Samarkand itinerary: one, two and three days

These plans assume you are staying in or near the old city and arrive the evening before. They follow three principles:

• Light. Shah-i-Zinda and the Ulugbek Madrasah are best in the morning; Sher-Dor and the square in late afternoon; Gur-Emir and the Registan after dark.
• Geography. The northern monuments (Shah-i-Zinda, Bibi-Khanym, Siab Bazaar, Hazrat Khizr, Afrasiyab, the observatory) are close together; the Registan and Gur-Emir are 15 minutes’ walk south-west.
• Heat. From May to September, plan indoor visits or a rest between about noon and four.

Check opening days before you go: some museums close one day a week, and religious sites may close briefly at prayer times, especially on Friday at midday.

08:00 – Shah-i-Zinda. Start at the avenue of mausoleums when the light falls on the tiles and the lane is quiet. Allow 1–1.5 hours.

09:45 – Hazrat Khizr mosque. Walk five minutes west and climb to the Hazrat Khizr mosque for its carved porch and the view over Bibi-Khanym.

10:30 – Siab Bazaar. Cross to Siab Bazaar for bread, halva, dried fruit and a look at daily life.

11:30 – Bibi-Khanym. Visit Timur’s colossal Friday mosque and the mausoleum opposite.

12:30 – Lunch. Walk down Tashkent Street and eat plov at an oshkhona or teahouse near the Registan.

14:00 – Rest or museum. In summer, rest at your guesthouse. Otherwise visit the courtyards and gilded mosque of Tilya-Kori.

16:30 – Registan. Explore the three madrasahs as the sun moves onto Sher-Dor.

18:30 – Gur-Emir. Walk ten minutes to Timur’s mausoleum, passing Rukhabad. See the golden interior, then wait for the dome to be lit.

20:00 – Dinner and the Registan at night. Eat nearby, then return to the Registan for the illuminated facades and, if scheduled, the light show.

Day 1: follow the one-day plan above.

Day 2 – ancient Samarkand and the New Town

08:30 – Afrasiyab museum. Take a taxi to the Afrasiyab museum to see the 7th-century Ambassadors’ Painting and the model of the ancient city. Walk a little on the site for the view.

10:00 – Ulugbek’s observatory. A few minutes up the road, see the underground arc of Ulugbek’s observatory and its museum.

11:15 – Tomb of Daniel. Return downhill to the shrine of Khoja Doniyor by the Siab stream. Drink from the spring if you wish.

12:30 – Lunch and rest.

15:30 – Ak-Saray and the Ulugbek Madrasah. Visit the painted interior of Ak-Saray behind Gur-Emir if it is open, then return to the Registan to spend unhurried time in the Ulugbek and Sher-Dor madrasahs and their craft shops.

17:30 – The New Town. Walk along University Boulevard and past the churches of the New Town, ending with a tasting at the Khovrenko winery (book ahead) or dinner on a terrace.

Days 1–2: as above.

Day 3 – choose one:

Option A – crafts and quiet corners. Morning at the Konigil paper workshop by the water mill. Afternoon at the ruined Ishratkhona and the shrine of Abdi Darun, then the Khoja Akhrar complex. Evening at the Eternal City and the canal promenade.

Option B – Samarkand’s scholars. Morning drive to the Imam al-Bukhari complex, 25 km north. Afternoon at the Imam al-Maturidi mausoleum and the Khoja Akhrar complex. A good choice for travellers interested in Islamic history.

Option C – Shakhrisabz. A full-day trip over the mountains to Timur’s birthplace, with the ruins of his Ak-Saray palace and the Dorut-Tilavat and Dorus-Saodat complexes. Leave by 8:00 and return by early evening.

Option D – Urgut on Sunday. If your third day is a Sunday, visit the large market at Urgut, famous for suzani embroidery, then return for an afternoon in the city.

Four or more days let you combine two of the options above, cross into Tajikistan for the Sogdian ruins of Penjikent and the Seven Lakes, or spend a night in a yurt camp near Lake Aydarkul on the way to Bukhara. See our guide to day trips from Samarkand.

Walk within the old city; use ride-hailing taxis for Afrasiyab, the observatory, Konigil, the winery and the station. For day trips, a car with a driver is the most practical option. The pedestrian Tashkent Street links the Registan with Bibi-Khanym and Siab Bazaar in about 15 minutes and is lined with cafés and shops.

Most travellers spend two or three nights in Samarkand as part of a route through Uzbekistan: Tashkent (1–2 nights) → Samarkand (2–3 nights) → Bukhara (2–3 nights) → Khiva (1–2 nights), linked by fast trains and finished with a flight back from Urgench. See our 7-day and 10-day Uzbekistan itineraries and how many days to spend in Uzbekistan.

If you have only one night, arrive on the morning train from Tashkent, follow the one-day plan and continue to Bukhara the next morning. It is rushed, but you will have seen the essentials. Two nights is the comfortable minimum, and three nights let you slow down, return to favourite places at different times of day and add a day trip.

Buy combined tickets at each monument; carry small notes. Dress modestly for Shah-i-Zinda, Hazrat Khizr, the Tomb of Daniel and the religious complexes. Bring a scarf, a hat and water. A licensed local guide for at least the first day makes the monuments far more meaningful.