Self-Launched: The Silk Road Stories of Uzbekistan & Turkmenistan

Fly into Tashkent's modern airport and take the affordable Aeroexpress train or a cheap Yandex Taxi (~£3-5) into the city centre. Check into a friendly guesthouse or hostel in the Old City area. In the evening, catch the flavour of Uzbekistan at a local restaurant — many venues near Amir Timur Square host live folk music and dance shows with a three-course feast, easily booked just by walking in (expect to pay around £12-15).

🚌Airport Aeroexpress train or taxi (~£4)

🛏Hostel or boutique guesthouse in central Tashkent (~£15)

• →Welcome dinner with live Uzbek folk music and dance at a local restaurant on Amir Timur Square

Self-guide through Tashkent's cultural heart at your own pace. Visit the State History Museum of Uzbekistan (entry ~£4) where artefacts trace the land from early civilisations through the Silk Road empires to Soviet rule. Head to the Religious Center of Tashkent — home to the beautifully restored Hasti Imam complex and the Museum of the Koran, which displays one of the world's oldest Qurans (entry ~£2). Finish at the chaotic, wonderful Chorsu Bazaar under its huge blue dome, where you can sample honim — steamed dough parcels filled with spiced vegetables — and mingle with local traders. Everything is walkable or a cheap metro ride away; the metro stations themselves are masterpieces.

🚌Metro and walking (~£2)

🛏Hostel or boutique guesthouse in central Tashkent (~£15)

• →Visit the State History Museum of Uzbekistan
• →Explore Hasti Imam complex and the Museum of the Koran
• →Wander Chorsu Bazaar and taste honim

Ride the Afrosiyob high-speed train from Tashkent to Samarkand (~£12 for a comfortable economy seat, 2 hours) — the very same service the G tour uses to cross the Kyzylkum desert. Once arrived, self-guide the legendary sites of the Silk Road's greatest city. Start at the Ulugbek Observatory, the 15th-century astronomer-ruler's remarkable instrument that mapped the stars with astonishing precision (entry ~£3). Continue to the Afrosiob Museum sitting above ancient Samarkand, where you can join an English-language group or hire a local guide to explain the Sogdian murals. In the evening, book onto a local family plov-cooking experience through your guesthouse or GetYourGuide — sharing the symbolism of Uzbekistan's signature rice pilaf as it sizzles in the kazan.

🚌Afrosiyob high-speed train (~£12)

🛏Guesthouse in Samarkand's Old City near Registan (~£16)

• →Ride the Afrosiyob high-speed train to Samarkand
• →Visit the Ulugbek Observatory
• →Explore the Afrosiob Museum and ancient excavation site
• →Evening plov cookery evening with a local family

Marvel at two of Central Asia's most breathtaking monuments today. Visit the Guri Amir Mausoleum, resting place of the great conqueror Timur, with its dazzling ribbed turquoise dome (entry ~£3). Then spend proper time at the Registan Square — three towering madrasas covered in exquisite blue ceramic tile work that some call the finest Islamic architecture in the world (entry ~£4). The afternoon is yours: walk to peaceful Konigil Village to see artisans using centuries-old silk paper-making techniques at the Meros Paper Mill, or hop a marshrutka out to the serene Mausoleum of St Daniel. End your day with rooftop chai as the Registan glows gold at sunset.

🚌Marshrutka and walking (~£2)

🛏Guesthouse in Samarkand's Old City near Registan (~£16)

• →Visit Guri Amir Mausoleum (Timur's tomb)
• →Explore the Registan Square madrasas
• →Optional: Konigil Village & Meros Paper Mill silk-paper demonstration
• →Optional: Mausoleum of St Daniel
• →Sunset over the Registan

Take the high-speed or overnight Sharq train from Samarkand to Bukhara (~£10, about 2.5-3.5 hours or overnight sleeper). Bukhara is one of Central Asia's most perfectly preserved Silk Road cities, with 140 monuments protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Check into a restored merchant-house guesthouse in the old town's warren of lanes. Spend the afternoon wandering the landmark Kalyan Minaret and mosque complex, the imposing Ark Fortress, and the charminar — Bukhara's quirky four-tower gate. As night falls, the old town's courtyards and teahouses buzz with travellers, so settle in for a cheap and delicious kebab and shashlik dinner.

🚌Sharq high-speed train (~£10)

🛏Restored merchant-house guesthouse in Bukhara old town (~£14)

• →Train to Bukhara
• →Wander the Kalyan Minaret & mosque complex
• →Explore Ark Fortress
• →See the Charminar and Po-i-Kalyan ensemble

A free day to lose yourself in Bukhara's living Silk Road atmosphere. Visit the Labi Hauz plaza — a pond surrounded by madrassas and mulberry trees where locals and travellers gather over tea and shashlik. Duck into the intricate dome-covered trading bazaars (Toqi Sarrofon and Toqi Zargaron), the Ulugbek and Abdulaziz Khan madrasas, and the Chor Minor. Climb up to the top of the Kalyan Minaret area for sweeping views across the skyline of domes and minarets. In the late afternoon, book a small-group sunset walking tour or simply follow your nose through the teahouses. Treat yourself to a traditional dinner at one of the old-town courtyard restaurants specialising in Bukharian Jewish cuisine.

