A Thousand and One Nights in Fairytale Uzbekistan

Arrival in Tashkent.

Meet at Tashkent international airport. City tour.

Tashkent is the charming capital of Uzbekistan: it combines modern infrastructure with an atmospheric Old Town. Tashkent's architecture impresses with its diversity and variety: archaeological monuments from the Zoroastrian era more than 2,200 years old, architectural masterpieces of the Middle Ages, monumental buildings from the late 19th century, the most beautiful underground metro in the world and, of course, numerous modern buildings.

Sightseeing in Tashkent: Khast-Imam Square, Barak-Khan Madrasah, Kafal-al-Shashi Mausoleum, Kukeldash Madrasah and Tashkent's oldest bazaar, “Chorsu”.

After lunch, a visit to the Museum of Applied Arts, Independence Square and Amir Temur Square.

Overnight in Tashkent.

After breakfast you will take the train to Samarkand (330 km), 2.1 hours

Transfer to the railway station. Travel to Samarkand on the high-speed “Afrosiab” train (08:00-10:10). Meet at the railway station and start of the city tour.

Samarkand is as old as Rome; it is one of the oldest cities in the world and the former capital of Tamerlane's great empire. It is a museum city, a city that was once the heart of the caravan trade in the middle of the great Silk Road. Samarkand has preserved the unique aura of the oriental Middle Ages to this day.

Sights in Samarkand: the most impressive square in all of Central Asia – Registan Square (Ulugbek Madrasah, Sher-Dor Madrasah, Tilya-Kori Madrasah) and the Gur-e Amir Mausoleum – the necropolis of the Timurids.

After lunch, the sightseeing tour of Samarkand continues: Shah-i-Zinda and the Ulugbek Observatory.

Dinner at a local family home, with a cooking master class and a tasting of manti – an authentic Uzbek dish of large dumplings filled with meat and steamed in a special pot. Overnight in Samarkand.

After breakfast you will set off by road for Bukhara via Shahrisabz (“Green City”) (150+265 km), the birthplace of Tamerlane.

On arrival – sightseeing in Shahrisabz, near which Tamerlane was born on 9 April 1336. Visits to the Ak Saray Palace, the Dorus Saodat complex, the Dorut Tillavat Madrasah and the Kok Gumbaz Mosque.

After lunch you will continue by road to Bukhara. Arrival in Bukhara, transfer to the hotel and rest.

Bukhara is another ancient city in Uzbekistan that was also part of the Great Silk Road. Medieval Bukhara was one of the main political, cultural and religious centres of the Middle East. More than 140 architectural monuments have been preserved here. The historic centre of Bukhara is included on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites.

Overnight in Bukhara.

After breakfast the tour of Bukhara begins.

Visits to the following sights: the Ismail Samani Mausoleum, the Chashma Ayub Mausoleum, the local bazaar, the Bolo Hauz Mosque, the Ark citadel with the Zindan prison, the Po-i-Kalyan complex (Kalyan Minaret and more), the Mir-i-Arab Madrasah, the Magoki Attori Mosque and the Ulugbek Madrasah.

After sightseeing – participation in a gastronomic master class. A professional oshpaz chef who specialises in cooking Bukhara plov will reveal the culinary secrets and will explain and show how an authentic Bukhara plov is made. This is followed by dinner in a traditional Uzbek home.

Overnight at the hotel.

After breakfast you will take the long but fascinating road to Khiva. Bukhara – Khiva (440 km, 7-8 hours).

Transfer to Khiva through the famous Kyzylkum desert along the Amu Darya river. You will travel along the road once followed by many Silk Road caravans. “Kyzylkum” translates as “Red Sand”, and the local sand does indeed have a reddish tint. You will make several stops and walk along the picturesque sand dunes, admiring the stunning panorama of the Amu Darya river. Arrival in Khiva, which is more than 2,500 years old; it is a museum-like city, colourful and barely touched by man, a true example of a medieval city of the Middle East. Khiva is the only city in Uzbekistan today in which the inner city, Itchan Kala, has been preserved almost in its entirety.

Free time. Visit to souvenir shops and workshops.

Overnight at the hotel.

After a hearty breakfast you will continue the tour of Khiva.

Sightseeing in Khiva (the historic inner city of Itchan Kala): Tash Khauli Palace of Alakuli Khan, Juma Mosque, Muhammad Amin Khan Minaret and Madrasah, Tash Khauli Palace of Alakuli Khan, Juma Mosque, Muhammad Amin Khan Minaret and Madrasah.

After the city tour you will be transferred to the airport in the city of Urgench for your onward flight back to Tashkent.

Arrival in Tashkent – transfer to the hotel and overnight.

Furnace – Tasting

After breakfast, transfer to the Parkent district of the Tashkent region, to a unique scientific site – the Solar Furnace of Uzbekistan. Tour of the “Physics-Sun” complex: we will learn how a solar laboratory works and why this particular area of Uzbekistan was chosen for building the famous solar furnace – one of only two such furnaces in the world! We will see up close the heliostats, which direct the sun's rays onto a giant concentrator made up of 10,700 mirror elements. The temperature at the focal point of the concentrator's rays reaches 3,000 degrees. We will take the lift to the top floor of the concentrator, where a stunning panorama opens up over the Chatkal mountain range, Parkentsai and the neighbouring villages.

Lunch at a chaikhana, with a tasting of the famous Parkent kebab.

Visit to Uzumfermer – a private winery and farm, and an introduction to local winemaking techniques. Wine tasting.

Return to Tashkent.

Overnight at the hotel.

After breakfast, transfer to Tashkent international airport. Flight to Greece.