Private tour — price per person depends on group size:
| 1 traveler | $120 / person |
| 2 travelers | $75 / person |
| 3 travelers | $45 / person |
Walk through 600 years of Silk Road history with a local guide. Registan's three madrasahs, the soaring dome of Gur-e-Amir over Timur's tomb, the ambition of Bibi-Khanym Mosque, and the unforgettable tile-clad street of Shah-i-Zinda.
Founded over 2,700 years ago and the capital of Timur's empire, Samarkand is the spiritual heart of the Silk Road. Persian poets called it "the mirror of the world."
This is a private tour at your pace. Skip the crowds at Registan with morning timing, take photo stops at the Gur-e-Amir, browse the spice piles at Siab Bazaar after Bibi-Khanym, and end at Shah-i-Zinda with the late-afternoon light.
Optional: extend to Afrosiab — the ruins of pre-Mongol Samarkand and the museum housing the 7th-century Ambassadors' Fresco.
Morning pickup (08:30) from your Samarkand hotel in a private air-conditioned vehicle with your local English-speaking guide.
Gur-e-Amir first, while it is still empty, then Registan as the morning light hits the mosaics.
Bibi-Khanym Mosque and the spice piles of Siab Bazaar late morning, while the bazaar is still trading, then a local lunch nearby.
Unhurried time at Shah-i-Zinda in the afternoon light, then a short drive back to your hotel. The tour is private, so the pace is yours.
Pickup from your hotel and brief introduction with your local guide.
The tomb of Amir Timur, his sons and grandsons. The ribbed azure dome and gold-painted plasterwork interior make it one of the most beautiful buildings in the Islamic world. Quiet first thing in the morning, before the coach groups arrive.
Three madrasahs faced in turquoise and gold tile, standing together since the 15th century. Walking across the square as morning light hits the mosaics is one of the great travel experiences of Central Asia.
The mosque Timur built to be the largest in the world after his Indian campaign — still breathtaking in scale even in partial ruin. The adjacent Siab Bazaar is at its liveliest before midday: spices, dried fruits, sweets and non bread straight from the tandyr.
Lunch at a local restaurant near the old town. Plov, manti, lagman, fresh non bread.
A street of 11th-15th century tombs, each clad in different tilework — one of the finest examples of medieval Islamic architecture on earth, and a working pilgrimage site with an atmosphere unlike anywhere else. Unhurried time here, in the better afternoon light.
Return drive into the centre and drop-off at your hotel around 4:05 PM.
A working country bazaar, thousand-year-old plane trees, a water-powered paper mill and a silk carpet workshop.
Timur's birthplace, 90 km south of Samarkand over the picturesque Tahtaqaracha pass.
Experience nomad life in the Kyzylkum Desert and sleep in a traditional yurt.