Samarkand
Samarkand is the headline Silk Road city, built around the Registan's three facing madrasas and the Timurid mausoleums of Shah-i-Zinda and Gur-e-Amir. The monuments are heavily restored but the scale and tilework are unmatched. Two nights is enough, and the fast train from Tashkent takes just over two hours.
How long to stay
April to May and September to October.
Typical daily budget
No budget published for this place yet
Best time to go
No seasonal guidance published for Samarkand yet
Is Samarkand right for your trip?
Based on what this guide covers, not a score. This is what Samarkand is known for.
Great for
- History & culture
Less of a focus
- Food
- Nightlife
- Nature
- Family
- Couples
Build your Samarkand trip
Top things to do
Gur-e-Amir
Entrance UZS 30,000 · VerifiedSamarkand
The ribbed-dome mausoleum of Timur and his descendants, the architectural model for later Mughal tombs.
Registan
Entrance UZS 50,000 · VerifiedSamarkand
Three madrasas facing a public square, tiled in blue majolica, built between the 15th and 17th centuries.
Shah-i-Zinda
Entrance UZS 40,000 · VerifiedSamarkand
A narrow avenue of mausoleums covered in some of the finest surviving Timurid tilework, still a pilgrimage route.
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Popular activities
Registan evening visit
See the square lit after dark when the day groups have gone.
Silk paper workshop in Konigil
Visit the water-powered mill still making mulberry silk paper outside the city.