Central Asia 16 Days: Bishkek to Tashkent (Self-Launched Silk Road)

Land at Manas Airport (most nationalities get 60 days visa-free). Take marshrutka 285 or the express bus into the centre for around £0.60, or a Yandex taxi for £4-6. Book a hostel or guesthouse near Chui Avenue (£10-16/night dorm or private in a family guesthouse). Spend the afternoon walking Ala-Too Square, the Manas monument, Oak Park and the open-air sculpture garden. Entry to the State Museum of Fine Arts is 150-200 som (~£1.50-2); the Opera and Ballet Theatre does cheap evening tickets from 300 som — check the schedule at the box office on the day. Eat lagman and samsa at a chaikhana on Chui for £4-6.

🚌Marshrutka 285 or Yandex taxi from Manas Airport, then walking

🛏Hostel or family guesthouse near Chui Avenue, Bishkek (£10-16)

• →Walking tour of Ala-Too Square and Manas monument
• →State Museum of Fine Arts (approx £1.50-2)
• →Oak Park and sculpture garden
• →Optional: Opera and Ballet Theatre performance

Take a shared taxi or marshrutka from Bishkek's East Bus Station to Tokmok (~1.5 hrs, £1.50), then a local taxi 12 km to Burana Tower (£3-4 return shared). The Burana complex with its 11th-century minaret and balbal grave markers costs around 100 som entry. Continue east to Cholpon-Ata on the north shore of Issyk-Kul by marshrutka (~3 hrs, £4-5). Stay in a lakeside guesthouse (£12-18). Swim, eat grilled fish at the waterfront, and walk to the open-air petroglyph site if time allows.

🚌Shared taxi Bishkek-Tokmok (~£1.50) + taxi to Burana (~£3) + marshrutka Tokmok-Cholpon-Ata (~£4.50)

🛏Lakeside guesthouse in Cholpon-Ata (£12-18)

• →Burana Tower and minaret
• →Balbal grave markers of the ancient Balasagun site
• →Issyk-Kul lakefront swim
• →Cholpon-Ata petroglyphs

Morning on the lake — a boat trip or a walk to the Rukh Ordo cultural centre if you're near Cholpon-Ata. Return to Bishkek by marshrutka or shared taxi (~4 hrs, £5-6). Late afternoon back in the capital: visit Victory Square and the Osh Bazaar for dried fruit, spices and kymyz. Dinner of plov at a local canteen is £3-4.

🚌Marshrutka or shared taxi Cholpon-Ata to Bishkek (~£5-6)

🛏Hostel or family guesthouse near Chui Avenue, Bishkek (£10-16)

• →Issyk-Kul morning walk
• →Victory Square
• →Osh Bazaar
• →Optional: Rukh Ordo cultural centre

Cross into Kazakhstan with a shared taxi or minibus from Bishkek's Western Bus Station to Almaty (~4 hrs, £8-10); Kazakh visa-free entry is 30 days for UK/EU/US passports. Stay in a hostel near Panfilov/Gogol (£10-15 dorm, £20-25 private). Do the city on foot: Panfilov Park, the rainbow Zenkov wooden cathedral (free), St Nicholas Cathedral, and the National Musical Instruments Museum (£1-2). Finish at Zelyony (Green) Bazaar for horse sausage, honey and fruit. Optional cable car up Kok-Tobe for sunset views (~£2.50).

🚌Shared taxi or minibus Bishkek-Almaty (~£8-10), then metro and walking

🛏Hostel or budget hotel near Panfilov Park, Almaty (£10-20)

• →Panfilov Park and Zenkov Cathedral
• →St Nicholas Cathedral
• →National Musical Instruments Museum
• →Zelyony (Green) Bazaar
• →Optional: Kok-Tobe cable car

Fly Almaty to Tashkent on SCAT or Uzbekistan Airways (~1.5 hrs, book 4-6 weeks ahead for £60-90 one-way). Uzbek e-visa for UK citizens is ~£16-20, apply online in advance. Check in to a hostel near Chorsu or in the centre (£9-14). Afternoon: Hazrati Imam complex with the 7th-century Uthman Quran, the Barak-Khan and Kaffal Shashi madrasas (free/small donation), the Museum of Applied Arts (~£2), then Chorsu Bazaar for a cheap dinner of non and shashlik (£4-5).

🚌Flight Almaty-Tashkent (~£60-90) + metro or Yandex taxi from the airport (~£2.50)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in central Tashkent (£9-14)

• →Hazrati Imam complex and Uthman Quran
• →Barak-Khan and Kaffal Shashi madrasas
• →Museum of Applied Arts
• →Chorsu Bazaar

Take the morning Afrosiyob high-speed train from Tashkent to Samarkand (~2h10, second class ~£12-15; book at railway.uz or the station a few days ahead). Check in to a family guesthouse in the old town (£12-18). Spend the afternoon in the Registan — buy the combined ticket covering Registan, Gur-Emir and Shah-i-Zinda (~£9-11) for the best value. Visit Gur-Emir mausoleum, then Bibi-Khanym Mosque and Siab Bazaar. Return to Registan at dusk for the sound-and-light show if it's running (free to watch, ~£2-3 for seating).

