140 Landmarks per Square Kilometer, and No Rush at All

If Samarkand is grand squares and scale, Bukhara is narrow streets, clay walls, and the feeling of having stepped into a different century. The old town survives here as a whole, not as scattered monuments, and the entire thing is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Roughly 140 architectural landmarks are packed into a single square kilometer of old Bukhara. You can wander without a route — you'll run into something regardless.

What to see

• The Kalyan Minaret — 46 meters tall, standing since 1127. Legend says Genghis Khan ordered it spared when he razed the city.
• The Ark fortress — the residence of Bukhara's emirs, a city within a city.
• Lyab-i Hauz — a square around a pond with a teahouse in the shade of mulberry trees. This is where you understand why people come to Bukhara at all.
• The trading domes — 16th-century covered bazaars still working as intended.
• The Samanid Mausoleum — a small 10th-century brick cube that specialists call one of the finest buildings in Central Asia.

Getting there

The same high-speed train that goes to Samarkand continues on — about four hours from Tashkent to Bukhara. Direct flights exist too, just over an hour.

Many patients combine the two: Samarkand first, then two hours by train to Bukhara, then a flight back to Tashkent. That's three to four days for the full Silk Road classics.

Where to stay

The old town has many small hotels converted from old merchant houses — a courtyard, an aivan, breakfast outside. It's noticeably more interesting than a chain hotel, and usually cheaper.

If you'd rather have something familiar, Bukhara also has standard four-star hotels. Tell us your preference and we'll book it.