- Train
- Afrosiyob 2h13-2h30 each way
- Fare
- Economy UZS 311,000, business 455,000
- Registan
- UZS 100,000 foreign adult
- Gur-e-Amir
- UZS 75,000
- Day length
- ~14 hours door to door
Samarkand is the reason many people fly to Uzbekistan, and the Afrosiyob high-speed train makes it a genuine day trip from Tashkent - a long one, but a real one. Here is what the day actually looks like, with current prices.
The train
The Spanish-built Afrosiyob runs several times daily between Tashkent Central and Samarkand, taking 2 hours 13 minutes to 2 hours 30 minutes each way. Per a railway booking search on 27 September 2026 (oxusroad), economy costs UZS 311,000 (about Rs 2,200) and business UZS 455,000 one way. The slower Sharq train costs less but takes over 3 hours - false economy on a day trip. Book on the official railway site or app as soon as dates are fixed: spring and autumn weekend seats sell out days ahead, as our Tashkent seasons guide notes. Passports are required to board.
A realistic timetable
Take a 7:00-8:00 train, arriving around 9:30-10:00. Yandex Go to the Registan (foreign adult entry UZS 100,000) and give it a full hour and a half - the three madrasah facades are the single greatest sight in Central Asia. Walk or taxi to Gur-e-Amir, Timur's mausoleum (UZS 75,000), then lunch at a chaikhana near Siyob Bazaar - plov for two runs UZS 120,000-200,000. Afternoon: Bibi-Khanym mosque opposite the bazaar, and if legs allow, the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis alley - the second-best sight and another 40 minutes of walking. A 17:00-18:30 train has you back in Tashkent for a late dinner. That is roughly 14 hours door to door.
With seniors: where to adjust
Samarkand's sights are spread over kilometres and the Registan's inner courtyards involve steps and uneven stone. The senior-friendly version: taxi between every sight (Yandex Go works in Samarkand), see the Registan's main square without climbing the minaret or deep courtyards, prioritise Gur-e-Amir (compact, flat-ish) and Bibi-Khanym, and treat Shah-i-Zinda - a long uphill lane of mausoleums - as optional. Build the chaikhana lunch into a proper hour's rest. Parents who tire early can sit out the afternoon at a shaded tea garden near the Registan.
Booking and money
Total day cost per person: train UZS 622,000 return economy, entries around UZS 175,000-250,000, lunch UZS 60,000-100,000, taxis UZS 50,000-80,000 - roughly UZS 0.9-1.1 million (Rs 6,300-7,700). Carry a card for tickets and cash som for bazaar stalls. If two days open up, stay the night: Samarkand at dusk, crowds gone, is a different city - but as a day trip, done this way, it works.
A Miranda House graduate and lawyer who traded courtrooms for slow travel. Cheshta travels with the batches we host ourselves, with a soft spot for travelling alongside elders.
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