🚌Afrosiyob high-speed train Tashkent-Samarkand (~£12-15)

🛏Family guesthouse in Samarkand old town (£12-18)

• →Registan complex
• →Gur-Emir mausoleum
• →Bibi-Khanym Mosque
• →Siab Bazaar
• →Registan sound and light show

Early start for Shah-i-Zinda before the tour buses — the blue-tiled necropolis is best in morning light. Continue to the Afrosiyob Museum with its 7th-century murals (~£2) and Ulugh Beg's observatory (~£2). In the afternoon take local bus 73 or a shared taxi to Konigil village (~£1.50) to see the silk-paper-making workshop with mulberry bark and water mills — free to visit, small fee for a tour. Optional detour to Urgut market on Thursday/Sunday if you have time. Dinner of plov at a teahouse in the old town, £4.

🚌Local bus 73 or shared taxi to Konigil (~£1.50), shared taxi to Urgut (~£3 return)

🛏Family guesthouse in Samarkand old town (£12-18)

• →Shah-i-Zinda necropolis
• →Afrosiyob Museum
• →Ulugh Beg Observatory
• →Konigil silk paper workshop
• →Optional: Urgut market

Either stop off in Shahrisabz en route (shared taxi Samarkand-Shahrisabz ~£4, then on to Bukhara) or take the direct afternoon train/shared taxi to Bukhara (~4 hrs, £7-10). In Shahrisabz see the Ak-Saray palace ruins, Kok Gumbaz mosque, Juma mosque and Jahangir's mausoleum, and browse the Suzani embroidery workshops. Arrive in Bukhara in the evening and settle into a small courtyard guesthouse in the old city (£13-20). Note: the operator charges extra for the Shahrisabz car option; doing it independently is simply the cost of the shared taxi.

🚌Shared taxi Samarkand-Shahrisabz (~£4) and Shahrisabz-Bukhara (~£6), or direct train (~£8-10)

🛏Courtyard guesthouse in Bukhara old city (£13-20)

• →Ak-Saray palace ruins
• →Kok Gumbaz mosque
• →Juma mosque and Jahangir's mausoleum
• →Suzani embroidery workshops

Everything in Bukhara is walkable. Buy the one-day Bukhara pass or pay per-site (most madrasas 15,000-25,000 som, ~£1-2 each; the Ark Fortress ~£2.50). Route: Samanid mausoleum and Chashma Ayub, Bolo Hauz mosque, Ark Fortress, then the Poi Kalyan ensemble — Kalyan minaret and mosque with Mir-Arab Madrasa. Afternoon through the trading domes (Taki Zargaron, Taki Telpakfurushon, Tim Abdullakhan), Ulugh Beg and Abdulaziz Khan madrasas, Magoki Attori mosque, Nadir Divan Begi khanaka and Chor Minor. Evening folk show in the Nadir Divan Begi courtyard (~£8-10) if you want it.

🚌Walking (all sites within 2 km)

🛏Courtyard guesthouse in Bukhara old city (£13-20)

• →Samanid mausoleum and Chashma Ayub
• →Ark Fortress
• →Poi Kalyan mosque and minaret
• →Trading domes and Tim Abdullakhan
• →Chor Minor
• →Optional: Bukhara folk show

The hard day. Take a shared taxi from Bukhara to the Farap/Alat border (~1.5 hrs, £4-5), cross on foot, then a shared taxi from Turkmenabat to Mary across the Karakum desert (~3-4 hrs, £6-8). Before any of this you need a Turkmenistan visa: apply for an LOI through a licensed local agency 4-6 weeks ahead (£40-70, plus the ~£65-75 visa fee paid on arrival at the border). Most nationalities must also be met by a registered guide for the first days, which the LOI agency can arrange or you can join a short group. Budget the whole day for travel and border formalities and carry USD cash for fees. Small hotel in Mary (£15-22).

🚌Shared taxi Bukhara-Farap border (~£4.50) + shared taxi Turkmenabat-Mary across the Karakum (~£7)

🛏Simple hotel or guesthouse in Mary (£15-22)

• →Karakum desert crossing
• →Farap/Alat border crossing

Hire a local driver-guide in Mary for the morning to visit Ancient Merv, the UNESCO-listed oasis city with the Sultan Sanjar Mausoleum, the Erk Kala and Gyaur Kala mounds and the excavation sites (~£25-35 shared between two, entry ~£1-2). Stop in Bayramali for the small local museum en route back. In the afternoon take a shared taxi or the train from Mary to Ashgabat (~4 hrs, £4-6). Check in to a budget hotel in the centre (£20-30).

