1 destination · 10 things to do

Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan is the Silk Road in turquoise tile. Samarkand, Timur's capital, gathers its glory around the Registan, three facing madrasas whose blue and gold facades are among the great sights of the Islamic world, and around the Shah-i-Zinda avenue of tombs, Gur-e-Amir where Timur himself is buried, the ruined bulk of Bibi-Khanym mosque and the observatory of the astronomer-king Ulugh Beg. Bukhara, four to five hours of road or about two hours of Afrosiyob train away, is a different pleasure: a lived-in old city of trading domes, a pond-side square at Lyab-i Hauz, the soaring Kalyan Minaret and the great fortress of the Ark, all within an easy walk. This guide books Uzbekistan the practical way, with guided city tours for the sights that reward a guide, a day trip to Timur's birthplace at Shakhrisabz, and the high-speed Afrosiyob link from Tashkent that makes the whole route possible in a single week. Then it matches you to the right bed in each city, from a five-star hotel on Registan's doorstep to a courtyard boutique hotel a few minutes from Lyab-i Hauz.