Khiva
Boukhara
Tachkent
Samarkand
Program:
DAY 1: TUNIS / ISTANBUL
Departure from Tunis/Carthage airport on TK flight.
2nd DAY: ISTANBUL / URGENCH / KHIVA
Arrival in Urgench early in the morning and welcome by a local French-speaking guide.
Transfer and check-in at the hotel.
Breakfast.
Full day tours in Khiva:
The visit is made from its western entrance, the Ata Darvaza Gate (one of the gates, built in the 19th century at the four cardinal points). We follow one of the two main arteries of the city. We will only stop to visit the monuments richest in art and history. Others have been transformed into museums, restoration workshops, hotels or restaurants.
Kounya–Ark (“old fortress”)
Kurnych Khana
Madrassa Mouhammed Rakhim Khan (1871)
Madrasa Islam-Khodja (1908-1912) with its minaret 44.5m high and 9.5m in diameter, the highest minaret in Khiva
The Juma (Friday) Mosque, the main mosque of Khiva.
The mausoleum of Pakhlavan-Makhmoud (1810 -1825), which occupies the site of his furrier's workshop.
Alla-Khouli Palace, better known as Tach Khaouli Palace (the stone palace), dating from the 19th century, the residence of the khans of Khiva (1838).
The Alla Kouli Madrasah (1835) is an eloquent example of the art with which the architects of Khiva were able to solve the most complex urban planning problems.
Madrassa of Khan Moukhammed-Amin, the largest in Khiva (78x60m)
Kalta-Minor (short minaret, 1855).
The mausoleum of Sayid Alaouddine, erected shortly after the sheikh's death in 1303.
© Dinner in an ancient madrassa with a dance and song show in Khiva
Overnight at the hotel.
3rd DAY: KHIVA / BUKHARA
Breakfast.
Long stage through the Amu Dariya valley and the Kyzil Koum desert to reach Bukhara.
Stop en route for lunch at choyxona (tea house, local restaurant) and view of the panorama of the Amu Dariya River. Arrival in Bukhara. First glimpse of the city.
Dinner and overnight in Bukhara.
4th DAY: BUKHARA
Day trip to Bukhara.
Bukhara the "Holy", rival of Samarkand since Antiquity, today forms the heart of the western oasis of Sogdiana. Its name is said to derive from vihâra (ancient Buddhist temple).
Its old quarter and the turquoise domes which dominate it and make it famous.
In the morning, visit the mausoleum of Ismail Samani, a true masterpiece and prototype of the mausoleum in Muslim art.
The Bâlâ Haouz mosque and the citadel (Ark) with its imposing walls.
Lunch
Walk in the old city from the Chor Minâr district to that of Liab-i Haouz.
Visit to the Koukeltash madrassa among others
Maggok-i Attâri Mosque (now a centre for carpet crafts)
Merchants' domes of the old bazaar
The great mosque of Pa-ye Kalyan at the foot of the famous 12th century minaret
Mir-e Arab Madrasa
Dinner and overnight in Bukhara.
5th DAY: BUKHARA
Breakfast.
Visit to the summer residence of the emirs of Bukhara Sitora-i-Mokhi Khossa. The visit includes three different buildings, transformed into museums: the apartments and reception rooms of Alim Khan, the octagonal palace and the harem.
The necropolis of Chor Bakr where the double tomb of Abu Bakhr Saad and Abu Bakhr Ahmad, descendants of Muhammad, is located. The complex is composed of a mosque, a khanakha and a madrasah.
Mausoleum of Bahoutdin Naqshbandiy.
Lunch in town.
Afternoon – Visit to a Suzani embroiderer family – silk embroidery, meeting, exchange. Preparation of the Uzbek national dish – Plov.
Overnight at the hotel.
6th DAY: BOUKHARA / SAMARKAND (280 km/4h)
Breakfast.
Departure for Samarkand. On the way, visit the Rabat i Malik caravanserai and water cistern – Sardoba . Arrival in Samarkand.
