Kukeldash Madrasah, Magoki-Attori Mosque (carpet museum), Chor-Minor, the four Trade Domes, Ulugbek and Abdulazizkhan madrasahs, Miri-Arab (exterior), Kalyan Minaret and Mosque, the Ark Fortress and Bolo-Khauz Mosque. Entry is a couple of pounds per site — buy the combined ticket for the Ark. Evening: dinner of shurpa or lagman around Lyabi-Khauz (£5-7). Overnight: Bukhara guesthouse.
🚌Afrosiyob train Tashkent–Bukhara, economy (~£15, ~4 hrs); walk everywhere in Bukhara
🛏Guesthouse in old-town Bukhara (£14-18)
- →Lyabi-Khauz & Kukeldash Madrasah
- →Magoki-Attori Mosque / carpet museum (~£1)
- →Chor-Minor Madrasah (~£1)
- →Trade Domes
- →Kalyan Minaret & Mosque (exterior free)
- →Ark Fortress (~£3)
- →Bolo-Khauz Mosque (free)
Bukhara morning, Afrosiyob to Samarkand, monuments at night
Samarkand
Early stroll around Bukhara's still-quiet streets — a good time for photos of the Kalyan Minaret — then catch a late-morning or early-afternoon Afrosiyob Bukhara–Samarkand (£10-14, ~1.5-2 hrs). Check into a hostel or boutique guesthouse near Registan. Rest, then head out in the evening light: Gur-Emir Mausoleum and Registan Square are both spectacular lit up at night and the squares are free to wander. If you want a short guided orientation, a local guide for 2-3 hours via GetYourGuide runs £20-30. Dinner from a cheap chaikhana (£5-7).
🚌Afrosiyob train Bukhara–Samarkand (~£12, ~1.5-2 hrs); walking in the old town
🛏Hostel/guesthouse, Samarkand (£14-18)
- →Gur-Emir Mausoleum at night (~£2 entry)
- →Registan Square at night (free to enter the square)
- →Optional 2-3 hr local guide (~£25 shared)
Samarkand's Silk Road heavyweights
Samarkand
Do the big day yourself, or pick up a half-day guide through GetYourGuide/Klook (roughly £25-35 for a shared or small-group tour). Route: Registan Square (buy the combined ticket for all three madrasahs), Gur-Emir Mausoleum, Bibi-Khanum Mosque, then Siab Bazaar for non bread and fruit. Lunch at the Plov Center next to Siab — £2-3. Afternoon: Khazrat Khizr Mosque, the Islam Karimov mausoleum, Shakhi-Zinda Necropolis (the highlight — get there before 4pm for the light), Ulughbek Observatory and the Meros paper mill in Konigil village (marshrutka or £4 Yandex out, paper-making demo a couple of pounds). Overnight: Samarkand.
🚌Walking; marshrutka or shared taxi out to Konigil (~£2-4)
🛏Hostel/guesthouse, Samarkand (£14-18)
- →Registan Square combined ticket (~£4)
- →Gur-Emir Mausoleum (~£2)
- →Shakhi-Zinda Necropolis (~£2)
- →Ulughbek Observatory (~£2)
- →Siab Bazaar
- →Meros paper mill, Konigil (~£2)
- →Lunch at Plov Center (~£3)
Shakhrisabz via the mountain passes
Samarkand / Tashkent
Take a shared taxi from Samarkand to Shakhrisabz (85 km through the Aman-Kutan Gorge and Takhta-Karacha Pass — agree a price of roughly £8-12 per seat, or ~£30 for a whole car if four of you split it; ask your guesthouse to arrange it). Stop briefly at Teshiktosh. In Shakhrisabz walk it yourself: the Aksaray Palace ruins, Dor-us Saodat and the Jakhongir Mausoleum, and the Kok Gumbaz Mosque. Cheap lunch at a family restaurant (£4-5). Return to Samarkand, then take the late Afrosiyob Samarkand–Tashkent (£10-14, ~2 hrs) and check back into a Tashkent hostel.
🚌Shared taxi Samarkand–Shakhrisabz return (~£12-20); Afrosiyob Samarkand–Tashkent (~£12)
🛏Hostel/guesthouse, Tashkent (£12-15)
- →Aman-Kutan Gorge & Takhta-Karacha Pass drive (included in shared taxi)
- →Aksaray Palace ruins (~£2)
- →Dor-us Saodat & Jakhongir Mausoleum (~£2)
- →Kok Gumbaz Mosque (free)
Chimgan chairlift and Charvak Reservoir
Chimgan / Charvak, near Tashkent
Marshrutkas and shared taxis run from Tashkent's northern bus stations (ask your hostel which — usually the Dustlik/Chorsu area) to Chimgan in about 2 hours for £3-5, or split a Yandex intercity for ~£25-30 between four. Ride the Chimgan chairlift (£4-6) for valley views and a short hill walk. Then take a short shared taxi to the Charvak Reservoir shore (£3-4) for swimming, a lakeside tea stop and the prehistoric petroglyphs and rock carvings nearby. Head back to Tashkent late afternoon. Budget £6-8 for meals on the road.
🚌Marshrutka/shared taxi Tashkent–Chimgan (~£4) and Chimgan–Charvak (~£3), return (~£5)
🛏Hostel/guesthouse, Tashkent (£12-15)
- →Chimgan chairlift (~£5)
- →Charvak Reservoir shore (free)
- →Petroglyphs & rock carvings walk (~£2)
- →Optional short hike
Last plov and departure
Tashkent
Slow breakfast, a final wander around your neighbourhood or last-minute bazaar shopping (suzani, ceramics, dried apricots), then a metro or Yandex ride to the airport (£2-3) for your flight. If your flight is late, a return trip to Chorsu or the Fine Arts Museum (£2) fills the morning nicely. E-visa for most nationalities is around £15-20 single entry — apply online a couple of weeks before you fly.
🚌Yandex taxi or metro to Tashkent airport (~£2-3)
🛏—
- →Chorsu Bazaar shopping
- →Optional Fine Arts Museum (~£2)
Self-launched vs. Global Connect
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Global Connect | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£370 | £825 |
| Duration | 7 days | 7 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £455 per person (55%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Global Connect-style trips? Check them out here.~£370
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
Customise with Tour BusterCreated by
Travel Crew
0 trips
Frequently asked questions
How much does Self-Launched Silk Road: Tashkent, Bukhara & Samarkand Independently cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £370 per person for 7 days in Uzbekistan. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Global Connect?+
Yes — Global Connect charges around £825 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £370 — a saving of roughly £455 (55%) per person.
How long is the Uzbekistan trip?+
This itinerary runs 7 days, covering 7 day-by-day stops through Uzbekistan.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, budget, slow-travel trip through Uzbekistan, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
Drop your comment below — if you've done a similar route, tell us what worked, what you'd add, or what you'd skip.
No comments yet — be the first to share your take.
Sign in to leave a comment.