One day in Samarkand

Day by day

1. Day 1: Registan and Tashkent Street

   Registan, Tashkent Street, Chorsu trading dome and Gur-e-Amir, then Eternal City at Silk Road Samarkand in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Registan

      Visit twice: inside the madrasas in the morning, then come back after dark to see the facades lit from the viewing platform for free. Allow 2–3 hours.

   2. Late morning

      Tashkent Street

      Walk it in the evening after the heat has passed, when families stroll and shops are still open. Allow 30–60 minutes.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Samarkand plov

      Plov centres and teahouses around the Siab Bazaar and in the new town; go by early afternoon, as many cook one batch a day.

   4. Afternoon

      Chorsu trading dome

      Step in when the summer heat peaks; the thick walls keep the interior cool. Allow 30 minutes.

   5. Late afternoon

      Gur-e-Amir

      Return after sunset, when the dome and portal are floodlit and the courtyard is far quieter. Allow 1 hour.

   6. Evening

      Eternal City at Silk Road Samarkand

      Visit around sunset and combine it with a stroll along the complex's canal-side promenade.

If it rains

• Swap in Afrasiyab Museum (Afrasiyab): Look for the boat scene and the procession panels in the main hall; a guide or audio explanation helps decode the figures.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 6–8 hours of visiting over one day, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 9.4 hours in December to 15 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Walking. Gur-e-Amir to the Registan is about 10 minutes on foot, and the Registan to Bibi-Khanym about 10 minutes along pedestrian Tashkent Street, with Shah-i-Zinda a further 10–15 minutes beyond.

More or fewer days

• 2 days in Samarkand
• 3 days in Samarkand

Questions travellers ask