Visiting day:
Registan Square, the most beautiful square in Central Asia, surrounded by three imposing madrassas: Ulugbeg Madrassa (15th century), known today under the name of his wife Bibi Khanym; Bazaar (local market) is one of the liveliest sites in the city.
Overnight at the hotel.
7th DAY: SAMARKAND
Breakfast.
Morning: continuation of visits:
Gur Emir Mausoleum (15th century) housing the tombs of Tamerlane and his descendants, the pride of Samarkand with its superb turquoise blue ribbed dome
Rukhobod Mausoleum (15th century)
Necropolis of Chakhi-Zinda composed of more than 11 mausoleums dating from the 11th-19th centuries, including that of Kussam-ibn Abbas, cousin of the prophet Mohammed.
Lunch.
Visit to the Afrosiab Archaeological Site with museum of the city's foundation.
Visiting the Mausoleum of the Prophet Daniel
The observatory of Ulugbeg, a great Timurid astronomer of the 16th century.
Dinner.
Overnight at the hotel.
8th DAY: SAMARKAND/TASHKENT (320 km/2h)
Breakfast.
Departure for the visit of the mausoleum of Imam Al Bukhariy – great scholar of the Islamic world and author of a collection of sakhikh khadites.
Lunch.
Free time in Registan Square.
Around 16:00 – transfer to Samarkand train station.
Departure by TGV to Tashkent (344 km – 2 hours)
Arrival and check-in at the hotel.
Farewell dinner in a good restaurant in Tashkent.
Overnight at the hotel.
DAY 9: TASHKENT
Breakfast at the hotel.
Discovery of the Uzbek capital
Visit to the beautiful Koukeldach madrassa, built in the second half of the 16th century
Walk through Chorsu Bazaar, the largest market in Tashkent.
The Tellia Sheikh Mosque - the city's main Friday mosque with its beautiful library where the 7th century Quran of Osman is kept.
Visit to the Museum of Applied Arts, the former palace of the diplomat Polovtsev transformed into a museum in 1938.
Discovering the new city:
Independence Square
The Navoi Theater and Amir Temur Square.
Visit the splendid Tashkent Metro - unique in Central Asia, each station of which is sumptuously decorated according to different themes: cotton, the cosmos, the Uzbek poet Alisher Navoi, etc.
Farewell dinner in a good restaurant in Tashkent.
Overnight at hotel in Tashkent.
10th DAY: TASHKENT/ISTANBUL/TUNIS
Breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer to the airport.
Flight TK Tashkent/Tunis via Istanbul.
SERVICES INCLUDED:
National French-speaking guide during the trip
Entrances to the sites mentioned in the program
All transfers by comfortable private coach
Accommodation in a double room in 3 and 4* hotels for 8 nights (+ early check in on arrival)
All breakfasts
Full board from breakfast on day 2 to dinner on day 10 · Farewell dinner on the last day.
TGV Samarkand/Tashkent in economy class
Dance and song show in Khiva
0.5 l of mineral water per day per person
Tea and mineral water at the table during meals
Baggage handling in hotels and train stations
French speaking assistance from our office 24/7
SERVICES NOT INCLUDED:
The supplement for single room
Photo rights in certain sites and museums
Personal expenses
Anything not listed in “included services”
GOOD TO KNOW
For technical reasons, the direction of the tour or the organization of the visits may exceptionally be modified or reversed, but the content of the tour will nevertheless be respected.
FLIGHT INFO
This program is done with Turkish Airlines flights with a stopover in Istanbul, entry to Urgench and exit from Tashkent.
FORMALITIES FOR TRAVELERS FROM FRANCE & ITALY & TUNISIA
Passport: Passport valid for at least 3 months beyond the return date.
Visa: no visa for a stay of less than 30 days for travelers from France, Switzerland, Italy, etc.
For travelers from Tunisia - online visa: https://e-visa.gov.uz/application ( entry fee is 25 US$)
