When we first decided to visit Uzbekistan and researched how to travel between the Silk Road cities, we found an abundance of fancy tour itineraries and fascinating accounts of ‘slow’ travel through Central Asia. However, there was relatively little information directed at travellers like ourselves, who prefer to travel independently but have fixed time frames and small annual leave allowances.
For this reason, we tend to avoid the ex-Soviet staple of long-distance marshrutkas (cheap, slow and not very comfortable minibuses, for the uninitiated!) and shared taxis, as these are not ideal for following a tight itinerary. Instead, we needed to find out how we could travel across Uzbekistan by train!
The revelation that there is an excellent rail network, which will reliably take both locals and tourists to all the main cities and beyond, came as a huge relief. It meant we could quickly work out how to travel Uzbekistan by train in two weeks, and do the trip justice. Trains were by far the easiest way to travel between the cities of Uzbekistan. Some of these journeys are seriously long distance! However, we managed to get between Tashkent, Samarkand, Khiva and Bukhara with nothing longer than a 6-hour train on any leg.
From Tashkent to Khiva, here are our top tips on how to travel across Uzbekistan by train.
A quick guide to Uzbekistan’s train network
Uzbekistan’s train network connects the capital, Tashkent, with the classic Silk Road destinations of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva. Given that these cities were the focus of our trip, we didn’t venture anywhere else by train. However, the network continues East into the Fergana Valley, South towards Taraz or Nukus in the North West.
The network is mainly long-distance, average-speed ex-Soviet rolling stock, but there are a small number of high-speed trains. These are called Afrosiyob, and currently run between Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara.
According to Uzbek President Shavkat Miriziyoyev, a high-speed connection to Khiva is due to be completed in 2024.
You can check the timetable for trains across Uzbekistan on the official Uzbekistan trains website.
How to book trains in Uzbekistan
Although the train network is brilliant, the trains themselves can vary in frequency between stations – as an example, the Bukhara to Khiva train only ran three times per week when we travelled there in October 2019. If you’re planning to travel to Uzbekistan independently, it’s therefore likely that you’ll need to plan your itinerary around the trains. We have a relatively simple two-pronged approach to booking trains in Uzbekistan, which went something like this:
- Research and choose your date and time. When we travelled, Tutu Travel was the most user-friendly site for researching train dates and times – particularly as you can effortlessly search using the Latin alphabet! However, the Uzbekistan Trains website has been updated and is much easier to use.
- Book the train. When booking your tickets, it’s time to brave the Uzbekistan trains website, which was temperamental when we used it in 2019. The site wasn’t very user-friendly, but despite the potentially frustrating process, it was the cheapest option by far (as you’re buying direct, rather than through a travel agent) and allows you to book your tickets in advance. Thankfully, the website has had a facelift and is now much nicer to navigate.
Don’t forget these important points
Some key things to remember when booking trains in Uzbekistan:
- The booking window on the Uzbekistan trains website opens 45 days before departure.
- Try to book as early as possible – trains do sell out, especially for popular routes on the high-speed Afrosiab service. For example, our Samarkand to Tashkent train had already sold out when we tried booking it 43 days ahead. We suspect that many Afrosiyob tickets are immediately bought up in bulk by travel agents before being sold for a significant markup to travellers hoping to journey across Uzbekistan by train!
How to use the Uzbekistan Trains website
To use the Uzbekistan trains website, there are some key bits and pieces you’ll need to keep in mind:
- Register using an email address – don’t give up if it doesn’t accept your address on the first attempt. We tried three different email addresses before it finally accepted one, and we couldn’t work out a pattern as to why the others were rejected!
- International cards are accepted – but only Visa! As of September 2019, you cannot use Mastercard, American Express and others.
- Although the website has an English-language option, place names must be input in Cyrillic. The easiest way to do this is to copy and paste – we’ve listed out the main stations on the Uzbek tourist trail as they should appear on the website:
- Tashkent = ТАШКЕНТ
- Bukhara = БУХАРА 2
- Khiva = ХИВА
- Samarkand = САМАРКАНД
One alternative to using the Uzbekistan trains website is to book via Tutu Travel.
Read next: Eating at the Central Asian Plov Center in Tashkent.
What to do at the station in Uzbekistan
To gain access to the main stations in Uzbekistan when travelling by train, you’ll first need to go through a ticket and security check. The first checkpoint tends to be located outside the main building, and you’ll need to show your train ticket and passport in order to proceed through.
If you have a reservation or booking confirmation rather than an e-ticket, you’ll need to exchange this for the proper ticket at the ticket office. The ticket office is normally a separate building near the station.
Your bags will then be scanned, and you’ll walk through into the main terminal. Once inside, your ticket will be checked and stamped – this is the final step, and you’re then free to relax until departure!
We never quite managed to understand the train departure boards – but if you are travelling to one of the main cities, then there’s no need to worry too much. Just look out for any non-Uzbek traveller, and they’ll almost certainly be heading in the same direction as you.
