Old town
First-timersGuesthouses in the streets around the Registan and Gur-e-Amir put you within walking distance of everything.
Samarkand city guide
Things To Do In Samarkand
The Registan's three tiled madrasas, Timur's turquoise-domed tomb and an avenue of blue mausoleums: the most famous city on the Silk Road, and every bit as spectacular as its name.
17
Hostels in the city
9.1
Average, from 609 reviews
2,500 years
Of history
2001
Joins UNESCO
14th c.
Timur's capital
The jewel of the Silk Road
Samarkand is one of the oldest cities in Central Asia, about 2,500 years old. It was the capital of Timur, or Tamerlane, whose fourteenth-century empire stretched from Turkey to India, and he and his descendants filled it with some of the finest Islamic architecture anywhere. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The great monuments sit along a single line through the centre: the Registan, Timur's tomb, the Bibi-Khanym Mosque and the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, all within a 30-minute walk of each other.
Two or three days is right, with a day trip to Timur's birthplace, Shahrisabz, if you have a third.
Where to stay
Stay near the Registan or in the old town.
Orange labels are neighbourhoods, dots are the 12 top-rated hostels. Map data from OpenStreetMap contributors.
Things to do
Things to do in Samarkand
Start at the Registan, a square framed by three tiled madrasas. Entry is 100,000 som (about €7) and lets you into the courtyards, now full of craft shops. Go once by day and once after dark, when it is floodlit.
Walk to Gur-e-Amir, Timur's mausoleum, with its ribbed turquoise dome and a gold interior (75,000 som). It stays open late, so it is a good evening visit.
Shah-i-Zinda (80,000 som) is an avenue of mausoleums covered in some of the most beautiful blue tilework in the world. Go early in the morning, before the groups. On the way, see the vast Bibi-Khanym Mosque (65,000 som) and shop for bread, dried fruit and nuts at the Siab Bazaar beside it.
Further out, see the Ulugh Beg Observatory (75,000 som), built by Timur's astronomer grandson, and the paper workshop at Konigil, just outside the city, where paper is still made from mulberry bark (15,000 som). With a spare day, Shahrisabz is about 90 km south, roughly an hour and a half by car, for the ruins of Timur's Ak-Saray palace.
Free things
Free things to do in Samarkand
The Registan is spectacular from the square outside, and you can see all three facades without a ticket. It is at its best at sunset and once it is lit up.
The Siab Bazaar, next to the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, is free to wander, and the stalls usually let you taste dried fruit, nuts and halva. The outside of Bibi-Khanym and the domes of Gur-e-Amir, glowing at night, are free too.
The pedestrian streets linking the Registan with Bibi-Khanym and Shah-i-Zinda make a good evening walk.
Food and drink
Eating and drinking in Samarkand
Samarkand plov is cooked in layers, with the rice and carrots on top and the meat beneath, and it is best at lunchtime. Samarkand non, a dense, glazed round bread stamped with patterns, is famous across Uzbekistan; buy it warm at the Siab Bazaar.
Shashlik, samsa and lagman are everywhere, and teahouses near the Registan and the bazaar do cheap set lunches.
Samarkand has a long winemaking history, and some restaurants pour local wine. A meal is €3 to €8 (about 40,000 to 110,000 som).
Nightlife
Going out in Samarkand
Samarkand's evenings centre on the Registan, which is floodlit after dark and busy with families. Gur-e-Amir is open late and makes a good night visit.
There are a few bars and plenty of restaurants serving beer and local wine, at €2 to €4 for a beer. It is lively for an hour or two and quiet by midnight.
Getting around
Getting around Samarkand
Samarkand station is about 15 minutes from the Registan by taxi. Afrosiyob high-speed trains reach Tashkent in about two hours and Bukhara in about an hour and a half. Since May 2026 the Jaloliddin Manguberdi high-speed train also runs on to Khiva on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Tickets go on sale 30 to 45 days ahead on the Uzbekistan Railways website or app, and popular trains sell out, so book as soon as you can.
In town, the main sights are walkable and taxis are cheap. Use Yandex Go to avoid haggling.
Costs
What Samarkand costs
Samarkand is cheap for food and beds. Dorms start around €8 and a careful day costs €20 to €30.
Entry fees are the extra. There is no combined ticket, and the big four (Registan, Shah-i-Zinda, Gur-e-Amir and Bibi-Khanym) come to about 320,000 som, or roughly €23. Pick the ones you care about most.
The currency is the som (UZS): about 13,700 to the euro, paid in thick bundles of notes. Cards work in bigger hotels and some restaurants; carry cash for tickets, taxis and the bazaar.
Safety
Staying safe in Samarkand
Samarkand is very safe. Your accommodation registers you with the authorities; keep the registration slips, as they can be checked when you leave the country.
Cover your shoulders and knees at mosques and mausoleums, and women should carry a scarf. Shah-i-Zinda is a pilgrimage site, so be quiet and respectful.
Emergency: 102 police, 103 ambulance, 101 fire.
What's on
What is on while you are there
Sharq Taronalari, the music festival, fills the Registan in odd years.
21 March
Navruz
Samarkand
The spring new year.
August, odd years
Sharq Taronalari
Registan
An international music festival.
Hostels
Where to stay in Samarkand
The top-rated places to stay in Samarkand right now, live from Hostelworld.
Hostel Imona
Dorms from €9 a night
See dates and book
Sustainable
BridgeStayHostel
Dorms from €7 a night
See dates and book
Sustainable
Hostel Uz
Dorms from €11 a night
See dates and book
Old Radio Hostel
Dorms from €7 a night
See dates and book
MUSAVVIR Hostel
See dates and book
Sustainable
Heartland Hostel Samarkand
Dorms from €9 a night
See dates and book
Sustainable
Azaliya Hostel
Dorms from €7 a night
See dates and book
Backpackers house markhaba
Dorms from €9 a night
See dates and book
Colibri Traditional Hostel
Dorms from €8 a night
See dates and book
Sustainable
Guest house Behruz 5 star
See dates and book
Old Arba
See dates and book
Aslan Hostel
Dorms from €12 a night
See dates and book
When to go
Go in April and May or September and October. July and August are hot, and winter days are short and chilly.
Jan
Cold
Feb
Cold
Mar
Navruz
Apr
Spring
May
Excellent
Jun
Hot
Jul
Very hot
Aug
Very hot
Sep
Excellent
Oct
Excellent
Nov
Cool
Dec
Cold
Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets:
quiet
busy
peak
Average highs.
What your trip will cost
Pick how you travel. Per person per night, in euros.
Prices are in som locally; these are euro equivalents. Excludes entry fees.
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- Beds—
- Food and drink—
- Getting around—
- Doing things—
Samarkand travel questions
The ones we get asked most.
How much does the Registan cost?
100,000 som (about €7) to go into the madrasa courtyards. You can see the facades from the square for free.
Is there a combined ticket?
No. You pay at each sight, and the four main ones come to about 320,000 som.
Is the Registan lit at night?
Yes, it is floodlit after dark, and it is worth going back to see it.
Where is Timur buried?
At Gur-e-Amir, which stays open late.
How far is Tashkent?
About two hours on the Afrosiyob high-speed train.
Can I do a day trip to Shahrisabz?
Yes. It is about 90 km south, roughly an hour and a half by car, for Timur's Ak-Saray palace.
How many days do you need?
Two or three.
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