🚌Walking and local taxis (~£3)

🛏Restored merchant-house guesthouse in Bukhara old town (~£14)

• →Relax at Labi Hauz plaza
• →Explore the domed trading bazaars
• →Visit Ulugbek & Abdulaziz Khan madrasas
• →Climb the Kalyan Minaret for skyline views
• →Bukharian Jewish cuisine dinner in a courtyard restaurant

Make the long but rewarding journey west to Khiva — you can take the sleeper or day train to Urgench then a 30-minute shared taxi, or the direct train service. Count on roughly £12 for the transport. Khiva's walled inner town, Itchan Kala, is a perfectly preserved time capsule of mud-brick walls, turquoise domes and minarets that feels frozen centuries ago. Check into a charming guesthouse within the old town walls (many occupy restored caravanserais and merchant homes). As the sun drops, the alleys empty of day-trippers, leaving the amber-lit lanes wonderfully atmospheric — perfect for an evening wander before dinner served in your guesthouse courtyard.

🚌Train and shared taxi (~£12)

🛏Heritage guesthouse inside Itchan Kala walls (~£15)

• →Travel to Khiva via Urgench
• →Evening walk through Itchan Kala's illuminated lanes

Wake inside the UNESCO-listed Itchan Kala and spend the day exploring its 60-plus monuments. Your city ticket (~£15, valid for several days) covers the Juma Mosque with its forest of 213 carved wooden columns, the soaring Kalta Minor minaret (unfinished but iconic), the Tash Hauli and Kuhna Ark palaces with their dazzling majolica, and the Islam Khodja minaret — climb it for unbeatable panoramas. Visit the Pahlavan Mahmud Mausoleum and peer into the many small museums among the old madrasas. After all that history, haggle for a silk ikat or a mini suzani embroidery in the bazaar before a relaxed dinner on a rooftop teahouse overlooking the old town.

🚌Walking (~£0)

🛏Heritage guesthouse inside Itchan Kala walls (~£15)

• →Explore Itchan Kala monuments with a multi-day city ticket
• →Climb Islam Khodja minaret for city views
• →Visit Juma Mosque, Tash Hauli & Kuhna Ark palaces
• →Shop for silk ikat and suzani embroidery in the bazaar

Today you'll cross the border into Turkmenistan — an adventure in itself. From Khiva take a taxi (private, ~£15-20 across the border) to the Kunya-Urgench crossing. Note that Turkmenistan requires a pre-arranged tourist visa plus a local guide/host for most travellers, so budget for the visa (£45-70) and arrange your border pick-up in advance through a guesthouse agency in Ashgabat or Nukus. On the Turkmen side, visit the remarkable Kunya-Urgench ruins — a former Khwarezm capital with the towering Kutlug Timur Minaret and the mausoleums of the sufis and scholars (entry ~£2). Then drive on through the Karakum Desert to the gleaming white-marble capital of Ashgabat, a surreal city of grandiose monuments. Check in and grab a casual dinner.

🚌Shared/private taxi to border + desert drive to Ashgabat (~£30)

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel in Ashgabat (~£25)

• →Cross the Khiva–Kunya-Urgench border into Turkmenistan
• →Visit the Kunya-Urgench ruins and Kutlug Timur Minaret
• →Drive through the Karakum Desert to Ashgabat

Spend the day with your arranged Turkmen local guide exploring the surreal marble city and its surrounds. Visit the UNESCO-listed ruins of Old Nisa, the ancient Parthian capital whose mud-brick walls, temple and fortress look out over desert plains (~£5). Back in Ashgabat, take in the flamboyant Independence and Neutrality monuments, the huge earthquake memorial, and the covered Tolkuchka Bazaar for carpets and handicrafts. For the adventurous and brave, book an afternoon/evening excursion out to the Darvaza Gas Crater — the famous 'Doorway to Hell' — a raging gas fire that has burned in the desert since 1971. Camp by its glowing rim with a local guide (private excursion ~£80-100 including transport and meals).

🚌Local guide vehicle (~£20 shared portion)

🛏Camp at Darvaza or return to Ashgabat guesthouse (~£25)

• →Trek the ruins of Old Nisa, former Parthian capital (UNESCO)
• →Tour Ashgabat's Independence & Neutrality monuments
• →Browse Tolkuchka Bazaar for carpets
• →Optional overnight at the Darvaza Gas Crater (Doorway to Hell)

Your Silk Road journey winds up in Ashgabat. Depending on your flight time, enjoy a slow breakfast, do a last wander around the white-marble avenues, and pick up any final souvenirs — Turkmen carpets and silver jewellery make memorable mementos. Take a taxi to the international airport (currently served onward via Istanbul, Dubai, or Tashkent). If time allows before departure, grab a final plov. Fly home with the stories of traders, poets and pilgrims you followed all the way through history.

🚌Airport taxi (~£4)

🛏—

• →Final shopping for Turkmen souvenirs
• →Airport transfer and departure