There will be plenty of tour groups with guides who will know exactly where to head to catch the train. If in doubt, the railway staff will generally speak enough basic English to point you in the right direction.
Read next: The problem with travelling by FlixTrain in Sweden.
Train travel across Uzbekistan – our reviews of the journeys
The great thing about travelling through Uzbekistan by train is the variety. Whether you travel on the fast or slow trains, by day or by night, economy or first class, there are more than enough options to suit everybody. We’d definitely recommend trying out a couple of different types so that you can experience the full suite of what Uzbekistan’s trains have to offer!
We chose to stick to the economy class – we’re always keen to save those dollars. Railway staff will try to upsell you first class, but there’s really no need to worry about economy, it was great.
However, we chose to mix things up between the high-speed Afrosiyob service and the standard ‘slow’ service. We’d recommend both. Here are what we thought of our journeys – for a more detailed overview of all the services, you can check out the excellent Seat 61.
Tashkent (ТАШКЕНТ) to Bukhara (БУХАРА 2)
Service: Sharq 010Ф
Cost: £8 per person – economy
Duration: 6 hours
Notes: The “Sharq” service was averagely paced – not as speedy as the Afrosiyob, but still no slouch. This was a great first glimpse into life outside Uzbekistan’s capital. The city turns to fields full of cotton pickers, which then give way to miles of endless desert.
Bukhara (БУХАРА 2) to Khiva (ХИВА)
Service: 050Ф (Outwards) and 050Щ (Return). Each operates 3 times per week
Cost: £7 per person – economy
Duration: 6 hours
Notes: Many travel guides refer to Khiva as not having a train station and list the closest station as Urgench. This is no longer correct – the train line has been extended to run from Urgench to Khiva, saving a 40-minute taxi ride! Get ready for plenty more desert views on your journey to and from Khiva!
Bukhara (БУХАРА 2) to Samarkand (САМАРКАНД)
Service: 761Ф
Cost: £7 per person – economy, Afrosiyob fast train
Duration: 1 hour 40 minutes
Notes: This was our only experience of the ‘Afrosiyob’, which can reach speeds of up to 250 km/h. These trains are incredibly modern and extremely comfortable, even in economy class. You’ll likely be sitting with large groups of tourists, as the Afrosiyob services are favoured among tour companies.
Samarkand (САМАРКАНД) to Tashkent (ТАШКЕНТ)
Service: Sharq 009Ф
Cost: £8 per person – economy
Duration: 3 hours 30 minutes
Notes: This was our final train of the trip – another economy service on the slow train. Once again, the train was comfortable and punctual – a great job, considering we had a flight to catch!
What to do when you arrive at the train station in Uzbekistan.
Arriving at one of Uzbekistan’s main stations after a long journey can be a hectic experience. Travellers are often dragging heavy backpacks or suitcases straight off the train, and the vast majority of the stations you’re likely to stop at are located a long way away from the city centres. This means there are a few things to keep in mind when you arrive at your station in Uzbekistan:
- You’ll likely have to exit through a side gate rather than the main station, normally reserved for departures.
- This means that you’ll immediately enter a throng of taxi drivers hoping to win your custom. If you do decide to take a taxi, then you should be prepared to haggle – and haggle hard! Do not listen to tales of the centre being miles away, or petrol being really expensive.
- The easiest way to avoid having to negotiate with the taxi drivers is to arrange a transfer with your accommodation. This will, of course, be more expensive than public transport. However, it will at least guarantee you a set price and the knowledge that a lift is waiting for you.
- There will be a bus station or bus stop not too far away. Aside from walking (or the metro, if you’re in Tashkent), this is by far the cheapest way to reach your final destination. It will, however, require a bit of research and a fair amount of patience. Our bus from Samarkand station to Registan Square (the 3 or 73) took an hour and filled up fast. It was, however, a really interesting journey and a true local experience.
- If you need to collect or exchange tickets for your onward journey, your arrival is the best time to do it! You don’t want to be having to make the journey back just to sort out tickets.
Travelling across Uzbekistan by train: our final conclusion
Overall, our experience with the trains in Uzbekistan was overwhelmingly positive.
- The trains were on time, comfortable and clean.
- They even had a regular tea and food service in case you’d forgotten to stock up.
- It’s an extremely economical way to travel around Uzbekistan, especially considering the distances being covered.
- They offer some fascinating insights into local life as the countryside sped by.
With a little research and planning, travelling across Uzbekistan by train should be on everyone’s to-do list!
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6 reasons why you must add Tashkent to your Uzbekistan travel plans
Absolutely fascinating post, especially as we’re off to Uzbekistan as part of our Silk Road trip in May. Planning on getting trains from Khiva back to Tashkent via Bukhara and Samarkand so really interested in your experiences. Sounds an adventure.
Thanks Jonno, glad you enjoyed it! More Uzbekistan content on its way!