Silk Road Self-Launched: Uzbekistan & Turkmenistan Independently

Land at Tashkent airport and take a Yandex Go taxi (£2-3) or the shared marshrutka to a guesthouse in the old city. Settle in, then walk to Amir Timur Square and the Metro stations of the blue-line (Kosmonavtlar station is worth the ride for the cosmonaut murals alone — a single ride costs about £0.15). Grab dinner at a chaikhana near Chorsu and try your first lagman and non bread.

🚌Yandex Go taxi £2-3; Tashkent metro ~£0.15/ride

🛏Budget guesthouse/hostel in old Tashkent, £15-20 private room or £8 dorm

• →Airport transfer by Yandex taxi
• →Metro station architecture tour
• →Chaikhana dinner near Chorsu

Self-guided morning at the Hasti Imam complex to see the Uthman Quran (free entry, small donations welcome) and the Barak-Khan Madrasah. Walk to Chorsu Bazaar under the big turquoise dome — a free, brilliant wander for dried fruit, cumin and fresh non. In the afternoon book a solo ceramics workshop directly at the Rakhimov family studio in the old town (call ahead or ask your guesthouse to arrange; roughly £15-20 for a 2-hour visit). Dinner at a local plov centre.

🚌Metro and walking; occasional taxi £1-2

🛏Same Tashkent guesthouse

• →Hasti Imam complex & Uthman Quran
• →Chorsu Bazaar walk
• →Rakhimov family ceramics workshop (direct booking)

Book the Afrosiyob high-speed train from Tashkent to Samarkand online or at the station (2h15m, economy ~£10-14 — book 1-2 weeks ahead as seats sell out). Check into a guesthouse in the old town a 5-minute walk from Registan. Spend the afternoon at Registan Square (combined ticket ~£4-5 for Registan, Guri Emir and Shahi Zinda) and walk the dazzling tilework avenue of Shahi Zinda. Evening free for rooftop tea overlooking the domes.

🚌Afrosiyob train Tashkent–Samarkand ~£12

🛏Old-town guesthouse, Samarkand, £15-20

• →Afrosiyob high-speed train
• →Registan Square
• →Shahi Zinda necropolis

Morning free to explore the Bibi Khanym Mosque area. Midday, take a shared taxi or marshrutka out to Tersak village (~£4-6 each way) — pre-arrange a family courtyard lunch and tandoor samsa-baking session through your guesthouse or via a local guide (£15-20). Afternoon: Afrasiab Museum for the 7th-century murals (~£2-3). In the early evening visit the Guri Emir Mausoleum (~£2). To emulate the 'after-hours' talk, hire a local history guide for an hour on the spot (US$20-30, roughly £16-24) — they'll happily explain the Timurid legacy as the crowds thin out.

🚌Shared taxi to Tersak ~£5 each way

🛏Same Samarkand guesthouse

• →Tersak village samsa baking
• →Afrasiab Museum murals
• →Guri Emir Mausoleum with local guide

Ride the Afrosiyob or Sharq train from Samarkand to Bukhara (~2h, £8-12). Check into a guesthouse inside the old town. Afternoon self-guided loop: the Ark Fortress (£2), the Ismail Samanid Mausoleum (free to view exterior) and the Kalyan Minaret. In the evening, book a plov cooking masterclass directly with a Bukhara culinary studio or guesthouse host (~£15) — you'll chop carrots and layer the rice, then eat it together.

🚌Train Samarkand–Bukhara ~£10

🛏Old-town guesthouse or homestay, Bukhara, £15-20

• →Afrosiyob/Sharq train to Bukhara
• →Ark Fortress
• →Samanid Mausoleum
• →Kalyan Minaret
• →Plov cooking class

Start early at the Naqshbandiy Mausoleum (~£2 entry, +£0.50 camera fee), a serene Sufi pilgrimage site just outside town — reachable by taxi for ~£2. Return to visit Sitorai Mohi-Khosa, the Emir's Summer Palace (£2-3, taxi ~£2). Wander the Old Jewish Quarter on foot, then finish with dinner in the courtyard of a restored caravanserai in the old town (£8-12).