🚌Local driver-guide to Merv (~£15-18 pp shared) + shared taxi or train Mary-Ashgabat (~£5)

🛏Budget hotel in central Ashgabat (£20-30)

• →Ancient Merv and Sultan Sanjar Mausoleum
• →Erk Kala and Gyaur Kala
• →Bayramali city museum

Hire a driver for the day (~£35-45 split between two, or use Yandex-style local taxis) to cover the spread-out sights: Ruhy Mosque at Kipchak, the Ertugrul Gazi Mosque, the Turkmen Carpet Museum (~£2), the National Museum of History and Ethnography (~£3-4), the ruins of Old Nisa (Parthian fortress, ~£2) and the Anau ruins and mosque. Cash only in Turkmenistan — withdraw manat at a bank in Ashgabat. Dinner at a local restaurant, £5-7.

🚌Hired car and driver for the day (~£18-23 pp shared)

🛏Budget hotel in central Ashgabat (£20-30)

• →Ruhy Mosque
• →Ertugrul Gazi Mosque
• →Turkmen Carpet Museum
• →National Museum of History and Ethnography
• →Old Nisa Parthian fortress
• →Anau ruins

Fly or take the overnight train from Ashgabat to Dashoguz (~1.5 hrs flight ~£25-35, or 12 hrs sleeper train ~£6-9). From Dashoguz hire a shared taxi or marshrutka 100 km to Kunya-Urgench (~£3-4) to see the Turabek Hanum mausoleum, Kutlug Timur minaret, Sultan Tekesh mausoleum, Il-Arslan mausoleum and Kyrk-Mollah mound (site ticket ~£1-2). Stay in a simple guesthouse or hotel in Dashoguz (£15-22). Notify your LOI agency — some itineraries require guide accompaniment in the north, which they can arrange locally.

🚌Domestic flight Ashgabat-Dashoguz (~£30) or sleeper train (~£7) + shared taxi to Kunya-Urgench (~£3.50)

🛏Simple hotel or guesthouse in Dashoguz (£15-22)

• →Kunya-Urgench UNESCO monuments
• →Turabek Hanum mausoleum
• →Kutlug Timur minaret
• →Sultan Tekesh and Il-Arslan mausoleums

Take a shared taxi from Dashoguz to the Shavat border (~1 hr, £3-4), cross on foot and pick up a taxi to Khiva (~40 min, £3). Exit formalities may require the LOI agency to have pre-registered your departure — sort this before you leave Ashgabat. In Khiva buy the Ichan Kala combined ticket (~£8-10) covering Ark Fortress, Tash Hauli Palace, Juma Mosque, Pahlavan Mahmud Mausoleum, Islam Khodja minaret and the madrasas. Wander Kalta Minor, the caravanserai and bazaar, drop into a wood-carving and carpet workshop, and climb the minaret at sunset. Guesthouse inside the walled city £12-18.

🚌Shared taxi Dashoguz-Shavat border (~£3.50) + taxi to Khiva (~£3)

🛏Guesthouse inside Ichan Kala, Khiva (£12-18)

• →Ichan Kala combined ticket
• →Ark Fortress and Tash Hauli Palace
• →Kalta Minor and Islam Khodja minaret
• →Juma Mosque and Pahlavan Mahmud Mausoleum
• →Wood and carpet workshops

Take the morning train from Urgench (30 min shared taxi from Khiva, £1) to Tashkent — the Afrosiyob takes about 7 hrs (~£18-22 second class) and crosses the Kyzylkum desert. Alternatively fly Urgench-Tashkent (~£45-60) to save a day. Arrive in Tashkent in the evening, check into a hostel or guesthouse (£9-14), and eat dinner at a chaikhana near the Metro — try the plov and shurpa. Ride a couple of the ornate Soviet-era metro stations on the way back, they're a sight in themselves for 1,400 som.

🚌Shared taxi Khiva-Urgench station (~£1) + Afrosiyob train Urgench-Tashkent (~£20)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in central Tashkent (£9-14)

• →Kyzylkum desert train journey
• →Tashkent metro station architecture
• →Evening chaikhana dinner

Final morning: Independence Square, the Amir Timur Museum if it's open (~£3), and one last sweep of Chorsu Bazaar for spices and ceramics. Metro to the airport (~£0.30) or a Yandex taxi (~£2-3). If you're flying out late, leave your bag at the hostel and use the time for the Hazrati Imam area again at a slower pace. End of the self-launched route.

🚌Metro or Yandex taxi to Tashkent airport (~£0.30-3)

🛏None (departure day)

• →Independence Square
• →Amir Timur Museum
• →Chorsu Bazaar souvenir shopping