JULY 2025

Samarkand was the location that convinced me to visit Uzbekistan and luckily it didn’t disappoint. Samarkand is home to some of the most beautiful sights in Uzbekistan. You can easily spend three days in Samarkand and this is exactly what we did. Besides gorgeous sights, Samarkand also has a very lively restaurant scene. It is a great holiday destination, where you can combine culture and relaxing. In this blogpost I will give you our itinerary, so you can be inspired to visit Samarkand too.

Where we stayed

We chose to stay at the Rayyan Hotel Samarkand, mainly because we wanted a pool for Hugo. The hotel is located outside the city center, but it is only a short Yandex ride away. Breakfast had plenty of Western and Uzbek options as well as fresh fruit and good coffee. The rooms were small, but modern and clean, with comfortable beds. I would have preferred to stay near the main sights, but it is difficult to find an affordable hotel with swimming pool there. So overall, would recommend!

Most beautiful sights in Samarkand

Samarkand was the most touristy destination that we visited in Uzbekistan. The city is quite stretched out and can host a lot of tourists. The main sights in Samarkand can handle many visitors, so this is not an issue, we did not encounter large queues. However, if you are into photography, I would recommend to rise early if you want pictures at popular spots. We took it easy and had slow rises, but therefore it wasn’t possible to take some pictures that I had envisioned. I personally slightly preferred Buchara, as it had more of a small town feel, but the sights in Samarkand can’t be beat. Most sites ask for a (small) entrance fee, usually this is about 5 euros and tickets are easily available at the box office. 

Shah-i-Zinda

Let’s start with my favorite sight in Samarkand:  Shah-i-Zinda. It is a mausoleum and cemetery, which is richly decorated with blue tiles. It might be a strange activity to visit a mausoleum, but it is absolutely gorgeous. There is a main access way that takes you through the site, but it was very hard to take pictures as it was pretty crowded. If you have the option, I would recommend to visit it as soon as it opens. 

Makhsum Baba Mausoleum

Not as stunning as the Shah-i-Zinda, but definitely very impressive and more of a hidden gem. Most people skip this one, meaning you can enjoy it in peace. It even is free to enter. From the terraces next to the mausoleum you have amazing views of the Bibi-Khanum mosque. 

Bibi-Khanum

It is a ruin of a mosque and I don’t think I have ever seen a mosque this big. You will feel incredibly small entering the grounds, a humbling experience 😉 Amir Temur, who is a national hero in Uzbekistan, ordered to have the Bibi-Khanum mosque built in the 14th century and he named it after one of this wives (it is a tragic story, definitely worth researching!). We had lunch at Bibikhanum Hotel and enjoyed the most spectacular views of Bibi-Khanum. Because it is a ruin, there is less  to see than in other mosques. If you are short on time, I would skip visiting and just walk around it and have lunch with a view. The area surrounding the mosque is pedestrianized, so it was quite joyful to walk around. 

Registan square

The poster image of Samarkand should not be skipped on your trip! Registan square is surrounded by three Madrasahs and it used to be the cultural and educational heart of the city when Amir Temir ruled. Now it is partly a museum and partly it hosts stores. It is super grand and gorgeous. We had to wait a few minutes to get tickets. Registan is a busy place, but as people can easily spread out it doesn’t feel crowded and it is possible to take pictures. At night there are several light and music shows, the colors are stunning and it is worth coming back at night. Internet contradicts itself when it comes to start times, so we asked about it at the box office when we visited during the day. 

Gur-e Emir

This is the private mausoleum of Amur Temir. It is located a short walk outside of the city center and it is breathtaking! It is smaller than the Shah-i-Zinda, but I found the interior even more spectacular. You don’t need a lot of time to visit it, definitely don’t skip it!

Restaurant recommendations

As Samarkand is quite stretched out, it helps to know some restaurants near the main sights:

Old Havuz: Old Havuz was our favorite restaurant in Samarkand. It is traditionally Uzbek and we were lucky to get seats at the lovely terrace. They have many dishes which are easy to share, so you can taste a lot of dishes. It is very affordable, but they don’t seem to serve wine. 

Bibikhanum Hotel: This restaurant gets extremely busy and hosts lots of tourists groups. This causes the service to not be very good. Lots of dishes are sold out, once tour groups have just ordered them. Please check your bill and bring cash. And now you think: if you are so negative about this restaurant, why would you recommend it? Well, it simply has the best view of Bibi-Khanum mosque and you have the opportunity to taste Uzbek wine!

EMIRHAN restaurant: This is another touristy restaurant, but with better service! We didn’t have lunch at the rooftop, despite the amazing views of Registan, because it was too hot. I therefore recommend to visit on a cloudy day or have dinner at EMIRHAN. Food was tasty, good value, kind staff, the only downside was the waiting time. Check out the rooftop views on their Instagram.