New Year in Uzbekistan: Tashkent & Samarkand
Welcome 2027 on a thoughtfully paced journey through two of Uzbekistan's most compelling cities. Begin amid the festive lights and landmark squares of Tashkent, travel by rail to legendary Samarkand for its celebrated monuments and New Year's Eve celebrations, then return to the capital for a relaxed holiday programme and a full cultural tour. Selected 4*-5* hotels, private transfers and local English-speaking guides provide a comfortable framework throughout.
Tour style: Private cultural and festive journey for 4-6 guests, with local English-speaking guides and intercity rail travel.
Tour Highlights
- Festive Tashkent, combining monumental squares, lively bazaars, historic religious quarters and contemporary entertainment districts.
- Samarkand's essential Timurid landmarks, including Registan Square, Gur-e-Amir, Bibi-Khanym Mosque and Shah-i-Zinda.
- The Ulugbek Observatory, Imam al-Bukhari Memorial Complex and the pilgrimage traditions of the Saint Daniel Mausoleum.
- A planned New Year's Eve dinner and entertainment programme at the historical and ethnographic Eternal City complex.
- A relaxed 1 January schedule with a return rail journey to Tashkent and a festive evening programme, subject to holiday opening hours.
- Selected 4*-5* hotels, private airport and station transfers, intercity rail tickets and local English-speaking guides.
Tour Overview
Tour cost: From USD 1,410 per person
Single supplement: USD 270 per person
Group size: 4-6 guests
Dates: 29 December 2026 - 3 January 2027
Duration: 6 days / 5 nights
Route: Tashkent - Samarkand - Tashkent
Accommodation: Selected 4*-5* hotels in double or twin rooms
Route
Tashkent - Samarkand - Tashkent
Tour Itinerary
Day 1. UZBEKISTAN, Tashkent – Arrival
Arrival: Arrival at Tashkent International Airport. Meet the driver in the arrivals area and transfer privately to the hotel. Standard check-in is available from 14:00.
Depending on the flight arrival time and after a suitable rest, guests may visit Magic City independently. Rides, attractions, meals, personal purchases and any self-arranged local transport are paid directly on site.
Transport: private airport-hotel transfer
Guide: not included
Overnight: Tashkent
Meals: not included
Day 2. UZBEKISTAN, Tashkent – Samarkand (high-speed train)
Morning: After an early breakfast, check out and transfer to Tashkent railway station. The provisional train is planned to depart at 08:30 and arrive in Samarkand at 10:49. Exact timing and train type remain subject to railway confirmation and ticket availability.
On arrival, meet the local Samarkand guide and begin with the Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum, the burial place of Amir Timur and members of the Timurid dynasty. Continue to Registan Square, framed by the Ulugbek, Sher-Dor and Tilla-Kori madrasas. Lunch is at guests’ own expense.
Afternoon: After hotel check-in from 14:00, visit Bibi-Khanym Mosque and Siab Bazaar, followed by the Ulugbek Observatory, one of the medieval Islamic world’s most important scientific sites. The evening is free for rest or an independent walk.
Transport: private transfers and rail Tashkent–Samarkand
Guide: local English-speaking guide from arrival
Overnight: Samarkand
Meals: breakfast
Day 3. UZBEKISTAN, Samarkand – New Year’s Eve
09:00 – Morning: Depart for the Imam al-Bukhari Memorial Complex, dedicated to the renowned Islamic scholar and compiler of hadith.
Return to Samarkand and continue to the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, one of the city’s most remarkable architectural ensembles.
Afternoon: After lunch at guests’ own expense, visit the Mausoleum of Saint Daniel, a pilgrimage site associated with long-standing local traditions. The remainder of the afternoon is free for rest and personal preparations.
Evening: Transfer to the historical and ethnographic Eternal City complex for the planned New Year’s Eve dinner and entertainment programme. After the celebration, transfer back to the hotel.