🚌Taxis ~£4-5 total

🛏Same Bukhara guesthouse

• →Naqshbandiy Mausoleum
• →Sitorai Mohi-Khosa Summer Palace
• →Old Jewish Quarter walk
• →Caravanserai courtyard dinner

Take a shared taxi or train from Bukhara to Khiva — the newly reopened rail line runs ~6h; shared taxis cover the desert road in ~6h for ~£12-15 per seat, often faster and more convenient. Arrive in Khiva and check into a guesthouse inside the Ichan Qala walls. Evening stroll past the Kalta Minor minaret as the mud-brick walls turn gold; dinner on a rooftop overlooking the skyline (£6-10).

🚌Shared taxi ~£14 or train ~£8-12

🛏Guesthouse inside Ichan Qala, Khiva, £15-20

• →Shared taxi / train Bukhara to Khiva
• →Kalta Minor minaret at sunset
• →Rooftop dinner in Ichan Qala

Buy the Ichan Qala combined ticket (~£6-8) giving you access to the Juma Mosque with its 213 carved pillars, Tash-Khauli Palace, and the Islam Khodja minaret — climb it for a panorama of the desert (~£1 extra). Afternoon free for climbing the city walls or green tea in a chaikhana. In the evening catch a Khorezmian folk music and dance performance — often staged for tourists at a hotel or in the old city (~£8-10, ask your guesthouse).

🚌Walking

🛏Same Khiva guesthouse

• →Ichan Qala combined ticket
• →Juma Mosque
• →Tash-Khauli Palace
• →City walls walk
• →Khorezmian music and dance show

The tricky bit — arrange your Turkmenistan LOI (Letter of Invitation) through a licensed agency in Ashgabat at least 6-8 weeks ahead (agency fee + visa ~£180-220 all-in). Take a taxi to Shavat border (~£5), cross on foot, then a shared taxi from the Turkmen side to Dashoguz (~£4-6). Quick wander of Dashoguz market, then fly Dashoguz to Ashgabat (Turkmenistan Airlines, ~£25-35 one-way). Arrive in the marble-white capital; find a budget hotel near the centre (£25-35). Note: internet is heavily restricted in Turkmenistan — download everything in advance.

🚌Taxi to border ~£5; shared taxi to Dashoguz ~£5; domestic flight ~£30

🛏Budget hotel in Ashgabat, £25-35

• →Shavat land border crossing
• →Dashoguz bazaar
• →Domestic flight to Ashgabat
• →Marble city evening walk

Hire a taxi for the morning to Old Nisa, the Parthian capital (~£6-8 round trip plus £2-3 entry) — the UNESCO mud-brick ruins are best explored with a local-guide pamphlet or a hired guide at the site (~£10). Back in Ashgabat, tour the monuments on foot or by taxi: the Arch of Neutrality, Independence Monument and the Ertugrul Gazi Mosque. Final dinner at a Turkmen restaurant (£10-14) to toast two empires' worth of Silk Road history.

🚌Taxi ~£8-10 for the day

🛏Same Ashgabat hotel

• →Old Nisa Parthian ruins
• →Arch of Neutrality
• →Ertugrul Gazi Mosque
• →Ashgabat monument walk

Morning free for any last souvenir shopping at the Tolkuchka Bazaar (if running — check locally, it's weekends only) or a coffee. Taxi to Ashgabat airport (~£5-8) for your outbound flight. If you need to return to Uzbekistan, there are direct Ashgabat–Tashkent flights; otherwise connect via Istanbul or Dubai.

🚌Taxi to airport ~£6

🛏N/A — departure day

• →Tolkuchka Bazaar (if weekend)
• →Airport transfer