New Year programme: the dinner venue, menu, seating, start time, duration and entertainment remain subject to final written supplier confirmation. The base tour includes the confirmed festive dinner and scheduled return transfers.
Transport: private vehicle and evening transfers
Guide: local English-speaking guide for daytime visits
Overnight: Samarkand
Meals: breakfast and festive dinner
Day 4. UZBEKISTAN, Samarkand – Tashkent (high-speed train)
Morning: Breakfast at the hotel and a relaxed morning. At 11:45, transfer to Samarkand railway station. The provisional train is planned to depart at 12:51 and arrive in Tashkent at 15:06. The schedule and train type remain subject to ticket availability and railway confirmation.
Afternoon: On arrival, meet the Tashkent guide. After a late lunch at guests’ own expense, continue to Ice City and then to the Tashkent City district to enjoy the remaining festive atmosphere. Rides, skating, attractions and personal purchases are optional and paid directly by guests.
Holiday operations: the 1 January programme depends on confirmed opening hours, traffic and venue access. If a venue is closed, Ayan Travel will arrange the most suitable available festive alternative.
Transport: private transfers and rail Samarkand–Tashkent
Guide: local English-speaking guide from station arrival
Overnight: Tashkent
Meals: breakfast
Day 5. UZBEKISTAN, Tashkent – City tour
09:00 – Tashkent city tour: Meet the guide and begin a full-day introduction to Tashkent, a dynamic modern capital shaped by Silk Road history, Soviet urban planning and contemporary Uzbek culture.
The morning panoramic tour includes Independence Square, Alisher Navoi Opera and Ballet Theatre Square and Amir Temur Square, followed by a visit to the Tashkent TV Tower. Lunch at the Central Asian Plov Centre is paid directly by guests.
Continue to the Hazrati Imam Complex, including Barak Khan Madrasa, Tillya Sheikh Mosque and the 16th-century Kaffal Shashi Mausoleum. Conclude at Chorsu Bazaar, one of Uzbekistan’s largest and most vibrant markets.
Transport: private vehicle for the scheduled programme
Guide: local English-speaking guide
Overnight: Tashkent
Meals: breakfast
Day 6. UZBEKISTAN, Tashkent – Departure
Departure: Depending on the international flight schedule, check out and transfer privately to Tashkent International Airport.
End of services!
The final hotel night is included through the morning of 3 January. For a very early flight, a packed breakfast may be requested but remains subject to hotel confirmation.
Transport: private hotel-airport transfer
Guide: not required
Meals: breakfast, subject to flight time
- Accommodation: 5 hotel nights in double or twin rooms at the listed or comparable properties
- Meals: 5 breakfasts and 1 New Year’s Eve dinner with the confirmed entertainment programme (departure-day breakfast depends on flight timing)
- Guides: local English-speaking guides during the scheduled sightseeing programme (guides do not accompany guests on intercity train journeys)
- Transport: private vehicles according to group size for airport, hotel, railway-station and scheduled sightseeing transfers
- Rail tickets: Tashkent–Samarkand and Samarkand–Tashkent by high-speed train when available, or the best suitable alternative train service
- Entrance fees to the cultural monuments and sites expressly listed in the guided programme
- Festive programme: New Year’s Eve dinner and entertainment at Eternal City, together with scheduled evening transfers, subject to final written confirmation
- Uzbekistan accommodation/tourist fee, currently calculated at USD 43 per person for this itinerary
- International flights and any domestic flights not expressly listed
- Uzbekistan visa, if required for the traveller’s nationality
- Comprehensive travel insurance
- Single-room supplement
- Lunches, dinners, beverages and other meals not expressly listed as included
- Magic City, Ice City and Tashkent City rides, skating, attractions, entertainment tickets and personal purchases unless expressly confirmed in writing
- Personal expenses, hotel extras, optional services, excess baggage and porterage
- Photography or video fees charged separately at individual sites
- Tips for guides, drivers and other service staff
- Early check-in or late check-out unless expressly confirmed
